Dancing with the Stars Season 33 Episode 1 Recap: Which Couple Impressed the Judges Most?

The Dancing with the Stars Season 33 premiere brought back familiar faces and included dances that left everyone feeling inspired.

Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough returned as co-hosts, and the judges’ table looked familiar as well, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough, and Bruno Tonioli. 

For the premiere, the contestants performed routines to songs they chose as their “personal anthems.” The contestants also had a little less pressure, as there was no elimination for this first week.

Instead, the scores from the judges and audience votes will be combined with next week’s to determine the first elimination. 

Here are a few of the highlights from the competition this week:

Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson kicked off the night with a cha-cha that proved to be hard to beat. The song Joey chose as his anthem was “Dancing in the Country,” and the routine was a crowd-pleaser that impressed the judges.

Derek called the dance “fantastic,” and Bruno praised Joey’s timing and musicality. They earned a score of 21/30.

Illona and and Alan danced a Cha-Cha as well, and though Ilona was admittedly nervous about the dance, the scores they earned had her screaming with excitement. They earned a score of 18/30.

Reginald VelJohnson and Emma danced a Salsa that didn’t earn high scores but still earned praise from the judges. Derek joked that it was “the most compact Salsa” that he had ever seen, and VelJohnson was pleasantly surprised when they got their score of 16/30.

It was Chandler Kinney and Brandon who won the highest praise from the judges this week, with Carrie Ann saying that Chander “set the standard for Season 33.” Their Tango earned a score of 23/30, the highest of the night. 

Dwight Howard and Daniella also impressed the judges, in part because of how they overcame their drastic height difference. The judges also commented on their great chemistry.

Anna Delvey and Ezra danced the final routine of the night, a Cha-Cha to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter. Delvey noted her controversial casting on the show and said she hopes audiences will see a new side of her.

Following the routine, Carrie Ann pointed out the “shift” in the room’s energy and made a plea for everyone to give her a chance and focus on the dancing. They earned a score of 18/30.

There were 13 total routines, and the judges noted that many of the contestants had potential, even if some of the routines fell short.

Here are this week’s scores:

• Chandler Kinney and Brandon: 23
• Dwight Howard and Daniella: 22
• Joey Graziadei and Jenna: 21
• Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee: 21
• Danny Amendola and Witney: 20
• Jenn Tran and Sasha: 19
• Phaedra Parks and Val: 19
• Brooks Nader and Gleb: 18
• Ilona Maher and Alan: 18
• Anna Delvey and Ezra: 18
• Tori Spelling and Pasha: 17
• Reginald VelJohnson and Emma: 16
• Eric Roberts and Britt: 15

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.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!