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Guillermo Rodriguez has avoided elimination through three weeks on Dancing With the Stars, even as judges have given him the lowest score each week. His partner, Whitney Carson, defended their continuation after viewers speculated about her reaction to another couple’s elimination.
Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, has become a focal point of the current Dancing With the Stars season after surviving three weeks despite receiving the judges’ lowest score each week. His partner, Whitney Carson, also pushed back against speculation that she was disappointed when another couple was eliminated instead of them.
Rodriguez’s latest performance paired him with Carson for a foxtrot to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).” He leaned into the show’s playful tone by taking off his shirt to reveal the words “Dancing 4 The People” written on his chest. The judges’ marks remained the lowest of the week, according to the reported account, though Rodriguez’s score had improved in each of the three weeks.
Despite those scores, Rodriguez has stayed in the competition. His continued run has prompted attention from viewers and from his Jimmy Kimmel Live! colleagues. Kimmel addressed the attention during a Wednesday monologue after Rodriguez joined the show’s team in Brooklyn; he had stayed in Los Angeles for the first two weeks to compete on the dance program.
Carson responded on TikTok to online speculation about her reaction when Taylor Hanson and his partner, Britt Stewart, were eliminated rather than Carson and Rodriguez. She said that being placed in the bottom three does not necessarily mean a couple received the fewest votes, and explained that the show announces who is leaving before contestants can celebrate being safe. Carson said her immediate response was sadness for the departing couple, followed by celebration with Rodriguez.
Dancing With the Stars · Season Update
Guillermo Rodriguez Steps Into the Spotlight
Three weeks in, Jimmy Kimmel’s longtime sidekick is still in the competition despite receiving the judges’ lowest score each week. With Whitney Carson beside him, his run has become a story about scoring, audience votes and a familiar face taking a new stage.
01 / How the run is unfolding
Two scoreboards, one uncertain outcome
Rodriguez’s weekly survival has drawn attention to the gap between judges’ marks and the results that determine who stays. His score reportedly improved each week, but the account gives no numerical marks or vote totals.
Judges
Lowest each week
He received the lowest judges’ score in each of the first three weeks described, even as his score improved over that stretch.
Audience
Still in the race
Rodriguez has avoided elimination. The available account does not reveal his vote count or his precise standing with viewers.
On the floor
A playful foxtrot
He and Carson danced to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” with Rodriguez revealing his chest lettering during the performance.
02 / The story beyond the ballroom
From late-night sidekick to contestant
Rodriguez has spent more than two decades on Jimmy Kimmel Live! His familiar comic persona now has a new setting, drawing comments from Kimmel’s team as well as viewers.
Early path
Three jobs before TV
Before joining the show, he worked three jobs, including as a parking-lot security guard. The account says he was discovered after being found asleep in announcer Dicky Barrett’s car.
Known for
Red-carpet encounters
He is recognized for approaching celebrities on red carpets and asking them to take shots with him—a comic style he brings to his public persona.
New spotlight
A different role
Kimmel noted Rodriguez had joined the team in Brooklyn after staying in Los Angeles during the first two competition weeks.
03 / What they said
Support on both sides of the dance floor
Kimmel celebrated Rodriguez’s transformation, while Carson addressed speculation about the couple’s reaction to another pair’s elimination.
“We are witnessing a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.”
Jimmy Kimmel · Wednesday monologue
04 / Reading the elimination moment
What Carson clarified
After Taylor Hanson and Britt Stewart were eliminated, online speculation focused on Carson’s reaction. Her explanation described the sequence as sadness for the departing couple, followed by celebration with Rodriguez.
Bottom three
Being placed in the bottom three does not necessarily mean a couple received the fewest votes.
Results announced
The show reveals who is leaving before the remaining contestants can celebrate being safe.
Sadness first
Carson said her immediate reaction was sadness for the couple leaving the competition.
Then celebration
She said she and Rodriguez celebrated afterward when they learned they would continue.
05 / What remains unknown
The next week is still unwritten
The available report provides useful context, but it does not establish why Rodriguez was cast, how much support he has received or how far he will advance.
No numerical judges’ scores, audience vote totals or precise voting margin are provided.
The next dance, song and appearance date are not identified in the account.
His improving scores may affect his standing, but the outcome of future weeks remains uncertain.
The report mentions an October 4 salsa-line launch and a possible November 24 milestone, without confirming a connection to his competition schedule.
Rodriguez and Carson are set for another competition week. Judges’ scoring, viewer voting and the next results will show whether his run continues.
A Fan Vote Keeps Rodriguez in the Race
Rodriguez’s progress puts a spotlight on the difference between judges’ scores and a contestant’s ability to remain in the competition. He has repeatedly received the lowest marks, yet has not been eliminated. The available account does not provide vote totals, so it does not establish exactly how much viewer support he has or how the audience vote compares with the judges’ rankings.
The story also reaches beyond the ballroom. Rodriguez has worked alongside Kimmel for more than 23 years, and his new role as a competitor gives viewers a different way to see a familiar late-night personality. Kimmel’s remarks and Carson’s response show how the run has become a talking point both on the show and among viewers, even as the outcome of each week remains uncertain.
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From Kimmel’s Sidekick to Contestant
Before joining the late-night program, Rodriguez was working three jobs, including as a parking-lot security guard. The account says he was discovered after being found asleep in announcer Dicky Barrett’s car, an incident that eventually led to his job as Kimmel’s sidekick. He has remained with the ABC show for more than two decades.
Rodriguez is also known for approaching celebrities on red carpets and asking them to take shots with him. His entry into the dance competition was overseen within a television operation that also includes Rob Mills, executive vice president of unscripted and alternative entertainment at Walt Disney Television, who oversees Jimmy Kimmel Live! as well. Carson is around five months pregnant, according to the account. These details provide context for the show’s unusual pairing, but do not establish why Rodriguez was cast or predict how far he will advance.
““This is a very big week for us – not just because we are here in Brooklyn. But we are also witnessing a butterfly emerging from its cocoon – we are witnessing the metamorphosis of what is unquestionably the most adorable person on our staff.””
— Jimmy Kimmel
The Vote Totals Remain Unknown
The account does not give the judges’ numerical scores, audience vote totals or the precise voting margin that has kept Rodriguez safe. Carson noted that a bottom-three placement does not necessarily identify the couples with the fewest votes, so viewers cannot infer a full ranking from that announcement alone. It also remains unclear how long Rodriguez will stay in the competition or whether his improving scores will change his standing with the judges.
The report describes a possible November 24 milestone in connection with Rodriguez’s favorite tequila, but does not confirm that he will reach that date in the contest or explain what event the date would mark. His salsa line is said to be launching nationwide on October 4; the relationship between that release and his dance-show schedule is not specified.
Rodriguez Faces Another Dance Week
Rodriguez and Carson’s immediate next step is another week of competition, where they will need to perform and await the combined outcome of judges’ scoring and viewer voting. The report does not identify their next dance, song or the date of their next appearance, so those details remain unconfirmed here.
Carson’s public response has clarified her reaction to the previous elimination, but it does not reveal how the pair will fare in the next results. Rodriguez’s scores, his continued survival and the audience response will remain the key indicators to watch as the season proceeds.
Source: Deadline
Key Questions
Has Guillermo Rodriguez been eliminated from Dancing With the Stars?
No. The account says Rodriguez has avoided elimination through the first three weeks described, despite receiving the judges’ lowest score each week.
Who is Guillermo Rodriguez’s dance partner?
Rodriguez is paired with Whitney Carson. They performed a foxtrot to “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” during the week described.
What did Whitney Carson say about the elimination speculation?
In a TikTok video, Carson said her initial response was sadness for the couple leaving, and that she and Rodriguez celebrated afterward. She also said a bottom-three placement does not necessarily mean those couples received the fewest votes.
What is known about Rodriguez’s next performance?
The account does not specify the next dance, song or performance date. Rodriguez and Carson are expected to continue in the competition, but their next results are not yet known.
Source: Deadline
