Season 21 kicked off with Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews returning as hosts and Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Julianne Hough returning as judges. Len Goodman did not return as a judge for this season as he is focusing on the UK version of the show. The first episode showcased the first dances of the season with a recap tonight. Monday 9/21 and Tuesday 9/22 will be a 2-night event of performances and eliminations both nights.
Dancing with the Stars Premiere: Season 21 Highlights
All images courtesy of ABC.
So here is the celebrities and dancers for this season:
- Tamar Braxton with Val Chmerkovskiy
- Gary Busey with Anna Trebunskaya
- Nick Carter with Sharna Burgess
- Paula Deen with Louis van Amstel
- Victor Espinoza with Karina Smirnoff
- Andy Grammer with Allison Holker
- Hayes Grier with Emma Slater
- Bindi Irwin with Derek Hough
- Chaka Khan with Keo Motsepe
- Alexa PenaVega with Mark Ballas
- Carlos PenaVega with Whitney Carson
- Alek Skarlatos with Lindsay Arnold
- Kim Zolciak with Tony Dovolani
First up is Victor and Karina doing the salsa. Victor is much shorter than Karina so they look weird dancing together. Besides that, his moves aren’t good at all for the salsa. He has high energy but definitely needs a lot of practice. Julianne says he fun and interesting, Bruno says he wanted to see more basics of the salsa and Carrie Ann loved his energy. I don’t agree with any of the judges. I thought he was quite awful.
Scores: Carrie Ann-5, Julianne-5 and Bruno-5.
Tamar and Val are doing the quickstep. I thought she had a ton of energy and amazing footwork. Very impressive, in my opinion. Bruno thought she kept up the pace well, Carrie Ann was blown away and Julianne enjoyed her femininity and elegance. Tamar was elegant and she did keep up the pace well.
Scores: Carrie Ann-8, Julianne-7 and Bruno-8.
Chaka and Keo are performing the cha cha. Chaka has a ton of energy…love it. However, her dance skills are not impressive at all. She missed a bunch of steps in her choreography. Carrie Ann noticed her missed steps as well, Julianne said she needed to work on the space around her and Bruno said her technique wasn’t right. I agree with what each of the judges said 100%.
Scores: Carrie Ann-5, Julianne-4 and Bruno-4.
Hayes and Emma take on the cha cha. Hayes does really well. He is not perfect but any means but he wasn’t terrible. His timing was off a tad though. Carrie Ann said he was fun to watch, Julianne said he needs to open his eyes when dancing and Bruno could watch him for an hour. Well not sure I agree with Bruno on that one but the kid was okay.
Scores: Carrie Ann-7, Julianne-7 and Bruno-7.
Andy and Allison are doing the foxtrot. Andy doesn’t have much dance experience and let me tell you, it shows. He needs a whole lot of practice if he is going to make it on this show. He wasn’t terrible but at the same time, he wasn’t very good. Carrie Ann didn’t like the connection between he and Allison, Julianne disagreed saying she loved the connection and Bruno said he was elegant but jerky. I agree with Carrie Ann in that they didn’t seem to have any kind of connection while dancing.
Scores: Carrie Ann-7, Julianne-7 and Bruno-7.
Paula and Louis are performing the quickstep. I have to say that I am not a big fan of Paula’s at all. Never have been and probably never will be. Louis did a great job on the choreography but Paula looked lost once or twice. Carrie Ann sees potential, Julianne says she clings to Louis too tight and Bruno said she needs to relax. Can’t say I disagree with any of that.
Scores: Carrie Ann-5, Julianne-5 and Bruno-5.
Carlos and Whitney are taking on the jive. WOW! I am impressed by Carlos. He has so much energy and so much confidence. Carrie Ann said he had great musicality, Julianne said he was the most natural performer of the night and Bruno loved it. I think Carlos will go far in this competition.
Scores: Carrie Ann-8, Julianne-8 and Bruno-7.
Alexa and Mark are doing the jive. Alexa has some awesome dance moves. Hard to believe she is the same little girl from Spy Kids. She is doing a fast-paced dance and keeps up very well. Carrie Ann called her sensual, Julianne would like to see a stronger connection between her and Mark and Bruno said it was hot, sexy and wild.
Scores: Carrie Ann-7, Julianne-7 and Bruno-8.
Kim and Tony are performing the salsa. Kim is way too emotional for this show if you ask me. Her dancing skills are awful. She looks scared as heck on the dance floor. She definitely needs lots of practice and a ton of confidence. Carrie Ann says she just needs to go for it and not hold back, Julianne said she can do better and Bruno thinks she needs to deliver. Agree 100% with all 3 judges.
Scores: Carrie Ann-4, Julianne-4 and Bruno-4.
Bindi and Derek take on the jive. Ahhhh, little Bindi…the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter. She is just 17 years old but man is she full of energy and so much fun to watch. She is paired with one of the best professional dancers if you ask me. I think she will go far in this competition. She has a great chance of winning. Carrie Ann called her a superstar, Julianne said it was the best performance of the night and Bruno called her the wonder from down under. I love Bindi! She definitely has my vote.
Scores: Carrie Ann-8, Julianne-8 and Bruno-8.
Gary and Anna perform the cha cha. I am not even sure what Gary is doing on this show. During rehearsals, he looks like a lost puppy dog. He seems to be having all kinds of fun on the dance floor but is nothing but a hot mess if you ask me. Carrie Ann said he gave it all he had, Julianne said she was entertained and Bruno called it crazy.
Scores: Carrie Ann-5, Juianne-5 and Bruno-5.
Alek and Lindsay do the foxtrot. For someone who has never danced, let me say that this guy did an amazing job. Out on that dance floor, he didn’t look lost one bit. Very impressive! Carrie Ann said it was one of the best dances of the night, Julianne said it was the surprise of the night and Bruno said he was born for the ballroom.
Scores: Carrie Ann-8, Julianne-7 and Bruno-7.
Last but not least, Nick and Sharna perform the cha cha. Nick is a Backstreet Boy but tonight we learned he is insecure about his dancing. I have no idea why though because he is an amazing dancer. Carrie Ann said he did excellent but had a weak start, Julianne said the choreography was creative and Bruno said he could make it to the finals.
Scores: Carrie Ann-8, Julianne-8 and Bruno-8.
Here are the total scores after week 1:
- Nick and Sharna- 24/30
- Bindi and Derek- 24/30
- Carlos and Whitney- 23/30
- Tamar and Val- 23/30
- Alek and Lindsay- 22/30
- Alexa and Mark- 22/30
- Hayes and Emma- 21/30
- Andy and Allison- 21/30
- Paula and Louis- 15/30
- Victor and Karina- 15/30
- Gary and Anna- 15/30
- Chaka and Keo- 13/30
- Kim and Tony- 12/30
My daughter watches this religiously. She wants to be a dancer when she grows up.
What a showdown. I like team Nick Carter and Bindi Irwin.
I haven’t watched this show, but it looks like fun.
The performances looked so fun. My votes are for Carlos and Whitney:)
I personally don’t watch this show, but my mom has been watching it lately. She is a huge fan of Paula Deen’s and has been watching her. I personally hope Bindi wins!
Thanks for the highlights! I was not able to catch the show. It seemed like a night filled with entertainment.