Dancing with the Stars Spring 2008: The First Night

The sixth season of Dancing with the Stars kicked off tonight on ABC with performances by the male celebrities and their professional partners. Co-hosts Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris opened the show by introducing a spirited number by the season's professional dancers, set to a rendition of Robbie William's Let Me Entertain You. The twelve new stars and their partners then made their first appearances on the staircase as they were introduced one by one, and afterward Tom greeted returning judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli. Samantha announced that there would be no elimination this week, a departure from the norm. Finally... the dancing! Read on for the night's star-by-star Dancing with the Stars performance recaps.

The Dancers: Magician Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson
The Dance: Cha Cha Cha
Funny Quote: "You're the one who's going to teach Sasquatch to dance?" Penn to Kym upon their first meeting
The Music: Fool In Love / Tina Turner
The Outfit: Gret vest and pants, white shirt and tie.
The Performance: It was certainly entertaining. Penn had great facial expressions throughout and really worked the personality aspect of the dance. He looked a bit awkward, though, and didn't seem to be a natural dancer. The footwork was off, but the amusement value was high.
The Evaluation:
Len - "I thought you captured the flavor of the cha cha cha.... The problem is your feet."
Bruno - "It was like watching a trailer for Shrek Goes Cha Cha Cha.... Unfortunately the footwork was very very heavy and the hip action was more like replacement hip action." He praised his energy and the entertainment value.
Carrie Ann - "I think that you've got great energy." She praised his energy and said he needed to work on his footwork.
The Scores: 5, 6, 5 = 16

The Dancers: NFL Man of the Year Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska
The Dance: Foxtrot
Funny Quote: "My poker friends gave me a tutu. A pink one." Jason, on what his friends did when they found out he was going to be on Dancing with the Stars.
The Music: Pride and Joy / Georgie Fame
The Outfit: Dark grey-black vest and pants, slate blue-grey shirt.
The Performance: I was really impressed with his hold and his posture - he really held his head and his back up straight - lots of celebrities have been criticized for NOT doing this in the past. He moved with much more grace and ease than I'd guessed he would.
The Evaluation:
Len - "You've got great posture, you moved across the floor well, you're elegant" but told him to work on the theatrics.
Carrie Ann - "You're really coordinated... I loved the detail with your hands... great job."
Bruno - "You've gotta be the most graceful tackler I've ever seen." He praised his posture but told him to work on the enthusiasm.
The Scores: 7, 8, 7 = 22

The Dancers: International Actor Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke
The Dance: Cha Cha Cha
Funny Quote: "My country isn't known for good dancers... why wasn't I born in Brazil?"
The Music: Unsure
The Outfit: Short-sleeved sequined collared black shirt, pants.
The Performance: There was a real sense of flirtation between Cristian and Cheryl. He maintained good eye contact with her and smiled like he was having fun. Oh, and he's hot and moved well across the floor.
The Evaluation:
Carrie Ann - "You're well-suited to the cha cha.... The chemistry between you is great." She told him to watch his shoulders.
Bruno - "She banged, you have to bang as hard as she does." He told Cristian to use the "instruments" he has.
Len - "That was a dance of two halves." He told him to watch his upper-body posture for next week.
The Scores: 7, 7, 7 = 21

The Dancers: Radio Host Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough
The Dance: Foxtrot
Funny Quotes: "Dancing with the Stars sounded humiliating, so I thought I should probably do it." "When Julianne first walked through the door, I really felt sorry for the kid. I was going to destroy her perfect record."
The Music: Mellow Yellow
The Outfit: Black tuxedo with tails, white shirt, yellow bow tie.
The Performance: Adam had quite the painted-on smile in place. His movements were on the awkward side, but he stayed with the beat much more readily than I'd guessed he would.
The Evaluation:
Bruno - "If the Foxtrot was an actor... what you did was Will Ferrell with a little John Cleese thrown in."
Len - "Julianne, you've got your work cut out this season." He praised his footwork but told him to relax.
Carrie Ann - "Keep working... next week."
The Scores: 5, 5, 5 = 15

The Dancers: R&B Star Mario and Karina Smirnoff
The Dance: Cha Cha Cha
Funny Quote: "I'm the torch-carrier for my generation, and I'm doing ballroom. What?!"
Interesting Fact: Karina had a herniated disc in her neck that required surgery prior to the start of the season.
The Music: Request Line / Black Eyed Peas
The Outfit: Baby blue satin shirt, white pants, white shoes.
The Performance: Mario can MOVE - hips, feet, everything. My first reaction was almost immediately "This guy is a real contender". And there was palpable chemistry between the two. I was almost embarrassed to be watching them, it was HOT.
The Evaluation:
Carrie Ann - "You can dance!"
Len - "It was a great job..." He told him to work on his footwork more.
Bruno - He accused Karina of having a monopoly on "hot Marios" and told Mario that he's a good performer but to work on the footwork.
The Scores: 8, 8, 8 = 24

The Dancers: Actor Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya
The Dance: Foxtrot
Funny Quote: "I see myself as a thoroughbread racehorse gliding through the track. Anna doesn't."
The Music: Lazy River
The Outfit: Black tuxedo with tails, white shirt.
The Performance: Steve's facial expressions were really cute - he was clearly trying to play up the performance aspect, though at one point, I think I may have seen him counting. He wasn't quite as natural on his feet as I'd guessed he'd be, but his enthusiasm was really genuine.
The Evaluation:
Bruno - Told him to open up his chest and arms and he'd do better, and said that initially he'd worried that he was a graduate of the "Billy Ray" school of dance (in reference to former Dancing with the Stars contestant Billy Ray Cyrus).
Carrie Ann - She warned him to watch his musicality.
Len - "You're the first one who's come out and looked as though you're enjoying yourself." He told him to work on his technique but that the performance was on.
The Scores: 6, 6, 6 = 18

All in all, the men impressed me. They were stronger than I'd guessed they'd be, and Mario in particular was amazing. I'll be interested to see how he fares in slower, more structured ballroom performances. Steve is probably the most positive, enthusiastic contestant I've ever seen on the show - right up there next to Joey Lawrence in that category. Be sure to tune in tomorrow night to see the ladies' inaugural performances on Dancing with the Stars!