Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Premiere Recap: Who Won the Night?
With a bit of a cheesy opening that brought Julianne Hough back to the ballroom to co-host along with Alfonso Ribeiro, Dancing with the Stars quickly picked up the pace with its opening number from this year’s professional dancers.
The supersized season premiere returned the reality dance competition to ABC on its planned date, despite some talk that the show might be postponed due to the WGA and SAG-Aftra strikes. (The good news, of course, is that the WGA strike is now over.)
Before the competition began, however, there was an emotional moment honoring former judge Len Goodman, who passed away earlier this year. As a way to keep his memory alive on the series, the iconic mirrorball trophy each couple will compete for is now the “Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.”
Viewers who have watched Dancing with the Stars even just in recent years know Len Goodman’s legacy, so keeping that alive in this way is certainly meaningful. And Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianna Hough noted that there will be a future episode that honors Len’s memory even more.
Of course, the main event was seeing each couple dance live for the first time. With 14 couples to start off the competition, that made for a show that had a bit of a time crunch even though it was a long premiere. Still, it worked, and it’s great to see the show back on network television.
Here are a few of the highlights from the competition this week:
First up in the competition were Xochitl Gomez and Val, who brought plenty of energy to the floor with a Cha Cha that Derek Hough called “sensational.” They earned a score of 18 from the judges.
Being on Dancing with the Stars is a dream of many celebrities, for Barry Williams, it’s been a bucket list item for a long time. That’s in addition to his goal to one day learn ballroom dancing.
He and Peta Barry Williams brought authentic joy to the stage with a Foxtrot that gave Brady Bunch vibes. They earned a score of 16.
Despite Tyson Beckford’s winning persona, he and Jenna didn’t manage to win over the judges in the same way when it came to dance moves. They only received a score of 12. (A low score that caused the audience to boo loudly!)
Alyson Hannigan and Sasha danced the Salsa to “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” a song that spoke to the actress’s early experiences with dancing. The judges loved her attitude and joy, but gave her plenty of notes on technique. They earned a score of 13 from the judges.
ALYSON HANNIGAN, SASHA FARBER
Jason Mraz and Daniella danced a Cha Cha to Mraz’s song, “I Feel Like Dancing,” a choice so perfectly on the nose that you couldn’t help but want to see it go well. And it did. Bruno called Mraz “the one to watch” and the couple earned a score of 21.
It was Charity Lawson and Artem who earned the highest scores of the evening, though. They danced a gorgeous tango to “Only Girl (In the World).”
Bruno called it a “stellar performance” and Carrie Ann was just about speechless and said it was “stunning.” Derek called it “exquisite.” They earned a score of 22 from the judges.
Ariana Madix and Pasha tied with Jason Mraz and Danielle for second place, with a fierce tango that Derek called “killer” and that Bruno said was both focused and sharp.
It was an emotional and powerful dance given her backstory of being cheated on — and having the whole world watch the scandal unfold. Derek called Ariana and Pasha’s tango “Killer,” while Bruno called it “focused,” “sharp,” and “amazing.”
Though it was only the first night, viewer voting happened in real-time during the show, and the first couple was eliminated. (I miss the days when there was a separate episode of results — anyone else?)
The first couple eliminated from Dancing with the Stars Season 32 was Matt Walsh and Koko. Their dance earned one of the lowest scores of the night, having them tied at the bottom with Harry Jowsey & Rylee and Tyson Beckford & Jenna, all with a score of 12.
ALFONSO RIBEIRO, MATT WALSH, KOKO IWASAKI
Here are this week’s scores:
- Charity Lawson and Artem: 22
- Ariana Madix and Pasha: 21
- Jason Mraz and Daniella: 21
- Lele Pons and Brandon: 19
- Adrian Peterson and Britt: 18
- Xochitl Gomez and Val: 18
- Mira Sorvino and Gleb: 17
- Barry Williams and Peta: 16
- Jamie Lynn Spears and Alan: 15
- Mauricio Umansky and Emma 15
- Alyson Hannigan and Sasha: 13
- Harry Jowsey and Rylee: 12
- Tyson Beckford and Jenna: 12
- Matt Walsh and Koko: 12 — ELIMINATED
What did you think of this episode of Dancing with the Stars? Who was your favorite dancer? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+. Viewers can stream the series on Hulu the following day.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.