The long awaited dancing with the stars premiere aired on Monday night on ABC with an eclectic mix of young and old celebrities that included dormant actors, a retired sports figure and a freshly minted Olympian.There was some grace plenty of glitz and the occasional groan. Contestants can receive a combined judges score of 40. The Judges scores combined with the audience votes determine who goes and who get to stay each week. Below is a review of how the celebrity contestants along with their professional dancing partners performed. Their scores are in brackets next to their names.
The lowest scores
Chris Kattan and Witney Carson (17) danced to What Is Love by Haddaway but Chris was called out for his lack of energy. A veteran star of Mango and Mr Peepers, he got the lowest score. Bonner Bolton was paired with Sharna Burgess (22) Bonner Bolton is a professional bull rider who is famous for showing off his ripped body. However, his Cha Cha to Move by Luke Bryan was not enough and he had to settle for a place at the bottom.
Charo and Keo Motsepe (21) danced the Salsa to Cuban Pete by Mambo Compañeros. Her partner, Keo, seemed to be having a tough time calming her feisty behaviour after the dance. Mr. T and Kym Herjavec (20) did the Cha Cha to the Theme Song from The A-Team.
While Mr T was applauded for his good deeds, the consensus among the judges was that his technique needed work.
Middle of the road
Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd (24) did their number to Let Me Love You by DJ Snake and Tiësto feat. Justin Bieber. Nick Viall is America's latest bachelor on the reality show The Bachelor. Erika Jayne and Gleb Savchenko (24) chose the Salsa and danced to her own tune, Xxpensive by Erika Jayne.
She is one of the stars of the popular reality show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The judges thought her performance was a bit raunchy.
Better performances
Normani Kordei and Valentin Chmerkovskiy (27) Normandi is a member of the Fifth Harmony girl group and says she has been watching Dancing With The Stars since she was 12.
The judges praised her energy and precision. Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvintsev (28) chose the Viennese Waltz to She's Always a Woman by Billy Joel. Nancy, the former Olympic figure skating star should have an edge and she is off to a good start.The judges thought her performance as graceful.
Heather Morris and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (28) danced the Viennese Waltz to Make Something Beautiful by Ben Rector. Heather Morris was at one time a backup dancer for Beyoncé. Does this give her an advantage? We shall see. David Ross and Lindsay Arnold (28) did the Quickstep to Go Cubs Go by Steve Goodman. David Ross, a veteran catcher in Major league Baseball, surprised everyone with his light and precise movements.
The very best
The performance by Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater (31) was among the night's best. Rashad describes himself as a once chubby, asthmatic kid with a learning disability. He got good reviews for the Cha Cha performed to 24K Magic by Bruno Mars. Simone Biles and Sasha Farber (32) stole the night. Simone looked graceful dancing the Tango to Untouchable by Tritonal and Cash. The Olympic gymnast was praised by the judges for her poise.
