Lauren Alaina Makes Her ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Debut [WATCH]
Lauren Alaina made her Dancing With the Stars debut on Monday night (Sept. 16). The country singer and her dance partner, Gleb Savchenko, began the Season 28 competition with a cha-cha.
Alaina and Savchenko's performance channeled her country music background: They danced to Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" for their first DWTS performance. The judges -- Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli -- awarded the pair 19 of a possible 30 points, with Tonioli describing the performance as "sultry" and "steamy."
"You've got style," Inaba offered. "You're a little loose, but I liked that."
In addition to Alaina, Season 28's Dancing With the Stars cast includes actors James Van Der Beek and Kate Flannery, former Bachelorette contestant Hannah Brown, ex-NFL player Ray Lewis, NBA player Lamar Odom, comedian Kel Mitchell and more. The show pairs celebrities with professional dancers, with the pairings competition in an elimination-style competition until a winner is crowned at the end of the season.
Judges' and viewers' votes determine who stays and who goes after each round of Dancing With the Stars dances, though only the judges weigh in for Week 1, as there are no eliminations made. Week 1 and Week 2 judges scores are combined with Week 2 live fan voting to determine the first elimination, which will occur in Week 2.
Alaina is far from the first country artist to compete on Dancing With the Stars: Wynonna Judd, Chuck Wicks, Sara Evans, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Jana Kramer also previously appeared on the show. Kellie Pickler won the show back in 2013, while country radio DJ Bobby Bones won the show's 27th season in 2018; in fact, it was Bones who convinced Alaina to accept the competitor spot.
These Country Personalities Have All Been on DWTS, Too: