Ginger Zee, Nyle DiMarco and Wanya Morris stand out in the opening night of the competition, while Mischa Barton, Doug Flutie and Geraldo Rivera have a lot to work on.
- Mar 22, 2016
AceShowbiz - The competition is officially on on "Dancing with the Stars" season 22. Twelve pairs hit the ballroom for the first time on Monday night, March 21 with Len Goodman returning to the judges' panel along with Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
Kim Fields and Sasha Farber were the first to dance, performing a cha cha. The judges liked it, but Kim had a lot to work on. "You have to get more pressure on your feet and you need some hip action. Good start though," Len said. The actress earned 20 out of 30 points.
Paige VanZant and Mark Ballas danced a foxtrot. Carrie Ann thinks Paige has "so much potential" and praised her control, but advised her to let go. Bruno, on the other hand, liked Paige's light feet but thought she lacked control and her "timing has to be more precise." The UFC fighter earned 21 points.
Up next were Doug Flutie and Karina Smirnoff, who danced a foxtrot. While his wife teaches dance, Doug clearly has no idea how to dance. But as Carrie Ann pointed out, it's still week one. "Work on the timing, the musicality, it can only get better," Bruno advised him. Doug's dance was scored 15 points.
Jodie Sweetin and Keo Motsepe danced a tango. Len loved the spirit but said that "it got a bit hectic." Bruno thought "it was a very strong performance overall," while Carrie Ann noticed her jaw which "looked almost like a snarl." The "Fuller House" star earned 20 points.
Geraldo Rivera and Edyta Sliwinska were up next, dancing a cha cha. It was even worse than Doug's, but the judges were still nice to him. "You have incredible charisma, but you need to loosen up the joints and move a little," Carrie Ann said. Len additionally suggested him to "stop stepping on your heels." The veteran journalist earned 13 points.
Marla Maples and Tony Dovolani followed it up with a quickstep. Carrie Ann noticed a few mistakes, but said it was a good start. Bruno gushed, "I'm loving the uptown bombshell, I think you found your calling." The Broadway star earned 21 points.
Wanya Morris and Lindsay Arnold also danced a cha cha. He's quite an impressive dancer considering he's a big guy, but Len said the hip-hop style didn't suit the cha cha. Carrie Ann and Bruno liked it. The Boyz II Men member earned 23 points.
Ginger Zee and Valentin Chmerkovskiy followed it up with another impressive performance. They danced a jive. Bruno and Len paid attention to her legs which needed to be stretched a little more, but they said said the "Good Morning America" weather anchor was a good dancer. Ginger earned 23 points.
Mischa Barton and Artem Chigvintsev danced a tango. Despite claiming that she has natural dance ability, Mischa can't dance. Len was brutally honest as saying, "That wasn't a dance, that was walking. I can't tell a lie, there was too much walking around, not enough of Tango, fire and attack." The actress earned 16 points.
Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd turned the situation around with their cha cha, which received a lot of praises from the judges. "You could be America's next top dancer," Bruno declared. The deaf model earned 23 points.
Antonio Brown and Sharna Burgess didn't disappoint either. They danced a quickstep and Bruno said he had "a lot of talent." Len added, "There were a few incidents where you messed up a bit, but it was good." The NFL star earned 21 points.
Von Miller and Witney Carson closed out the night with a foxtrot. "You are smooth and silky, you guys just have to watch the height difference but you did great," Carrie Ann commented. Len commended him for not taking "the soft option" and Bruno said Von "got the moves." The Denver Broncos linebacker earned 21 points.
