'Dancing with the Stars': Season 12 Premiere Ralph Macchio Received Highest Score Kirstie Alley in Second

Now at long last my favorite reality show, "Dancing with the Stars, has finally premiered. We got right down to the competition without the endless streams of bad auditions that are suppose to be funny, but were funny in the first couple of seasons. At any rate, this show had its own off-camera audition process with the celebrities, so we started off with 11 couples.

Host Tom Bergeron stated it was the most diverse cast ever assembled. He named a boxer, NFL professional, reality star, rap singer, Disney Channel actress, Emmy-winning actress, supermodel and 2004 tsunami survivor, pro wrester, radio personality, talk show host and film actor from the original "Karate Kid." Here's how the show went down with a lot of good performances while a number of them received low scores from the judges. The good news there will not be a results show until next Tuesday (March 29).

My Favorite Couples of the Night

Hines Ward (21) - The parentheses is the combined judge's scores of the night. As I predicted this NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers is off to a good start. He tied for third place. It was nice to see someone smiling and having a good time on the dance floor. The judges gave him pointers on what to improve, but I believe he will get better and better.

Petra Nemcova (18) - In seasons past supermodels aren't very successful on the show. However, Petra is obviously different. She has a lot of determination despite what happened to her in the 2004 tsunami. It was very touching of her to dedicate their dance, the foxtrot, to the people of Japan affected by the tsunami and its aftermath.

Ralph Macchio (24) - It is amazing he's hardly aged. The original "Karate Kid" was absolutely smashing on the dance floor with his partner, Karina Smirnoff in their foxtrot. Obviously he received the highest score of the night, along with a deafening standing ovation from the crowd. Welcome back Ralph Macchio.

Kirstie Alley (23) - Let me say, welcome back Kirstie Alley. She's looking good despite what those horrible tabloids have said otherwise. They say success is the sweetest revenge, well Kirstie showed them. Quite honestly, I was not sure if she was going to be able to dance, much less have a good performance. Bruno told her she had the best cha-cha of the night. She certainly has great musicality, stage presence and enthusiasm. Her scores were the second best Monday night (March 21). What a way to close out the first show.

Other Crowd and Judge's Favorites

Chelsea Kane (21) - This Disney Channel star was dressed in a beautiful white gown with crystals. Mark Ballas is her pro partner, who must be relieved to have someone who can actually dance. Last season he was saddled with a pseudo celeb with no dance ability whatsoever, yet they made it to the finals. Mark has no worries this season as Chelsea has true potential to make it far into the competition.

Romeo (19) - His legacy is his father, Master P, from Season 2 who still remains the one with the lowest scores. He can be proud to have received a decent score for his first dance. Romeo has the ability to go far also in weeks to come.

Kendra Wilkinson (18) - Her cha-cha dance suited her well from years of nightclub dancing. The real test will be if she can handle a disciplined, choreographed ballroom routine. Only time will tell.

Chris Jericho (19) - Pro wrestler and frontman of a rock band proved he can be just as entertaining on the dance floor. After their dance he told Brooke Burke he was so nervous before going out on stage. In his pre-performance video Chris stated he never realized how hard dancing truly is. It isn't just bopping around on a small dance floor in a club or wedding reception.

The Weaker Links

Sugar Ray Leonard (17) - When they announced the Season 12 cast a few weeks ago he was one of my favorites. Anna Trebunskya, my favorite pro dancer, was paired with another athlete. In the last season she was partnered with NFL quarterback, Kurt Warner and in Season 10, Olympic Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek. I liked what Anna had to say to Sugar Ray about being too hard on himself. He needs to relax and go with the flow.

Wendy Williams (14) - From what little I've seen of her talk show she takes being over-the-top to a new level. Instead, she was reserved, nervous and scared while on the dance floor. I was hoping for her to be the Nicey Nash of Season 12. Granted, I know a lot of these celebrities were extremely nervous. This was the first time they were out on the dance floor live. However, she was timid in taking her dance steps and mostly stood around. It will be interesting if she can climb out of her fear and tears.

"Psycho" Mike Catherwood (13) - He's funny in a crazy sort of way. You can't help but like him a little. Needless to say the judges weren't having any of his humor on the dance floor. Personally, I don't think he deserved to have the lowest score of the night. Psycho Mike will be able to redeem himself next week in another performance show.

Next week during the results show the musical guest will be Chris Brown. He's going to perform two songs. One couple will go home, but it's too early to know who that's going to be at this point.

SOURCES:

Dancing with the Stars, ABC.com

Natalie Finn, "Dancing with the Stars Returns:Who Are the Surprise Standouts(and Who Sucked)?!", E! Online