The Dancing with the Stars season premiere on Tuesday was full of glitz, glamor, and gravity-defying dance moves! It was also the most watched premiere in years, if that’s any indication of the show’s popularity! If you’re not familiar with DWTS (you should be), then I’ll give you a quick rundown. Celebrities from various industries, the stars, are paired up with professional dancers, the pros, and compete over the course of ten weeks, showcasing their development and newly acquired ballroom dancing skills. Contestants progress through the show based on their dance scores and public voting from fans. This was my mom and I’s favorite show to watch together, so I consider my watching experience equivalent to a judge’s experience judging on the show.
The stars this season are of a wide variety, with a broad range of popularity, but they were all fun to watch! Former “Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei kicked off the show with a bang and a phenomenal cha cha. I didn’t know he could move his hips like that, but he’ll definitely be a fan favorite throughout the season. Keeping it within the ABC family, former “Bachelorette” star Jenn Tran also joined this season almost at the last minute. As we saw with Ariana Madix last season, nothing says moving on and getting revenge like dancing on this show. After a horrible end to her season on live television, Jenn brought energy and star power to her dance with Sasha, and I’m excited to see her heal through dance.
Another favorite dance of mine was Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and Alan. I loved watching Ilona’s content during the summer, so I’m really excited for her to bring her passion and athleticism into the ballroom. NBA star Dwight Howard and Daniela had the craziest, and largest, height difference I’ve ever seen on DWTS, but they absolutely killed it on the dancefloor! The height difference did not wear them down.
The most controversial contestant on the show by far is Anna Delvey, the notorious so-called “fake heiress” whose financial schemes (aka crimes) and lavish lifestyle inspired “Inventing Anna,” the hit Netflix show. She claims her hope is that people see her in a different light after being on DWTS. It was clear she isn’t a celebrity in the same way as the other stars because the way she handled herself on camera was very different from the rest. I also think the ankle monitor in rhinestones was a lot. I think this is an interesting decision on the show’s part, but we’ll see how long she lasts. Lastly, my favorite dance of the night was Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik’s jive with Rylee. Seeing their Tik Toks leading up to this performance got me even more excited. Their dance was full of fun and full blast energy, which I loved. Stephen can definitely go all the way.
If you don’t watch this show, you most definitely should because it really is a wild ride. I’m excited to see how the rest of the season goes!