The powers-that-be over at ABC’s Dancing with the Stars wisely realized it was time to shake things up a bit by adding a fresh new twist. Instead of bringing in new celebs we get to welcome back some of our favorites from past season’s, making this competition fierce because while there is a weaker link or two, the majority of those returning made it to the finals in their original season.
Joey Fatone is first to take the stage with his partner Kym Johnson. She blames herself for him not winning the mirror ball trophy the first time around, she believes she was a bit too easy on Joey and in the end it cost them. This time around, he’s going to have to really work because she’s cracking the whip. His cha-cha-cha was pretty good for the first week of competition. Len Goodman refers to him as a boomerang and Carrie Ann Inaba tells Joey that he’s one of her favorite showmen. All three judges do agree that his posture needs to improve. He ends with a score of 20.5/30
Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough are up next with a foxtrot. She has spent the last few years battling injuries that ultimately kept her out of the London Olympic Games so she is happy to be competing in any capacity again, on any stage. The judges all believe that she really is a dancer and that what she does, she does well. She has great posture and footwork with moves that are finished off. She scores 22/30
I am so happy to see Sabrina Bryan back again. It already looks like she will do great in the arms of Louis van Amstel. She is a firecracker and when she dances you really end up wanting to see more. Her cha-cha-cha was hot and honestly the biggest complaint is that she goes after it a little too much and that can cause mistakes. Sabrina scores 22.5/30.
Helio Castroneves is paired with Latin ballroom professional, Chelsie Hightower and I’m going to bet that they do very well. His foxtrot was a bit off but this guy has major stage presence which almost makes you not notice the baubles. He scored 21/30.
Pamela Anderson is back again, this time dancing with Tristan MacManus and by the looks of her cha-cha-cha, she didn’t put in too much work on it. Pretty bad considering they had THREE weeks to get the first dance ready! Anyway, Pam can act the character on the dance floor still but the judges all agreed that her body didn’t get the job done. She scored 17/30 and I suspect she’ll be leaving.
Melissa Rycroft is the exact opposite of Pam. She and Tony Dovolani want everything perfect and her foxtrot delivered. Her technique was already excellent and the biggest critique that the judges had was that maybe the performance was over the top. She scored 21/30 and is going to do great again.
Apolo Anton Ohno has always been one of my favorites and I’m still thrilled to see him paired with Karina Smirnoff. An Olympic Champion and a really tough teacher- this is going to be great! And already, it was! Their cha-cha-cha was fabulous. He seems to appreciate how Karina rips everything apart because as he put it, “I didn’t come back to come in second!”. The judges absolutely love him and they think Karina is bringing out a sexier side of him. He scored a 22/30.
Gilles Marini and Peta Mergatroyd will be another of the audience’s favorite couples. Gilles is hot AND he can dance. There is also some palpable heat between him and Peta so this could get interesting! His Fox Trot was stunning and I thing everyone is thrilled to see him back again. Gilles scored 24/30.
I already told you how much I hate that Mark Ballas has been paired with Bristol Palin because I’d like him to stick around for a bit. While she HAS improved she is still very uptight and afraid to move those hips. Her Cha-Cha-cha was only slightly better than Pam’s and so I’m guessing she will (or at least should) be in the bottom tonight. She scored 19.5/30.
Drew Lachey is back and paired with Anna Trebanskaya who I happen to think it pretty damn tough. You can tell she teaches in an old Russian way which means Drew should really shine. He has the ability to do so much better than last time and I’m betting that Anna pulls it out of him. Their Fox Trot was pretty dynamic and he scored 21.5/30.
Kelly Monaco was first on the show when it only ran for 6 weeks and no one really knew what to expect in terms of audience reaction. She’s now returning to a well-oiled machine and is paired with Val Chmerskovskiy. As luck would have it, Kelly’s Cha-Cha-Cha looked better than anything she did in season one. She scored 21.5/30.
Kirstie Alley is back for another go round with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. She’s the oldest competitor here and from the looks of her Fox Trot she’s still getting her feet under her. The scores weren’t fabulous but I think she’ll be sticking around for a bit. America will still vote for her I’m betting. Her score was 19/30.
Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke’s Cha-Cha-Cha was the highest scoring number of the evening. It’s pretty clear that Emmitt has lost none of his appeal and that fabulous footwork is as sharp as ever right out of the gate! He scored 24.5/30.
Tonight the first all-star will be eliminated and we want to know who you think it should be. Who do you think will sit in the bottom two? My bet is on Pam Anderson and Bristol Palin, now take our poll below and let us know who you think will be the first All-Star eliminated on Dancing With The Stars?