We are over three weeks into September, which means one thing; a new season of Dancing With The Stars! Dancing With The Stars is a popular series hosted by Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough in which celebrities are chosen to dance in themed routines with trained ballroom dancers, more informally known as the Pros. Dancing With The Stars began in 2005, making it ABC’s (American Broadcasting Company’s) longest-running competition. There have been many well-known stars on the show such as Mario Lopez (Season 3), Billy Ray Cyrus (Season 4), Kim Kardashian (Season 7), Bill Nye (Season 17), Corbin Bleu (Season 17), Amber Riley (Season 17 Winner), Jordan Fisher (Season 25 Winner), and Milo Manheim (Season 27). Every contestant that has been on the show can be found on the list posted on the Internet Movie Database.
Season 33 of DWTS premiered on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, and things are already off to a more than satisfactory start. Thirteen new celebrities hit the ballroom floor and began their dancing journeys along with their pro partners. The celebrities and their partners seem to be having a lot of fun together while preparing for their performances. ABC News says, “The stars and their pro partners have kept fans updated on social media with fun videos from dance practice and more.” For the star’s first performances, the celebrity and pro pairs performed dances such as the Tango, Cha Cha, Salsa, Foxtrot, and Jive.
The night of twirling, stepping, and swaying began with a wonderful opening number to “Set My Heart On Fire (I’m Alive x And The Beat Goes On)” by Majestic, The Jammin Kid & Céline Dion, and it was choreographed by Jamal Sims. The stars were asked to choose a song they would describe as their “anthem,” and the pros choreographed their dances. Danny Amendola, Super Bowl Champion with the Houston Texans, and pro Witney Carson, performed a Tango to “A Bar Song (Tipsy) [Remix]” by Shaboozey and David Guetta, scoring a 20 out of 30. Witney won the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in season 19 with her partner Alfonso Ribeiro. Witney and Danny are a favorite pair of mine. Their chemistry was undeniable and I think they will go far this season.
“The Bachelor,” Joey Graziadei, performed a Cha Cha to “Dancin’ in the Country” by Tyler Hubbard with pro Jenna Johnson, scoring a 21 out of 30. Jenna Johnson has previously won two Mirrorball Trophies, once during season 9 with her partner, former teen idol, Donny Osmond, and again during season 12 with former NFL Player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hines Ward. Joey was wearing a rugged-looking cowboy hat and a shirt adorned with red rhinestones. The judges made positive comments on his musicality and confidence but said he needed to work on his hip movements and arm placements. Joey is a personal favorite of mine and is a top pick for me.
NBA Champion member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dwight Howard, performed a Salsa with his partner, Daniella Karagach, to “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan. Dwight and Daniella scored 22 out of 30, the second-highest score of the night. Their height difference was laughable, but they made it work, their dance was beautifully executed. Daniella previously won a Mirrorball in Season 30 with former New York Knicks player, Iman Shumpert. Daniella seems to have a knack for teaching basketball players to dance. Dwight and Daniella are another one of my top picks for this season; Dwight is willing to put in the work and it shows.
Chandler Kinney, TV and Disney Channel star, danced a Tango with her partner, Brandon Armstrong, to “HOT TO GO!” by Chappell Roan. Kinney and Armstrong scored 23 out of 30, the highest score of the night, things are looking good for Chandler and Brandon so far. This is Brandon’s seventh season as a pro on Dancing With The Stars and many people think he is due for a Mirrorball Trophy. Season 33 opened nicely for Brandon and Chandler. Brandon is one of my favorite pros on the show, and considering Chandler has previous dancing experience from being on Disney Channel, she kind of has a leg up on the other contestants. They work well together and there is no doubt they will make it far.
Pro, Alan Bernsten danced a Cha Cha with Ilona Maher, Olympic rugby champion. They danced to “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” by Shania Twain and scored an 18 out of 30. Bernsten has won 1 Mirrorball Trophy in his time as a pro. He won season 28 with his partner, “The Bachelorette,” Hannah Brown. He also won DWTS Jr in 2018. Ilona was one of the more familiar and exciting contestants joining the show. She says she joined the show to “express femininity and inspire young girls.” I would argue that an 18 out of 30 was a little bit low for their dance, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Ilona seemed nervous at the beginning of her dance but became more confident as it went on. If she continues to work on her confidence, she and Alan could thrive on the dance floor.
Covergirl, Brooks Nader performed a Tango to “Piece of Me” by Britney Spears with pro, Gleb Savchenko. Brooks and Gleb scored an 18 out of 30 for their Tango. The judges made many comments on Brooks’ beauty, but they also said she needed to work on the points of contact in their holds, it seemed like Brooks was worried about stepping on Gleb the whole time. Brooks and Gleb are not at the top of my list, but they could be promising.
Stephen Nedoroscik, the Olympic pommel horse gymnast, performed a Jive with pro-Rylee Arnold to “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen. They scored a 21/30. This is quite an upgrade for Rylee Arnold considering that last season, Rylee’s first season of DWTS as a pro, she and her partner Harry Jowsey, a reality TV star, did not score higher than 21 on any of their dances. Stephen and Rylee are off to a great start. Stephen is a personal favorite of mine; he brings the energy and is willing to learn. He was asked to work on his details because the dance was good but specifics such as pointing his toes and keeping them pointed need to be worked on.
Phaedra Parks, a reality TV star, danced a Cha Cha with Valentin “Val” Chmerkovskiy. Val and Phaedra danced to “I’m Every Woman” by Whitney Houston and scored 19 out of 30. Val has won three Mirrorball Trophies. Once in season 20 with his partner, actress and singer Rumer Willis. He won again during season 23 with Olympic gymnast, Laurie Hernandez. His most recent win was season 32 with his partner, actress, Xochitl Gomez. Xochitl and Val were very successful and their final dance was truly amazing. It earned “a standing ovation, as well as another perfect score – marking their fourth perfect score of the season,” stated Entertainment Tonight Online. Val is another one of my favorite pros, and I think he and Phaedra have the talent and drive to make it to the end. However, I do not think I would be sad if they did not win because Val has earned an abundance of Mirrorball Trophies already.
Eric Roberts, movie star, performed a Cha Cha to “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger with his partner, Britt Stewart. They scored 15 out of 30, the lowest score of the night. Britt has been a pro on Dancing With The Stars since season 29 and still has yet to win a Mirrorball. Eric would definitely be towards the bottom of my list if I were ranking the stars, but I think he has potential with Britt.
Tori Spelling, TV icon and pro, Pasha Pashkov danced a Foxtrot to “Trustfall” by P!nk and scored a 17 out of 30. Pasha and Daniella (Dwight Howard’s partner) are actually married and they met on the Dancing With The Stars Tour while they were partners. Pasha has been on DWTS since 2009 and has not won a Mirrorball, so I think it is high time he wins one, although I am not sure if Tori is the right partner for him to win with. They certainly have lots of room for improvement and a lot of work to do.
Jenn Tran, “The Bachelorette,” performed a Cha Cha with partner Sasha Farber to “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus. They scored 19 out of 30. Tran said she wanted to have the DWTS experience to regain her independence and be empowered. The judges said she had lots of potential and was very lively, but needed to make her lines straighter. Sasha is currently the longest-standing pro who has yet to win a Mirrorball although he has made it to the finals four times. I have a lot of hope for Sasha and Jenn and hopefully, they can make it all the way this season.
Reginald “Reggie” VelJohnson, sitcom and movie actor danced a Salsa with Emma Slater to “Motownphilly” by Boyz II Men. They scored 16 out of 30, the second-lowest score of the night. Emma has won one Mirrorball in her career as a pro. She won season 24 with former Jacksonville Jaguars player Rashad Jennings. Reggie and Emma’s dance was very centered around Emma moving and Reggie standing mostly still. The judges gave them a note on their footwork and said they should probably add more of it. Reggie took that note with a smile and is ready to improve.
Anna Delvey, fashionista, and entrepreneur, danced the Cha Cha with pro-Ezra Sosa to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Ezra is the newest pro dancer this season while Anna is a rather controversial contestant for season 33 considering that she is on house arrest in New York and had to get permission from the government to travel to Los Angeles in order to film the show. Delvey and Sosa scored 18 out of 30 for their Cha Cha. Anna seemed very unenthusiastic after her dance and it was heavily noticed by the crowd. The mood in the audience suddenly shifted and Carrie Ann Inaba, one of the judges, told the fans to give Anna as much love as they would any other contestant. When Delvey was asked how she felt about the score, she stated she was glad she would not have to do that dance again.
Season 33 seems to be off to an amazing start simply based on the premiere episode. Episode 2 is being released on September 24 at 8:00 pm Eastern time. The theme for the second episode is Oscar night. While that is an exciting theme for many, a double elimination will take place. Reggie and Emma along with Eric and Britt had the lowest scores for night one, putting them at risk of being eliminated. You can watch Dancing With The Stars on Hulu, Disney+, YouTube TV, Sling TV, or ABC. Who do you think is going to take home the Mirrorball?
