(CNN) — “Dancing with the Stars” shimmied back onto TV Monday night with the premiere of its 16th season.
The stakes were slightly lower than usual for the 12 dancing pairs as they didn’t have to worry about eliminations this week. D.L. Hughley, though, might want to take the opportunity to sharpen his steps.
The comedian and actor received the lowest score of the night, pulling just a 12 out of 30 with his Cheryl Burke-accompanied cha-cha.
Disney star Zendaya, who your kids know from “Shake It Up!”, was a superstar on the dance floor Monday night, as she and Val Chmerkovskiy earned a score of 24 with their energetic contemporary routine. Gold-medal Olympian Aly Raisman and “Idol” alum Kellie Pickler weren’t far behind, as each contender earned a score of 21.
“We killed it tonight. I mean everyone,” Pickler told CNN backstage. “Everyone had their special thing that they brought to the dance floor and I loved that. I had so much fun.”
Another gold-medalist, Dorothy Hamill, came out strong in the premiere, picking up a score of 21 for her contemporary routine with Tristan MacManus.
The reality stars, however, weren’t as thrilling. “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” cast member Lisa Vanderpump only managed an 18 with her fox trot, and former “Bachelor” Sean Lowe received a 19 for his.
The middling score isn’t deterring the soon-to-be-wed Lowe, as he told CNN backstage that he’s hoping to learn a few tricks for his wedding ceremony.
“After this hopefully I will be a great dancer, and I know [my fiancée] Catherine [Giudici] is already a great dancer, so we can put on a show at our wedding,” Lowe said.
Wynonna Judd and Victor Ortiz also had room for improvement, as they each were granted a score of 18 for a cha-cha and a foxtrot, respectively.
Andy Dick, meanwhile, is still hoping to make the most of his “DWTS” experience. His foxtrot picked up a score of 17 from the judges, and he told CNN backstage that he’s looking at this as a new form of rehab.
“What Sharna [Burgess] is putting me through is harder, tougher, cooler than, more exciting and more rehabilitating than rehab,” he said.
