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Guillermo Rodriguez has avoided elimination on Dancing with the Stars for three weeks, even as he has received the lowest judges’ score each week. After his latest foxtrot with Whitney Carson, Carson rejected speculation that she was unhappy to remain in the competition and said Rodriguez deserves to continue.
Guillermo Rodriguez has remained on Dancing with the Stars through three weeks despite receiving the judges’ lowest score each week, drawing attention to a run that is becoming a bigger story beyond the ballroom. After the latest episode, partner Whitney Carson addressed speculation that she was disappointed when another couple was eliminated, saying she was grateful to keep dancing with him and that he “really deserves it.”
In the latest performance, Rodriguez and Carson danced a foxtrot to Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” Rodriguez leaned into the performance’s playful tone by taking off his shirt to reveal “Dancing 4 The People” written across his chest. His scores have improved over the first three weeks, according to Deadline, though they have still been the lowest from the judges each week. He has nevertheless avoided elimination.
Carson responded on TikTok after viewers speculated that she seemed disappointed when Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated rather than her and Rodriguez. She said the show’s bottom-three announcement does not necessarily mean those couples received the lowest votes: it means they do not get to celebrate being safe and instead wait to hear who is leaving. Carson said her immediate response is sadness for the eliminated dancer, followed by celebration when she and Rodriguez learn they can continue; she said that celebratory moment is not always shown.
On Wednesday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which had its team in Brooklyn after Rodriguez stayed in Los Angeles for the first two episodes, Kimmel joked about his longtime colleague’s growing profile. He called Rodriguez “the most adorable person on our staff” and asked whether he might be “the most popular dancer in the whole world.” The remarks were part of Kimmel’s monologue, not an independent measure of Rodriguez’s popularity.
Dancing with the Stars · The story so far
Guillermo Rodriguez Is Finally Getting His Moment on Dancing with the Stars
Three weeks in, Rodriguez has survived every elimination while earning the judges’ lowest score each week. Now his unlikely run is drawing attention beyond the ballroom.
01 / The split between scores and survival
Judges rank the dance. Elimination tells a wider story.
Rodriguez’s weekly survival shows that judges’ scores alone do not determine who continues. Audience voting also plays a role, but the available report does not disclose totals or margins.
Still in the show.
His scores have improved across the first three weeks, according to Deadline, while remaining the lowest each week.
Reading the bottom three: Carson said that being named in the bottom three does not necessarily mean a couple received the fewest votes. Complete voting results were not provided.
02 / The partnership
Carson answered the speculation directly.
After viewers wondered whether she was disappointed when Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated, Carson described a different sequence of emotions on elimination night.
First reaction
Sadness for the departing couple
Carson said her immediate response is to feel sad for the dancer who is leaving.
Then the result
Relief when they are safe
She and Rodriguez celebrate learning they can continue, though that moment is not always shown on the broadcast.
Her view of Guillermo
Kind, committed, persistent
Carson said he genuinely wants to improve and never gives up.
03 / From late night to the ballroom
A long-running TV colleague, in a new spotlight.
Rodriguez’s television story began far from a dance floor and grew through his longtime role alongside Jimmy Kimmel.
Three jobs, one chance encounter
While working multiple jobs, including as a parking-lot security guard, Rodriguez was found asleep in the car of Dicky Barrett, then an announcer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The encounter led to a role on the show.
A familiar face takes the floor
After more than 23 years alongside Kimmel, Rodriguez is being seen in a different format. He is also known for inviting celebrities to take shots with him on red carpets.
A playful foxtrot moment
He and Carson danced to Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” Rodriguez removed his shirt to reveal “Dancing 4 The People” written across his chest.
More projects on the horizon
Deadline reported that Rodriguez is launching a salsa line nationwide on October 4. The report does not confirm how far he will go in the competition.
More than 23 years with Kimmel
Three weeks safely through
Scores, votes and weekly results
04 / What remains unknown
The next dance will test the run.
There is a clear story in Rodriguez’s first three weeks, but several details remain unavailable. The confirmed result is that he and Carson advanced through the weeks described in the report.
No vote totals
Margins are undisclosed
The account does not say how many votes Rodriguez received or how close he came to elimination.
No future result
His run is still unfolding
His next scores and the next elimination outcome have not been confirmed.
No popularity data
Kimmel’s line was a joke
Kimmel wondered aloud whether Rodriguez might be the world’s most popular dancer. No audience figures were cited.
Quick answers
What viewers want to know
Has Rodriguez been eliminated?
No. In the three weeks covered, he avoided elimination despite receiving the judges’ lowest score each week.
Why did Carson respond to viewers?
She addressed speculation about her reaction when Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated.
What did they dance?
A foxtrot to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” complete with Rodriguez’s “Dancing 4 The People” shirt reveal.
Does bottom three mean fewest votes?
Not necessarily, Carson said. The report does not include complete voting totals.
Source: Deadline · Quotes and details as reported
A Fan Favorite Outlasts the Scores
Rodriguez’s continuing place in the competition highlights the gap between judges’ scores and elimination outcomes. The judges have ranked him last each week, but the show’s elimination process also involves audience votes. The supplied account does not give vote totals, so his survival cannot be explained by a specific voting margin. It does show that his progress is not captured by the judges’ scores alone.
The story also connects Rodriguez’s long-running television role with his new exposure as a contestant. He has worked alongside Jimmy Kimmel for more than 23 years, and now viewers are seeing him perform in a different format. Carson’s comments matter because they address speculation about the partnership directly: she described Rodriguez as kind, committed to improving and unwilling to give up, rather than expressing frustration at continuing with him.
Dancing with the Stars beginner dance shoes
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From Kimmel’s Staff to the Ballroom
Rodriguez’s path into television began while he was working three jobs, including as a parking-lot security guard. According to the account published by Deadline, he was found asleep in the car of Dicky Barrett, then an announcer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. That encounter led to a role on the ABC late-night show as Kimmel’s sidekick, a position he still holds.
Rodriguez is also known for asking celebrities to take shots with him on red carpets. Deadline reports that he is launching a salsa line nationwide on October 4. The report says the reality competition is overseen by Rob Mills, Walt Disney Television’s executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment, who also oversees Jimmy Kimmel Live!. It characterizes the decision to have Rodriguez compete as a move that may have been expected to be brief, but does not establish what producers anticipated or provide a stated rationale for his casting.
““I am truly so grateful to continue on in this competition week after week with Guillermo because he really deserves it.””
— Whitney Carson, in a TikTok post
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Votes and Future Eliminations Remain Unknown
The available account does not disclose audience vote totals or explain how close Rodriguez has been to elimination. Carson stressed that a bottom-three placement does not necessarily identify the couples with the fewest votes, and the show’s complete voting results are not provided. It is also unclear how long Rodriguez will remain in the competition or whether his improving judges’ scores will continue.
The report mentions November 24 as a possible date for Rodriguez to toast his success, but does not establish that he will reach a finale or confirm the date as the season’s final episode. Kimmel’s comments about Rodriguez being among the world’s most popular dancers were jokes; no audience figures or broader popularity data were cited.
dance competition performance microphone
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The Next Dance Will Test His Run
Rodriguez and Carson’s next performance will show whether their judges’ scores continue to rise and whether they can stay out of the elimination danger zone. For now, the confirmed development is that they have advanced through the first three weeks described in the report, despite Rodriguez’s low scores from the judges. Future results depend on the competition’s weekly outcomes, and no next elimination result is confirmed here.
Carson’s public response also gives viewers a clearer account of how she interpreted the elimination-night moment: she said she felt sad for the departing couple before celebrating her own continuation. Rodriguez’s run, his evolving performances and the audience’s role in keeping him on the show will remain the main points to watch as the season proceeds.
Source: Deadline
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Key Questions
Has Guillermo Rodriguez been eliminated from Dancing with the Stars?
No. In the three weeks described in the report, Rodriguez avoided elimination, despite receiving the judges’ lowest score each week.
Why did Whitney Carson address viewers?
Carson responded to speculation that she was disappointed when Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated. She said her first reaction was sadness for whoever was leaving, and that the broadcast did not always show the later celebration when she and Rodriguez learned they were safe.
What did Rodriguez do in the latest dance?
He and Carson performed a foxtrot to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” Rodriguez took off his shirt to show “Dancing 4 The People” written on his chest.
Does a bottom-three placement mean a couple had the fewest votes?
Not necessarily, according to Carson. She said being named in the bottom three does not by itself mean those couples had the lowest votes; the show’s voting totals were not provided in the report.
Source: Deadline
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