DWTS 24 Premiere Live Blog and Performance Videos

We welcome back some pros who have been absent recently, such as Kym, Peta, and Keo. A few of last season’s dancers are out, like Cheryl, Allison, and Derek. Even the troupe has been changed up a bit. But the story remains the same. Who will impress our four judges and the audience enough with their skills and memorable routines to earn high scores and viewer support? And who will eventually succeed Laurie & Val as the new champions?

The good news for the couples and their fans is that no one will be eliminated from the show tonight or this week. All couples will return next Monday to perform a second time before the first boot of the season. That being said, tonight’s judges scores and audience votes will determine who gets eliminated next week. They all may return to dance but someone is definitely going home at the conclusion of episode two. So vote hard for your favorites! Speaking off…

For anyone voting for the first time, there are three easy methods. You can use the phone number that corresponds to the celebrity you wish to vote for. You can also go to ABC.COM‘s official DWTS page and vote there. Finally, you can use FACEBOOK and vote on the official DWTS page. Please note that the two online methods are combined with each registered email.

For example, if you use ABC.COM and vote, you will not be able to cast any votes on FACEBOOK unless you are using a different email than the one used on the network site.

*For any further questions about voting this season, please see the following page: https://documents.votenow.tv/?wid=81607083f220331e

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And we are off. A fun opening number starts our show, with each star getting an introduction. They were outside. They went inside. And Tom and Erin have arrived. This is the show’s 400th episode. Mandy Moore (how I have missed saying that) choreographed that routine. That was fun. It is time to get started with Normani… – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Normani & Val – Quickstep
Normani has been watching the show with her grandmother since she was twelve. She wants people to see a different side of her. Now that’s how we start off a show. A quickstep with loads of energy, running around the floor, totally in-sync with your partner, and having a blast. The opening routines in the first couple of weeks are super short due to time constraints, so you either shine or fail to do so in very short order. Normai’s first time out? She shined. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Len felt it took a little long to get started. He wants a little more body contact but called it first class. Julianne disagrees. She felt it was a great way to set the tone. She felt Normani nailed it. Bruno calls it snappy, crispy, and crackling. He wants a little more precision here and there. Carrie Ann agreed the intro was a bit long but she felt overall, it was fantastic and light. She wants a little more partnering though from Normani and Val.

You can vote for Normani by calling 1 800 868 3410 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 7
27/40

Nancy & Artem – Viennese Waltz
Artem is excited, he has never been with an athlete before. Nancy wants it to look like she knows what she is doing. She confesses it is harder than it looks watching at home. Mmm. That figure skating background definitely helps in a dance like a viennese waltz. Love the extensions on display here. I am anxiously awaiting Nancy in a fast latin routine because I always knew something elegant and slow would be right up her alley. This was good- as in nothing I will probably remember at the end of the night but a good start to her season. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Julianne calls Nancy inviting. She wants her to work on being a bit more smooth. She also wants her to work on her spotting. Bruno calls it warm and comfortable. He wants her to extend her legs through the feet. Carrie Ann felt it was a beautiful first dance. She does agree with Julianne on the spotting and also wants her to work on her focus during the dance. Len enjoyed the flow. He felt it was a little rushed at times but says she has promise.

You can vote for Nancy by calling 1 800 868 3408 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 7
28/40

Chris & Witney – Cha-Cha-Cha
Chris broke his ant but it won’t hold him back. And Witney has never seen a single thing Chris has done. Witney says he is fun and energetic in rehearsals. He is proud of himself for being committed to this. Oh boy. Well, the streak of good dancing had to end at some point. Damn. Okay, so Chris is obviously one of our “not going to be able to dance so we will make it funny” people. However, we have a few other cast members this season who might be bigger personalities than he is which means he could be in trouble. The dancing? Yeah..about as messy and just about completely uncoordinated as you expected going into it. Eek. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Bruno calls it perfect. A perfect cha-cha-cha with a hangover. Carrie Ann loves goofy bad dancing. She tries to play it off like Chris was doing intentionally. She wants it to be looser. Len is glad he doesn’t have to watch it again. He wants Chris to come back strong next week. Julianne says Chris has his own thing in the competition, so he needs to own that.

You can vote for Chris by calling 1 800 868 3403 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 5
Len- 4
Julianne- 4
Bruno- 4
17/40

Bonner & Sharna – Cha-Cha-Cha
Bonner broke his neck. He wants to inspire others not go give up. Sharna is blushing. She wants to do a country cha-cha-cha. Well, this is interesting. I wish the routine had a little more cha-cha-cha to be honest. The country theme was expected and suited Bonner but a bit of what the dance actually was got lost in all of that. It looked like Bonner could loosen up a bit at times, so I hope that once this team gets into more technical dancing, I can see that improvement. They are, it has to be said, a pretty dancing duo on the eyes. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Carrie Ann says Bonner oozes chemistry with Sharna. She felt he has the moves as well. Len says Bonner’s dancing is a work in progress and sees a lot of potential. Julianne calls the routine smart. She says Bonner is a bit behind the music so he needs to trust himself. Bruno wants him to be careful of timing and not being flat footed.

You can vote for Bonner by calling 1 800 868 3401 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 5
Julianne- 5
Bruno- 6
22/40

Charo & Keo – Salsa
Keo is excited to work with Charo. Charo is just excited period. I can barely understand what she is saying but I am laughing anyways. LOL. I just smiled throughout that entire thing. And you know what? It wasn’t bad- like at all. It actually had proper salsa steps. It was like a latin party from start to finish. Of course, some of the moves needs to be refined, though I am unsure if Charo could ever be refined from a technical standpoint. I thought this was going to end up just being a funny mess but it was a good time with actual decent dancing. Good job. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Len loved the energy. He wants a little more work on the technique. Charo is screaming. Julianne says Charo gave her everything she expected. Charo is screaming again. Carrie Ann says it was high voltage and says her turns are spectacular. Work a bit on the content, she says. And Charo screams yet again. Bruno wasn’t able to add anything of merit to that critique.

You can vote for Charo by calling 1 800 868 3402 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 5
Julianne- 5
Bruno- 5
21/40

Nick & Peta – Cha-Cha-Cha
Nick is funny in rehearsal. Peta is surprised by how much Nick wants to get the moves right. He wants to do well. Alright! I am a bit surprised. I have never seen a single episode of The Bachelor, so if he ever danced on there and had rhythm, I guess those fans wouldn’t be surprised. But this was a good cha-cha-cha. It had a lot of content and Nick showed some real control of the steps. A little more refinement would have been nice but it seems he has potential. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Julianne wants Nick’s feet to be worked on. She also wants his arms opened up more. Bruno says it was very well done. He wants him to watch the hands though- don’t make them look like vultures. Carrie Ann says Nick has potential. She says Nick needs to calm down a bit and not be so disjointed. Len feels for the first week- it was a good job.

You can vote for Nick by calling 1 800 868 3409 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 6
Julianne- 6
Bruno- 6
24/40

Heather & Maks – Viennese Waltz
Maks says Heather needs to be perfect. She is a mom and since then, hasn’t danced and wants to get back into it. She hasn’t done ballroom. Two issues with this routine for me. First, I definitely came into tonight (and will do so for the rest of the season) with almost impossible expectations for Heather. But come on, she is a legit dancer. So this underwhelmed me a bit. Second, not a fan of that choreography. A bit too much messing around at the start for something like a viennese waltz. I much preferred the way Nancy and Artem got right into the routine. Of course, Heather has some great lines and there was nothing I could really fault her for technically in that piece. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Bruno likes the partnership and loved the routine. Carrie Ann loved the lines but felt Heather was hiding a bit of her personality. Len thinks the two of them are a match made in heaven. Julianne wants people to realize ballroom is very different. She thought it was beautiful, graceful, and elegant.

You can vote for Heather by calling 1 800 868 3406 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 7
28/40

David & Lindsay – Quickstep
David just retired from MLB and he is the first one to be on the show. Another very funny dude in rehearsal. He doesn’t have any confidence in his dancing. Hey, another one that pleasantly surprised me tonight. I wasn’t expecting much from David but that was a solid quickstep. Really fun choreography from Lindsay and David kept up with the quickstep nicely. At times, he could have matched his partner a bit more but all in all, I think David could really surprise as the weeks go along. He has a great partner and from what I can see, a solid work ethic. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Carrie Ann calls it so much fun. She felt David was charming and smooth. Len enjoyed many parts of it. He says David got himself to first base. Julianne loved the pairing and she predicts David will go quite far this season. Bruno feels it was fresh as a daisy and he should continue doing it.

You can vote for David by calling 1 800 868 3404 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 7
28/40

Erika & Gleb – Salsa
Erika has promised to give Gleb her car if they win. She wants people to see that a woman of her age can still go out there and do it. She wants to win. Good salsa. Erika has a bit of that careful syndrome we see from celebs at times. She just needs to totally believe in herself and own it. The moves and attitude are there- now everything just has to come together and be improved. I do hope Gleb works hard this season on having more routines of substance and less routines of..well, sex. This was fine but I am talking future weeks. A very good start though for Erika. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Len enjoyed the confidence. He felt it was a bit too raunchy. Julianne enjoyed it. She did want a little more salsa content. Bruno love what was put into it. He wants her to be careful of balance when dancing in heals. Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno (calls her unstable in heels) but calls her fabulous. She wants her out of her comfort zone a bit.

You can vote for Erika by calling 1 800 868 3405 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 6
Julianne- 6
Bruno- 6
24/40

Rashad & Emma – Cha-Cha-Cha
Rashad never thought he would be on the show. Emma is excited. Nice! The best male routine of the night thus far. Emma was brilliant in that choreography- perfectly matching cha-cha-cha with modern steps to make the routine memorable. And Rashad was firing on all cylinders. It was so short- too short. I really didn’t want it to end. For all the talk (understandably so) of the strong females this season, Rashad could be one to really watch. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Julianne calls it the best dance of the night so far. She thinks he has the magic to make it all the way. Bruno says he was sparkling with star quality. Carrie Ann says Rashad has our attention. Len says on occasion, Rashad got ahead of the music. He does say he thought it was terrific though and calls it well done.

You can vote for Rashad by calling 1 800 868 3411 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 7
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 8
31/40

Mr. T & Kym – Cha-Cha-Cha
Mr. T literally BUSTS through the wall coming into rehearsal. Mr. T wants to be inspirational. LOL. You know, for a dude of advanced years, he certainly gives it all he has. I will give T this..he did everything Kym asked for. Kym, wisely, kept the technical aspects of the cha-cha-cha to a minimum and focused on making a dance people will remember. Success! Of course, the jury is still out on how T will do in other dances that require a bit more proper dancing content. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Bruno love the aggression. He noticed the strategy of less cha-cha-cha. Carrie Ann noticed quite a few mistakes. Len doesn’t think the t stands for technique but does stand for tenacity. Julianne enjoyed parts of it and believes Mr. T is the heart of what the show is all about.

You can vote for Mr. T by calling 1 800 868 3407 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 5
Len- 5
Julianne- 5
Bruno- 5
20/40

Simone & Sasha – Tango
Simone wants to follow in Laurie’s footsteps. Sasha is very excited but notes the expectations are high. She is a little nervous because it is real and happening. And that was the best female routine of the night. Just fire. A passionate tango and Sasha has a real chance here to win his first trophy. I am really excited to see how Simone handles those latin routines and see how she stacks up against what could be heavy competition this season. Great job. – Click to Watch Performance VIDEO

Carrie Ann calls them the power couple. She loved all of it. Len love the balance between performance and dance content. He calls it the dance of the night. Julianne says Simone is the whole package. She calls them the dynamic duo. Bruno calls her deliciously lovely. He loved the poise.

You can vote for Simone by calling 1 800 868 3412 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM Eastern the following day.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 8
32/40

And there you have it. The premiere is in the books. What did you guys think? Do you have a favorite? Did anyone surprise you? Do you think those contestants who were expected to do well lived up to the hype? Any disappointments?

Our very first POLLS thread will be up soon. I hope you all enjoyed the premiere and are excited about what is to come this season.