Bruce Miller
It was a night of pros - and an ex-con - on "Dancing with the Stars" Tuesday.
Thirteen couples (five too many) stepped out for the Season 33 premiere and showed who's leading and who's following.
The ones to beat: Chandler Kinney and Joey Graziadei. Who?
She's a Disney actress; he's a former "Bachelor."
And up in the top three with them? NBA star Dwight Howard. Towering over his partner, Daniella Karagach, he had great moves and a real "wow" factor. When he spun her around there was no worry he wouldn't catch her. The height difference could be a problem, but they've figured out how to make it work. He'll make the playoffs.
Who else impressed? Olympic bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik has a bag of tricks, thanks to his gymnastics past, and "Real Housewives" Phaedra Parks. They were in the 20s.
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And then, we come to the ones who will definitely be at the bottom of the heap: actors Eric Roberts and Reginald VelJohnson. An accident limited the former's mobility; a determination to stand - not dance - hindered the latter. Look for one or both of them to go next week.
And then we come to the big bunch in the middle. "90210" star Tori Spelling was OK; model Brooks Nader was, too. Ilona Maher, a bronze-medal rugby player, has plenty of personality, just a halting way with moves.
NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola wasn't rushing, but he didn't break through the line to score. He was better than many, just not memorable. Anna Delvey, the focus of "Inventing Anna" and the first contestant to wear an ankle bracelet, got the crowd's attention but prompted judge Carrie Ann Inaba to plead "give her another chance" and grade her on her dancing. Translation: She's probably toast.
Jenn Tran, a "Bachelorette" alum, was forgettable, too, but that's probably because Graziadei, her counterpart, was the first to dance and came out blazing. He was good. No, really good, and will continue to rank in the top five based on his fluidity.
Kinney, however, is the one to watch. Like other Disney stars (Zendaya, anyone?), she has a built-in audience, dance ability and the kind of personality that gets fans to vote. She'll continue to be in the top three.
Tuesday's show didn't introduce any changes, but it did show the judges were more than generous (they didn't give anyone lower than a 5) and encouraging to a fault.
While Delvey attracts attention, she won't get the votes.
Nedoroscik, however, will. He wowed Olympic fans and, if he calms down, all those incredible moves will serve him well. Shawn Johnson and Laurie Hernandez were gold medal gymnasts - and won "Dancing's" mirror-ball trophy. Nedoroscik could hoist the prize, too.
Bruce Miller is editor of the Sioux City Journal.
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