Image Credits: @dancingwiththestars via Instagram
Tuesday, Sept. 14, and Wednesday, the 15th, marked the two-night premiere for season 35 of “Dancing with the Stars.” On Tuesday night, the eight male couples competed, while the eight female couples danced on Wednesday. A double premiere night also meant a double elimination night: one male and one female celebrity/couple.
The three judges made it clear that the scores would start lower this season, as compared to questionably high season-starting scores in the past. However, were some of the ‘3’s’ maybe taking it too far? With nearly 6.6 million at-home viewers on Tuesday night alone, it could be too soon to say, but this might be DWTS biggest season yet!
For the premiere, the theme was dancing to a Billboard #1 hit from the year each celebrity was born. Starting off Tuesday night was Jackson Olson with his partner Emma Slater. Dancing to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, it surely brought heat to the ballroom. Scoring a 15/30, the tone was set by the judges for scoring.
The top dance of the night was from Paralympian Ezra Frech and his partner Daniella Karagach. While they didn’t receive the highest score, they received the highest praise. From the judges and DWTS fans across the world, the power and representation Ezra brought to the dance floor shocked every viewer. Scoring highest for the males was Harry Shum Jr., which, to most DWTS fans, is quite controversial. He and his partner Jenna performed a doctor-themed dance, based on his current acting role in “Grey’s Anatomy.” Scoring a 21/30, they must keep up the work under an immense amount of pressure…as someone who claims to “only be trained in Hip-Hop” …or at least that is what his video package said.
But who scored the lowest, and who went home? Scoring the lowest out of all the male celebrities was the iconic Guillermo with his partner, Whitney Carson, scoring a 10/30. His charm and humor kept him in the race even though the judges scored him so low. Arguably the roughest dance of the night was from Conner Leavitt and his new-pro Adele. Fans online are speculating that it is a mix of Conner not being popular and Adele not having good enough choreography to make him stand out amongst the Taylor Hansons of it all. Leavitt’s dance and unpopularity did lead him to go home on premiere night, but at least his semi-more popular wife was in the crowd to watch his first, and last, dance.
Wednesday brought the women, who may have had more slip-ups and drama than the men. Starting the night was “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star Tatyana Ali. Accompanied by her partner, Jan Ravnik, her dance started off with a couple of missed steps and arm movements, but they found their way through the nerves and into their groove. Scoring a 12/30, the lowest of the night, they ended up staying to compete another week.
Like Harry Shum Jr., there is another professional dancer claiming celebrity status in this ballroom this season. Jenna Dewan, most known for her starring role in “The Rookie,” surprised fans and the judges with a mediocre dance. While the dance was exceptional for week one, the pressure was on because of her background, and she and her pro partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, didn’t ‘wow’ like they should have. Their dance scored them a 19/30, runner-up to Maura Higgins and her partner, Mark Ballas. This couple scored a 21/30 with an exciting foxtrot that stunned the viewers and the judges. One could say the dance might make you cry, just like female celebrity Giada DeLaurentis after her premiere performance with pro Alan Bersten.
Surprisingly, Giada didn’t shed the only tears in the ballroom on premiere night two; Judge Carrie Ann Inaba let the waterworks flow when she watched “Summer House” star Ciara Miller dance with her pro Brandon Armstrong. If Carrie Ann really knew Ciara’s drama, would she be crying at her premiere night dance? Other sad moments from the night were when female couple Sarah Jane Nader and pro Hailey Bills were sent home. Between harsh judge critics and being a nepo-DWTS contestant like Conner, Sarah Jane just didn’t have what it takes to make it to the Len Goodman Mirrorball.
Confirmed on premiere night two, week two of ‘Dancing with The Stars’ is ‘Viral Hits Night’. Which songs, moments, dances and singular elimination go viral on Tuesday? Only viewers will know. Remember, at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, don’t forget to tell everyone you know to text ‘21523’ to vote for your favorite celebrity(s).
Ava’s predicted winner: Amber Glenn and partner Pasha Pashkov
Ava’s picks: Taylor Hanson and pro Britt Stewart, and Julia Stiles and partner Ezra Sosa
Which couples are bringing you ‘Back to the Ballroom’ on Tuesday, September 22nd?
Ava Puleo is a junior at WCU, studying Media and Culture with minors in Journalism and American Sign Language. AP1050154@wcupa.edu