While most of you agree with me that you don't know many of this year's "stars," this was a moment that had great impact. Danelle Umstead is a BLIND paralympic athlete and her first dance brought her (and us) to tears...watch.
And how funny was this with country radio personality Bobby Bones? Watch what happens AFTER his dance.
The 13 new contestants vying for the coveted Mirrorball trophy made their dancing debut last night on the Season 27 premiere of Dancing With the Stars. Here are the highlights and the scores:
DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold: The pair pulled off an amazing Cha Cha, set to Flo Rida’s “Sweet Sensation,” and he the NFL star captivated the audience – especially when he literally jumped over Arnold in one leap. They took home a 23 out of 30 – tying for the top score of the night.
Grocery Store Joe and Jenna Johnson: Joe and “Bachelor” superfan Jenna had a lot of chemistry, but she’s got a lot of work ahead of her. They did a wild quickstep routine – set to “Fish Out of Water” by Leo Soul – that kicked off with Joe and Jenna bumping into each other in a sparkly grocery store. But after a few missteps, it went downhill fast. They earned a 14 out of 30, putting them at the very bottom of the leader board.
Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy: The Facts of Life actress and the two-time DWTS champ pulled off an impressive quickstep to a high-octane rendition of “It Don’t Mean a Thing” by Club Des Belugas. They earned a score of 18 out of 30.
Tinashe and First-Time Pro Brandon Armstrong: After being a member of the DWTS troupe for three seasons, Brandon hit the stage with Tinashe for their debut performance. Their high-energy jive, set to “I’m a Lady” by Meghan Trainor, put them the front of the pack. All three judges had nothing but praise for the singer and the first-time pro, and rewarded the pair with an impressive 23 out of 30 – tying for the top score of the night.
John Schneider and Emma Slater: The Dukes of Hazzard star and Emma nostalgia set their Southern-themed performance around an orange Dodge Charger, similar to the one he drove on the show – minus the huge confederate flag on the roof for obvious reasons. The pair’s fun and energetic fox trot was set to Waylon Jennings’ “Good Ol’ Boys” – which was also the theme song to his show. The couple earned a score of 18 out of 30.
Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten: The Instagram model and Alan tapped into a sexy, 1950s retro vibe for their jive, set to Little Richard’s “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and the ice cream shop set was the perfect backdrop for their fancy footwork. They earned a score of 21 out of 30.
Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko: No comedian has ever won DWTS – or really even come close – so will Nikki be the first? The two hit the stage for a sexy salsa set to “YES” by Louisa feat. 2 Chainz, and while they both appeared to be having a good time, they didn’t get the best feedback from the judges. In fact, Bruno’s compliment saying that the dance “wasn’t a complete train wreck” was one of the best remarks they received for their performance. With a score of 17 out of 30, they also are at the bottom of the night’s scoreboard.
Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke: The handsome Fuller House seems to be a good fit for Cheryl – who is competing in her 21st season of DWTS this time around. Their steamy salsa – set to “Dinero” by Jennifer Lopez feat. DJ Khaled & Cardi B – blew the judges away. They earned a 22 out of 30.
Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess: The country music radio star delivered a flamboyant, rolicking jive set to Travis Tritt’s “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” and it was one of the most energetic numbers of the night. Bobby seemed possessed by the spirit of rock and roll after the number ended as he screamed and ran around the stage celebrating his own accomplishment. He was so enthusiastic he ended up falling over and Sharna could barely contain herself as her partner ran about like a mad man. Despite being “rough around the edges” as judge Len Goodman said, they still took home a score of 20 out of 30.
Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev: Danelle is a paralympic skier and also the first blind DWTS competitor, which obviously provided a number of challenges for her and Artem when it came to learning dance moves and routines. But if their powerful, emotional foxtrot, set to “Rise Up” by Andra Day, is any indication, they are going to make things work this season, and it’s going to be emotional and inspiring. The couple earned an impressive 18 out of 30 for their routine.
Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe: The actress who made her name playing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter film franchise clearly has a passion for dance. For their number, they gave a subtle nod to Evanna’s experiences at Hogwarts by dancing their foxtrot to “Do You Believe in Magic” by Aly & AJ. The pair earned a score of 18 out of 30 – and Len’s less-than-thrilling “5” led host Tom Bergeron to compare him to Voldemort.
Milo Manheim and Witney Carson: Manheim was one of the biggest question marks going into the season. At just 17-years-old he’s the youngest celeb in the competition, and he doesn’t have very many screen credits besides his starring role in the 2018 Disney Channel original movie Zombies. Milo and Whiney came out rocking a lot of purple for a Cha Cha set to “Free Free Free” by Pitbull featuring Theron Theron. They earned a 20 out of 30.
Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber: The 50-year-old Olympic gold medal gymnast and her charismatic pro partner came out swinging as the first couple of the night to perform, dancing the Cha Cha to Bruno Mars’ “Treasures.” They earned a score of 19 out of 30.