Dancing with the Stars returned with a star-studded cast for its 24th season on Monday night. Some of the most buzzed about stars include the newest engaged Bachelor, Nick Viall; gold-medal Olympic champion, Simone Biles; one-fourth of the popular girl-group Fifth Harmony, Normani Kordei; Glee star and back-up dancer to Beyoncé, Heather Morris; ice-skating champion, Nancy Kerrigan; and well-known actor and personality, Mr. T.
Not only is the new cast of singers, athletes, and actors beyond full of fan favorites, but some of our favorite professional dancers are back and ready to compete for that mirror ball trophy. Both Maks Chmerkovskiy and his wife Peta Murgatroyd decided to return to the ballroom this season after having a baby boy in early January. Fan favorite, Valentin Chmerkovskiy is also back to defend his reigning title as champion with former partner, Olympic star Laurie Hernandez. Both Kym Herjavec and Gleb Savchenko did not compete during Season 23, but they are back and are ready to win this spring season.
Pictured: Normani Kordei and Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Now let’s look at some of the stand-out performances from Monday night. Normani Kordei and Valentin Chmerkovskiy opened the show with an upbeat Quickstep that showed the pair has definite potential to make it far in the competition. The judges applauded their dance and gave them a score of 27.
Nancy Kerrigan and Artem Chigvintsev danced an elegant Viennese that the judges were impressed with, earning them a score of 28.
Nick Viall and Peta Murgatroyd showed off their dancing skills in a Cha Cha that the judges enjoyed, but they also gave Viall a variety of constructive criticism. From the judges’ comments and the determination that Viall showed during rehearsals, it makes it seem like he has the potential to become the most improved dancer this season. The team scored a total of 24.
Heather Morris and Maksim Chmerkovskiy danced with grace during a Viennese Waltz and the judges expressed their excitement for this couple and their chemistry moving forward. The team scored a total of 28.
David Ross and Lindsay Arnold took us out to the ball game for a fun and fast Quickstep that showed that Ross, the first baseball player to be on the show, could be a high contender this season. The duo scored a total of 28.
Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater showed swagger and skill as they danced a Cha Cha that left the judges praising them with excitement. Jennings proved that he has the ability to be the guy to beat this season. The two received a high score of 31.
Simone Biles and Sasha Farber performed a fierce Tango to close the night full of dancing. Biles is definitely aiming for that mirror ball this season and the duo scored a total of 32, which was the best score of the night.
Pictured: Simone Biles and Sasha Farber, Photo Credits: ABC/Craig Sjodin
Here are the scores of the other couples:
Chris Kattan and Witney Carson: 17 (lowest score of the night)
Bonner Bolton and Sharna Burgess: 22
Charo and Keo Motsepe: 21
Erika Jayne and Gleb Savchenko: 24
Mr. T and Kym Herjavec: 20
Tune in next Monday night at 8 p.m. to see each of these stars compete in another night of dancing before one of them is eliminated from the competition.