Last night, the 35th season of Dancing With the Stars kicked off the three-month race for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy. This season is tied with Seasons 9 and 31 for having the most stars on its cast, hence the two-night premiere (and accompanying two eliminations) on this week’s docket.
But if last night is any indicator, the mix of suspiciously professional dancers and total newcomers among the stars is going to make for a potentially frustrating, definitely fun season. Even if they keep insisting that Harry Shum Jr. is “from Grey’s Anatomy.” (That’s Mike Chang from Glee, and you sound ridiculous.)
The night was packed with cameos and surprises, including a drop-in from last season’s champ Robert Irwin, fan-favorite Andy Richter, and a group number showcasing the celebrity women set to perform during night two of the premiere. Co-host Julianne Hough also starred in a dance number paying tribute to France (?), sponsored by South Korean chain Paris Baguette. The ABC voting website crashed. There was a lot going on. The pros started the night by reminding the audience what no-gimmicks, technical dancing should look like with a group number.
Jackson Olson from the Savannah Bananas’ performing baseball team kept the spirit alive by performing his kickoff cha-cha to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, while innumerable golden bananas loomed around him and his partner, Emma Slater. His potassium-rich dance earned a 15/30. Guess judges are starting low this season to give themselves somewhere to go, and Olson is, by his own admission, not the strongest dancer on the Bananas. Not the best of the bunch, if you will.
Tyler Cameron and returned pro-dancer Sharna Burgess turned in a tango to “Are You Gonna Go My Way” that had the judges buzzing about his potential and Derek Hough accidentally calling him “Dylan.” Scoring 17/30, Cameron established himself as someone to watch if he can relax and progress. Go Dylan.
Conner Leavitt’s stiff movements, spouse-of-a-star status, and pairing with Adele Zaikman, a new pro who lacks the experience and built-in fan base that other pros have accrued, placed him in a tough spot, even ahead of his salsa to “Whoomp! (There It Is)” by Tag Team. The salsa didn’t necessarily help. He scored a 12/30. His wife, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (and DWTS) personality Whitney Leavitt was in the audience cheering him on and giving him much-needed context in his standing as a star.
Comedian Guillermo Rodriguez performed a cha-cha to “Mr. Big Stuff” with a completely charming package preceding it, in which Rodriguez shared that he wanted to become a better dancer to dance with his wife, and his partner, Witney Carson, shared her pregnancy. Their likability score was a 10/10! Unfortunately, their dance scorede second-lowest in DWTS history, at 10/30.
Paralympic Gold Medalist Ezra Frech and his partner, Daniela “The Ferrari” Karagach, were always going to serve. Karagach is widely believed to be one of the greatest pros, and her pairing with an elite athlete like Frech promises some incredible performances. Add his powerful advocacy and beautiful story into the mix, and he is a real threat in this competition. His tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” scored a 20/30, only trailing professional dancer Shum Jr.
Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood is a silly guy who is taking ballroom very seriously. As one of the nicher names on this year’s cast and one of those completely lacking dance experience, he had a lot to prove with his cha-cha to “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw. This performance showed plenty of room to continue to grow technically and some supremely watchable chemistry between Wood and his partner, Rylee Arnold. Starting from a modest 16/30, he could be riding that mechanical bull all the way to the mirrorball; watch this space.
Taylor Hanson of the band Hanson did not come to play with a high-difficulty quickstep, beautifully choreographed by his partner, Britt Stewart, to Billy Joel’s “Tell Her About It”. Although he landed in the middle of the pack with a 16/30, when Carrie-Ann says that Len Goodman would’ve enjoyed your dance, you’ve done something right.
Actor and dancer Harry Shum Jr. closed out the night with a Grey’s-themed cha-cha to Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove”. Unsurprisingly, when you combine veteran pro Jenna Johnson’s choreography with Shum Jr.’s training and innate ability, you get something electric. He’s undeniably incredible, but his season will be determined by whether he can unlearn his hip-hop and freestyle in favor of perfect ballroom technique and whether audiences can get on board with someone so experienced competing against first-time dancers (it’s always a whole thing).
(If you haven’t watched the episode yet, this is where you should probably stop reading.) Because I’ll say it: Conner Leavitt’s elimination wasn’t a shock, with some of the lowest scores, likely one of the smallest voter bases, and the pro newest to the show. In the end, even his Phil-Dunphy-swag couldn’t save him. We look forward to seeing which of their children Whitney will resort to sending into the ballroom next. That mirrorball is going on the Leavitt family mantle, no matter who secures it.
Tonight, it’s ladies’ night in the ballroom. Tune in to see what this season’s women have up there, probably tulle-based and fluffy, sleeves!
