‘Dancing With The Stars’ 16 review: Victor Ortiz, Dorothy Hamill and Wynonna Judd shine

On tonight’s episode of “Dancing With The Stars” 16, the stars and their dancing pros kicked off the season with their versions of the cha cha cha, the foxtrot and a new style of dance added to the program called contemporary.

Kellie Pickler & Derek Hough: They kicked off the show with a cha cha cha and everyone quickly learned that they were going to be a force to be reckoned with, but will going first hurt them? The judges loved what they saw and they got a score of 21 (which is about the best anyone’s going to get the first week).

Victor Ortiz & Lindsay Arnold:  Victor and Lindsay got the foxtrot and for his first time on the dance floor Victor did fairly well, but his foot work and hand co-ordination need some work. Lindsay is a great addition to the pro-dancers, she’s funny and a great teacher, but the dance it’s self didn’t really wow anyone on the judging panel landing them with a score of 18.

Ingo Rademacher & Kym Johnson: Ingo and Kym were the first pair that got to try out the newest style of dance brought to “Dancing With The Stars” 16 – contemporary. Although lifts weren’t normally allowed in the competition in the past, they seemed to be with this type of dance and it definitely helped bring out the connection between Ingo and Kym.  They received a score of 20.

Lisa Vanderpump & Gleb Savchenko: They were given the foxtrot  and even though Lisa was uncomfortable about how up close and personal she had to be with Gleb she was able to pull it out for the routine (mostly).  We were hoping for more from Lisa, but over all the dance was really just okay – not really exceptional.  The judges weren’t really excited about what they saw and gave them a score of 18.

D.L. Hughley & Cheryl Burke: D.L. and Cheryl took on the cha cha cha and while they tried to give the dance a bit of a modern twist with their song choice, D.L. was stiff and it was really just a big mess.  The judges were not kind and they ended up with a score of 12 which was the worst score of the night.

Zendaya & Val Chmerkovskiy: They were given contemporary and even though Zendaya is only 16 (the youngest in the competition ever), Val pushed her and it showed on the dance floor with their moves and impressive lift – one of the best of the competition so far and definitely the pair to watch out for.  The judges absolutely loved the performance and they got a score of 24 landing them the highest score of the night.

Sean Lowe & Peta Murgatroyd: We were surprised to learn that Sean was not closing the show out, and then we saw him try to do the foxtrot and we realized why he wasn’t given the last spot.  The dance seemed very strained, but with his fanbase it’s likely that he’ll stick around for a while.  They earned a score of 19.

Alexandra Raisman & Mark Ballas: Alexandra and Mark took on the cha cha cha and really it didn’t excite or delight us – there was nothing really all that special about the dance, but Alexandra is someone that looks like she could definitely grow during the competition. They scored a 21.

Dorothy Hamill & Tristan MacManus: They were given contemporary and while we did enjoy the routine quite a bit, it was hard for us to see the connection between them, because of the giant smile on Dorothy’s face.  The judges loved the dance and felt that the gentle connection was wonderful giving them a score of 21.

Wynonna Judd & Tony Dovolani: Wynonna and Tony did the cha cha cha and while she seemed a little reserved in her performance, we loved watching Wynonna on the dance floor and can’t wait to see her grow through out the season – we predict she will be around for a while.  The judges gave them a score of 18.

Andy Dick & Sharna Burgess: The foxtrot was their dance of choice tonight and it was absolutely wonderful to see Andy sober, smiling and his old charming self.  While his dancing needs a little work, he has the most potential to grow in the show as a dancer and we really hope he will be staying for a while.  Andy and Sharna received a score of 17 which was one of the lower scores of the night but is still one of our favorites to win the show.

Jacoby Jones & Karina Smirnoff: Jacoby and Karina closed out the show with a cha cha cha dance routine and although they had less time to rehearse because Jacoby was still recovering from his surgery he tore up the dance floor with Karina.  The judges weren’t happy with the footwork, but liked the performance giving them a score of 20.

What did you think of the premiere of “Dancing With the Stars” 16?  Who is your favorite to win?  Leave us a comment and tell us who you want to see take home the mirror ball trophy this season.

Photo: ABC