Ladies show how it’s done on ‘Dancing’

Premiere night of “Dancing with the Stars” was, as always, worth the wait. And though there was at least one stinker in the group, this season is shaping up to showcase a more talented than usual ensemble. At least for the female celebs. Making the gents wait for their own evening of ballroom rivalry, Tom Bergeron and his new co-presenter, season two winner Drew Lachey, introduced viewers to “Ladies’ Night.”

Following in her “90210” pal Ian Ziering’s footsteps, Jennie Garth kicked off the evening of dance. And, despite some lumbering legs, she performed at least as well as he did last year. Rehearsals with her partner, “Dancing” first-timer Derek Hough (brother of season four winner Julianne), didn’t show much chemistry between the pair, but things improved a little on the dance floor.

Cha cha-ing to “Uptown Girl,” Jennie looked nervous, though she later claimed that it was just excitement. Yeah, not buying that one, but those “excitable” nerves resulted in the biggest problem for the couple: Jennie’s stiffness. It was remarkably noticeable next to the ultra-limber Derek.

The judges were kind, giving the dance sevens all around. A little generous, but maybe it was just a first night gift. The insane Bruno Tonioli declared Jennie a “yummy mummy,” and in fairness, he was right. She looked amazing beside the cute, if overly eyebrow-endowed Derek. The ever-honest Len Goodman dished out the constructive criticism, pointing to the leg-action issues.

Could have been worse

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Luckily for Jennie, anything she was lacking was virtually forgotten by the time supermodel Josie Maran took the stage. Maybe Josie didn’t know what to expect from the show, as evidenced by her reason for being there. “I’m taking part in ‘Dancing with the Stars’ because I get to live out my dream of being a rock star without the singing.” Hmm.

At least Josie had the most entertaining training footage with her partner Alec Mazo, or as she calls him, “Hunkity, hunk-hunk.” She practically abused him with foot stomps and face smacks throughout rehearsals. For his part, Alec got back at her, calling her “deceptively unfit.” Ha! Too bad Alec’s snark isn’t likely to be around for long this season.

Sure, that may be a premature statement, but in addition to some less than impressive footwork on the foxtrot, Josie didn’t make any friends with the judges. Receiving by far the worst marks of the night (16 out of 30), even the usually kind Carrie Ann Inaba said that it was obvious dancing didn’t come naturally to Josie.

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The audience booed the judges for their accurate appraisal of Josie’s dance, but just watch them vote for anyone but her all the same.

The judges were much kinder to their favorite for the evening, “Cheetah Girl” Sabrina Bryan. Dancing with new guy and self-dubbed “dancing ninja” Mark Ballas, Sabrina promised to “bring some cheetah-licious flavor!” Way to play to the old fan base, Sabrina. Needlessly, too, as the pair impressed everyone on pure hoofing merit.

With a hip-hop infused cha cha, Sabrina and Mark put on a high-energy number showcasing both of their strong suits. From a classic ballroom sensibility, they popped a few too many modern moves, but made up for it with crowd-pleasing entertainment.

Even before Tom threw it to the judges, Bruno was unable to contain himself, miming his excitement. When he finally got a chance to speak up, he called her a “bewitching blond dynamo” with precision footwork. Surprising absolutely no one, the staid Len took off a point for hip-hop. Still, with a score of 26, no one complained.

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