Dancing With The Stars 7: Sequined Panties, Tequila And Hot Hot Hot!
Episode 1 Recap by Jenny Lane
September 23, 2008
Dancing with the Stars kicks off its seventh season this week with five (yes, five!) hours, in what ABC is dubbing a “premiere event.” I’ll do my best to cover all five hours, providing that carpal tunnel doesn’t set in! In a DWTS first, the thirteen stars and their professional partners will all dance two dances, after rehearsing for the last five weeks. In another first, two stars will be eliminated this week.
Before we get to the show, here’s who we’ll be watching this season:
Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer
Lance, age 29, lists his profession on ABC’s site as a pop star, but I would vote to change that to “former pop star.” He of course was a member of NSYNC. Lance is also the one who trained with the Russian space program and NASA to be a cosmonaut, but he never did make it into space. As far as his lovelife goes, Lance was formerly linked to Amazing Race’s Reichen Lehmkuhl. More recently, he is reported to be dating a trainer named Sebastian, who technically has a wife.
Lacey, age 20, is new to Dancing with the Star, and is probably best known for being a finalist on the show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Her brother Benji was also a former contestant on SYTYCD, and was the winner of that season. Her father is a champion swing dancer, and both she and Benji specialize in the same style. Don’t let her youth fool you, she has been dancing competitively since age seven.
Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo
Toni, age 40, is a Grammy winning singer and Broadway actress. Her single “Unbreak My Heart” is the second most successful single by a female artist in history. She has had more than her share of struggles over the years. Her huge success and popularity in the 90’s was marred with a bankruptcy filing in 1998. Since 2006, Toni has been starring in a show at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, where she replaced Wayne Newton as the headliner. This year, she had to cancel the remainder of her Vegas shows (which were scheduled to close in September) due to a condition described as a ‘weakened heart valve.’
Dancing with the Stars is Toni’s return after taking six months off to concentrate on her health. I loved her in the 90’s and I’m really pulling for her, but I can’t help but wonder how her heart condition will affect her rehearsal schedule.
Alec Mazo, age 29 was the winner of season one, and is looking to regain his title. His professional dance partner is Edyta Sliwinska, and the two recently married. He was born in Russia, but moved to the San Francisco area at age 12.
Brooke Burke and Derek Hough
Brooke, age 37, was the host of the “Rock Star” shows, and has been in several television shows. She started out as a swimsuit and lingerie model, and got her break as the host of a show on E! in 1999. She has been in Playboy, Maxim, Stuff and FHM. Brooke was married to a plastic surgeon (which explains quite a bit!), and they have two children. She also has two children with Baywatch’s David Charvet. Motherhood has led her to her latest venture, a company called Baboosh Baby, which makes wraps for pregnant women.
Derek, age 23, is in the company of friends and family on the show. His best friend is dancer Mark Ballas, and his sister is Julianne Hough. When he was 12, he and Julianne moved to London to train, and his dance coaches were Mark Ballas’ parents. One of the parents is Corky Ballas, who is also on DWTS this season. Derek says he is now taking a break from performing to focus on singing and acting. However, he is a panelist on the BBC show “DanceX,” which is a show from DWTS’ judge Bruno Tonioli.
Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff
Rocco, age 41, is a James Beard award winning chef, author and reality show star. He has known for his hot temper, and has left restaurant and radio jobs due to “creative differences” with management. Rocco doesn’t strike me as the most graceful guy in the world, and he’s also not as well known as some of the other stars this season. I’m a fan of his, but I’m doubtful that he’ll be very successful.
Karina, age 30, has gotten as.....
Jenny lives in the Silicon Valley with her husband, daughter and five furry kids. In addition to all things reality tv, she loves Nip/Tuck, Big Love and the Food Network. She’s addicted to her laptop, so if you’d like to feed her addiction, you can e-mail her at Jenny@RealityTVCalendar.com.
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