Dancing with the Stars Season 10: Week 1 Performance Show Recap - Live Blog!

Dancing with the Stars Season 10 premieres tonight with 11 new stars gracing the stage. If you want to keep up with the action, but can't tune in, keep up with my Live Blog to find out all the important happenings AS they happen! Since this is a blog, there will be some personal opinion thrown in.

The Stars and their Partners
So you can get prepared for tonight's show, here is a quick list of the stars and their partners. For Full Bios, see ABC's Official Dancing with the Stars website. Pro dancer details provided with help of Wikipedia.

- Aiden Turner with Edyta Sliwinska - Aiden is a soap opera star; Edyta has finished DWTS in Third (S3) and Second (S6)
- Buzz Aldrin with Ashly Costa - Buzz is an astronaut, and one of the first 2 humans to walk on the moon; Ashly came in Third (S1) but has not been on the show in recent years
- Chad Ochocinco with Cheryl Burke - Chad is a wide receiver; Cheryl won twice (S2, S3), came in Second (S8) and Third (S6)
- Erin Andrews with Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Erin is a sport report with ESPN; Maksim landed in Second (S5) and Third (S4)
- Evan Lysacek with Anna Trebunskaya - Evan is the Men's Gold Medal Figure Skater from the 2010 Olympic Games; Anna reached Second (S2)
- Jake Pavelka with Chelsie Hightower - Jake is the most recent "Bachelor"; Chelsie has never placed in the top 3
- Kate Gosselin with Tony Dovolani - Kate is a reality tv "star" with 8 children; Tony finished in Third twice (S2, S8)
- Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough - Nicole is best known for her time in "The Pussycat Dolls"; Derek won once (S7) but hasn't placed otherwise
- Niecy Nash with Louis Van Amstel - Niecy is the host of "Clean House" and also seen on "Reno 911"; Louis made it to Third last season (S9)
- Pamela Anderson with Damian Whitewood - Pamela is best known as the "Baywatch" babe; This is Damian's first season with DWTS
- Shannen Doherty with Marc Ballas - Shannen is that chick from 90201; Marc won DWTS two times (S6, S8)

Now on with the Show!
Brooke Burke joins Tom Bergeron as the new co-host.

Chad and Cheryl are the first to perform. Chad comes in to the show with no dancing experience, while Cheryl brings two DWTS championships to the partnership. Starting out with the Cha Cha, Cheryl wants to help Chad be "fun and flirty" and is happy that Chad really works hard to get it right. Right off the top, Chad has a few steps down pat while others look like most beginning contestants. Overall it was a mix between decent and beginner

The Judges: Len said Chad "came out like a tiger" and was a "rough diamond" with "great potential" but he has to work on his posture. Bruno said he definitely has a sense of rhythm and he can dance, but needs to work on it because it's still rough. Carrie Ann said "there's something raw happening that's gonna take you far" and she wants to see more. Scores: CA - 6, L - 6, B - 6, Total: 18/30. The audience booed but it's only the first episode!

Shannen and Marc are up next performing the Viennese Waltz. Shannen felt like "a baby walking for the first time" when she first started learning the dance. In addition, she said she was incredibly nervous about performing LIVE. Shannen did look a little nervous when she started but started to loosen up a tiny bit as the audience cheered her on. Their waltz was simple but had some nice moves in it. Overall, she did look like a beginner, but she also looked like she could do better once she let's go of her nerves.

The Judges: Bruno stated it was a "difficult piece of choreography" and she was "swinging her eyes around like a primate" , but he said it was not her fault, it was just a difficult piece for week 1. Carrie Ann thought she had a rough start but opened up as the dance went on. Len thought Shannen "portrayed ease and elegance throughout" but had some comments about her footwork. Scores: CA - 6, L - 6, B - 6, Total: 18/30.

Erin and Maksim are third to perform and the second to perform a Cha Cha. Erin admits she is a perfectionist and wants to be the best, but Maksim said it's frustrating because Erin keeps starting over before he has a chance to fix her mistakes. In a cute yellow dress, Erin was a lot more timid than I expected. Her moves were all really small and close to her body. It must be the perfectionist in her focusing more on getting the perfect step then making it entertaining. She looked to Maksim multiple times as if to see what her next step should be.

The Judges: Carrie Ann said "I love the way you move your body" but said she needed to work on her arms and legs to be sharper. Len called her a "funky monkey" with great rhythm, and had similar comments regarding her legs. Bruno said she must have danced before since she sticks with the beat, and thought it was a wonderful debut. Scores: CA - 7, L - 7, B - 7, Total: 21/30. Erin takes the lead!

Jake and Chelsie were the next to do a Viennese Waltz. Jake showed up to greet Chelsie with a Rose which she happily accepted. Jake thought the Waltz was going to be easy, until he started to learn it and had a very hard time with it. Chelsie gave him a pep talk and told him to take it one day at a time. Their Waltz started with a Rose to go with "The Bachelor" theme. Jake was definitely trying, but he was also definitely very stiff up there. Lucky for him, Chelsie looked great! Jake had some awkwardness but he may have some potential.

The Judges: Len thought he moved well and was impressed with how much they did in "hold", but he needs to work on his posture. Bruno said it was a "really really good effort". Carrie an was also impressed saying "your lines were gorgeous and you looked like you were having a genuinely good time." Scores: CA - 7, L - 6, B - 7, Total: 20/30. I don't know if I can vote for Jake after seeing Vienna in the audience :P

Niecy and Louis were ready for another Cha Cha! Niecy's silly side came out in their rehearsals and it looked like she was ready to have fun with it. From the start we can see that Niecy likes to perform, so her biggest obstacle is going to be learning the actual steps. She brought her personality to most of the dance, but lost it when she was concentrating too hard.

The Judges: Bruno said it was like "watching too personalities" because she switched between a sassy lady and a not so sassy one throughout. That's kind of like what I said :) Carrie Ann "loved it" and Len thought it was "clean, clear and precise" but "a bit uneventful" but Niecy was just happy to have remembered her routine. Scores: CA - 7, L - 5, B - 6, Total: 18/30. Len's score was in line with my thoughts, Carrie Ann was being a little too nice if you ask me.

Evan and Anna are up next! Evan was concerned that the spins in DWTS are the opposite of the way he turns in Ice Skating. Oh no! With another Viennese Waltz, Evan was determined to prove he was more than just a technical performer. He started out well, looking very graceful as an ice skater should! The dance looked technically perfect and pretty darn smooth, except a few minor beginner's hiccups. I expect good comments from the judges.

The Judges: Carrie Ann was excited and said "you are good!" but did give him a few pointers about pointing his toes and getting more of a connection with the audience. Len said he looked elegant but had clumsy feet and had to work on the chemistry. Bruno said "you're moving with the grace of a swan" and Evan was "using the space beautifully". Scores: CA - 8, L - 7, B - 8, Total: 23/30. Evan takes over the lead, but Anna says she knows there is more to come so they will see if they keep it.

Buzz and Ashly were next so they had a special greeting from the International Space Station asking if he can still do a backflip in zero gravity :) Buzz is definitely THE BEST person they've ever asked to be on the show! Buzz was afraid of doing the Cha Cha, but Ashly said he's in great shape so he can do it. Buzz's Cha Cha was slower than the previous ones with his main problem being remembering the steps. Although he was not quite up to par with the others, I am almost positive he will get votes just for being "Buzz".

The Judges: Len said he thought he was brave but the dance wasn't that great. Bruno said "it looked like you still had your moon boots on" but he's looking forward to it getting better. Carrie Ann said Buzz will inspire people to get out and do things they are afraid of, but didn't really comment on his performance. Scores: CA - 5, L - 4, B - 5, Total: 14/30.

Nicole and Derek would do the Viennese Waltz and Nicole matched Derek's humor as they practiced. However, she said they would change into Sir Derek and Lady Nicole during their Waltz. Nicole's dance experience showed during their performance, and Derek received many cheers as he is an audience favorite. The ending spin move Nicole and Derek did was beautiful, but it stopped weird.

The Judges: Bruno had to stand up and said it was "a performance of startling finesse" and he was astounded that she could pull it off. Carrie Ann said "the bar has just been set for Season 10" and said it was the best week 1 routine EVER. Len said there was no footwork and they lacked musicality. Basically he said great performance but wanted to make clear they had problems with technique. Scores: CA - 9, L - 7, B - 9, Total: 25/30. The audience didn't know whether to boo or cheer Len's score, but Nicole did overtake Evan for first place.

Aiden and Edyta had to do the Cha Cha. Aiden found out he wasn't as tough as he thought as soon as he started hurting himself while learning the Cha Cha. Edyta's white and skin-colored outfit made it look like she wasn't wearing much at all which is likely to pull in the male vote. Aiden was quite stiff and didn't bring the romance that I thought he would be able to do since he's a soap star. Overall he was just a tad bit better than Buzz!

The Judges: Carrie Ann said it was "disjointed" and it didn't go anywhere, but she's looking for him to do better next week. Len thought, of course, there were too many gimmicks which he never likes. Bruno said there was no hip action and no heart. Scores: CA - 5, Len - 5, Bruno - 5, Total 15/30. Well at least they weren't the worst score of the night!

Kate and Tony was the one couple I didn't even care to watch, but I'm doing it for you - readers! - so be grateful :) Kate was scared of the Viennese Waltz to the point where she wondered if she could even do DWTS. Note to Kate, most viewers wouldn't mind if you quit :) Kate was... not graceful, and I'm not just saying that because I don't like her. In addition, she made a few obvious mistakes. Tony carried her through it, but overall I imagine the judges will score her higher than I think she deserves.

The Judges: Len said she looked nervous and didn't have fluidity. Bruno said "the technique was terrible" and "it looked like Tony was pushing a shopping cart". He got boos, but I love Bruno on this one! Carrie Ann pointed out that she's not a performer or an athlete so she was impressed with her "sweet vulnerability" but she has a long way to go. Scores: CA - 6, L - 6, B - 6, Total 16/30. Kate keeps bringing up her kids, probably the only way she'll get any votes!

Pamela and Damian were the last to do a Cha Cha tonight. Damian is new to the show so no one knows what to expect with him. Pamela said she was tone deaf and never did choreography before. Pamela and Damian picked a rockin' song and she did good on a few of the starting steps. At least she has the attitude down pat! Pam might not know choreography well, but she did hit a lot of the steps and has a natural way of moving that may help her down the line.

The Judges: Bruno said it made him think of "sex, sex and more sex" and he can't wait for next week so he can see more. Carrie Ann said Pam didn't disappoint and had fun and made her giddy! Len thought it was brave that she did so much solo work, but overall thought it was a mess. Scores: CA - 7, L - 6, B - 8, Total: 21/30. Not bad! but not the best either.

Who'd you vote for? Who do you hope goes home next week?

Next Show:
Monday, March 29th, 2010 @ 8/7c - All stars perform a second dance

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