Dancing with the Stars: Athletes Premiere Live Blog and Performance Videos

For those joining me for the first time, I am Franky and I am thrilled to return to blog another season. Thanks to MJ for that and a special thanks to every reader who is back to enjoy another round of our little reality-competition show. I hope you all had a happy and healthy winter. So let’s discuss how this special mini-season will go down.

During this first week of competition, the eliminations (two couples will be leaving) will be based on the live voting that will occur during the show combined with the judges scores. At the conclusion of the episode, voting will commence once again and those votes will help determine our week two eliminations. So if you have a favorite going into tonight, or find couple(s) you like during the show, make sure to get those votes in at ABC.COM so the couple(s) you enjoy make it to week two.

Remember, during tonight’s premiere, you can only vote at ABC.COM. After the show ends, you can begin voting via the usual methods (phone, facebook, and abc.com). The phone numbers you need will be displayed here under each couple and if you need more information on how to vote via online methods, please visit the official DWTS page at ABC.COM. Clearly, scoring well with the judges and earning America’s vote will be super important tonight if any of the teams want a shot at returning next Monday!

The couples will perform either a cha-cha-cha, foxtrot, salsa, or viennese waltz this evening. Tom and Erin are back as hosts with Carrie, Len, and Bruno returning to the judges table. Cheryl, Maks, Val, Peta, and Mark will not be dancing this season, while Sasha and Jenna have returned as pros. This should be a super competitive season considering these are athletes and I expect a high level of dance quality from quite a few of them.

With all that being said, let’s get this premiere started!

We begin with Tom introducing the athletes in very dramatic fashion. He goes over who they are and their respective accomplishments. Here come the pros and troupe members to open the show dancing to a remixed version of “We Will Rock You“. Even some of the celebs get to dance. Tom and Erin welcome us to the show. They are pretending to be sportscasters sitting behind a booth and introduce the judges, who are decked out like officials in a game. We are very in-sync with our athletes theme right now. The entire show is like one huge sporting event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S6HWxrGzwE

Chris Mazdzer and Witney – Salsa
Decent way to start. The dance got progressively better as it went on. I was worried for the first thirty or so seconds it would continue to look a bit awkward on Chris’ end. At first, he was a bit stiff but once he and Witney got into the groove and after the lift, I saw some really solid hip action and a more relaxed feel, which is required for the salsa, a party dance. Chris could of course use some polishing but for a first dance, this was quite good.

Len is impressed. He thought Chris had style and confidence. Bruno says the ling of luge got into the groove. He critiques his free arm and tells him to be aware of his weight while dancing. Carrie Ann loved the choreography and thinks Chris has potential and has star quality. She notes she isn’t judging the chest but the dance.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7
1-800-868-3403
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Chris via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqOLz3z4knw

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lindsay – Cha-Cha-Cha
Well, I am going to be kind. Clearly, between Kareem’s age and height, this dancing thing is not exactly in his wheelhouse. But to give Lindsay credit, she choreographed a very easy and by the book cha-cha-cha who at least enabled Kareem to do the actual steps. Was it slow and a bit prodding? Yes. Was there a lack of musicality at parts? Definitely. But credit to the big man for getting out there and doing it.

Bruno doesn’t know if he can criticize Kareem. He says it was kept simple and dignified. Carrie Ann says this what the audience loves to see. She says we were entertained. She wants him to get a bit groovier. Len says he would get a 10 if it was based on admiration. He says Kareem gave it his all but he needs to loosen up.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 5
Bruno- 6
1-800-868-3408
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Kareem via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCLj2wnN5vU

Jennie Finch Daigle and Keo – Foxtrot
You have no idea how nervous I was that the ball at the beginning would end up tripping one of them. I was hoping Keo would kick it away. They got through it though. Good dance. Jennie needs to work on owning the dance and not depending on Keo too much. At times, it felt like he was pushing her around the floor and all. The man is supposed to lead, of course, but once Jennie gets a bit more confident both performance wise and with her technique, I think she will hold her own soundly. But it was a nice and elegant foxtrot.

Carrie Ann called it a joy to watch. She senses Jennie’s competitive nature. She wants her to depend on Keo a bit more. Len says the foxtrot is tough and he saw some good elements but it went wrong a bit wrong and her hand was resting too hard on Keo. Bruno liked the fresh quality but he feels there needed to be more control. He also felt Jennie was being controlled too much by Keo.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7
1-800-868-3405
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Jennie via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6A5cZvhk5s

Jamie Anderson and Artem – Viennese Waltz
Interesting. This was pretty similar to Jennie. Again, a bit too much of Artem pulling her around, and not enough fluidity for a viennese waltz (in other words, too much bopping around). I will commend Jamie on her musicality here and even though this dance had some similar issues to the one before, I feel as though Jamie handled the overall technical aspect of it a bit better. Just a bit. She also needs to work on confidence and steps but has a lot of potential.

Len thought it was a bit skippy and not smooth enough. He loved the elegance and personality though. Bruno feels it started very well but she lost footing. He doesn’t want her to ever lose the flow. Carrie Ann says Jamie is more elegant than she thinks she is. She says she was rushing and was nervous and not judge herself too harshly. She feels she did well.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 7
Bruno- 6
1-800-868-3404
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Jamie via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twnEuSD9Z8M

Mirai Nagasu and Alan – Salsa
DAMN! Did the show just start? Now that was a first dance worthy of a competitive athlete season of DWTS. Wow. I got Kristi Yama vibes off of that one. Strong salsa. Fun, lifts galore (all done well), in-sync steps, the whole thing really. Just a constant party from start to finish. Good choreo from Alan here as well, using his partners figure skating qualities to an advantage. FIRE!

Bruno loved the tricks. He says the tricks are hard to land and maintain the rhythm. He wants her to be careful not to over attack and lose any softness in her hips. Carrie Ann wants her to watch her head bopping, be a bit calmer with the dance and centered. But she calls her a boss. Len loved the lifts and found the dance to be terrific.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 8
Bruno- 8
1-800-868-3409
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Mirai via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4wykQ2-34c

Arike Ogunbowale and Gleb – Salsa
So many times on this show, I find myself disappointed with Gleb’s choreography. And I was here again. He let Arike down a bit. She has rhythm and I feel like he could have made that salsa better. Yes, it kept the theme of her basketball career and all but some of those steps were so pedestrian and the entire routine didn’t do enough to leave a lasting impression. We only have four weeks of the show this season with two eliminations tonight, so you have got to be memorable and the dance has to hit on all cylinders.

Carrie Ann enjoys how comfortable Arike looked. She wants the heels on though. Len loved the energy but wanted to see some more hip action. He says well done though. Bruno says it made Bruno want to dance. He tells her to be careful of her shoulders. She needs to open up a bit.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
1-800-868-3402
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Arike via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1mo3CwVn9M

Adam Rippon and Jenna – Cha-Cha-Cha
LOL. WOW. So fun. I wish Adam hadn’t almost fallen out of that spin. But I am nitpicking of course what was a really solid cha-cha-cha. Jenna was quite smart here with what she put together. It was Adams personality and flavor mixed with actual and technical cha-cha-ca steps. I loved how in-sync both were with one another and again, mixing in some of those figure skating benefits never hurts. Solid routine.

Len thought it was good. He loved the cha-cha-cha content. Bruno found the finish of his lines amazing and also, how in-sync Adam was with Jenna. Carrie Ann says Adam was born to do this show. She calls them a match made in heaven as a pairing.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8
1-800-868-3401
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Adam via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOioqgPyCwE

Johnny Damon and Emma – Foxtrot
That was cute. Johnny needs to be careful of that posture and hold. And stick the bum in. If he wants to last till the end, those things needs to corrected sooner rather than later. They will be more problematic in future dances otherwise, like the quickstep. But this dance was okay. It had a fun and carefree quality to it. Now Johnny just needs to enjoy it a bit more and not worry so much about the steps. He had an “OMG” expression on his face during parts of that. But cute dance.

Bruno said it didn’t go all smoothly but he says Johnny will get better. Carrie Ann calls Johnny adorable. She thinks he needs to watch his hold. RELAX, she says. Len says the problem was the hold. He salutes him though.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 6
Bruno- 6
1-800-868-3406
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Johnny via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtHxvkG0Ph0

Tonya Harding and Sasha – Foxtrot
Impressive. I am so looking forward to seeing what Tonya does with a fast latin routine. The foxtrot very much takes her skating background and uses it. Elegance, fluidity, grace. She had those in spades here. Sasha gets compliments on the choreography. Now can she muster up the same for say a jive? We will see. But she exceededmy expectations here for sure.

Carrie Ann says she is a beautiful dancer. She was blown away. Len found it charming. He tells Tonya to be happy. Bruno loved how lyrical it was. Be careful of the neck/shoulder placement he says. But he very much enjoyed it.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 7
1-800-868-3410
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Tonya via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEcqo5fctxI

Josh Norman and Sharna – Cha-Cha-Cha
Nice! Great way to close out the night. Strong cha-cha-cha with great flavor and rhythm. Chock up another football star who is great at dancing. I especially enjoyed how modern the dance was from the song choice to the steps but Sharna still kept the technical cha-cha-cha aspects to keep folks like Len and myself happy. That was a really solid routine and Josh is definitely a contender this season.

Len loved the rhythm and style. He said Josh is another footballer who can dance. Bruno asks where Josh came from. He loved it all. He calls him the one to watch. Carrie Ann says Josh has an “X” factor. She calls him the fly guy for the night.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8
1-800-868-3407
*For week one during the broadcast- vote ONLY at ABC.COM.
After the end of tonight’s show, vote for Josh via phone, facebook, and ABC.COM until 5AM eastern (Tuesday) for phone and 10PM Eastern (Tuesday) for online methods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkdDqYjBiBE

Judges Scores For Week One (Out of 30)
Adam- 24
Josh- 24
Tonya- 23
Mirai- 23
Chris- 21
Jennie- 21
Arike- 20
Jamie- 19
Johnny- 18
Kareem- 17

Eliminations!

IN JEOPARDY- Jamie & Artem, Johnny & Emma, Tonya & Sasha
SAFE- EVERYONE ELSE

Two of these couples are about to be eliminated. The SAFE couple is… Tonya & Sasha

Leaving us tonight… Johnny & Emma and Jamie & Artem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypIx5ILu41E

We are strapped for time so Tom just gives us the numbers and voting info. Two more couples leave next week. Two dances next week (individual and team) and special guest judge Rashad Jennings in the ballroom.

And there you have it. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that Tonya wasn’t really in the bottom. Between her score and package, she definitely appeals to a certain demo that watches the show. Methinks the producers want to give her a boost in voting for next week. But I am not at all surprised Jamie & Johnny went. The former was forgettable and the latter (though not the worst of the night by any means) just couldn’t make a mark with his foxtrot. Sucks to leave on night one though.

POLLS will be up very soon. Thanks to all who watched, commented, and joined me for the fun. I’ll see you guys in a weeks time for night two of this four week DWTS mini-season. :D