Welcome back to the ballroom! First, blessings and Kleenex and whatever salve may be needed for Carrie Ann Inaba, who had to call in sick Tuesday due to an undisclosed illness. Your impatience with Bruno Tonioli’s horseplay was missed, lady!
It feels like decades since the mirror ball has spun at the stages on Beverly and Fairfax in Hollywood. But ABC needed time to farm The Secret Lives of Morman Wives for not one but two amateur hoofers for season 34. That’s not all; a Morman wife is also set to headline the next season of The Bachelorette.
That’s a tale for another time. Who went home on premiere night?
Actor/musician Corey Feldman with Jenna Johnson. Non-spoiler alert: Feldman admitted that he’s never danced ballroom in his life. He’s got lots of Michael Jackson moves, though! That’s good for the rehearsal package, but not for a full season, buddy. Wait, I take that back: Feldman moonwalked and pumped his hips a la the Gloved One during his otherwise routine tango. “The performance was great, now work on the technique,” said Tonioli. SCORE: 9 out of 20
Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles with Ezra Sosa. The artistic gymnast from the 2024 U.S. team feels like the bar has been set a little too high for tumblers like herself. Not to fear, golden girl: Chiles’ salsa was dynamic enough to kick off premiere night (even though one of her cues to Sosa to begin their next dance sequence was a little too obvious). “I love to see your spice girl come out there!” said Tonioli, before adding, “you have to carry the heat and the motion through the body. You have to express it.” SCORE: 10 out of 20
Reality TV star Dylan Efron and Daniella Karagach. We get it: Efron is as hot as his older brother Zac! Efron’s introductory video showed off his shirtless physique before he kicked off his cha cha with his shirt open and his hips pumping near Hough’s head. He then jumped off the dais and grabbed his crotch. That’s a choice! “I didn’t know what to expect. You’ve got some fluidity,” said Derek Hough. “You lost the timing in a few places and lost the music.” SCORE: 10 out of 20
NBA All-Star Baron Davis with Britt Stewart. Davis, quite literally, has some big shoes to fill; the show’s history is jam-packed with scene-stealing ballers. But Davis demonstrated that he had the charisma, if not the perfect music (M.C. Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This”) to perform his first televised cha cha. “You not only touched this, you crushed this!” said Hough. “That was fun.” SCORE: 10 out of 20
Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying with Rylee Arnold. Hoying professed he was a DWTS fan before performing his tango to Gaga’s “Abracadabra.” He had some problems with timing but you can tell this guy is absolutely thrilled to be here. “That left arm? You gotta finesse this,” said Hough. “But for a week one dance? Amazing.” SCORE: 10 out of 20
Elaine Hendrix with Alan Bersten. Good news for the older member of the cast! Hendrix began her career as a dancer so she’s primed for competition. She also has lots of sentimental fans, thanks to her memorable role as Dennis Quaid’s nasty galpal in The Parent Trap. Bersten isn’t stupid; he knew that the crowd would go wild when they performed the hand slap from the 1998 movie during their cha cha. “You are amazing. You have this broadway quality to your dancing,” Hough said. “It was mesmerizing.” SCORE: 12 out of 20
Jen Affleck (The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) with Jan Ravnik. Yep, it’s another mom from Secret Wives! Affleck showed off her #Momtok moves before meeting Ravnik, who’s a star in his own right; he danced with Taylor Swift, y’all. Affleck reminded her sexy partner that she’s a hot Latina, so she had the right DNA for their lift-heavy salsa. (Inaba would hate them!). “I can’t believe you just had a baby two months ago. Bravo,” said Hough. “That was a great first dance.” SCORE: 12 out of 30
Danielle Fishel (Boy Meets World) with Pasha Pashkov. After the requisite clip from her time on ABC comedy, Fishel explained how this will be her Year of Yes after she went through treatment for breast cancer. Fishel admitted to not having much dance experience but she knows how to put on a show. She proved that with her tango. “You have a wonderful sense of movement, great fluidity,” said Tonioli. “Just make sure to check your shoulder. That’s the hardest thing to do. But I’m telling you darling, you should be proud of yourself.” SCORE: 12 out of 20
Comedian Andy Richter with partner Emma Slater. He joked about avoiding dance throughout his entire career but his “time is up on that.” Since he’s already acted like an idiot on TV before, he’s not afraid of how he’ll come across in the ballroom. “But I know how important it is to sell it!” he said. And God bless ’em for admitting to co-host Julianne Hough that it was the promise of a paycheck that got him to compete this season. “It really was the spirit of the cha cha cha,” said Tonioli. “The body of the cha cha cha wasn’t there. You were in another time zone.” SCORE: 9 out of 20
Social media personality Alix Earle with Val Chmerkovskiy. If you don’t recognize Earle, you’re probably too old. She’s an influencer who likes to work out online, though she doesn’t appear to need the activity. Chmerkovskiy showcased her beauteousness by having his partner stand, whip in hand, inside a fiery circle before they kicked off their cha cha. Girlfriend looked plum tuckered after the number as Tonioli told her to focus on her “continuity and connection.” SCORE: 13 out of 20
Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregui with Brandon Armstrong. Jauregui is excited for folks to get to know her outside of the pop world. She also seems the most relatable out of the eclectic cast of characters this season, which will score well with the fans — along with her impressive, opening night tango. “It was elegant there was texture in your movement,” said Hough. “Overall, you put us all on notice tonight.” SCORE: 13 out of 20
Whitney Leavitt (The Secret Lives of Morman Wives) with Mark Ballas. Leavitt gave viewers a primer on how she achieved her sudden fame by referencing her dancing TikTok videos. But she also promised the audience that they’ll see a different side of her Salt Lake City persona. Her tango was a good start. “No messing around, very, very high quality,” said Tonioli. SCORE: 15 out of 20
Author and influencer Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko. The show left Alec Baldwin’s wife to the final 15 minutes of the show. She said she’s danced before but now his screws in her hips. Ouch! But she wore those booty feathers well as she pranced her way through a delightful cha cha, with her zillion kids and Baldwin holding court on the sidelines. “That was the best cha cha I have seen for a mother of 7,” said Hough. SCORE: 14 out of 20
Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin with Witney Carson. Ten years ago, Irwin’s sis Mindy won the Mirror Ball (the rehearsal package showed him looking like he was 7 in the audience). But dance is in the family blood, it appears: Irwin’s kick-ass jive was left for last; naturally, he performed it to “Born to be Wild.” “That wasn’t good. It was great!” said Tonioli. “Wonderful in the best possible way.” SCORE: 15 out of 20
Good news for Feldman: it was a non-elimination night. We’ll find out who goes out first — and second! — during next week’s One Hit Wonders-themed, double elimination night.
The post ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Season Premiere: Find Out Who Performed A Cheeky Cha Cha & Admitted He Was In It For The Paycheck appeared first on Deadline.
