(S10E01) It's the tenth season of 'Dancing with the Stars' and, shockingly, five years have past since the first performance. I'm happy to see that the show finally made some interesting changes. The opening sequence doesn't cause me to have seizures from all the kaleidoscope spins, the graphics are now different, and the couples sit in a fish tank off to the side of the stage.

Speaking of couples, the eleven couples all looked nervous as they looked down the stairs, hoping they didn't trip and fall on live television. We get to see all the contestants perform one Latin and one Ballroom performance before anyone gets eliminated. This week the contestants will have to tackle either the Cha-Cha or the Viennese Waltz.

This is the first episode for Brooke Burke as Tom's co-host. Burke did a decent job replacing Samantha Harris, but in all reality, I'm still not paying attention to the post-dance interviews.

Chad Ochocinco & Cheryl Burke - Cha Cha - While Chad and Cheryl get past initial jitters, the package displays Chad's drive. While I hated Cheryl's dress, the performance was a strong opening. The intense lighting and flashes could have helped. He is rusty in the hips, but has a lot of potential.

Len loved his attack and sees the potential. He suggests working on posture. Bruno sees untapped talent, but Chad needs to hit harder. Carrie Ann also sees the potential, but wants extensions. Score: 18 (6,6,6).

Shannen Doherty & Mark Ballas - Viennese Waltz - Shannen is doing the show for her father. Surprisingly, she comes off less bitchy and just really nervous. They start the dance and you could feel Shannen's nerves. Shannen's hand work is a bit off and doesn't have the smoothness for waltz. Her end spin sequence looked great. I'm happy they book ended the opening pose as the closing one.

Bruno thought the choreography was really hard for week one, but there wasn't enough flow. Carrie Ann was impressed by the ambition, but Shannen wasn't in sync in the beginning; there were stumbles. Len saw the ease and elegance of a Viennese Waltz; he suggests lifting the diaphragm. Score: 18 (6,6,6).

Erin Andrews & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Cha Cha - Erin sarcastically tells Maks that she wanted Tony to show that she's not afraid of Maks. Erin is such a perfectionist that she stops herself before she starts. While the dress does a lot of work to create the illusion of movement, there were points of stuttering between pretty moments. The way she held her arm throughout the whole dance felt awkward.

Carrie Ann likes Erin's body movement and connection, but she needs to work on her arms and attack. Len liked the rhythm, but she needs to fix her leg positioning. Bruno likes how Erin can find the beat with her legs. Score: 21 (7,7,7).

Jake Pavelka & Chelsie Hightower - Viennese Waltz - Jake claims to be very competitive, but stumbles through the lessons. Chelsie comes off very mature and positive teaching Jake. While Chelsie continues to out-dance her partners, Jake's a strong support for her. Their spins look elegant and well placed. Jake's smile is a winner and he doesn't lose it once.

Len appreciates going into hold for most of the dance, but Jake needs to fix his posture. Bruno thought it was a good effort but suggests keeping his legs together. Carrie Ann likes his lines and saw the bravado. Score: 20 (7,6,7).

Niecy Nash & Louis Van Amstel - Cha Cha - Niecy was always the chubby girl, and doesn't want to lose any of her weight. Niecy looks like she's having fun both in practice and live. Louis' choreography shines again, letting Niecy take her time with personality. For having curves, she moves really well around the dance floor.

Bruno suggests that she focus on the performance. Carrie Ann saw the sass, likes the energy and personality. Len saw that it was clean and precise, but it was a bit uneventful. Score: 18 (7,5,6).

Evan Lysacek & Anna Trebunskaya - Viennese Waltz - Evan's coach Mark calls him a suicide trainer. I wonder if production still caps the amount of time the couples can practice. Evan is too orange for his own good. His excuse for why he isn't a ringer is that he spins in the wrong direction. Evan shows some interesting lines because of his height and the two use the stage really well. His arms feel stiff. They also used as many of the skating technique in the routine.

Carrie Ann thought his lines were good, but he needs to point his toes and make a connection with the audience. Len likes the artistry and musicality, but he needs to work on his footwork and chemistry with Anna. Bruno sees his grace but reiterates connection. Score: 23 (8,7,8).

Buzz Aldrin & Ashly Costa - Cha Cha - We get a greeting from the international space station. Buzz comes off both funny and dedicated, but worries about memory issues. While Buzz is quite stiff, Ashly does a good job of using a lot of the cha-cha-cha technique to create a strong routine. Buzz forgets to flick his arms until the last second. It's hard to criticize Buzz because of his accomplishments.

Len commends him for his bravery, but the dancing wasn't the best. Bruno knows that he is a legend, but he dances like he still had moon-boots on. Carrie Ann knows that he's very inspiring. Score: 14 (5,4,5).

Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough - Viennese Waltz - There is some dance ability with Nicole, but the two get dorky in practice. Luckily, the dance didn't show any of it, instead they looked the lightest glide of all the dancers. Nicole had some of the best arm work as well. The final spin was a beautiful end to the performance.

Bruno thought it had finesse and was astounded. Carrie Ann thinks the bar was set; there was emotion and passion. Len thought the footwork was bad, it lacked musicality, and she needs to work on her technique. Score: 25 (9,7,9).

Aiden Turner & Edyta Sliwinska - Cha Cha - It's interesting to hear the combination of accents, but the two work well. Edyta starts off with the jacket to reveal a very slinky dress. Aiden's kick seemed a bit low for comfort and the dance was awkward. Edyta put every bell and whistle in hopes of attracting the audience.

Carrie Ann liked the approach to the dance, but it was disjointed. Len sees potential, but it had too many tricks. Bruno saw no hip action and it was stiff; which is not sexy. Score: 15 (5,5,5).

Kate Gosselin & Tony Dovolani - Viennese Waltz - Kate still comes off the same as she always has on 'Jon and Kate Plus 8' in packages, but she gets special time to talk with Tony and the two push ahead. Kate has good connection with Tony, but some of the kicks were a bit awkwardly placed. They used a lot of spins to fill for time.

Len saw the nerves and she wasn't fluid. Bruno thought the technique was terrible and compares her to a shopping cart; she needs a persona. Carrie Ann knows that everything is new to her since she wasn't a musician, actor, or athlete and Carrie Ann was impressed by that. There is a vulnerability about her. Score: 16 (6,5,5).

Pamela Anderson & Damien Whitewood - Cha Cha - Pamela is dancing for her aunt Vie. Damien is our new professional, and the two have a lot to prove. Pam lacks confidence in practice. While the beginning was filled with walking, the rest of the performance was filled with sex. Pam knows how to use her hips and curves to her advantage.

Bruno couldn't think of anything but sex. Carrie Ann was most excited to see Pam and appreciated that she was having fun. She suggests that it was a bit too much. Len thought the solo work was good, but it was a mess overall. Score: 21 (7,6,8).

Week One Scores

High
Nicole & Derek - 25
Evan & Anna - 23
Erin & Maks - 21
Pam & Damien - 21

Middle
Jake & Chelsie - 20
Nicey & Louis - 18
Chad & Cheryl - 18
Shannen & Mark - 18

Low
Kate & Tony - 16
Aiden & Edyta - 15
Buzz & Ashly - 14

If there was an elimination this week, it would obviously had been Aiden & Edyta (both Kate and Buzz have actual fans), but everyone has another chance for redeeming themselves. I can actually see some potential with Kate and Buzz, but I doubt the bottom three will last more than three weeks. Kate's lack of any kind of training will haunt her, as will Buzz's age. How did you think the first episode went? Leave comments below.

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