Dancing with the Stars: Athletes week 1 power rankings
DANCING WITH THE STARS: ATHLETES – “Episode 2601” – Sports fans rejoice as one of the most competitive seasons of “Dancing with the Stars” ever fires up the scoreboard and welcomes 10 determined athletes who will take to the ballroom floor for their first dance, on the season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars: Athletes,” MONDAY, APRIL 30 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Kelsey McNeal)
JOHNNY DAMON, EMMA SLATER
The eliminees
10. Johnny Damon and Emma Slater: 18 (6, 6, 6; foxtrot)
In this performance, he showed he can be light on his feet, not that he was always was. But all in all, it was really sweet and cute, if maybe not the most technically proficient foxtrot.
“Relax, get that frame right,” Carrie Ann said, but she added that she liked his personality. Len, of course, had technical notes.
Like Jennie Finch Daigle, he has a cuteness factor that we have to point out. Unfortunately, all of that wasn’t enough to save him.
9. Jamie Anderson and Artem Chigvintsev: 19 (6, 7, 6; Viennese waltz)
Her pre-dance package indicated that she was having a bit of trouble learning dancing, and it showed in her performance, where she gave it her best, but didn’t have the same flow as some of the top-tier debuts. However, as both I and the judges noted, she has some serious potential.
“This was a little bit skippy on occasions,” Len said. “There was an elegance about your dancing,” he added. Bruno had a very extended metaphor about Elsa, which came down to she lost her way briefly. “You were nervous, and you were rushing,” Carrie Ann said.
Erin Andrews pointed out that she clearly got Len’s attention, though, and that clearly shows in the score distribution. It’s not a solid B-plus, but we’ll put it at a B-minus. It’s kind of a shame that she was eliminated, because she had some potential.
The lower tier
8. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lindsay Arnold: 17 (6, 5, 6; cha cha)
Much like Bruno, I will not badmouth the king of the skyhook, but it’s hard to handle such a huge height difference. He was definitely game, though, and once he got into it, as the judges commented, things lit up.
“Majestic, imposing…very dignified,” Bruno said. Carrie Ann wanted a bit more groove from him. Look, this is about what you can expect from an older gentleman on Dancing with the Stars. He definitely has some potential to work his way up, though, because he is charming. Is it possible for a man who’s over seven feet tall to be adorable? Because he is.