Season 33 of Dancing with the Stars kicked off on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. This year’s cast includes Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and partner Rylee Arnold, actress Chandler Kinney and partner Brandon Armstrong, NBA player Dwight Howard and partner Daniella Karagach, NFL player Danny Amendola and partner Witney Carson, Bachelor Joey Graziadei and partner Jenna Johnson, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and partner Alan Bersten, Bachelorette Jenn Tran and partner Sasha Farber, Real Housewives star Phaedra Parks and partner Val Chmerkovskiy, model Brooks Nader and partner Gleb Savchenko, con artist Anna Delvey and partner Ezra Sosa, actor Eric Roberts and partner Britt Stewart, actress Tori Spelling and partner Pasha Pashkov, and actor Reginald VelJohnson and partner Emma Slater.
Premiere night kicked off with Joey and Jenna. They performed a Cha Cha to “Dancin’ in the Country” by Tyler Hubbard. The judges agreed that he was a natural performer and did well with musicality and timing, but they said that he could improve his technique in his arms, legs, and hips. Overall, they thought he hit the dance floor with a bang and a lot of confidence. His score was 21/30.
Brooks and Gleb performed a Tango to “Piece of Me” by Britney Spears. The judges thought she had potential, but they weren’t overly impressed, especially since she accidentally stepped on Gleb’s foot. They thought that she looked wobbly while she danced and needed to use her core more. One judge mentioned that if she was more in contact with her partner while she danced, the mistake could have been avoided. Her overall score was 18/30
Next up was Ilona and Alan. In Ilona’s video package, she talked about how she wanted to show that girls of all body types can be feminine and dance. The two danced a Cha Cha to “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain. All of the judges loved her personality and what she stands for. However, they could also tell that she was nervous and reserved while she danced and thought that she needed more confidence and power. Her score was 18/30.
Reginald and Emma were next to take the stage. They danced a Salsa to “Motownphilly.” Reginald is on the older side which makes it harder for him to move as much. All of the judges liked his personality but agreed that he needed improvement, and he needed to add more steps. His score was 16/30.
Next up, Danny and Witney. They performed a Tango to “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey and David Guetta. The judges thought that Danny had a lot of potential. He is energetic and powerful. However, they wanted him to be smoother and glide through his movements. They described him as “skippy.” They also wanted to see a little bit more of his personality. His score was 20/30.
The next dancers were Tori and Pasha. They danced a Foxtrot to “TRUSTFALL” by P!nk. The judges thought that she was a little bit too timid and nervous. There was a lot of tension, and the judges wanted her to be less stiff. Her overall score was 17/30.
Jenn and Sasha were next. They did a Cha Cha to “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. The judges thought that her lines were beautiful, but she needed to work on fully straightening her arms and legs. She also needed to work on her musicality. Overall, the judges liked it, especially as a first performance. She scored 19/30.
Chandler and Brandon performed next. They performed a Tango to “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan. The audience and judges thought it was incredible, especially for Week 1. The judges said that it was one of the best Week 1 tangos they had ever seen. She set the standard for the season and became a front-runner, especially when she scored 23/30, which turned out to be the highest score of the night.
Dwight and Daniella were up next. There is a massive height difference between Dwight, a basketball player, and his partner. This definitely added doubt about how good the performance would be. They did a Salsa to “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan. The judges thought he was groovy and had charisma. They also believed that he had a good connection with Daniella. He scored 22/30.
Eric and Britt danced next. They performed a Cha Cha to “Old Time Rock & Roll” by Bob Seger. Just like Reginald, he is older which affects his movement quality. The judges weren’t overly impressed but thought it was decent for his age. He ended up getting 15/30.
Phaedra and Val took the stage. They performed a Cha Cha to “I’m Every Woman” by Whitney Houston. The judges thought she had great energy but needed to control her movement and work on her footwork. In the end, they scored 19/30.
Stephen and Rylee took the stage next, performing a Jive to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. The judges thought he was extremely entertaining and energetic, but he needed to focus more on the details. Fans of DWTS are considering him a front-runner based on his first performance. His score was 21/30.
Finally, Anna and Ezra performed a Cha Cha to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Anna talked about how she feels that she is very judged for her past as a con artist. The judges thought she was a good dancer but needed to connect her movements and have more energy. Her score was 18/30.
No one went home this week. Overall, I think this season is pretty good. I think there are definitely a handful of dancers that are very good and have a lot of potential. There are definitely also some that could use some work! I’m so excited to see how this season plays out!
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