The new season of Dancing with the Stars has officially begun, with a new line-up of celebrities and on a completely new platform.
The debut episode of season 31 made history, as it became the first show to be live-streamed on Disney+.
Despite the momentous occasion, it was the end of the road for one couple, as Jason Lewis and Peta Murgatroyd were eliminated after their first dance.
The couple performed the cha-cha-cha and received mixed reviews from the judging panel, made up of former Strictly Come Dancing judges Bruno Tonioli and Len Goodman, as well as Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough.
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Jason and Peta’s performance landed them near the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 18 out of 40, though it was Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki who secured the lowest score of the night.
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Jason and Peta ended up in the bottom two with Teresa Giudice and Pasha Pashkov, and in the end, the judges all chose to save Teresa and Pasha.
On the opposite end of the leaderboard was TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and her professional partner Mark Ballas, as they became an early frontrunner in the competition.
It’s no surprise that Charli can dance, as she has gained millions of followers on social media for starting her own, and putting her twist on, TikTok dance trends.
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However, Charli dazzled the judges with a cha-cha-cha to Megan Thee Stallion’s 'Savage', and scored the highest result of the night with 32 out of 40.
Even though the judges were blown away by Charli’s technical skill, there were several boos from the audience, as the experts laid out harsh criticism and scores for even the best dancers.
This latest season of Dancing with the Stars also made history when RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela was announced as a contestant on the show.
It’s the first time the US version of the dance competition has had a same-sex male couple on the show, and Shangela is the first person to compete in the show in drag.
Shangela, born as Darius Jeremy Pierce, told People: "I hope that we show people that it's all about the heart and soul of who you are as a person. It doesn't matter if it's two men dancing together, if it's a man or a drag entertainer like myself dancing together."
Dancing with the Stars premiered on Disney+ in the US on Monday, September 19.
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Jess is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for over-analysing everyone’s favourite movies and TV shows. As an English graduate from the University of York with an MA in Creative Writing, Jess worked as a magazine editor before turning freelance. Since then, Jess has written for outlets such as GQ, The Guardian, Inverse, Huff Post, Stylist, and Insider. She specialises in the representation of mental health, grief, and women in film. She’s also a major Marvel nerd and is writing a YA fantasy novel. LinkedIn
