Image Credit: Kelsey McNeal/ABCWelcome back, DANCMSTRs! Season 11 has officially kicked off on ABC. These people must be freaking out — they haven’t been able to tweet for minutes! And Hidden Gem Hoff is very uncomfortable not being the center of attention in that crazy glass house! Anyway, I need to go focus on the show. Come back in the morning (a little sooner, if you’re an insomniac or simply insane) for my full recap.
Update: Recap is liiiiiiiiiiive! Discuss the season premiere of Dancing With the Stars here and nominate your Hidden Gems of the Week in the comments. And don’t miss Derek’s first EW.com blog!
Read more:
Derek Hough: Tanning, training, and putting Baby in a corner
‘DWTS’: Sizing up the season 11 cast
Follow EW’s ‘Dancing’ queen Annie Barrett on Twitter
Join the DANCMSTRs Facebook group
EW.com’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Central
Where is Edyta???? I miss my leg warmers!!!!
She’s left the show. Possibly permanently.
Yes, it’s permanent. She left on bad terms with the producers because she made too many demands.
No one cares about this crap.
Actually, some people do.
And, CPW, the information I have is that Edyta was tired of the producers taking her for granted. Besides, they always paired her with guys who stumbled around like bulls in a china shop.
But apparently some people care enough to take the time to click on & read the article, and to post a comment on it, saying things like, “No one cares about this crap.”
LOL cares enough to leave a comment on every article regarding DWTS for the last year.
LOL leaves a comments on EVERY article…
I’d like to know Who is Derek sleeping with?? he gets a partner that cries about Patrick, so NOW they’ll get massive sympathy votes. Come on! I am sick of Derek getting an easy ride. Give him someone that does not have a chance, then see how well he can do!
I completely agree. I’m so sick of him getting the celebrities who have the most dance experience.
Give it up. Maks has had ringers (Mel B) before but just can’t bring them to the top. Brandy was crap in spite of years of ballet, tap, jazz, and BALLROOM. The judges will prob be lenient with him though so he doesn’t throw another hissy fit like last year.
Brandy was good!!
Brandy was certainly one of the best dancers there. What show were you watching, CPW? And here we go again with the pretty singers are ringers crap.
@ jury’s out – Brandy has had YEARS of ballroom experience. She was professionally trained for Cinderella. She shouldn’t even be in the competition, particularly since she committed vehicular manslaughter.
I know. I was all ready to root for Jennifer Grey this year but now I can’t because I refuse to vote for anyone paired with Derek.
I don’t think Derek is sleeping with anyone – he does seem to get more than his fair share of good dancers but I think it’s more motivated by ratings – pair a young popular dancer with a good or sexy dancer in the hopes they stay longer through the season and keep ratings up.
@CPW- Yes: being convicted of a crime certainly gives you an advantage on a DANCE show…..
I thought that I heard Derek say in an interview that he was friends with the producers. They danced together while they were growing up.
I actually shed my first tears of the season. That dance was incredibly emotional for anybody who lived and loved “Dirty Dancing”. May Patrick rest in peace. <3
Get your facts straight. She was cleared of the charges due to lack of evidence. Another car sideswiped the victim, and that was the fatal blow. And that person is just as guilty as brandy of failure to control their vehicle to prevent a collision.
Probably a good chance that the only reason they tried to sue her is because she was the one with the money.
Anyone who has rear-ended someone could easily have been in the same situation so don’t get high and mighty just because dumb luck has been on your side. She wasn’t distracted or under the influence the way many people are who somehow manage to avoid accidents, fatal or otherwise.
If you’re going to condemn her, you need to condemn anyone who has ever been in an accident or caused an accident.
Unless you’re a perfect driver who has never so much as had a close call…which is doubtful.
Also, to clarify I don’t think it’s okay for people to drive carelessly but Brandy has to live with knowing someone died as a result. I just know a lot of people are quick to condemn others when, again, dumb luck is the only thing separating them from the people they condemn. I doubt there’s many people who haven’t at least had a close call on the freeway.
@ the poster claiming Brandy was cleared – No she wasn’t. She paid millions of dollars to the dead woman’s family. She lied about being married to her baby’s father, she lied about the car accident, and now she’s lying about the extent of her BALLROOM dance experience. She shouldn’t even be on the show.
Corky Ballas is a producer of this show. Since the Houghs grew up with the Ballas family, is it any wonder that Mark and Derek always get the young, beautiful women who tend to have some level of apptitude for dance?
Derek gets a leg up once again. And with a professional dancer to boot. She may be 50 years old, but she still has the moves. Her crying jag seemed semi rehearsed to me. Sorry, I wasn’t buying it.
I can’t believe how ridiculous so many of the posters are. They say right out that they vote for people based on PERSONALITY rather than ability. Do you not see how ridiculous that is? Now someone said they weren’t going to vote for Jennifer Gray because they don’t like DEREK? WTF? You people don’t deserve to vote; you distort the whole process.
I miss Edyta. She’s the most beautiful dancer to watch and it’s a shame she got so many duds to dance with. Well, maybe she’ll do something even better.
Can’t wait to see the “hidden gems” again!
ITA! As soon as the show started last night I was looking for some “gems” and…as Tom was introducing Brandy’s segment I spotted a resurrected Roy Orbison behind him in the audience! Who knew he was such a fan?!
LOL, I saw that guy too and totally thought Roy Orbison! What made it more surreal is that as odd as he looked, for some reason he looked so much more out of place next to Margaret Cho’s parents.
I’ve missed Overenthusiastic Chimes Lady.
I love me some ECL!
Wow, how could’ve I forgotten about her in such a short period of time?
Was she on?? I heart the ECL! I thought she was a gem that was literally hidden this time, unless I missed her. She better get some camera time next week!
Wow… this is the first season I’ve watched with Mark Ballas – he’s adorable! I wish he was paired with Jennifer…
The judges seem to be a bit generous so far tonight.
Except when it came to Kurt.
toooooo……maaaaany…….geeeeeeeemmmmsss!
there are so many hidden gems! I cannot even list one because there are so many.
so far….Kyle has surprised me the most! He has the goods!
When I was a kid my parents watched The Lawrence Welk Show – now they watch Dancing With The Stars. I hate it when tv shows for geriatrics take over media coverage as if we are ALL watching it, which we are not.
Yes, because the Situation and Audrian Patridge are 200 years old. Idiot.
CPW, stop being fat…no, seriously, you’re fat…and no one wants you. And you know it. Back away from the pop tarts…that’s it, put them down and step back slowly…there ya go, now jog in place…what? you’re tired already? ok, go back to your couch and have some potato chips, you’re hopeless.
Agga- Hmmmm. I may need all my fingers & yoes to do this, but let me count… if YOU are old enough to remember Lawrence Welk, that hardly makes you a spring chicken. In fact, you also qualify to be part of that “geriatric” group that disgusts you so much. Go grab your walker.
Nancy, it ran until ’82. I’m guessing you are from the generation that let you drop out of school in 4th grade since your math is that bad. You might want to use something other than your extremities to engage in a mathematic activity going forward.
does anyone know who the man was sitting behind Jamie Lee Curtis? he looked familiar but I can’t place him.
Jennifer Grey’s huband – can’t remember the name, but he was on The New Adventures of Old Christine, I think as Louis-Dreyfus’s ex-husband.
Have you seen Iron Man? Because he plays Agent Coulson (the guy from S.H.I.E.L.D.). That’s where I know him from – didn’t realize he was married to Jennifer Grey!
Clark Gregg, Jennifer Grey’s hubby. As someone said, from “The New Adverntures of Old Christine.”
He’s cute. Good for her!
Hidden gem: those neon pink leg warmers that Lacey is wearing in the taped segment before her dance. She is definitely no lady leg warmer! I miss Edyta already!
The Hoff is no Donny Osmond.
Amen, brother!
The Hoff is so tall it’s gonna be tough for him to get those long limbs working for him, especially in his late 50′s.
Hidden gem: Bruno jumping out of his seat to get a better look at Margaret and Louis as they danced past the judges table.
And now for a couple rants: Mike wasn’t THAT bad. He wasn’t Margaret Cho bad. They got the same score, for cripes sake! Also, if Derek can shutup, I might root for Jennifer.
Margaret Cho was really good! She was underscored because of her techniques, but if she had danced it normally, she would hae been worthy of 8s!
I mean by techniques her comedy routine!
I agree! Margaret was underscored – she definitely outdanced the Hoff and the Situation, who both got comparable skills. Hope she makes it to next week!
Oops, comparable scores, not skills!
Hidden Gem: Brooke Burke’s dress looks like Lea Thompson’s dress from “Back to the Future II” (when she’s married to Biff).
AWESOME.
Evan Lysacek in the audience!
he was? ahaha! aww d amn, i already erased it from my DVR….
YAY! Love Evan!
I hate myself for liking the Situation. I didn’t think he was as bad as everyone thought. What was with all the 80s smack down on him?
I hate me too. He’s not great, but I think he’s really trying. I do see his potential, but I honestly doubt he’ll reach it completely before he’s gone. I hope he sticks around for a long time…for many reasons.
because he’s going to look so damn hot and the costumes??? lmaoo..he really looked so adorable tonight tho, and he didn’t do terrible! he only had five days!
Agreed.
I kinda agree. He was somewhat fascinating to watch.
HIDDEN GEM! Tom Bergeron’s barely contained giggle when he announced him as “The Situation” right before he danced.
“Geriatrics”..that’s how you think of your parents?..since you are using that word to insult “older people”. TV is full of shows with “young people” in them.
One day when you are “older” you will find out you are just as much a human being as you are now. And you will watch different things on t.v..with younger and older people in them if you don’t see things with a narrow view.
Yes, i am one of those “old people” and i do watch Dancing With The Stars but I watch anything i happen to like. It’s fun. Nothing wrong with that.
My favorite t.v. show of all time is Buffy.
People are people. That’s what I watch.
Thank you, Kayann… I was sitting here thinking exactly what you posted. You saved me some time!
Well, the Brady Bunch was on reruns when I was growing up, and Florence Henderson is younger than my grandparents would be if any of them were living. That said, I found her delightful and hope she says for a long time.