“Dancing with the Stars” returned for its tenth season on Monday night and not only were there a lot of sparkles and spandex, but there was one contestant with a real mission – Kate Gosselin – who was ready to show her eight children that their mom can do anything.
Before the former “Jon & Kate Plus 8” star, clad in layers of pink fabric, took to the “DWTS” ballroom with her partner, professional dancer Tony Dovolani, Kate revealed her brood lacked faith in their mother’s dancing skills.
Kate revealed that after she told her children she was doing the ABC reality competition, her little ones told her she couldn’t dance.
Her missions this season, however, is to prove her family wrong.
“Without a doubt, I’m going to prove them wrong,” she said.
Kate also added that she would be dancing for moms across America.
“All the moms out there, this is for you,” she said before her Viennese waltz. “Wish me luck.”
Despite the elegant, flowing layers of Kate’s pink dress that added an air of grace to her performance with Tony, the couple — who danced to “Always A Woman To Me” by Billy Joel — had some problems.
“The technique was terrible,” judge Bruno Tonioli exclaimed. “You have to learn to perform. It looked like someone was pushing a shopping cart around the floor!”
Judge Carrie Ann Inaba offered kinder criticism as the two took home just 16 out of 30 points.
“You’re not a performer, you’re not an athlete, so every single aspect of this is new to you,” she said. “I really am impressed. There was a sweet vulnerability to what you were doing.”
But while Kate left something to be desired from the judges, Pamela Anderson left them panting.
The former “Baywatch” babe hit the stage in short, tight, neon pink sparkles with professional dance partner Damian Whitewood, a newcomer to the show.
The two entertained the crowd — and the judges — shaking their stuff to ZZ Top’s “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” but the pair managed to add some dirty dancing to their routine thanks to a host of sexy leg kicks, bountiful blonde hair tosses, up close and personal shimmies and Damian’s ripped open shirt.
Their dance left judge Bruno hot under the collar.
“Pamela,” he said stuttering. “I can only think of sex, sex and more sex. The dirtier the better. Striperella is back home! Do it to me girl!”
Carrie Ann was also left nearly speechless.
“Didn’t it make you giddy?” she laughed.
The Simon Cowell of the “DWTS” group, British judge Len Goodman, wasn’t impressed, however.
“Overall, it was a mess,” he said, and the score for the pair – a 21 out of 30 – put Pamela and Damian in the middle of the pack.
While Pamela and Damian raised eyebrows, the technical standout pair of the night was Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and her partner, pro Derek Hough.
The two offered up a smooth and graceful Viennese waltz, which Carrie Ann said set the bar for the season.
The pair took home the highest score of the night, a 25 out of 30, after receiving nines from Carrie Ann and Bruno and a seven from Len.
Here’s how the rest of the pack performed:
NFL star Chad Ochocinco and Cheryl Burke kicked the night off with a cha cha, which got cheers from the football player’s son and his pal, Terrell Owens, who was in the audience, but just 18 out of 30 points from the judges.
Shannen Doherty performed a Viennese waltz with pro Mark Ballas, and while she too received 18 out of 30 points, she was left in tears after seeing the reaction of her father, the man she is dedicating her season to.
“Did you see my dad’s face?” she asked new “DWTS” co-host Brooke Burke backstage. “That’s all that mattered.”
ESPN’s Erin Andrews and pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy were given good marks and 21 points for their cha cha to Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok.” Carrie Ann also told them they had a “great connection.”
“Bachelor” star Jake Pavelka and petite pro Chelsie Hightower received 20 points for their Viennese waltz and a tip from Len. “Stop sticking your bum out,” the Brit said.
Like Shannen, funnylady Niecy Nash was brought to tears at the end of her cha cha with pro Louis van Amstel, tears she confirmed to Tom were happy. Carrie Ann loved their performance, but Len called it “flat.” The two scored 18 out of 30.
Men’s figure skating gold medalist Evan Lysacek and partner Anna Trebunskaya were trumped at the top of the leaderboard by Nicole and Derek, but their Viennese waltz, with its grace, left an impression. “Those lines were gorgeous,” Carrie Ann said as the two took home 23 points.
Octogenarian astronaut Buzz Aldrin and partner Ashly Costa netted the lowest score of the evening for their cha cha – just 14 points out of 30. The judges, however, did their best not to insult the second ever real-life moon walker too badly. “It looked like you still had your moon boots on,” Len commented.
Soap star Aiden Turner, paired with pro Edyta Sliwinska, made a sexy pair as they cha cha’d to a ballroom version of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf,” but the judges weren’t thrilled. “There’s a dancer in there, but this routine was full of everything I don’t like,” Len said as the couple received the second lowest score of the night – just 15 out of 30.
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