| Dancing with the Stars season 16 cast |
Last night ABC broadcast the two-hour premiere of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) with hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet (the season 7 champion), and judges Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba. The season 16 cast boasts a cross-section of celebs including actors, athletes, comedians, country music artists and reality TV personalities. This year popular pros including Derek Hough, Karina Smirnoff and Cheryl Burke are still in, but others did not return; Chelsie Hightower and Maxim “Maks” Chmerkovskiy are gone. Maks’ brother Val is back though, and is partnered with Disney kid Zendaya.
Country singer Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough go first; they do the Cha-Cha-Cha. She wears a short costume with a fringed skirt, he wears black. With her cropped blond locks and dance moves, Kellie reminds us of Joey Heatherton – look it up, kids. Judge Len Goodman quips, “Yum yum, pig’s bum, that was fun, well done." Bruno says Kellie needs more work, but he can’t wait to see her dance again. Carrie Ann was impressed and says Kellie has "sass and class."
Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, Bruno 7, for a total of 21 out of 30
Boxer Victor Ortiz and new pro Lindsay Arnold do the Foxtrot – he wears a grey suit, she wears a flowing yellow outfit. He does a respectable job for his first time dancing. Bruno says Ortiz is “a wonderful combination of boyish charm and Latino passion”, but also, “Don’t throw your arms away, it’s not Gorillas in the Mist.” Carrie Ann commends his “good posture for a boxer”, Len likes the performance but says it was “uneventful.”
Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 6, Bruno 6, for a total of 18 out of 30
Soap star Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson do a Contemporary dance. She wears a white two-piece costume with a flowing skirt; he wears white pants and tank top. Ingo, who is naturally athletic, does well with the strenuous lifts and lunges. Carrie Ann calls the performance “very raw” and says they did a great job. Len is “not convinced” - he saw a lot of lifts, but wants to see more dance. Bruno praised the duo's “heartfelt passion.”
Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 6, Bruno 7 for a total of 20 out of 30
Reality star / restaurateur Lisa Vanderpump and new pro Gleb Savchenko do the Foxtrot. Lisa calls meeting her dance partner “like an arranged marriage.” She wears her signature color, pink; he wears a black and white tux. During her dance her arms seem stiff, but she’s pretty as ever. Len calls it “acceptable but not exceptional “ and says there was “too much staggering.” Bruno thinks Lisa should work on her posture, Carrie Ann calls them “easy on the eyes”, but “out of sync a little bit.”
Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 6, Bruno 6 for a total of 18 out of 30
Comedian D.L. Hughley and Cheryl Burke do the Cha-Cha-Cha. Hughley says he has “the legs of chicken but the heart of a lion.” The both wear red; Cheryl’s costume has shiny fringe. It’s an unremarkable dance, but Hughley has a great smile. Bruno says it “looks under-rehearsed” and that it was off-time. Carrie Ann tells them they “gotta go back to work.” Len says “it was rough” and “no good.” Hughley takes it in stride and jokes, “Usually when I get judges it’s a lot harder than that.”
Scores: Carrie Ann 4, Len 4, Bruno 4 for a total of 12 out of 30
Disney star Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy do a Contemporary routine. At 16, Zendaya is the youngest-ever contestant on DWTS. She wears a royal blue top and a yellow printed skirt; he wears black pants and a white shirt with shoes that match her skirt. She is flexible and quick, like you would expect a teenager to be. Carrie Ann calls it amazing and says Zendaya is a fantastic dancer, Len enthuses, “That was great”, Bruno calls it a “superb debut.”
Scores: Carrie Ann 8, Len 8, Bruno 8 for a total of 24 out of 30
The Bachelor star Sean Lowe and Peta Murgatroyd dance a Foxtrot. They both wear red. Peta is stunning, but Sean needs work, which isn’t surprising since some of the moves seemed to embarrass him in rehearsal. Len likes it, but didn’t like it a lot, says it “lacked finesse but the posture was good” and that the dancing needs to be more refined. Bruno commends Sean’s “very effective pelvic thrust”, Carrie Ann says “You have fearless exuberance.”
Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 6, Bruno 6 for a total of 19 out of 30
Olympic gymnast Alexandra Raisman and Mark Ballas do a Cha-Cha-Cha. She wears a pink fringed costume; he wears a pink shirt, black pants and spats. They look cute together, but don’t stand out. Bruno says Raisman “can shake it like the best” and was impressed, Carrie Ann sees a lot of potential but thought it was a little safe, Len thinks the rhythm and feel were fantastic, but the legs need to be crisper.
Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, Bruno 7 for a total of 21 out of 30
Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill and Tristan MacManus do a Contemporary number. Dorothy talks about being diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, and how while recovering she was inspired by watching skater Kristi Yamaguchi on Season 6 of DWTS. They wear grey and dance on a stage with snow falling in the background. Dorothy is graceful and has a good connection with Tristan. Carrie Ann calls the performance “golden”, Len compliments the “outstanding beauty”, Bruno points out a few balance issues, but calls it, “really really good.”
Scores: Carrie Ann 7, Len 7, Bruno 7 for a total of 21 out of 30
Country music legend Wynonna Judd and Tony Dovolani do the Cha-Cha-Cha. Wynona says she feels insecure about her dancing, but that she’s going to shake her moneymaker. She wears a black dress; Tony wears a black vest and pants with a white shirt. The dance is rather stiff, but we’re hoping she’ll get better – Wynonna’s been through a lot helping her husband recover from a horrific car accident. She says DWTS is the “hardest job she’s ever loved” and calls Tony a “rock star.” Len thinks it was “a little bit careful” but good, Bruno knows she can give it more, Carrie Ann thinks Wynonna was working it, but agrees she can give a little more.
Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 6, Bruno 6 for a total of 18 out of 30
Comic actor Andy Dick and new pro Sharna Burgess go next. Andy says his drinking and drugging led to a “bad couple of decades”, but he's sober now and wants to turn things around. Andy tells his partner Sharna, “I’m your bitch.” They do the Foxtrot; he wears a tux with tails, she is stunning in a white gown with a feathered hem. He is surprisingly okay. Bruno likens the performance to “watching Woody Allen doing the foxtrot” and says it could have been smoother, but he enjoyed it. Carrie Ann tells Andy there’s “something quite charming about you”, Len says the choreography had “nice moments of sophistication”, but Andy wasn’t smooth.
Scores: Carrie Ann 6, Len 5, Bruno 6 for a total of 17 out of 30
Superbowl champion football player Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff dance last. His rehearsals are delayed because he had surgery, so Karina shows him the dance moves in lieu of actually practicing. They do the Cha-Cha-Cha in matching violet costumes; Karina’s has fringe, his has black tux pants with a purple stripe down the leg. The performance isn’t perfect, but Jacoby’s got moves! Carrie Ann agrees with us and also says Jacoby’s “got the moves”, but that he needs to work on posture. Len calls the dance “All icing, no cake” and says the technique and footwork were terrible, Bruno tells Jacoby to work on foot placement and control his posture.
Scores: Carrie ann7, Len 6, Bruno 7 for a total 20 out of 30
On Tuesday, March 19 at 9/8c there will be a DWTS recap show with rehearsal footage and interviews.
Dancing with the Stars airs on Mondays at 8/7c on ABC
DWTS results shows will air Tuesdays starting March 26 at 9/8c
Photo ©ABC
Posted on Tuesday, March 19, 2013
