Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars is FINALLY here. The dancers came out ready to dazzle in sparkling black and silver costumes for the first opening number of the season, choreographed by Ray Leeper. Surrounded by the pros, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough made their moves on the dance floor with the season’s hosts, Julianne Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro, to “Kill the Lights” by Whitney Myer. Carrie Ann Inaba, unfortunately, missed the premiere, announcing that she was too sick to judge a couple of hours before the live show.
To kick off the season, the contestants danced to their personal anthems to establish their presence in the ballroom for the first time. From current pop hits to throwbacks, it was a playlist of dances you could move to while you watched. First introductions are important, but the stakes were different
Jordan and Ezra
Jordan Chiles is following in the footsteps of her Olympic teammates, hoping to make it far in Season 34. She chose to salsa to Beyoncè’s “BREAK MY SOUL.” As we know from previous seasons, crossing the boundary from gymnast to dancer can be tricky, but Jordan and Ezra Sosa weren’t afraid to bust out the acrobatics to make their routine to Jordan’s anthem hit just right. Derek and Bruno were both enthusiastic about this first look at their moves, but Derek wanted to make sure Jordan prioritises dance moving forward.
Total Score: 10/20
Dylan and Daniella
After his next adrenaline rush, Dylan Efron joined DWTS to find his performance persona. He and Daniella Karagach worked together to loosen up for their ballroom debut. This was a serious challenge! There’s no room to hide when your anthem is “Milkshake” by Kelis. Bruno saw a lot of promise in Dylan’s hip and leg action, but noticed that he got lost in the cha cha.
Total Score: 10/20
Elaine and Alan
Elaine Hendrix is no stranger to dance and performance. She’s on DWTS to dance hard this season. She and Alan Bersten brought a dancer Elaine back to life for their cha cha to “Woman” by Kesha. “I don’t even know what to say! You are amazing!” Derek said of her performance. With just a few corrections, Derek and Bruno were ecstatic about this pair’s first dance.
Total Score: 12/20
Whitney and Mark
Most of Whitney’s dancing is MomTok-related, so pulling out her ballroom shoes was a bit of a challenge. That didn’t stop her from owning the ballroom floor! She and Mark Ballas danced the tango “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters. “Because the devil wears tango, Emily, tonight,” Bruno said after locking in his score. He thanked Mark for a fantastic, high-quality tango.
Total Score: 8/20
Baron and Britt
Businessman, producer, director, writer, analyst, content creator, and now Dancing with the Stars contestant, Baron Davis is after a new kind of trophy, the Mirrorball. Baron arrived at his first rehearsal with Britt Stewart, ready to learn how to dance. They danced the cha cha to “U Can’t Touch This” by M.C. Hammer. “Baron, you didn’t just touch this. You crushed this,” Derek said, telling the NBA star that his presence on the dance floor made up for his technical mistakes.
Total Score: 10/20
Alix and Val
Alix Earle is not afraid of the camera, and she’s bringing her competitive side to the ballroom. She shared that she tried to dance on TikTok, channeling her 10-year-old self, but didn’t see the same success as her get ready with me videos. Alix and Val Chmerikovskiy set the dance floor on fire with a cha cha to “Circus” by Britney Spears. Bruno told Alix she did “very, very well,” and recommended that she work on moving from one move into the next rather than hitting each move individually.
Total Score: 13/20
Scott and Rylee
Scott Hoying is on DWTS to see a new side of the stage. The Pentatonix star started the season off with a tango to his anthem, “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga. He and Rylee Arnold performed a flashy routine. Derek was impressed by the moves Scott brought to the dance floor. Bruno was also impressed with Scott—for his dance moves and his sparkling suit.
Total Score: 10/20
Danielle and Pasha
Danielle Fishel had zero dance experience, but plenty of TV experience. For her first steps on the ballroom floor, Danielle chose to tango with Pasha Pashkov to “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson, an emotional ode to her journey with cancer. “I didn’t know you had it in you. You had wonderful sense of movement. You moved so well,” Bruno said after their performance. Needless to say, she and Pasha were proud.
Total Score: 12/20
Jen and Jan
Jen Affleck and Jan Ravnik are both taking the ballroom floor for the first time this season. Another MomTok star, Jen danced a salsa to “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny with her partner, an Eras Tour fan favorite. This duo brought The Life of a Showgirl energy in sparkling orange sequins. Derek called their routine a “great great first dance,” but wanted to see thme maintain their energy across those whole dance.
Total Score: 12/20
Corey and Jenna
He has acted in more than 100 movies and even performed with Michael Jackson and DWTS‘s own Alfonso Ribiera. His dance leans pop, but Jenna Johnson had to teach Corey Feldman to tango with a ballroom dancer’s posture to “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” by Billy Joel. Bruno and Derek both fangirled over this Hollywood legend. They had a lot of enthusiasm for this first dance, but they also wanted to see him continue to correct his frame.
Total Score: 9/20
Lauren and Brandon
Lauren Jauregui was one-fifth of Fifth Harmony, but she’s part of a dynamic duo on DWTS. She and Brandon Armstrong danced a sparkling tango to “Yes, And?” by Ariana Grande. “Lauren! I mean that was really good!” Derek shrieked. They were gliding across the floor, and Derek just wanted to see Lauren stick the landing a bit more.
Total Score: 13/20
Andy and Emma
Andy Richter paired up with Emma Slater to bring his anthem, “Hold On I’m Coming” by Sam & Dave, to life with a cha cha. Andy has no dance experience. “I somehow managed to be dance-avoidant throughout my entire career. Time’s up on that, I guess,” he said, but unafraid to “look like an idiot on TV,” he and Emma managed to bring a lively cha cha to the ballroom. Bruno praised him for having the “spirit of the cha cha cha,” but advised him to work on the “body of the cha cha cha.”
Total Score: 9/20
Hilaria and Gleb
Hilaria stays busy and active, so moving to the ballroom is a return to her previous life as a dancer. She had to stop dancing because she broke her hip, but she and Gleb Savchenko danced the cha cha to “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez with fierce feather action. Bruno said, “You went for it like a fury, and you won!” Looks like her ballroom career is coming back to life.
Total Score: 14/20
Robert and Witney
“Crocs are my comfort zone. Dancing is not.” Robert Irwin came to follow in his sister’s footsteps—she won a Mirrorball in Season 21 of DWTS. He and Witney Carson started off with a big challenge, a jive to “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf. Robert and Whitney had the judge’s impressed. “Listen, that was like the best first dance I’ve ever seen on the show,” Derek said.
Total Score: 15/20
The Results
While the premiere didn’t leave us to say goodbye to any of the 14 couples, the scores still mattered. At the end of the night, Robert and Witney and Whitney and Mark were tied for first place, while Andy and Emma and Corey and Jenna were tied for last place.
These scores will be combined with their judges’ scores and live audience votes next week for the first elimination. Two couples will say goodbye to the ballroom.