The man can dance! Chaz Bono overcomes controversy and cha cha's into the judges' hearts during Dancing With The Stars premiere

By Jade Watkins


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Triumph: Chaz Bono overcame controversy to come up as one of the top contenders on the arm of partner Lacey Schwimmer, during last night's much talked about premiere of Dancing Of The Stars


He has been shrouded in controversy ever since being announced as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars.

But Cher's transsexual son overcame all the contention to come up as one of the top contenders on last night's much talked about premiere of Dancing Of The Stars.

The 42-year-old wowed the judges with his moves, which were rumoured to have been uneasy during the last few weeks of rehearsals.


The judges as much as the crowd were waiting in anticipation for Chaz's arrival on the dance floor.

And of course ABC strung it out by putting the pair's performance at the very end of the show.

But the crowd clearly thought it was worth the wait.

Anticipated: The judges as much as the crowd were waiting in anticipation for Chaz and Lacey's arrival on the dance floor

Show stopper: The crowd clearly thought it was worth the wait as the couple put on a dazzling show


'I think people have been waiting all night to see you, Chaz, and you do not disappoint! You can dance! You had great footwork. You've got so much joy. You light up this room,' Carrie-Ann said.

Len thought the gay activist was having a ball and cheered the highly-criticized star on.

'You really came out with the right attitude. You came out to enjoy yourself, and that's what I felt you did,' he said 'You're so joyous out here. Great debut, Chaz. You should be proud!'

Impressive: The 42-year-old wowed the judges with his moves, which were rumored to have been uneasy during the last few weeks of rehearsals


Before the performance, Chaz revealed that he hit it off with Schwimmer on first interaction.

'I think Lacey and I have amazing chemistry. I think she brings out the kid in me which is great, because I tend to be serious,' he said.

He admitted that his physical shape was going to be a challenge in the competition with the rehearsals already taking a toll.

'Being in my 40s and overweight, it kills my body,' he said.

Going alone: Rob Kardashian said he wanted to step out of the shadows of his famous sisters and did so on the arm of Cheryl Burke for their Viennese Waltz

Moral support: Kim, along with her sisters Kourtney, and Khloe and husband Lamar, came out to support the 24-year-old, cheering him on from the crowd


Kim Kardashian would know just how nervous her brother Rob was likely to be ahead of his big Dancing With The Stars debut after starring in the show in 2008.

The 30-year-old reality star, along with sisters Kourtney and Khloe and Khloe's husband Lamar, came out to support the 24-year-old, cheering him on from the crowd.

Before his turn on the dance floor to do the Viennese Waltz, Rob said he was excited and determined to show that he could be a stand-out star from his famous sisters.

'I want to boost my confidence and step out of the shadow of my sisters,' he admitted.

Rob looked dapper during his dance in a black tuxedo, while partner Cheryl Burke was almost futuristic in her cream and gold sequined gown.

But despite their good looks, Bruno thought Rob's performance was racked with nerves.

Steamy: Italian model and actress Elisabetta Canalis started her routine by waking up in a giant bed

Bed buddy: The 33-year-old was in the bed alongside handsome partner Val Chmerkovskiy


'I know she's a tough mistress, but ... let her go. You have to take control. You've got to relax,' Bruno told him.

After yelling out from the audience that Bruno should clean his ears out with some
Q-tips, sister Khloe got some more positive feedback about her brother from Carrie-Ann.

'When I watch you, I see potential,' Carrie-Ann said. 'You did everything Cheryl told you ... but it's all there. The posture, the lines, the debonair. Yeah. You clean up nice!'

The pair however scored one of the lower scores of the night with 16/30.

Let down: Elisabetta, who is no stranger to a spin on the dance floor surprisingly failed to impress on the dancefloor on the arm of Maksim's younger brother


With a body of sin which helped captured the heart of her ex-George Clooney, whom she dated for two years, Elisabetta Canalis was touted as an early contender.

But the stunning 33-year-old, who is no stranger to a a spin on the dance floor, surprisingly failed to impress on the arm of Maksim's younger brother, Val Chmerkovskiy.

Despite slipping into a revealing sparkling red ensemble and waking up in bed with Val, her performance was met with criticism.

'It got very brittle. You lost confidence, and it all became too weak,' Len told her.

Crowd pleaser: With his estranged wife Courteney Cox and their daughter Coco cheering him on the crowd, David Arquette was an overall crowd-pleaser in his rendition of the Viennese Waltz


Rather than being analytical, Carrie offered the sexy foreigner some sage advice.

'You have to channel the model in you ... and you have to do it with the music,' she said.

With estranged wife Courteney Cox and their daughter Coco cheering him on the crowd, David Arquette was an overall crowd-pleaser in his rendition of the Viennese Waltz.

'Look there's daddy! Little Coco was thrilled to see her father on the dance floor


But the 40-year-old Scream star was a little nervous about being in the ball room, which was picked up by Carrie-Ann.

'All you need to do is relax a little,' she advise.

Bruno was however blown away by actor: 'There was no superficial start or messing about. You came straight out into the dance, and I was very, very impressed,' he said.

Muscular: LA Lakers star Ron Artest bared his rippling basketballer torso for his Cha Cha with stunning Australia dance partner, Peta Murgatroyd


LA Lakers star Ron Artest bared his rippling basketballer torso for his Cha Cha with stunning Australia dance partner, Peta Murgatroyd.

Sporting his signature shaved and dyed hair-do, the 31-year-old six foot seven NBA player got up close and personal in a sexy sway with the tanned and scantily clad professional dancer.

But right off the bat, Len Goodman was critical of his performance.

Look at me now! From The Hills to the dance floor, reality star Kristin Cavallari said she was 'keen to show the real me' from how she was portrayed in her former reality shows alongside partner Mark Ballas


'Your footwork was atrocious. It was all sizzle, no sausage. It was ... not my cup of tea,' he said.

With boos erupting from the audience, Bruno comments were met with much more welcome arms.

'Ron, the dancer drone has landed! You have power. You have presence. So go for it, Dancer-Tron!' he exclaimed.

Grace: She has the voice of an angel, but Chynna Phillips was out to prove she had the grace of gazelle and succeeded with her Viennese waltz with Tony Dovolani


The judges gave the pair a 17/20.

From The Hills to the dance floor, reality star Kristin Cavallari said she was 'keen to show the real me' from how she was portrayed in her former reality shows, alongside partner Mark Ballas.

'I am Kristin Cavallari and I am not a bitch,' she asserted in her introduction.

The 24-year-old also touched on her painful split with NFL player Jay Cutler, who broke off their engagement earlier this year.

'I was just recently engaged and we broke up, so I am hoping this show will be a big breath of fresh air for me.,' she said.

After her highly-charged Cha Cha, Kristin in fact blew judge Carrie-Ann away with her sensationally toned body and liveliness.

Moves: Ricki Lake with partner Derek Hough and Carson Kressly with Anna Trebunskaya both did well in the show's premiere


'You have the body to ballroom dance, girlfriend! You looked great,' Carrie complemented.

'I want to watch you dance more and more. You shine. You sparkle. It was a very good cha-cha, and it's hard to keep up with Mark. He gives you very challenging choreography, and you have to keep up with him.'

Bruno was particularly hung up on Kristin's 'hotness', which he said she needed to use to her full potential: 'You know I love a bad girl; a bad girl with hot hips. I know you've got the full package to give that action,' he exclaimed.

She has the voice of an angel, but Chynna Phillips was out to prove she had the grace of gazelle with her Viennese waltz with Tony Dovolani.

And the 43-year-old Wilson Phillips star didn't fail to impress with the pair getting one of the highest scores of the night with a 22 out of 30.

'It wasn't the best first dance I've ever seen, but I'll tell you what: It was close!' Len said.

Not so confident after all: She is the controversial TV Journalist who is not afraid to say what she thinks, but judges thought that Nancy Grace was surprisingly lacking confidence on tonight's show


The blonde beauty, who is married to Billy Baldwin, also mesmerized Bruno, with her moves.

'Chynna, you looked like you were stepping out of a dream and into my heart. You've got the talent and you can do it!'he said.

Controversial TV Journalist Nancy Grace was surprisingly lacking confidence on tonight's show.

'Nancy, I had no idea you were so lavishly gifted. You've got the moves, but you don't seem to believe in yourself. You have it,' Bruno said.

But Carrie-Ann disagreed, saying she thought the 51-year-old HLN host looked at home on the dance floor.

Sensational: Going head-to-head with his younger brother Val, Kirstie Alley's former partner Maksim on the other-hand helped Hope Solo blow away the crowd with their Viennese Waltz


'I think you might be the happiest contestant I've ever seen out there dancing. You have to remember your choreography.'

Going head-to-head with his younger brother Val, Kirstie Alley's former partner Maksim on the otherhand helped Hope Solo blow away the crowd with their Viennese Waltz.

The soccer star wowed judges with her first dance, also getting one of the top scores of the night with a 21/30.

The forever peppy and chirpy one from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Carson Kreesly was no different, as he did the Cha Cha with the stunning partner Anna Trebunskaya.

'That was my favorite dance of the night by far! You are something else. I cannot get over all of the sparkles,' exclaimed Carrie-Ann.

Surprise performance: Another big surprise of the night was the grace action hero J.R. Martinez possessed whilst doing his Viennese Waltz with partner Karina Smirnoff


Another big surprise of the night was the grace action hero J.R. Martinez possessed whilst doing his Viennese Waltz with partner Karina Smirnoff.

The couple tied with Chynna and Tony with a 22 out of 30, with all three judges critically acclaiming the movie star.

Equally impressive was Ricki Lake who snagged Cheryl Cole's former lover Derek Hough as her partner for the season.

The judges thought the 42-year-old and the 26-year-old both had incredible harmony.

'There was great chemistry. Another great Viennese waltz!' Bruno exclaimed.

'It was like you were part of one person. It was beautiful. Very, very nice,': Carrie-Ann also gushed.

Tomorrow night before the results show, the couple reflect on their performances and revealed more about their lives as part of a two-hour special.







source:dailymail