Season 13 of "Dancing With The Stars" has started out with a high note tonight with the season premiere.
Ron Artest (won the championship with the L.A. Lakers) was partnered with Peta Murgatroyd for their inaugural dance where they danced the Cha Cha Cha. The guy has a lot of personality and it certainly showed through in the dance. I saw no rusty moves. Judge Len Goodman thought it lacked Cha Cha content and called it "all sizzle, no salsa." This is Murgatroyd's first season on "DWTS" as a professional dancer. Looks like she is another pro who is going to make dances fun and I certainly look forward to the fun. Judges score: 14 out of 30
Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke were given the Viennese Waltz for their first dance. I was scared for him I have to admit, as I have watched "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" and have witnessed his lack of responsibility. But, he seemed to be giving the dance his full attention and it went well, especially for a first dance. Carrie Ann Inaba said he has a lot of potential. Len called it too careful. I applaud Rob for doing the show to "up his confidence" and he's trying something foreign to him. Way to go, it's heard to step out of the shadows like that. Judges scores: 16 out of 30
Kristen Cavallari ("Laguna Beach" and "The Hills") and Mark Ballas danced the Cha Cha Cha with complete ease. Ballas told her she has natural dance ability and she certainly made it look easy. And we all know how hard it is from having watched season-after-season. Best dance so far! The judges were impressed and Carrie Ann couldn't say enough good things. Even Len liked it and also wanted her to come out of her shell like she did in the rehearsal video. Judges scores: 19 out of 30
Chynna Phillips (1/3 of the band Wilson Phillips, I love them!) is married to Billy Baldwin and for "DWTS" she is partnered with Tony Dovolani. They danced the Viennese Waltz amid smokey effects on the stage. I am most excited to see her dance of all the celebrities this season. She seems to have a natural grace that I hope gets her far in the competition. She did a great job. Len Goodman said it wasn't the best first dance he'd ever seen, but it was close. Nice! Judges scores: 22 out of 30
Nancy Grace
was partnered newcomer, Tristan MacManus. They danced the Cha Cha Cha. The rehearsals didn't look too promising but she seemed to enjoy herself once on the dance floor. The judges were kind and I thought she did well considering. It's just the first dance and she has time, maybe to learn. The judges argued loudly when Len Goodman said her dance was a bit underwhelming. Judges scores: 16 out of 30
David Arquette
and Kym Johnson (won the mirror ball twice) hit the dance floor to do the Viennese Waltz and it was surprisingly good. David seem to be giving his all and he had a good eye for all the little details. It was very impressive for a first dance. Carrie Ann told him to relax, Len was very impressed, and Bruno said he looked the part and told him to stay in the role, even if he messes up. Judges scores: 18 out of 30.
Elisabetta Canalis
(TV host, model, and actress) and Val Chmerkovskiy (yes, Maksim's brother) danced the Cha Cha Cha with energy and conviction. It was exciting to watch. Len didn't like the background props and called her solo "brittle." Bruno said it feel apart when she was left on her own and that she needed to learn to take over. Carrie Ann said she needs to channel the model in her. They were pretty harsh I would say. Judges scores: 15 out of 30
Hope Solo (Olympic gold medalist in soccer) and Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced the Viennese Waltz with elegance. They twirled and had a lot of steps in the routine giving them a standing ovation from the audience. Their dance was on a different level than everyone before them. The judges were impressed, of course. Judges scores: 21 out of 30
Carson Kressley
and Anna Trebunskaya danced the Cha Cha Cha with energy and it was fun to watch him dance with attitude. Carrie Ann called it her favorite dance so far. Judges scores: 17 out of 30
J.R. Martinez
(was injured in Iraq 8 years ago) and Karina Smirnoff were paired up. She asked what happened to him and he said he ran over a landmine in Iraq and was burned on over 40% of his body. As Karina said, he is a real life hero. His story was definitely touching. They did well. Judges scores: 22 out of 30 (highest score of the night)
Ricki Lake and Derek Hough
(two mirror balls) were paired up for the Viennese Waltz. It was a slow and romantic dance. It was kind of slow and magical, somehow. The judges were impressed with her grace, and their fluid movement together. Len said something went wrong with her footwork. Judges scores: 20 out of 30Not surprisingly, Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer finally danced the last dance. Many Sonny and Cher fans have been very excited to see Chaz added this year. He is the only child to the famous entertainers. And the "DWTS" were obviously banking on the suspense of having Chaz do the last dance. He is the first transgendered advocate to appear on the show, and he admitted being 40 and overweight is very challenging. Their Cha Cha Cha was pretty good through most of their routine. Close to the end, Lacey did all the footwork. Not bad! Judges scores: 17 out of 30
It's going to be an interesting season, to say the least. Stay tuned for the results show tomorrow!
Did you watch "DWTS" tonight? If so, who did you vote for? Whose performance exceeded your expectations? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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