Tuesday, March 20, 2007 – There has been many people looking forward to the premiere of the newest season of Dancing With the Stars. While it may not be as popular as the other competitive reality show, American Idol, it ranks pretty close, and seems to pick up more fans every year. This year, they seem to be pulling out all the stops. Who wouldn't want to tune in to see if Paul McCartney's ex, Heather Mills, will be able to keep her artificial leg from flying off while she goes into a spin?

Our first celebrity up is Ian Ziering, working all the time, although it doesn't seem like we've seen him since his Beverly Hills, 90210 days. He's ecstatic to find out his partner will be Cheryl Burke, as she's won the show the past two seasons with partners Emmit Smith and Drew Lachey. As with all the men celebrities tonight, they perform a cha cha to the song “Mony Mony”, and at times I thought Ziering looked like a pro, making me wonder if Cheryl is just that good. Goodman tells her she's lucky to always have good partners, Tonioli advises Ziering to see a Chippendales' show to learn how to move his hips, and Inaba liked his energy, but wants him to use the floor a little more. They get scores of 7, 7, and 7 out of 10s, to give them a total of 21 out of a possible 30.

Mr. Achy Breaky Heart Billy Ray Cyrus, also known as Hannah Montana's Miley Cyrus’s dad, although he refers to himself as a left-footed hillbilly from Kentucky, has somehow grown hotter with age. He's paired with Karina Smirnoff who started an offscreen romance last season with her onscreen partner Mario Lopez. The two dance the cha cha to Cyrus' song, “I Want My Mullet Back”. He was right; he's not a dancer. He also provides a wardrobe malfunction not being able to pull of Smirnoff's mullet wig. Inaba tells Cyrus it was rock 'n roll, not cha cha, Tonioli says he was like a crazy bear caught in a swamp, and Goodman tells him it's more like a hoedown than a cha cha. The scores reflect this as they get 5, 4, and 4, for a total of 13.

Joey Fatone, formerly of the group N'Sync, is partnered with Kym Johnson, and seems to keep her laughing as much as Jerry Springer did. Being in a boy band, he can move okay, but he says he's no dancer. He proves himself wrong as he and Johnson dance the cha cha to “You Should Be Dancing”. His microphone pack comes off his pants, yet he ignores it, although he later says he had thought he crapped his pants. They perform what looks like a light-hearted disco routine. Inaba pronounces that the competition has just begun, whereas Goodman says the path to glory starts right here. Tonioli says it's about performing, selling, and being honest, and Fatone sold it. They get scores of 8, 8, 8, for a total of 24.

After Vincent Pastore, formerly of The Sopranos dropped out, Cheers star John Ratzenberger replaced him, and has had half the time to prepare as the others. His partner is Edyta Sliwinska who dances professionally with Mazo, and says this is the first of all her seasons with the show that she has been nervous for her partner. They dance the cha cha to “Chain of Fools”, and he is much better than anyone could have imagined, getting into it and having fun halfway through. Inaba calls Ratzenberger surprisingly good and charismatic, and Goodman calls it well done, but warns about his footwork. Tonioli notes Ratzenberger has some hesitation, yet then kicked it into gear. Their scores are 6, 5, and 6 for a total of 17.

NBA star Clyde Drexler at 6'7" has over a full foot over his partner, Elena Grinenko, who dances professionally with Dovolani. Drexler jokes he hopes to get it sometime in the next decade. They do the cha cha to “I Was Made to Love Her”, and he certainly resembles his nickname, "Clyde the Glide," yet there's something missing that I can't place. Inaba wants him to not worry about his height and just fill the floor. Goodman wishes he had been at home with a cheese roll and a cup of tea as he found it enjoyable, and doesn't want to critique the performance. Cheese roll? Tonioli doesn't think Drexler used all of the talents that he could have. They receive scores of 6, 5, and 5, for a total of 16.

Despite the fact he's currently training and competing for the World Championships, Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno is taking this competition on, being partnered with Julianne Hough, at 18, the youngest ever professional dancer on the show. They dance the cha cha to “Let's Hear It for the Boy”. Her youth and possible inexperience don't show, and he shows much promise, reminding me of Joey Lawrence and Drew Lachey from the past few seasons. Tonioli says it's like watching Happy Feet all over again, Inaba thought he was the guy from the boy band at first, meaning Fatone, and Goodman is worried how his posture will hold up next week. They receive scores of 7, 7, and 7, for a total of 21.

-Laura Tucker