Dancing with the Stars: Premiere Night One
Welcome to Season 35!
Night One of the premiere is complete and boy do we have our work cut out for us this season as voters. The skill and potential brought to the ballroom tonight really showcased what a competitive season we have ahead of us.
I’m going to break down my thoughts on all the dances, the scoring, the couple dynamics, and what I am looking forward to seeing from the stars this season.
All I ask is as we go through this season and I provide my commentary is please keep in mind that not only am I not a ballroom dancer, but I can also admit if my untrained eye and I are wrong! My resume consists of being an avid watcher and lover of the show and to be frank, that’s it!
Kicking off with a classic showcase of all the wonderful pros and a quick introduction of the competing couples. I don’t know about y’all, but do you take this as an opportunity to see which couples look a bit awkward with each other? I sure do. While I try not to put too much weight on these initial impressions because of first night jitters and whatnot, I couldn’t help but notice that some of the awkwardness ended up translating to the dance floor tonight.
Jackson & Emma
Cha Cha to Wannabe by Spice Girls
Talk about golden retriever energy! What he lacked in technique was made up tenfold in performance power. At times it felt like Jackson was just kind of hopping around the dance floor without a care in the world, while I love the spirit, he’s going to have to clean it up to stay competitive. I want to see him really relax into the dance and ground himself into his movements. He kind of had the vibe he was going to tip over as he moved around the floor. The movement and personality are there; he just needs some refinement.
I love that Emma was able to address her track record of past partnerships. I think she acknowledged it in a respectful, mature manner without insulting her previous, admittedly less capable, stars. In terms of tonight, she is a phenomenal dancer and choreographer, but I felt like there was too much going on in this dance that led to it feeling like Jackson was just chasing her around the whole time.
I need to see these two do a Viennese Waltz. Let’s slow it down and focus on intentional movement. The man is undeniably a goofball, but I want to see him get the opportunity to break out of that mold and really connect with the dance. Also, we hit the banana motif hard with this one, I’d like to keep it just to tonight.
Judges Score: 5 5 5
My Score: 5
Tyler & Sharna
Tango to Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz
After watching the package, I was admittedly a bit nervous. Larger, muscular men have a shaky track record on this show. Through the whole dance he was very focused, and it unfortunately showed on his face. Past contestants built similarly to Tyler tend to struggle with being very stompy in their movements and honestly, I did not see that from him tonight. A little clunky? Yes. But not stompy! One of his strengths we should take note of is something I often praise Ezra Sosa for doing well. As a taller guy there’s a tendency to hunch over while in frame and distort that picture. Instead of hunching I think he did a good job bringing himself down to match Sharna without losing his shape or height. Despite my initial apprehension, I liked what I saw!
I have a lot of faith in Sharna this season. As I noted in my preseason thoughts, a glimmer of hope and some effort is all she needs in a partner to really deliver some impressive dances. The accidental lift was unfortunate, but is bound to happen in general, especially with a height difference like we see here.
I think Tyler could really shine in a Paso Doble. He has the strength in his movements, and I think it would be a chance for him to hone some controlled energy into the dance.
Judges Score: 6 5 6
My Score: 5
Conner & Adele
Salsa to Whoomp! There It Is by Tag Team
Oh, sweet Conner, this one was unfortunate. There was suspicion that his goofy behind the scenes dancing was a rouse to throw off the fans and I fear we were mistaken. The dance was sloppy and he seemed a bit lost trying to juggle the dance itself and the performance element. His brief performance last season showed he can pull off intense emotion and meaning in his movement. This dance had too much “I’m trying to dance isn’t this funny?” energy to really give him a fair chance.
Admittedly I did not watch The Next Pro to see what Adele was bringing to the table here, but the dance had hints at classic new pro shortcomings. The dance had so much content that it ended up leaving Conner in the dust, and a lot of it felt like bells and whistles instead of being true to the style of dancing. If we can expect to see her next year, I hope the rest of this season is utilized by her to shadow and learn from the more experienced pros.
I would have really loved to see him in another Contemporary. I don’t expect a heart string tugging dance night one by any means, I just think that is where he would’ve really shined.
Judges Score: 4 4 4
My Score: 4
Guillermo & Witney
Cha Cha to Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight
Let’s be realistic here, the bar for older male celebrities is low. He moved around the floor and posed and while I found myself smiling watching him, I think this season is far too competitive to allow him to survive past week two. I felt his effort and honestly if his musicality was just a bit more accurate, I could see him surpassing the bar set for him. Also, I loved his suit!
Let me give Witney her flowers! I love that they highlighted just how phenomenal she is for dancing while pregnant and still delivering impressive work as a pro. I appreciate the content she integrated into the dance and that she got Guillermo moving around the floor. Even when the skill level isn’t there, I like to see moves at least attempted, even if they aren’t perfect.
They are another couple I would really like to see slow it down style wise. Keeping him moving and taking up space but calming down the movements would help with hitting those technical moves we’re looking for.
Judges Score: 4 3 3
My Score: 3
Before we continue, let’s talk about our sneak peak at the female stars. I have seen a lot of commentary saying that they looked messy and concern about the ladies’ premiere night. Let me just say, I don’t think they were focused on whipping out stunning moves for the couple of seconds they were featured in this dance. Let the ladies breathe people! Please withhold judgement until we see them Wednesday night.
At this point in the night the judges have made it very clear that they are tightening up scores this year, and I am happy to see it! We haven’t seen below a 5 in how long? It’s refreshing and is important for the stars who need a baseline to really demonstrate their growth as the weeks progress.
Alright, back to our couples.
Ezra & Daniella
Tango to Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
Chills. We are in for some beautiful dances from this couple this season. For Ezra, a younger guy who is not a camera facing performer in his day to day, to come out and command stage presence the way he did was jaw dropping. I think he started off a little shaky, a bit hesitant maybe, but once they took off across the floor, I was stunned. If he can maintain that energy through the whole dance, he will be a competitor for sure.
Daniella did a beautiful job of not hiding Ezra’s disability but highlighting it. I was so impressed by her ability to adapt the technique of the dance without losing content and still pushing what Ezra can do. I am interested to see her ideas when it comes to styles more reliant on sharp, precise footwork and knee movement and how she chooses to execute those different movements.
I am most interested in how they would tackle a Quickstep or Jive. Similar to Tyler I think Ezra’s stage presence would really translate well into a Paso Doble, and I see a gut-wrenching Contemporary in our future.
Judges Score: 7 6 7
My Score: 7
Connor & Rylee
Cha Cha to I Like It, I Love It by Tim McGraw
Papa came to play tonight! You can see how serious he is taking this process which is refreshing compared to the comedian we know him as. Some of their transitions and partner work did seem a bit disconnected. I think he did some of his best work during the line dance section and in general seemed to pick up more confidence out of frame, which I think will be key to his success on the show. He even showed up with the hip action we’re always looking for which was a pleasant surprise for fans and judges alike.
Rylee has shown some great improvement over her years as a pro, but I do still get the energy that she is dancing next to her partner instead of being completely in tune with them. I want to see her really push Connor into being a leading man and choregraph dances that really highlight him.
This sunshine will really stand out if they can prove their ability to pull off more intense dances. Give me a moody Tango to showcase how Connor can adapt to a more grounded role.
One note, this dance is where I disagreed with the judges the most. I found their tone and approach to judging them almost condescending and they noted a lot of mistakes that I personally did not see. Maybe I am misinterpreting their critiques, but their judgements did not have the same vibe as what other contestants received.
Judges Score: 6 5 5
My Score: 6
Taylor & Britt
Quickstep to Tell Her About It by Billy Joel
I had a good feeling about Taylor and that is going to continue into the next few weeks. He kept up well next to Britt in a very difficult style and like all the other men, he just exudes the urge to succeed. He had a brief slip up but his recovery was impressive and he did not seem shaken at all when it came to finishing up the dance. Now I do want to note a hot button issue, the bangs. I love me a swoopy boy band bang so stop telling him to cut his hair people! I like it and worst-case scenario; there isn’t anything a little gel can’t help.
Britt, as she should, has let everyone know that they have not come to play, but to compete this season! She delivered a quickstep jam packed with content and has left no room for question in terms of her pro capabilities. I have high expectations for the coming weeks and do not see her foot coming off the gas anytime soon.
I think this pairing could pull off a beautiful Rumba. Their connection with each other when they dance feels so natural and I think Taylor would adapt to the movement well.
Judges Score: 6 5 5
My Score: 6
Harry & Jenna
Cha Cha to Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind, & Fire
Pack it up everybody. This was one of those dances that makes you think maybe we should just quietly give him the Mirrorball and start the season all over again. There was no doubt he was going to be good, and this was a perfect way to wrap up the evening. Now to be overly critical, Harry is a lanky guy. With that I think his arm movements almost seem to get a little lost with certain moves. His lower body feels solid; I just want to see that fully translate to the upper body. Also, some of those moves were simply not Harry out on that dance floor, that was Mike Chang.
Jenna knows what she is working with this season. I was happy with the amount of content she delivered and believe we can expect that going forward. I hope she finds way to push him throughout their upcoming dances. She mentioned she was going to rely on/highlight his hip hop experience, but I want to see her drop that in favor of focusing on what he is learning in terms of ballroom dancing.
Something about this pairing has me itching for an Argentine Tango. Harry is such a charismatic guy that I want to see him more intense, grounded and featured as a leading man.
Judges Score: 7 7 7
My Score: 7
Before we get into the elimination let’s talk about the tail end of the episode. Now I love Julianne Hough as a dancer as much as the next person, but I can admit I had a bit of an internal eye roll hearing we were getting a featured dance from her on premiere night. For a show that always seems to be running a bit behind, I crave breathing room to sit with each dance and really observe and get to know the stars.
Then I realized it was (another) sponsored segment.
Listen here producers. I can respect the hustle. As long as I see these in-show commercials translate directly into benefiting the production of the show, I won’t be too upset about it. It was just initially frustrating when waiting for an elimination of all things!
The Elimination
We can all admit Guillermo was the easy out, but we knew he wasn’t going home tonight. That would’ve been too easy.
Now let’s be clear, I was not surprised. Even the way the judges went about their post-dance comments really gave off the energy they knew Conner & Adele were going home.
I think Conner had more to offer us and I would’ve been happy with just one more dance from him before he made his exit. I was content with an early exit, but night 1 felt a smidge too soon.
I will be interested to see where Adele goes from here. If this was her ‘trial run’ then next year will be the true test to see if she is here for the long run as a pro dancer.
Night One has come to an end and I am not at all disappointed in what we saw from the men. I really see them running the underdog stories this season and impressing us with their growth. They reek of potential and the desire to improve, now it’s just about honing it in and stepping up in terms of technicality.
My favorite dance of the night has to go to Ezra and Daniella. I knew they were going to be fantastic, and it still managed to take my breath away.
Next up is the ladies and based on what we saw tonight, I am ready to be impressed! The competition is heating up, and you can follow along with my thoughts episode by episode here on The Evening Archive.
