Guillermo's 'Obsessed' samba, and a comment section that credits Witney Carson
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! sidekick's Mariah Carey Night routine drew close to three times the views of the next most watched dance, Harry Shum Jr.'s tango.
Dancing With The Stars
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 387,060 views a day, 20 times a normal first day on this channel (18,894).
Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson’s Mariah Carey Night Samba | Dancing with the Stars
Which routine from Mariah Carey Night did people actually press play on? Not the tango, and not any of the evening's four rumbas. It was Guillermo Rodriguez, the familiar face from ABC's own late-night lineup, doing a samba with Witney Carson to "Obsessed."
The clip passed 380,000 views in under a day. That is roughly three times what Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson's tango to "It's Like That" managed, and the tango was the next most watched dance of week five. Every couple did well on the channel, from Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa's Viennese waltz to "Vision of Love" to Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov's rumba to "Hero." Guillermo's samba still stood well apart from the pack. It also had the busiest comment section of the night, with more than 500 comments where a Short here usually collects a handful.
Much of that talk is about what Guillermo means to the show. The most liked comment argues that he is loved because he is vulnerable: he knows he is not the most technical dancer, and he keeps showing up to learn something new in front of a national audience and get judged for it. Another popular one says this is what Dancing with the Stars was at the start, people with no dance background getting better week by week, before the casts filled up with athletes and trained movers. Several viewers say plainly that he is the reason they still watch.
Just as many turn to his partner. They credit Witney Carson's choreography with building moments that show off his showmanship, and one viewer suspects she knew exactly what she was doing when she picked a song called "Obsessed." Others say they have rarely seen her smile as much as she does this season.
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What viewers say
You know why he is so loved? Because he’s vulnerable. He knows he’s not the most technical but he’s showing up, trying to learn something new (in front of thousands of people), and being judged for it. It’s entertaining, it’s enjoyable, it’s good for all ages.
The show needs this vibe too. People talk about representation, well he’s representing a lot of people too. Give the man his flowers.@SquintyPinesSee it on YouTubeI think Witney deserves so much credit for her choreos! Guillermo is great but I‘m not he would‘ve gone as far with a different pro. She really knows how to create these memorable moments to show off his showmanship.
@Chris-g9iSee it on YouTubeGuillermo is sunshine ☀️
@nanderson3417See it on YouTube
7 more comments
This is what DWTS started out to be. Non dancers we could follow getting better as the show goes on. Unfortunately, it developed into something else by adding more athletic types, including those with dancing backgrounds. Guillermo represents the people and I think that's why the people are behind him. A nice guy underdog!
@ArthurFelshaw-j1tSee it on YouTubeI'm so obsessed with Guillermo! He's such a delight!
@erinstaack3584See it on YouTubewitney knew what she was doing with the song choice lol
@victoriawise550See it on YouTubeGuillermo - so fun to watch, he is so adorable. He is really getting into the swing of dance and is feeling it. Every week better and just plain fun. Great team!
@LovethosewrinklesSee it on YouTubeWitney is the 1% of dancers, Guillermo is the 99%, this dance was America !!! Keep going...
@NoOneSpecial247See it on YouTubeGuillermo and Witney are a special energy couple. You can see that he is really trying to make it work, not only for him, but for her. I love this. His family must be proud of him!
@bearin29See it on YouTubeGo Guillermo Go!!! 💖
@annieis300See it on YouTube
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- Channel
- Dancing With The Stars
- Subscribers
- 1,370,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 1,435,124
- Channel views, pace per day
- 303,309 (on a normal day: 317,860)
- Video published
- October 7, 2026
- Video views so far
- 381,653 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 387,060
The numbers
The samba ran far ahead of a typical first day for the channel's Shorts, and it led a night when every dance did well.
💡 Test your knowledge
Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," the song behind this samba, was the lead single from which of her albums?
"Obsessed" came out in 2009 as the first single from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
