'Best first dance on the first show ever': Graceful Katherine Jenkins sets the bar VERY high as DWTS kicks off 14th season
By Iona Kirby
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She has been working hard during rehearsals to prepare for her stint on Dancing With The Stars.
And Katherine Jenkins showed off the fruits of her labour when she stole the show as the dance series kicked off its 14th season.
The Welsh opera singer was told by Carrie Ann Inaba that she and partner Mark Ballas’s foxtrot was the ‘best first dance on the first episode ever’.
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Setting the bar high: Katherine Jenkins cemented her spot on Dancing With The Stars with a show-stopping foxtrot
Graceful: Katherine and Mark were told their dance was the best ever on an opening show
The blonde looked stunning in a yellow sequined frock and white opera gloves as she shimmied across the dancefloor, and scooped an impressive 26 points out of 30, including two scores of nine.
She equally received praise from Len Goodman, who called her foxtrot ‘cracking’ and Bruno Tonioli, who dubbed the dance ‘exquisite’.
Katherine was reduced to tears when Bruno told her: ‘You’re setting the bar so high that really you have a lot to live up to.’
Reduced to tears: Katherine cried after receiving such positive feedback from the judges
Showtime: The contestants got ready to perform for the first time in front of the judges and audience
Also impressive: Jaleel White joined Katherine at the top of the scoreboard with 26 points
And after her performance, Katherine wrote on her Twiter page: 'OMG 2 9's & an 8! Joint top of the leader board! Just called my mum in Wales at 3am to break the news #TellMeImNotDreaming @DancingABC #DWTS'
Piers Morgan was also quick to offer his congratulations, tweeting: 'Congrats to my lovely Welsh friend @KathJenkins - you just shimmied your way into American stardom! #DWTS.'
Katherine wasn’t the only hopeful to show promise however as Jaleel White also scored 26.
Len said after he closed the premiere episode: ‘Without doubt this is the best first show of any season.’
And William Levy proved he is more than just a pretty face as he demonstrated some smooth moves which left him in third place with a score of 24.
Kicking off: Maria Menounos and Derek Hough had the daunting task of opening the entire season
Not just a pretty face: William Levy showed off his smooth moves on the dancefloor
Gavin DeGraw lacked rhythm and didn’t fare as well as some of the others, and Martina Navratilova was a little stiff on the dancefloor.
The pair joined Melissa Gilbert at the bottom of the leaderboard with 20 points.
Jack Wagner and Roshon Fegan both offered entertaining performances and landed 23 points, alongside Sherri Shephard and Gladys Knight.
Bad luck: Gavin DeGraw and Melissa Gilbert didn't fare as well as the others on tonight's show
Comedy value: Sherri Shepherd made the audience laugh but also impressed with her dance moves
While Len said Jack’s technique was ‘poor’, Carrie Ann praised the Melrose Place star and said: ‘You can act, you can sing and boy, you can dance.’
Meanwhile 67-year-old Gladys was told she ‘oozed rhythm’ by Len after she had the crowd dancing along with her.
Sherri offered the comedy of the night when she said as she caught her breath before the results were revealed: ‘I apologise to everybody I criticized at The View. Short of birthing my child, this is the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life.’
Promising: Roshon Fegan (L) and Donald Driver both fared well on the premiere show
Room for improvement: Martina Navratilova was told she ought to go for the big points like she does on the tennis court
She added humorously: ‘I think I left a boob on the floor. If somebody finds it, could you give it back to me?’
Maria Menounos received a satisfactory 21 points after having the daunting task of giving the first performance and kicking off the entire season.
Donald landed the same score, showing promise in Bruno’s eyes as he was hailed as ‘a diamond in the rough’.
The contestants had the opportunity to showcase their skills but none of them will be sent packing until next week, after they have tried their hands and feet at either the quickstep or the jive.
Mixed reviews: Len told Jack Wagner his technique was 'poor' but Carrie Ann praised the performance
Oldest contestant: 67-year-old Gladys Knight had the whole house dancing and was told by Len that she 'oozed rhythm'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2117496/Dancing-With-The-Stars-2012-Katherine-Jenkins-sets-bar-VERY-high-season-14-kicks-off.html#ixzz1peHWSTG3
