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)
JOSH NORMAN, SHARNA BURGESS
The front-runners
4. Tonya Harding and Sasha Farber: 23 (8, 8, 7; foxtrot)
The crowd definitely wanted to make her feel welcome, which was good. Together with Sasha, she pulled off a complicated move or two. She pointed out she wasn’t known for her grace on the ice, but she had quite a bit on the floor, and she was in tears pretty much as soon as it was over.
“You are a beautiful dancer,” Carrie Ann said. Len told her she needed to cheer up, because it was “lovely.” Bruno dubbed her movement “lyrical.” It’s clear that, at least with the ballroom side of things, Tonya Harding came to play. However, a near-elimination puts her at the bottom of the front-runners. Don’t count her out just yet, though.
3. Mirai Nagasu and Alan Bersten: 23 (8, 7, 8; salsa)
This is an excellent pairing. Alan had an open shirt, and yet it wasn’t hard to focus on his partner. There was nowhere to hide with the tough lifts they had, and the crowd was feeling it the entire time.
“You did [the lifts] very, very well,” Bruno said happily. “Vim, vigor and vitality,” Len added. Her biggest critique was to not “overattack” her dances, but overall, there was a lot of praise. For a moment, it looked like she’d take first place in these power rankings, but two gentlemen came on the floor and overtook her both in scores and in general performance.
2. Adam Rippon and Jenna Johnson: 24 (8, 8, 8; cha cha)
Look, if you can’t rock a RuPaul song, then I’m sorry, Dancing with the Stars might not be the show for you. Fortunately, he had no problem with that. There was a bit of slippage, but it’s clear he’s going to be one to watch with those sharp movements … and that flexibility. The audience loved it, too.
“I think that was good,” Len said with emphasis. “I really enjoyed watching it.” Bruno and Carrie Ann were full of praise for him. “You were born to do this show,” she said. Taking three eights on the first week is definitely enough to put him in second place. His challenge will be to maintain and improve on the high bar he’s already set for himself.
1. Josh Norman and Sharna Burgess: 24 (8, 8, 8; cha cha)
So what does it take to beat an Olympic figure skater in the same dance style?
A little bit of … “finesse” never hurts. No, I’m not the only one to have made that pun; Carrie Ann did the same. The audience did not stop cheering throughout that entire performance, and neither did yours truly. Those light feet came in handy, and so did his surprising fluidity. He absolutely sold the character of the song. Oh, and the open jacket … never hurts.
Full of rhythm and style,” Len said, and he didn’t even have a point of criticism. “You have natural musicality! … You’re the one to watch,” Bruno declared, and Carrie Ann agreed, dubbing him a “Fly Guy.”
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What do you make of our power rankings for this first week of Dancing with the Stars: Athletes?