Dancing with the Stars Premiere Thoughts

I originally planned to do a full analysis of the new couple on DWTS similar to what I did for Belinda and Jonathan. Unfortunately, life got busy on me and I’m not going to have time to do a couple by couple post.

However, here’s some quick thoughts about each DWTS couple.

Belinda Carlisle is paired with Jonathan Roberts – see here
David Alan Grier is paired with Kym Johnson – I was a little diappointed by this couple.  I guess I just expect more from Kym.  She’s done so many wonderful things in the past.  David Alan Grier was smooth and natural on his feet, but it was almost too smooth for me.  I hope that Kym turns it back up a notch next week.  19 is not a bad start, but plenty of room to improve if Kym finally wants a mirror ball trophy.
Holly is paired with Dmitry Chaplin – While the show doesn’t change the scores based on the time to prepare, I do.  I think Holly is going to do well on the show and look great next to Dmitry.  However, you could kind of see that the routine just wasn’t as polished as some of the others.  I’m looking for great things next week from this couple and a big improvement over their score of 18.
Shawn Johnson is paired with Mark Ballas – Shawn was the real shocker of the night for me. She did so much better than Cody did last season. Cody looked like an 18 year old should. Shawn looked much older than her young 17. I give Mark a lot of credit for this. Also, all dressed up in her ball gown she looked so much older. 23 and her popularity as an olympic athlete means she’s a strong candidate to go all the way to the final 3.
Lil’ Kim is paired with Derek Hough – Lil’ Kim just made me laugh with her dedication.  I’m not sure how well that will do in getting her votes, but I’m all for second chances.  Lil’ Kim and Derek actually look better together than I would have expected.  She did seem to try to hard at points, but her 21 score is a decent sign for Derek and Lil’ Kim fans.
Gilles Marini is paired with Cheryl Burke – Gilles really surprised me. His dancing looked much better than I would have expected. I was a little shocked by him basically running his fingers down Cheryl’s chest, but then I remembered that he was French. His strong score of 24 means him and Cheryl will be around for a while to come.
Ty Murray is paired with Chelsie Hightower – Ty has gotten hammered way too much.  I don’t think he was as bad as everyone made it out to be.  I’m a huge fan because of the lashing he’s taken.  I’m sure his main motivation was to do this with Jewel and so it’s really unfortunate that she’s off the show.  I hope by some miracle he can stay another week.  People like him are what makes the show unique and interesting and I’d love to see him kind of grow as a ballroom dancer.
Steve-O is paired with Lacey Schwimmer – Samantha Harris finally asked a good question when she asked Lacey if she was going to bring out her bad girl side.  I missed Lacey’s edge and I think Steve-O’s fans want some edge as well.  Let’s hope they can provide it next week.  I will say that Steve-O brought a little man on the show and we love little men.

Melissa is paired with Tony Dovolani – For 2 days she did great. I’m sure controversy will swirl around her being a trained dancer, but ballet and ballroom are quite different. Plus, she should have an advantage, because she only had 2 days to get ready. A lot of people are planning to vote for her out of sympathy. I guess a lot of girls can relate to being dumped by a guy.
Denise Richards is paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Similar to Kym, I expected more from Maks.  He’s one of the best and most entertaining choreographers, but him and Denise didn’t have that spark.  I’m not sure Denise ever will come out of it and show us something else.  I hope her acting kicks in and shows us some fire. 
Lawrence Taylor is paired with Edyta Sliwinska – I expected to not really fall in love with Lawrence and sure enough I’m left with a bland taste in my mouth.  I love Edyta, but this couple isn’t going to do anything for me this season.  Neither here nor there for me and I won’t have any problem when Lawrence is gone.
Chuck Wicks is paired with Julianne Hough – I’m sure that a number of Julianne fans will not like me saying this, but Chuck and Julianne really look good together.  Waltz was a perfect dance for showing off the “perfect” looking couple.  Chuck did seem quite tight through the dance.  I think that we underestimate how hard it will be for Julianne to be the teacher to Chuck.  Chuck needs to improve and relax if Julianne wants a third trophy, but 20′s a decent start.
Steve Wozniak is paired with Karina Smirnoff – So, you already know that I’m biased to Steve.  He is awkward and says crazy things, but that’s what makes him great.  The Woz is the Woz and nobody’s going to change that.  My favorite line from the night was when he said that 7000 kids at a robotics competition were yelling Vote Woz.  Don’t be surprised if the Woz lasts longer than you’d expect despite his low score of 13.