Dancing with the Stars S18E01


Billy Dee Williams dances a Star Wars-inspired Cha Cha. That was awkward.


Dancing with the Stars welcomed a new host on Monday, in the guise of Season 10 winner Erin Andrews.  Singer Jason Derulo opened the proceedings, donning a snazzy bomber jacket and putting together an energetic performance of his newest single, “Talk Dirty.”  Billy Dee and Emma Slater threw out a Star Wars inspired cha cha, although with those faltering steps it looked less like a dance of passion than the awkward shimmy of someone who has lost their walking stick. The production design was also unimpressive, looking like it was cobbled together from Star Wars and Liberace outtakes and altogether only snagging a 15, the lowest score of the night.  Drew Carey put in a better performance with the foxtrot and St Patrick’s day green pockets in his suit were a nice touch too – the whole performance snagged him an strong 21 points.  James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd put in a sweet performance that reflected the intimacy of their alleged budding relationship and got them a 21.  Charlie White and Sharna Burgess clocked up the highest score of the night, a 27, with a contemporary number, and it’s no surprise.  Charlie was really throwing his hips into it.  Candace Cameron Bure & Mark Ballas clocked up second place with another contemporary dance, this time to a cover of ‘Burn’ by Ellie Goulding.  Cody Simpson also did well with 22 points, he and his partner Witney Carson performed what to the untrained observer looked like an EXTREMELY loose interpretation of the cha cha, which the judges nevertheless seemed to enjoy.  Sean Avery and Karina Smirnoff earned 20 points. Child star Danica McKellar and Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s foxtrot performance put them into a third place tie with 24 points, along with Olympic gold medalist Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Paralympic bronze medalist Amy Purdy and reigning champion Derek Hough. Diana Nyad and Henry Byalikov put in a passable foxtrot and they looked great, but it’s possible the judges found Henry’s persistent mugging to the camera distracting as they only scored an 18, the second lowest score of the night.  Eliminations begin next week – who will be the first to get the chop?  Tune in to find out!

 


dancing-with-the-stars-recap

Billy Dee Williams dances a Star Wars-inspired Cha Cha. That was awkward.


Dancing with the Stars welcomed a new host on Monday, in the guise of Season 10 winner Erin Andrews.  Singer Jason Derulo opened the proceedings, donning a snazzy bomber jacket and putting together an energetic performance of his newest single, “Talk Dirty.”  Billy Dee and Emma Slater threw out a Star Wars inspired cha cha, although with those faltering steps it looked less like a dance of passion than the awkward shimmy of someone who has lost their walking stick. The production design was also unimpressive, looking like it was cobbled together from Star Wars and Liberace outtakes and altogether only snagging a 15, the lowest score of the night.  Drew Carey put in a better performance with the foxtrot and St Patrick’s day green pockets in his suit were a nice touch too – the whole performance snagged him an strong 21 points.  James Maslow and Peta Murgatroyd put in a sweet performance that reflected the intimacy of their alleged budding relationship and got them a 21.  Charlie White and Sharna Burgess clocked up the highest score of the night, a 27, with a contemporary number, and it’s no surprise.  Charlie was really throwing his hips into it.  Candace Cameron Bure & Mark Ballas clocked up second place with another contemporary dance, this time to a cover of ‘Burn’ by Ellie Goulding.  Cody Simpson also did well with 22 points, he and his partner Witney Carson performed what to the untrained observer looked like an EXTREMELY loose interpretation of the cha cha, which the judges nevertheless seemed to enjoy.  Sean Avery and Karina Smirnoff earned 20 points. Child star Danica McKellar and Valentin Chmerkovskiy’s foxtrot performance put them into a third place tie with 24 points, along with Olympic gold medalist Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and Paralympic bronze medalist Amy Purdy and reigning champion Derek Hough. Diana Nyad and Henry Byalikov put in a passable foxtrot and they looked great, but it’s possible the judges found Henry’s persistent mugging to the camera distracting as they only scored an 18, the second lowest score of the night.  Eliminations begin next week – who will be the first to get the chop?  Tune in to find out!