Why Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart’s DWTS exit sparked a voting debate

Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated from Dancing With the Stars during its September 29 Yacht Rock Night broadcast on ABC and Disney+, despite scoring higher than two couples who stayed. Their exit prompted calls to restore the judges’ save and renewed attention to how viewer votes combine with judges’ marks.

Judge Carrie Ann Inaba added her own reaction. According to Us Weekly, she replied on September 29 to a TikTok compilation of Stewart’s previous eliminations: “This hurt. Britt is so talented.” Stewart later told Good Morning America she was “definitely still in shock,” TV Insider reported.

Why Taylor Hanson went home with 18 out of 30

Hanson and Stewart performed a foxtrot to the Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes,” earning 18 out of 30. That put them level with Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong, and Jackson Olson and Emma Slater, according to TV Insider’s account of the night’s scores.

Two surviving partnerships finished below them on judges’ marks: Tyler Cameron and Sharna Burgess received 17 out of 30, while Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson earned 15. Hanson and Stewart therefore were not at the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard when their elimination was announced.

That allows a couple with fewer judges’ points to survive ahead of a higher-scoring pair. It does not tell us the audience-vote margin: neither the result reports nor ABC’s retained instructions provide couple-by-couple totals or an exact calculation for this elimination. There is no basis here to say Hanson received the fewest raw viewer votes.

How DWTS viewer voting works

In its announcement for the September 22 episode, ABC said voting takes place during the live Eastern and Central time-zone simulcast. Online voting is available during that window to viewers in any time zone in the United States, its territories and Canada.

ABC also allows text voting through participating US wireless carriers, but says Canadian fans cannot vote by text. Those instructions describe the season’s voting framework; they were issued before Hanson and Stewart’s exit and were not a response to it.

What Britt Stewart and Carrie Ann Inaba said

TV Insider described both partners looking shocked as the result was announced, with Stewart apologizing to Hanson. Speaking afterward to GMA, in an interview embedded and quoted by TV Insider, she explained that she had expected an unpredictable season—but not this particular ending.

“I said from the beginning that this season would be unexpected,” Stewart said. “Didn’t think it would be unexpected for us in this way.” She also thanked supporters and spoke about how much she valued meeting Hanson, saying they aligned in many ways.

Hanson described the partnership as enjoyable and demanding, with Stewart acting as both dance instructor and emotional support. “I’m sad to see it end because we were just getting started,” he told GMA, according to TV Insider. Their quoted remarks expressed disappointment and gratitude, rather than an allegation about the vote.

Inaba’s praise went beyond her brief expression of disappointment. Us Weekly reported that she recalled telling Robert Irwin on his aftershow that Hanson and Stewart were “the ones to watch that first week.” On the elimination broadcast, Hanson thanked Stewart for showing him things he had not thought possible.

Why fans are calling for the judges’ save

Good Housekeeping’s September 30 report documented comments asking for the judges’ save to return after the elimination. That establishes a specific demand from some viewers, rather than a measured consensus across the audience. The reports do not establish voting misconduct or an announced rule change.

Stewart’s competition history also featured in the reaction described by TV Insider. It reported that she finished 13th this season, following recent placements of 11th with Adrian Peterson, 10th with Eric Roberts and 13th with Baron Davis. Her best finish was fifth with Daniel Durant in season 31; she had not reached a finale.

What Hanson and Stewart hoped to achieve

Their early expectations were documented in a separate Extra interview after premiere night one. Hanson said his career had centered on writing, singing and performing music rather than dance. He acknowledged the physical challenge, saying his “body hurts a lot,” while adding: “I’m giving it everything I’ve got.”

Stewart told Extra she saw potential in him and had deliberately set a difficult opening quickstep despite his lack of dance experience. Hanson said he was taking the contest week by week and hoped the experience could encourage others to take a leap into something unfamiliar.

What happens next on DWTS

Dancing With the Stars continues on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, according to Us Weekly and TV Insider. Their reports establish Hanson and Stewart’s departure, but no reinstatement. Neither those accounts nor Good Housekeeping’s report supplies an ABC response announcing a voting change.