Dancing With the Stars is back for another season of energetic dance routines, but did the new crop of stars make their mark?
Having Nick Viall as part of the cast is a big draw for many viewers of The Bachelor as they are probably struggling with the lack of the suitor on their TV sets.
Seriously, it’s almost like ABC wants him to be part of every single show on the network before they’re through with him. Is Once Upon a Time next?
It’s time to run down the performances on the season premiere…
Normani Kordei and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Normani and Valentin performed the quickstep to “Good Time Good Life” by Erin Bowman. Normani has been an avid fan of the series for many years, so she knew what she was in for.
However, performing first was always going to be a tough job, but she turned in a great dance, and it’s evident that she has a lot of chemistry with Valentin.
The judges were mostly positive about the pairing, but Len seemed to think there should have been more body contact.
Okay then.
Judges’ Score: 27/40
Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvinstev
Nancy and Artem went with the Viennese Waltz to “She’s Always a Woman” by Billy Joel. For her first performance of the season, Nancy sure went all-out to make sure the judges knew she was there to win.
With an energetic dance routine, she delivered a show-stopping performance, and the judges seemed to agree that it was a great start for her.
Judges’ Score: 28/40
Chris Kattan and Witney Carson
Chris and Witney went with the Cha Cha to “What Is Love” by Haddaway. Chris did struggle through the training process due to breaking his neck before signing up.
Unfortunately, having energy does not mean you can dance, and Chris can definitely not dance. All the judges seemed to agree there was no dancing and that would be a problem down the line if he remained in the competition.
Judges’ Score: 17/40
Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess
The duo performed the Cha Cha to “Move” by Luke Bryan. There was chemistry from the get-go with this pair. They are this season’s Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko.
Chemistry aside, Bonner seemed unsure of some of his dance moves, and it rubbed off on the overall package.
Judges’ Score: 22/40
Charo and Keo Motsepe
Charo and Keo went with a Salsa to “Cuban Pete” by Mambo Compañeros. The duo performed well together, but there were some glaring issues.
At one point, it seemed like they were both doing something different. This could be attributed to first performance nerves, and the judges seemed hopeful they would improve with age.
Judges’ Score: 21/40
Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd
ABC sure loves Nick Viall. After being on two seasons of The Bachelorette, one season of Bachelor in Paradise and one season of The Bachelor, he’s now focusing his efforts on dancing.
There was always going to be tremendous hype about his performance, and he really turned in a solid performance.
Nick and Peta went with the Cha Cha to “Let Me Love” by DJ Snake and Tiësto feat. Justin Bieber. The judges even seemed to think there was something good with Nick’s dancing.
Judges’ Score: 24/40
Heather Morris and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
There was some pre-season hate for Heather because of her being a professional dancer for, you know, Beyoncé. It’s not entirely fair on the other contestants, but she was great.
She went with a Viennese Waltz to “Make Something Beautiful” by Ben Rector. The whole thing seemed a little too polished for the first episode of the season.
Judges’ Scores: 28/40
David Ross
Surprisingly, there was someone who seemed to give Heather a run for her money. After all the pre-season controversy surrounding the unfair advantage claims, David Ross was drafted in to perform a Quickstep with “Go Cubs Go.”
The judges were full of compliments for the duo.
Judges’ Score: 28/40
Erika Jayne and Gleb Savchenko
The duo performed the Salsa to “XXPEN$ IVE” by Erika Jayne.
Yes, Erika performed to her own song, and it was a raunchy affair that got the judges talking. Erika has proven in the past that she is no stranger to controversy and it seems like she’s trying to cause it with this number.
Judges’ Score: 24/40
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater
Rashad and Emma performed the Cha Cha to “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars. With a story that would anybody weep, Rashad delivered in his first performance with Emma Slater.
It was a slack performance that seemed to be on point for the full duration of it. More like this, please!
Judges’ Score: 31/40
Mr. T and Kym Herjavec
Producers said they were trying to get Mr. T on the show for quite some time, but he stumbled through his opening performance wit Kym Herjavec.
Kym was just too good a dancer to be stuck with him. Hopefully, they turn it around if they make it to the next stage of the competition.
Judges’ Score: 20/40
Simon Biles and Sasha Farber
Simone and Sasha went with the Tango to “Untouchable” by Tritonal and Cash Cash. It was up there as one of the best performances of the night.
Seriously, the dancing and chemistry were all there, and these two are definitely the ones to watch for the rest of the season.
Judges’ Score: 32/40
What did you think of the season premiere?
Sound off below!
