Ex-'Karate Kid' scores big on 'DWTS'
(PEOPLE.com)
-- The first night of every season of "Dancing with the Stars" is like
pulling back a big curtain on a game show that will either reveal
something you can't take your eyes off of -- or something you wish you
hadn't seen.
Monday night's season 12 premiere was a little of
both. With only three weeks to prepare for their ballroom debuts, here
are how the dancers fared:
Starting with a bang
"The
Karate Kid" Ralph Macchio immediately became the dancer to beat,
earning a night-best 24 points and loads of crowd love. Women and girls
screamed so loudly after his foxtrot that the judges could barely be
heard. "What an amazing surprise!" said Carrie Ann Inaba. "It shocked
me that you had such elegance." Len Goodman declared his performance
"the best foxtrot tonight."
Cheers, not jeers
Kirstie
Alley lived up to her hype with an amazing cha cha that brought down
the house and garnered an impressive 23 points. Bruno Tonioli declared
her cha cha "the best of the night" and said he can't wait for what's
next. "I feel like we're just scratching the surface," he said.
Promising signs
Proving
how talented this season's slate is, Disney star Chelsea Kane delivered
a strong 21-point performance. "That was one-and-a-half minutes of pure
afterglow," gushed Tonioli of her foxtrot. Right up with her, also with
21 points, was NFL player Hines Ward, whose technique matched his
charm. "You are exuberant and your smile lights up the whole stage,"
Inaba said of Ward's cha cha.
PEOPLE.com: Chelsea Kane is ready for 'Public Shakedown' on 'DWTS'
Girl next-door appeal
Kendra Wilkinson
charmed the audience, but what her cha cha had in high energy it lacked
in points. Tonioli commended her "full-frontal attack" but criticized
her legwork.
PEOPLE.com: Kendra Wilkinson puts husband on diaper duty to dance
Needs improvement -- now!
Mike
Catherwood and Wendy Williams may have the gift of the gab, but lacked
the moves. "You looked like you were constipated," Tonioli told
Catherwood, who finished with the night's lowest score of just 13
points. Williams was down there with him with a 14 for her stiff cha
cha.
Next Monday, all 11 contestants return to the ballroom for
a new dance. Fan votes from the first two weeks will be combined with
the judges' scores to determine who will be eliminated on the season's
first live results show, March 29 on ABC.
