Dancing With the Stars is back.
It seems like forever since the show was on the air, but Dancing With the Stars Season 30 Episode 1 kicked off with a new wave of contestants, and we have a lot to say about each of their performances.
Scroll down for our snappy judgments on the performances to round up the winners and losers of premiere week.
Mel C and pro Gleb Savchenko (Cha-Cha) – Winners
This pairing is decent, and given that they had lofty expectations due to being the first performance of the season, they held up well.
Using a Spice Girls track was somewhat cheesy, but hey, it probably resonated with the target audience of the series.
Mel C had great attention to detail, and her dancing ability came out to play. I suspect the only way is up for this couple in the coming weeks.
Judges’ Score: 27/40
The Miz and pro Witney Carson (Cha-Cha) – Losers
The Miz on DWTS sounds like a stretch, but the series excels when it throws in the people you don’t think will make it very far.
His performance with Witney was rough around the edges, proving that there’s a lot of room for improvement.
For now, they’re being listed as losers of premiere week, but they could emerge as the biggest surprise of the season.
Judges Score: 24/40
Iman Shumpert and pro Daniella Karagach (Jive) – Winners
For a week one jive, this was an excellent effort.
I’d go as far as to say they were robbed in the scores department.
Imam has proven that he can keep up with the more fast-paced dances, which is a good thing for Daniella.
If they can work together on more breathtaking and nuanced performances, they could be in with a chance.
Judges’ Score: 21/40
Olivia Jade and pro Val Chmerkovskiy (Salsa) – Winners
There was a lot of controversy heading in to the season premiere, with Olivia Jade feeling the ire of DWTS fans everywhere, but this was an excellent first-week performance.
With the series relying heavily on votes from the audience, it’s hard to imagine Olivia making it very far into the process.
She and Val worked very well together, but it’s hard to get invested because of the whole voting audience thing.
Judges’ Score: 25/40
Jimmie Allen and pro Emma Slater (Tango) – Losers
This performance didn’t land as well as I thought it would. They do work well together, but there seems to be a lack of skill on Jimmie’s part.
If they can work on that, they can improve their score and graduate to the winners’ circle, but for now, it’s hard to be excited about them.
Judges’ Score: 22/30
Melora Hardin and pro Artem Chigvintsev (Tango) – Winners
Hot damn, this was a thrilling performance. I could not take my eyes off of them.
You could tell Melora enjoyed every single beat of the performance, but there were some evident issues.
I can put them down to first performance jitters this week.
Judges’ Scores: 26/40
Suni Lee and pro Sasha Farber (Jive) – Winners
Suni and Sasha look very good together, and more importantly, they dance very well together.
Athletes tend to do very well on DWTS, and I can’t wait to see some of the more fast-paced numbers.
Suni and Sasha are definitely ones to watch.
Judges’ Score: 28/40
Cody Rigsby and pro Cheryl Burke (Tango) – Losers
Cody oozed confidence in the lead-up to the first performance.
Seriously, I thought this would be fantastic, but it left me feeling like I had been short-changed.
Cody clearly knows a lot about dancing, but this couple’s success will come down to whether they can hone each of their abilities.
Judges’ Score: 24/40
Amanda Kloots and pro Alan Bersten (Tango) – Winners
Amanda and Alan were comfortable from the get-go.
They both have this calming energy that translated very well in the ballroom.
It’s nice to see such a well-matched pair, and the future is looking good for them.
Judges’ Score: 28/40
Martin Kove and Britt Stewart (Paso Doble) – Losers
This has got to be one of the most mismatched pairings in several years.
Could Martin surprise us and become a solid dancer?
Don’t bet on it.
Judges’ Score: 13/40
Kenya Moore and pro Brandon Armstrong (Foxtrot) – Winners
As her future on The Real Housewives of Atlanta remains in flux, at least Kenya is making a case to return.
Her performance with Brandon was very good.
The best part about this is that Kenya doesn’t have ballroom experience, so it makes me wonder what she can do with some more training.
Judges’ Score: 26/40
Christine Chiu and pro Pasha Pashkov (Tango) – Winners
This was a decent first performance, but it didn’t deliver as well as some of the others in the winners’ circle.
It was safe and risk-free, but if Christine and Pasha can up the ante in the coming weeks, well, they could become a better pairing.
Judges’ Score: 25/40
Matt James and pro Lindsay Arnold (Cha-Cha) – Winners
It looks like the trend of a Bachelor Nation member winning DWTS is over.
Matt turned in a good performance with Lindsay, but he wasn’t an out-of-the-door hit like Hannah and Kaitlyn.
That could change, but for now, Matt and Lindsay are not the best on the show.
Judges’ Score: 24/40
Brian Austin Green and pro Sharna Burgess (Foxtrot) – Winners
If this competition was about chemistry, they’d win.
They were cute on the dance floor, but there’s a lot of work to be done.
It’s a different dynamic having a couple as competitors and with their legions of fans, they might win the whole thing.
Time will tell.
Judges’ Score: 24/40
JoJo Siwa and pro Jenna Johnson (Quickstep) – Winners
Admit it, you were tuning in for these two!
The series saved this historic pairing for the end of premiere night, and they stand a good chance at winning the Mirrorball Trophy based on this performance alone.
Yes, there were some issues, but the scores don’t lie. They would have been over 30 if not for the blip in the middle.
Judges’ Score: 29/30
Okay, Dancing with the Stars fans!
I’ve had my say. Now you can have yours!
Hit the comments with your thoughts, and make your winner prediction.
Dancing With the Stars continues Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.