Dancing With The Stars
"Dancing with the Stars" is back and bigger than ever. Well, I really don't know if it's bigger than ever, I just always wanted to say that! The 11 celebrities tearing up the dance floor this season are:
Jerry Springer, king of trashy TV — I love him!
Singer Willa Ford
Former Miss USA Shanna Moakler
Joe Lawrence from the hit TV show "Blossom"
Harry Hamlin, the other half of Lisa Rinna from last season's show
Former NFL star Emmitt Smith
Mario Lopez from "Saved By The Bell"
Actress Vivica A. Fox
Tucker Carlson. Who?
Sara Evans. See above
Monique Coleman from "High School Musical"
Whew, what a list. Let's get started.
Joe Lawrence has the unfortunate honor of going first on the first show. That's a tough hand to be dealt. His partner is DWTS alum Edyta, she has got a lot of spice and sexiness. Joe said he hasn't danced in 23 years and tonight he is braving the Cha Cha Cha. All the male celebrities will dance the Cha Cha Cha while the women will dance the Foxtrot, just to get that out of the way. He looks very nervous, but does a good job and the judges like him. Great way to start the show. Scores: Carrie, 7; Len, 7; Bruno, 7. Sevens all around!
Tucker Carlson and his partner, Elena, take the stage. She has a lot of work on her hands because it looks like Tucker has two left feet, and admits he lacks dancing experience. The routine starts with him sitting on a chair while Elena dances around him — and maybe it would off been better if he kept sitting. He was having fun but, dancing-wise, it was pretty bad. Scores: Carrie, 5; Len, 4; Bruno, 3.
Monique and her partner, Louie, who I must says looks a lot like Harry Hamlin, take the floor. First, let me say that the wardrobe person must have hated "High School Musical" because her dress and matching headband are just bad. Looks like a prom from the '80s. But it's about the dancing, and it was good. The judges say she has major potential. Scores: Carrie, 6; Len, 6; Bruno, 7.
Three-time — yes, I said THREE-time — Super Bowl champ and all-time NFL leading rusher Emmitt Smith had the luck of being paired with last year's reigning champ, Cheryl Burke. Can she win again? It's way too early to tell, but fun to speculate. Their dance was so much fun. Emmitt made it look "effortless and cool," according to Bruno. I agree. And they got the first standing ovation from the audience. Scores: Carrie, 8; Len, 8; Bruno, 8.
Singer Willa Ford is paired with the charming Maksim. (What a name, by the way.) Does anyone else but me think that Willa and Shanna look a little similar at a quick glance? The judges liked her performance and called her graceful. Scores: Carrie, 7; Len, 7; Bruno, 8.
Former Miss USA Shanna is paired with Jesse, who is second in the world for mambo. I really hope we get to see him do that. Shanna was a competitive roller skater for 10 years and is unfortunately going through a divorce from her rocker husband. She says this is a welcomed distraction. The judges thought their performance was good but wanted more from her. Scores: Carrie, 7; Len, 5; Bruno, 6.
Harry Hamlin is up next, and he's paired with Ashly. This is her third time dancing on the show. Her partner last season was Master P, so she didn't see much dance floor last season. Let's hope this time is different. Harry had some trouble with his dancing. It was called "stiff and awkward" and he really looked nervous. I hope for better next time, or let him dance with his wife, Lisa. We know she can rock the dance floor. Scores: Carrie, 5; Len, 6; Bruno, 6.
Last but not least is the infamous Jerry Springer, who is paired with the Australian "Dancing with the Stars" champ, Kym. He is the oldest competitor and has no dance training but he held his own on the dance floor, minus a few missed steps. I really enjoyed it. Scores: Carrie 5; Len, 5; Bruno, 6.
Phew, that's it. Tomorrow tune in to see who gets the boot first.