By Hannah Yasharoff

Copyright hellomagazine

Alec Baldwin made a surprise appearance on Tuesday night’s Dancing with the Stars premiere amid continuing legal issues over the fatal shooting that happened on the set of his film Rust in 2021 when a real bullet was discharged from the prop gun Alec had been using. The actor, 67, attended the live taping of the premiere and also appeared in his wife’s pre-dance package, where Hilaria Baldwin brought her dance partner, Gleb Savchenko, to rehearse in New York near their home. “She’s a hard worker,” Alec said. “This was her life until she got injured. so she’s just going to give it everything she has. And I’m proud of her. Very proud of her.” Alec even got in on the action — asking if he could “cut in,” before busting a few moves with Gleb.

Aside from the Rust legal issues, the Baldwins are no strangers to other controversy (and DWTS loves casting a controversial star every season) Hilaria has also faced social media backlash in the past over accusations that the Boston, Massachusetts, native had faked her Spanish accent and heritage. (Hilaria, who has family in Spain, previously maintained she hadn’t done anything wrong.)

The season 34 premiere of DWTS brought that controversy, as well as energetic dances, familiar faces and a few hiccups. Co-judge Carrie Ann Inaba announced earlier Tuesday that she would be absent from the season premiere, revealing to fans that she was “feeling quite under the weather.” Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli held down the fort in the meantime. Next week’s theme is One-Hit Wonders, which will feature all 14 competitors performing before a double elimination. But for now, here’s how each star performed week one.

Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles and pro Ezra Sosa

Two-time Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles brought energy to the dance floor first thing with a salsa full of Olympic-worthy flips and tricks to Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” — which, co-host Julianne Hough noted, Beyoncé gave Jordan permission to perform. NBD. While both judges enjoyed the performance overall, Derek took issue with a lack of salsa; Bruno pointed out some “wobbly dismounts” But as always, DWTS judges only get nit-picky with contestants who they believe can actually take the feedback and use it to go the distance.

Score: 10/20 (Derek: 5, Bruno: 5)

The Traitors winner Dylan Efron and pro Danielle Karagach

Dylan Efron has become a celebrity in his own right, but for years, he was known primarily as little brother to High School Musical star Zac Efron. “I was my brother’s biggest fan,” Dylan said in the opening package. “He was always the star always the most charismatic. so its really natural for a younger sibiling to stray away from that. So I’m excited to do something no one would expect.” His cha-cha to “Milkshake” by Kelis brought more than enough hip and booty shaking to satisfy all the fans who, as Dylan noted, follow him on Instagram for his thirst traps. Bruno dubbed that “shaking of the butt” as “first class.” He and Derek both noticed some moments of “surprising” potential and others that fell off the beat.

Score: 10/20 (Derek: 5, Bruno: 5)

The Parent Trap star Elaine Hendrix and pro Alan Bersten

At 54, Elaine Hendrix expressed worry about not being able to pull off a season of dancing. “I want to be able to prove to other women that age doesn’t matter,” she said. Elaine hoped that a cha-cha to “Woman” by Kesha, featuring a fun Meredith Blake-esque hat as an Easter egg for Parent Trap fans, would be able to achieve that goal, and the judges seemed to agree. Bruno dubbed the performance “sassy, sexy and nuanced;” Derek thought it was “mesmerizing ” and “amazing.”

Score: 12/20 (Derek: 6, Bruno: 6)

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt and pro Mark Ballas

Whitney Leavitt is used to short little TikTok dances, but she’s trading her front-facing phone camera for the bright lights of the DWTS ballroom. Her tango to “Golden” by the KPop Demon Hunters cast became one of the biggest hits of the evening, garnering adoration from the crowd and judges alike. While some teams’ choreography took a little too much liberty with their dance styles, Bruno loved this quintessential tango performance. Derek highlighted a slew of technical moves that Whitney nailed, though he noted she needed to maintain her frame more. “If Carrie Ann was here tonight she would have absolutely loved that routine, Derek said.

Score: 15/20 (Derek: 7, Bruno: 8 — Bruno accidentally pressed 8 instead of 7, but his original answer was honored)

NBA alum Baron Davis and pro Britt Stewart

Despite some of his NBA buddies laughing at the thought of him dancing on live television, Baron Davis said he was inspired to join the show by NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s season 26 appearance. His cha-cha to MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This,” featuring a bedazzled basketball, brought the energy you’d hope for from a former athlete. Derek thought Baron’s charisma helped to mask some of the missteps. “I think you do have the talent. You’re a great dancer,” Bruno added.

Score: 10/20 (Derek: 5, Bruno: 5)

TikTok star Alix Earle and pro Val Chmerkovskiy

Alix Earle has shared much of her life to her millions of TikTok followers, but “no one has seen my competitive side yet,” she said. Alix grew up dancing, but she ultimately grew to fame with her “get ready with me” vlogs. Her cha-cha to “Circus” by Britney Spears brought the literal and metaphorical fire, courtesy of a flaming hoop and some speedy footwork that Derek called “sharp, clean, precise and powerful. That was a really, really impressive first dance. Not an easy routine,” Derek said, though he warned Alix to make sure that her precision didn’t turn her performances stiff.

Score: 13/20 (Derek: 7, Bruno: 6)

Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying and pro Rylee Arnold

Paws up, Little Monsters: Scott Hoying delivered a fun, attitude-filled tango to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra.” “We knew you had the singing chops, but the dancing chops,” Derek said. Some of the fundamentals were missing, and Bruno lamented a lack of tango moves (which seems to be a running issue the judges had with many performances this week). “It just makes me want to work harder,” Scott said.

Score: 10/20 (Derek: 5, Bruno: 5)

Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel and pro Pasha Pashkov

Danielle Fishel’s tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” was an “emotional” ode to her diagnosis of stage 0 breast cancer, for which she completed treatment earlier this year. “Having just survived cancer, this is my year of yes,” Danielle said. “Dancing with the Stars was one of my biggest yeses.” Bruno told her that he “didn’t know you had it in you;” Derek dubbed it a “breath of fresh air.”

Score: 12/20 (Derek: 6, Bruno: 6)

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck and pro Jan Ravnik

Jen Affleck is the second “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star to join the cast. But Taylor Swift fans may also recognize her pro partner, Jan Ravnik, as a backup dancer on the Eras Tour. “I just came from the biggest tour in history,” Jan said. “If he’s good enough for Taylor, he’s good enough for me,” Jen said. She chose to salsa to “NUEVAYoL” by Bad Bunny (Jen said she wants to embrace her Latina roots), a performance that judges said was full of fun flips, but could warrant more substance, given her talent.

Score: 12/20 (Derek: 6, Bruno: 6)

Actor Corey Feldman and pro Jenna Johnson

You may recognize Corey Feldman from his years as a child actor in the ’80s, most notably in The Goonies, Stand By Me, Gremlins and The Lost Boys. While he has some dance experience (he even used to dance with co-host Alfonso Ribero), Corey is learning ballroom dance for the first time at 54, even despite a scoliosis diagnosis. His tango to “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me” by Billy Joel offered some pizazz, even if judges hoped he could “clean up the technique” and form. “There’s a lot to work on,” Derek said.

Score: 9/20 (Derek: 4, Bruno: 5)

Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui and pro Brandon Armstrong

Fifth Harmony alums Normani and Ally Brooke both made it to the finale in their seasons competing on DWTS, and Lauren Jauregi is hopeful she can be the third member of the group. “When you’re in a group, people tend to associate you with the group. But I’m really excited for people to get to know me outside of that,” Lauren said. Her tango to “yes, and?” by Ariana Grande was “elegant” and “fluid,” the judges said. “You put us all on notice tonight,” Derek said.

Score: 13/20 (Derek: 7, Bruno: 6)

Comedian Andy Richter and pro Emma Slater

You may recognize Andy Richter as Conan O’Brien’s longtime late night sidekick, but he’s now stepping up to center stage. “Some of these people have never looked like idiots on TV. That part of it, I’m not afraid of,” Andy joked. Donning knee braces, the comedian’s footwork wasn’t the fastest, but judges loved the “cheeky” spirit he brought to his cha-cha, set to “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Sam & Dave. “It can only get better,” Bruno said.

Score: 9 (Derek: 5, Bruno: 4)

Hilaria Baldwin and pro Gleb Savchenko

Hilaria has written books, taught fitness classes and raised seven children, but she’s perhaps best known for being “wife to one wild husband,” as she put it. Hilaria actually has past ballroom dance experience, but was sidelined “a long time ago” with a hip injury. For her return to the ballroom, she chose a vivacious cha-cha to “Let’s Get Loud” by Jennifer Lopez. “It makes me so happy to see you back out here,” Derek said.

Score: 14/20 (Derek: 7, Bruno: 7)

Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin and pro Witney Carson

Robert Irwin is best known for taking over the role of famous wildlife conservationist, filling in the role of his late father, Steve Irwin. On DWTS, he’s also following in the footsteps of his older sister, Bindi Irwin, who previously competed on the show. (She was also in attendance for the premiere.) “Coming to America when my sister, Bindi, won Dancing with the Stars, I thought ‘One day, that’s gonna be me.’ So being here now, honestly, feels like I’m coming home,” Robert said. Ever-clad in his zookeeper khakis, Robert delivered the final dance of the evening: an action-packed jive to “Born To Be Wild.” “You had some big shoes to fill with Bindi,” Derek said, calling it the best first dance he’d ever seen on the show. “You didn’t just fill them. You owned them.”

Score: 15/20 (Derek: 8, Bruno: 7)