- Eight men compete in the cha cha cha and foxtrot, then face off in salsa and Viennese waltz relays.
- The ninth season of "Dancing with the Stars" kicked off Monday night with what host Tom Bergeron called the toughest opening week ever. The stars each had to learn two dances right off the bat, with the men performing Monday and the women taking to the dance floor on Tuesday night.
The show began with the male pro dancers doing a group routine to "The Boys Are Back in Town," just so remembered they were still, well, in town. We'll see them again Tuesday.
With that, Tom and co-host Samantha Harris introduced the season's 16 couples:
Singer Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff
Ultimate fighter Chuck Lidell and Anna Trebunskaya
"Iron Chef America" star Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer
Actor Ashley Hamilton and Edyta Sliwinska
Entertainer Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson
Snowboarder Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower
NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova
Politician Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke
Actress Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Actress Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas
R&B Star Mya and Dmitry Chaplin
Model Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani
Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo
R&B singer Macy Gray and Jonathan Roberts
Model Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough
Reality star Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel
The stars would each perform a ballroom and a Latin dance and there would be a double elimination on Wednesday night.
Aaron & Karina: Pop star Aaron Carter said he became famous when his first hit single came out at age 8 and his wild side came out publicly. He decided it was time to make a change. Karina struggled to teach Aaron how to move his hips for the cha cha cha. Karina came out wearing the same pants she wore the night before on the Emmys. Len Goodman said it was "full of potential" and "sometimes a bit stiff," but a good start to the show. Bruno Tonioli agreed there was potential, but that all of Aaron's energy was a little bit all over the place. Carrie Ann Inaba said, "Little Aaron Carter is all grown up!" She also mentioned potential and noted a stumble toward the end, but liked it. Scores: 7, 8, and 7. Total: 22
Chuck & Anna: The ultimate fighting champ said he wanted to use his hard-hitting competitiveness to take care of some of the competition in the ballroom. Anna said she was known for being a tough teacher -- because she is. She set out to tame what she called the "most macho man" she'd ever met. She forced Chuck to smile during their dance "because if he doesn't, he's going to scare everybody." They took on the foxtrot. Bruno said the dance was "very, very rough." "The footwork was poor, the lines were terrible and the timing worse," he added. Carrie Ann agreed that Chuck wasn't yet graceful, but he was smooth. Len told Chuck not to get overexcited, but "it was much better than I thought it would be." He advised Chuck to get in touch with his feminine side a little more. Scores: 6, 5, and 5. Total: 16
Mark & Lacey:The "Iron Chef America" star wanted to bring some of his martial arts prowess to the dance floor with his partner Lacey Schwimmer. She admitted his background was making her job "a whole lot easier." They set out to prove he could dance with the cha cha cha. Carrie Ann said there as a lot of potential but that Mark had to watch his arms. Len said he wasn't a fan of gimmicks and that he doesn't want to see kung fu in every dance. Bruno said Mark lost his timing a bit, but "the talent is there." Scores: 7, 7, and 7. Total: 21
Ashley & Edyta: The son who is not yet nearly as famous as his father got the same partner. Edyta worked hard to get some dance moves out of the younger Hamilton. They danced the foxtrot. Len said that all the basic steps had correct footwork, but it had a roughness about it, overall. Bruno said Ashley had the good looks and charm, "but total lack of showmanship." Carrie Ann said Ashley had to do more to define himself. Scores: 5, 6, and 4. Total: 15
Donny & Kym: Donny Osmond came on to the show with a challenge from his sister to do better than she did (third place) in Season 5. Donny's posture needed work, but he became most uncomfortable with "intimate" holds that required him to keep his hands near Kym's, umm, bosom. They danced the foxtrot. Bruno was excited for his theatricality, but said the posture was bad for the foxtrot. Carrie Ann reminded Donny that this was ballroom and the judges wanted to see the holds and technical aspects of the dance. Len agreed, saying it had "too much razmataz." Scores: 7, 6, and 7. Total: 20
Louie & Chelsie: The Olympic snowboarder said he had no dance experience and had never seen an episode of the show. "Dancing is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be," Louie said. He hoped to bring some of his grace from the mountain to the ballroom. Carrie Ann said Louie "obviously" had not danced before, but that wasn't a knock because she could tell he respected the dance. Len said Louie's hair wasn't what he'd like to see in the ballroom and, "I was surprised you could hear the music" with his locks hanging over his ears. Len said Louie's technique was "very good" and his hold and posture were good. Bruno said "it was like watching a little dancing hobbit," but said that if Louie carried on he was going to be "really, really good." Scores: 6, 7, and 6. Total: 19
Michael & Anna: Former NFL wide receiver Michael Irvin made his mark on the field with his footwork, but would it help him with dancing? He told his partner Anna Demidova (who won last season's pro dancers competition) that Jerry Rice was his ultimate "Dancing" rival. He wanted to do better than Jerry's 21 on the cha cha cha. Len said it wasn't a great first dance and told Michael he had to get slicker. Bruno said Michael had a great presence and was a crowd pleaser, but the dancing was poor. Carrie Ann said Michael beat Jerry Rice on charisma. She advised Anna to push her partner a little harder with more dance moves. Scores: 5, 4, and 4. Total: 13
Tom & Cheryl: Former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay teamed up with Cheryl Burke to learn the cha cha cha. He showed up in my mom's sweatpants and talked about how much trouble he was going to have with getting in touch with his feminine side. He danced the cha cha cha to "Wild Thing." Bruno said the little cha cha cha Tom did "wasn't too bad -- the rest, I am not sure." Carrie Ann said it was surreal. She was impressed at how light he was on his feet. Len said "parts were magic, parts were tragic." Scores: 6, 5, and 5. Total: 16
Salsa Relay: The eight couples were divided into two groups and the first was asked to perform a "salsa relay." The first four couples took to the dance floor.
Carrie Ann summed up her comments by telling Donny Osmond he "smoked 'em." She added that Chuck knew how to work a woman and called Louie's portion was fun and ambitious. Len said to Ashley it was "a dance only a father could love." He said the key to salsa is "rhythm, rhythm, rhythm" and Donny had it. Bruno told Donny he was "shaking like the king of Puerto Rico" and told Chuck he didn't know he had those moves in him. He also told Ashley he had to work on his rhythm. The judges ranked the dancers from first to fourth and those scores would be added to the couples' individual scores.
The Salsa Relay rankings:
Donny & Kym: 10 points
Louie & Chelsie: 8 points
Chuck & Anna: 6 points
Ashley & Edyta: 4 points
Viennese Waltz Relay: The remaining four couples took on the Viennese waltz. Mark said the dance was "so stiff and uncomfortable, it seems like it would suit Tom DeLay much better."
Len said Tom's Viennese waltz was "a tad skippy" and said Mark had control. Bruno said Aaron had great rotation and worked the floor well. He also praised Mark for his lines. He said Michael was better, and Carrie Ann agreed. She told Aaron he did "very nice work" and said Mark had "the potential to be fantastic." She told Tom he was "very elegant."
The Viennese Waltz Relay Rankings:
Aaron & Karina: 10 points
Mark & Lacey: 8 points
Michael & Anna: 6 points
Tom & Cheryl: 4 points
LEADER BOARD:
Aaron & Karina: 32
Donny & Kym: 30
Mark & Lacey 29
Louie & Chelsie: 27
Chuck & Anna: 22
Tom & Cheryl: 20
Michael & Anna: 19
Ashley & Edyta: 19
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