Season 25 of Dancing with the Stars is officially underway as a new crop of celebrities (term used loosely) vies for ballroom immortality.
Or at least a shiny Mirrorball trophy. Close enough.
It feels like just weeks ago we crowned the previous winner, but that’s expected with shows that air two cycles per year.
Let’s handicap the performances and establish who the early frontrunners are.
First up was Terrell Owens and Cheryl Burke, who went with the Cha-Cha to “Aint Too Proud to Beg” by The Temptations. It was a fun enough routine to start off the new season, but it was not all that.
Len noted that it was a good one, but he thought Terrell needed to bring it in the coming weeks if he wanted to remain in the competition.
The duo scored 15/30.
Next up was Debbie Gibson and Alan Bersten who danced along to “Lost in Your Eyes” by Debbie Gibson. Debbie was using Dancing with the Stars as her big comeback, and the first dance certainly made it seem like she could be on to a winner.
Working with Alan should help her go from strength to strength and become a force to be reckoned with. They scored 17/30.
Pretty Little Liars grad, Sasha Pieterse, joined forces with Gleb Savchenko and they danced along to “Like That” by Fleur East. It was a bit all over the place, and that was primarily down to Sasha’s nerves.
We get it, it’s difficult to perform live on TV, but Pieterse will need to adapt quickly if she wants to make it far. A little confidence boost will go a long way in her case.
Len picked up on the nerves and pointed it out, so it will be interesting to see how she performs down the line. They scored 18/30.
Drew Scott and Emma Slater went with “Our House” by Madness. There was a lot riding on the performance: Drew promised Emma that he would remodel her kitchen if they won the competition.
The dance was not a great start, and it was evident there was a lot of work to do in order to become a force. They scored 16/30.
Barbara Corcoran and Keo Motsepe went with “Money Make” by Ludacris feat. Pharrell. Their routine was not a good one, and it was evident Barbara preferred to flirt with Keo as opposed to practicing.
That’s not a good thing to do, especially when America’s watchful eye is on you during a big performance. To the surprise of nobody, they scored 14/30.
Jordan Fisher being paired up with Lindsay Arnold was always going to be a good thing. They danced to “There’s Nothing Holding Me Back” by Shawn Mendes.
It confirmed what we all thought: Jordan’s experience was going to work in his favor. He danced with confidence and knew exactly what was expected of him.
They scored 22/30.
Nick Lachey revealed in the past that he would never do Dancing with the Stars. What a difference a few years make. He joined forces with Peta Murgatroyd, and they performed to “Come Get It Bae” by Pharrell Williams.
Considering how the odds were stacked against them, Nick performed well, and the judges awarded them with 18/30.
When it came to Nick’s wife, Vanessa Lachey and Maks Chmerkovskiy, the big question was who got the most points.
Vanessa and Maks danced along to “Woman” by Kesha fear. The Dap-Kings Horns. It was a resounding success. Vanessa knew what was expected of her and delivered in a big way.
The judges enjoyed the performance and awarded them 21/30, so that was a great start.
Frankie Muniz made his big return to the spotlight after several years away, and we did not expect the big event to take place during Dancing with the Stars.
He partnered up with Witney Carson, and they danced to “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles. It was another solid performance and proved that Frankie was talented.
They scored 19/30.
Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev turned in an energetic performance of “So What!” by Pink. Nikki was confident throughout the whole performance.
They scored 20/30.
NBA legend Derek Fisher joined forces with Sharna Burgess to perform “Basketball” by Kurtis Blow. Being partnered with Sharna was always going to be a positive.
Even with some missteps, they still managed to turn in 18/30, which is a solid result for a first performance.
Victoria Arlen partnered up with Valentin Chmerkovskiy, and they went with “Born Ready” by Disco Fries feat. Hope Murphy.
It was evident Victoria was having a GREAT time, and that helped the performance. They scored 19/30.
The final performance of the night was Lindsay Stirling and Mark Ballas. They performed “Don’t Worry” by Madcon. The pair had a lot of chemistry.
Lindsay worked very well with Mark, and it became apparent that these two could be ones to watch. They scored 22/30.
Who will be eliminated? Find out next Monday at 8/7c on ABC!
