If last night’s Dancing with the Stars season 35 premiere episode led to me feeling filled with dread about the upcoming season, the women joining the competition really calmed all of my fears. The eight ladies performed their debut dances with enough personality to make up for what was missing on Tuesday night.
After sitting with the men’s performances for 24 hours, I felt a certain likability missing from most of them. Ezra Frech’s great performance and energy aside, the rest of the cast was completely forgetful. (Did you know Tyler Cameron is a contestant this season? And he’s dancing with Sharna Burgess?! Who knew!)
Luckily, from the moment the pre-taped package began for Tatyana Ali, I knew this episode would make up for lost time.
The biggest tell was the difference in the judges’ critiques from night one to night two. Last night was filled with “You were so happy out there!” while tonight was filled with actionable critiques because they see a passion for growth in these stars’ eyes.
It was a true delight seeing these women take to the floor with a palpable vigor for the competition and for tackling these performances head on. Even looking at the lower-scoring couples, I sti...