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‘Dancing With the Stars’ Premiere Recap: Who Received the Top Scores of the Night?

Dancing With the Stars is officially underway. The star-studded season 27 kicked off on Monday, September 24, so we’re breaking down every dance of the night. (After reading our recap, read Jenna Johnson‘s exclusive blog!)

Related: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Season 27 Cast Revealed: Pics

Mary Lou Retton and Sasha Farber
The first duo danced the Cha Cha to “Treasure,” and while she made two mistakes, Len Goodman says she was “pretty nifty for fifty!” She also came across extremely relaxed.
Score: 19

Milo Manheim and Witney Carson
The Disney star, 17, danced the Cha Cha to “Free Free Free,” and while he crushed it, Carrie Ann Inaba said he was “a little bit wild” and Len advised him to straighten his legs more. However, he added, “You’re a dancer!”
Score: 20

dancing with the stars
Witney Carson and Milo Manhem Courtesy of ABC/Craig Sjodin

Evanna Lynch and Keo Motsepe
The Harry Potter alum was rejected from dance college but returned to her roots, dancing the foxtrot to “Do You Believe in Magic.” Her energy was high and the judges assured her she definitely could dance but she needed to be a bit less expressive.
Score: 18

Related: 'Dancing With the Stars' Winners Through the Years

Danelle Umstead and Artem Chigvintsev
The Paralympic medalist danced a beautiful foxtrot to “Rise Up,” despite the fact that she is completely blind. It was an emotional dance and the judges called their bond “magical.”
Score: 18

Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess
The very high-energy radio host impressed the judges with his jive to “T-R-O-U-B-L-E.” However, it was a little bit all over the place.
Score: 20

Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke
With support from his Fuller House cast, the actor danced a sexy salsa to “Dinero.” Len called him “the hunk with the junk in the trunk.” Bruno gave the pair of the first 8 of the night.
Score: 22

dancing with the stars
Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke Courtesy of ABC/Craig Sjodin

Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko
The comedian danced a salsa to “Yes,” but it didn’t impress Len, who said it was too “cold.” Meanwhile, Bruno said that the dance “wasn’t a total trainwreck” but a bit “jagged.”
Score: 17

Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten
The Sports Illustrated model danced a fun jive to “Good Golly Miss Molly,” in which she dedicated to her late mother. The judges were very complimentary of the pair, saying they were very in sync.
Score: 21

John Schneider and Emma Slater
The country singer and actor danced a smooth foxtrot to “Good Ol’ Boys from Dukes of Hazzard.” While Len said it “lacked finesse,” Carrie Ann thought he had potential.
Score: 18

Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong
The singer paired up with the first-time pro for a jive to “I’m a Lady,” and their chemistry was clear from the start. Len thought it was a “top notch” performance and Bruno called it a “foxy jive.” Carrie Ann told Brandon to let Tinashe shine by toning down the choreography.
Score: 23

Related: Most Disastrous ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Partners Ever!

Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy
The Facts of Life bad girl performed a very fast quickstep to “It Don’t Mean a Thing.” Len said that while it wasn’t fancy, “it was just a good, solid performance.”
Score: 18

Joe “Grocery Store Joe” Amabile and Jenna Johnson
While he was very charming, The Bachelorette alum had a tough time doing the quickstep to “Fish Out of Water.” The reality star kept a smile on his face regardless of his lack of dancing skills.
Score: 14

dancing with the stars
Jenna Johnson and Joe ‘Grocery Store Joe’ Amabile Courtesy of ABC/Craig Sjodin

DeMarcus Ware and Lindsay Arnold
The former NFL pro finished out the show with a fiery cha cha to “Sweet Sensation.” All three judges were impressed with his energy and dance abilities.
Score: 23

Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.

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