‘Dancing With the Stars’ Recap With Spoilers

Dancing With the Stars returned on Monday, with loads of celebs heating up the dancefloor.

Celebs on the new season include Nikki Bella, Frankie Muniz, Derek Fisher, Debbie Gibson, Nick Lachey and Terrell Owens. Judges this year are Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli.

The show kicked off with a massive dance number featuring all 13 couples pulling an elaborate theatrical performance to a cover of “Dancing in the Street.”

At the end of the pre-recorded number, the couple burst into the DWTS studio, and the real show began.

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke

Former NFL pro Terrell Owens kicked off the show by performing a cha-cha with his parter, 20-season veteran Cheryl Burke.

Set to “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” by The Temptations, the latin dance was a crowd pleaser, with Owens busting out his “T-O” persona.

“You just saw T-O,” Owens said afterwards. “He’s a performer.”

However, the judges weren’t as thrilled and criticized Owens use of a heel lead. All three judges gave the couple a score of 5.

Debbie Gibson &Alan Bersten / Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko

Former pop star Debbie Gibson was the second dancer of the night, and her segment began with her touching story about how she joined the show to persevere after being diagnosed with Lyme disease.

The couple danced the foxtrot to Gibson’s own song “Lost in Your Eyes” and were complimented by Tonioli for their “lovey dovey, dreamy” chemistry.

The judges did take some issue with how Gibson kept her frame and gave them two sixes (Inaba, Tonioli)  and a five (Goodman).

Next up were Pretty Little Liars star Sasha Pieterse and pro Gleb Savchenko.

Pieterse was a bit anxious going into the flashy number, which had her dancing in front of a backdrop with light-up letters spelling out her name.

The judges gave the couple all 6s for the routine, which was soundtracked by Fleur East’s “Like That.”

Drew Scott & Emma Slater / Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe

Property Brothers personality Drew Scott was next with his partner Emma Slater.

Their foxtrot, set to “Our House” by Madness, was a bit stiff, and Goodman told him he needed “a little more finesse.”

The judges gave them two 5s (Goodman, Tonioli) and a 6 (Inaba).

Barbara Corcoran and Keo Motsepe were up next with their dance to  “Money Maker” by Ludacris.

The Shark Tank personality turned heads with her intimacy towards Motsepe during the salsa number, which she described as “a sexual turn on.”

The judges agreed, but still gave them low scores, two 5s and a 4.

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold / Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd

Hamilton star Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold were up next with an incredibly charismatic tango to “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” by Shawn Mendes.

The pair had incredible chemistry as they jaunted around around the dancefloor. The Broadway star and his partner drew some major excitement from Inaba.

“You were in control of that dance from the beginning to end,” Inaba said.

The received the highest marks of the night so far, with Inaba giving them an 8 and the others giving them 7s.

Nick Lachey, who was in the boy band 98 Degrees, and Peta Murgatroyd followed that with a cha-cha set to the Pharrell and Miley Cyrus collaboration “Come Get It Bae.” 

Goodman told the couple, “it could have been slicker,” but he gave them the benefit of their doubt being as it was their first week.

The judge gave them triple-6s, and then it was Nick’s wife Vanessa Lachey turn to dance.

Vanessa Lachey & Maksim Chmerkovskiy / Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson

Vanessa, a former TRL host, was introduced with a fun behind-the-scenes look at her training, with Vanessa goofing around and cracking jokes towards her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who complimented her “high-octane” personality.

“Woman” by Kesha soundtracked the couple’s cha-cha, which was another highlight of the night. The judges gave them one of the highest scores thus far, triple-7s.

Actor Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson were next up with a foxtrot to “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles.

Muniz went on the record about how nervous he was before the dance, but he didn’t really show it. 

“I didn’t know that I loved dance as much as I have these past few weeks,” he said.

Inaba gave them a 7, but the others gave them 6s.

Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev / Derek Fisher & Sharma Burgess

Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev followed with a tango to “So What!” by P!nk.

The WWE diva was another fan-favorite, and gave an fiery performance. However, she was marked down for looking down too much.

The couple received two 7s and a 6.

Crowd favorite dancer Sharna Burgess returned next with her celeb partner, basketball player Derek Fisher.

The two performed a solid salsa to the one-the-nose selection “Basketball” by Kurtis Blow. They received all 6s for the performance.

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy / Lindsey Sterling & Mark Ballas

ESPN journalist Victoria Arlen was next up, and she shared an inspiring story about her recovery from paralysis.

Arlen and partner Val Chmerkovskiy danced to “Born Ready” by Disco Fries, and they got some high praise from Inaba.

“That was the most joyous performance I’ve ever seen,” Inaba said.

Inaba gave them a 7, and the others followed with 6s.

Violinist Lindsey Sterling performed a starry cha-cha to “Don’t Worry” by Madcon.

The music seemed to be one of the most natural performers out of the new celebs, with excited reactions from the crowd and host Tom Bergeron.

Goodman called the dance “crisp and clean,” and dubbed it  “dance of the night.” He scored it an 8, and the other judges gave the couple a 7.

Further Updates

This is story is being updated…

Photo Credit: Instagram / @dancingabc

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