The first night of Dancing with the Stars always yields surprises, as stars and noteworthy people of interest hit the dance floor and show off their moves. The premiere of Dancing with the Stars season 31 was no exception. However, not all of the dancers were ballroom-ready. Two of the night’s biggest surprises were reality star Teresa Giudice and country music icon Jessie James Decker.
Nerves and ballroom jitters are to be expected on the first night — and throughout the competition, really, since none of the celebrities are ballroom dancers — but Giudice and Decker’s flubs left fans scratching their heads.
Giudice’s performance started with a table flipping homage to her early days as the OG of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The bedazzled turkey on the table went flying and so did her tango with partner Pasha Pashkov. We’ll chalk up her initial woodenness to nerves, but after a misstep Giudice seemed to pause before getting her head back into the dance. By then it was too late. When the judges picked apart her performance she seemed to be close to tears.
We found so much love in this Tango! ❤️🎶 @Teresa_Giudice @pashapashkov86 #DWTS @DisneyPlus pic.twitter.com/fkwFIXgscqSeptember 20, 2022
In the case of Jessie James Decker, it was all about song choice. It’s hard enough to learn ballroom dancing, but when you pick the wrong song it can make things even harder if the choreography and the music don’t seem to be in sync. Decker’s cha cha to "Sweet Home Alabama" with partner Alan Bersten was good, but at times it appeared too rushed and a little hectic as she made her way through the complex steps. Decker clearly has skills, though, so hopefully next week’s Elvis Night will yield a song that’s more suited to her routine.
Yallllll I have never been more nervous in my career omg!!!!! I know I have a lot to work on but shoot I’m proud I worked hard and did the darn thing!!! I would love to stay in this and keep working hard!! Vote Vote Vote Text Jessie to 21523 and you can vote up to 10 times!!!! pic.twitter.com/qzf6xUvfAmSeptember 20, 2022
Both pairs ended the night with scores of 20/40, but Teresa and Pasha found themselves in the bottom two and were ultimately saved by the judges, sending Sex and the City’s Jason Lewis and his partner Peta Murgatroyd home.
The night wasn’t a total disaster, though. Among the other Dancing with the Stars season 31 cast members, TikTok star Charli D’Amelio (who, in fairness, has a background in dance) delivered the top performance of the night with partner Mark Ballas, while Selma Blair didn’t let her MS get in the way of an inspired Viennese Waltz that left the ballroom in tears.
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on Disney Plus.
