'Dancing With the Stars' Season 25 Premiere: Best Lifts, Kicks, Tricks and Flips!

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ET breaks down all the best choreography moments in the ballroom Monday night!

The season 25 premiere of Dancing With the Stars was full of sweet surprises!

We've covered all the big moments from Monday's show HERE, but now, we're breaking down each piece of choreography. Who had the most difficult dance? Which star executed the best tricks? Which choreographer went above and beyond in the ballroom? The judges locked in their scores, and here at ET, we're doing the same. Keep reading for more!

Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke - Cha Cha, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by The Temptations

 

 

Dance highlight: Knowing what we do about Terrell on the football field, we had no doubt this man would bring the energy -- and he did! We loved that he was smiling the entire time, putting his own sexy swagger into the dance steps and giving us major Michael Jackson vibes. One of our favorite moments from the dance was at the 1:40 mark, when T.O. recreated one of his iconic touchdown celebration dances.
Judges' score: 15/30. "You really got the party started tonight. Full of fun, full of energy ... but you gotta work on your feet." - Len Goodman
ET's score: 18/30. T.O. is an entertainer and competitor through and through, and we have no doubt he'll up his game next week. Though we agree that he needs to work on his footwork, we thought the judges scored #TeamGetchaPopcorn incredibly low.
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Debbie Gibson & Alan Bersten - Foxtrot, Debbie's song, "Lost in Your Eyes"

Dance highlight: A dazzling number by #TeamSonBerst! Alan's choreography was elegant and Debbie's dancing was graceful, a win-win in our book. Check out her pretty arabesque spin at the 2:30 mark.
Judges' score: 17/30. "Lovely. Dreamy, great partnering, wonderful chemistry ... I'd love to explore even further." - Bruno Tonioli
ET's score: 18/30. While we agree that Debbie needs to point her feet and extend her arms out more while dancing, overall, we thought she looked beautiful out there in the ballroom. And we're giving her an extra point because we know how hard she worked in rehearsals this week, being forced to take some time out due to her battle with Lyme disease.
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko - Cha Cha, "Like That" by Fleur East

Dance highlight: Sasha FIERCE! There was shimmying, there were sparkles and there was major sass, and it worked. While we were truly entertained from start to finish, our favorite moments from #TeamATeam happened at 1:48 and 2:20.
Judges' score: 18/30. "I thought you looked fierce out there. You are on the right track!" - Carrie Ann Inaba
ET's score: 20/30. Although the Pretty Little Liars star doesn't have any dance experience herself, you can tell rhythm's instilled in her soul, thanks to her ballroom-dancing parents. We're calling it now: Sasha is here to stay!
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Drew Scott & Emma Slater - Foxtrot, "Our House" by Madness

Dance highlight: OK, Drew, we see you! The Property Brothers star didn't hold anything back during this performance, and the way he used the ballroom surprised us. Plus, he was a perfect partner to Emma. Watch him lead her into a stunning dip starting at 2:05.
Judges' score: 16/30. "Work on trying to get a little more finesse..." - Len Goodman
ET's score: 17/30. Even though Drew is paired with DWTS' reigning mirrorball champion, we were a little hesitant about how his dance "skills" would resonate in the ballroom. Honestly, we were pleasantly surprised, and we loved that he was having so much fun out there. Go, #TeamHotProperty!
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe - Salsa, "Money Maker" by Ludacris

Dance highlight: We're giving Keo an A+ for the fun factor here. So fun, in fact, that we can't possibly pick just one standout moment. Watch the entire dance for yourself above.
Judges' score: 14/30. "She can shake her money maker!" - Bruno Tonioli
ET's score: 15/30. The Shark Tank star was entertaining without a doubt, but we felt like all of the business onstage took attention away from the dancing. When you strictly focus on #TeamSharkeo's choreography, there were a lot of missteps. 
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold - Tango, "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" by Shawn Mendes

Dance highlight: Jordan and Lindsay = perfect partnership. These two were so fantastically in sync from start to finish, it was hard to decipher who was the pro and who was the star. Our favorite moments? 1:51, 2:10 and 2:35.
Judges' score: 22/30. "That was so good! That was, like, wowza! This is week one!" - Carrie Ann Inaba
ET's score: 25/30. #TeamFishUponAStar has a spot on the show's leaderboard, and ET's! We have a feeling these two will be frontrunners all season.
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd - Cha Cha, "Come Get It Bae" by Pharrell Williams

Dance highlight: For a first dance, we thought Peta's song choice for Nick was perfect. It was fun, a tad silly at parts and filled with great content, like the dip at 1:50, Nick's little freestyle at 2:04 and another dip at 2:22.
Judges' score: 18/30. "Didn't hold back. All or nothing." - Len Goodman
ET's score: 18/30. Once we got over how AMAZING Peta's post-baby body looked (she just gave birth eight months ago!), we were able to focus on the movement and come to the conclusion that 98 Degrees' frontman can, indeed, dance. And seeing as his brother, Drew Lachey, won the mirrorball back in season two, Nick has big shoes to fill.
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Vanessa Lachey & Maksim Chmerkovskiy - Cha Cha, "Woman" by Kesha

Dance highlight: In interviews with ET, Vanessa has said she's been wanting to get her groove back, and "mama" did that tonight! Sassy and strong from beginning to end, and bonus points for all those diva facial expressions, like at the 1:43 mark.
Judges' score: 21/30. "What I really liked about what you did, was a proper cha cha cha … you've got it." - Bruno Tonioli
ET's score: 22/30. This girl is in it to WIN it! So confident, sexy and focused.
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson - Foxtrot, "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles

Dance highlight: Like Drew, Frankie totally took us by surprise! Though he seemed a tad nervous ahead of the show, he got comfortable quick, leading Witney across the ballroom. His skills shocked us right from the start of the dance, which begins at the 1:30 mark.
Judges' score: 19/30. "I was screaming like you were in a boy band. There's something so beautiful about that performance… fantastic, well done." -- Carrie Ann Inaba
ET's score: 20/30. We can't get enough of Frankie's passion, and we want more! In his pre-taped interview, he adorably said, "I didn't know I loved dance [so much]. My heart has not stopped pounding for weeks."
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev - Tango, "So What!" by Pink

Dance highlight: Heart this song, love this dance! The WWE star made us (and fiance John Cena!) proud last night, delivering a fiery hot, technically strong routine. See her best moments at 1:48, 2:04 and 2:16.
Judges' score: 20/30. "I like the fact that you had good body contact." - Len Goodman
ET's score: 22/30. Making a tough girl in the ring look graceful in the ballroom is no easy feat, but we think Artem made that happen Monday night, proving these two aren't going anywhere any time soon!
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess - Salsa, "Basketball" by Kurtis Blow

Dance highlight: Shout-out to #TeamHoopsAndHeels for being the only couple to up the entertainment factor with crazy lifts during premiere night! Besides D. Fish's basketball dance break at the 1:48 mark, our favorite moments happened at 2:05, 2:09, 2:15 and 2:43.
Judges' score: 18/30. "You were commanding it!" - Len Goodman
ET's score: 25/30. With Sharna incorporating lifts for Derek during week one of the competition, we were surprised by the low scores the pair received from the judges. We're giving these two plenty of extra points for mastering the difficult tricks this week!
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy - Cha Cha, "Born Ready" by Disco Fries

Dance highlight: As expected, Val created a piece of choreography that truly made Victoria look like the shining star she is in the ballroom, and let's not forget she just learned to walk again about a year ago. Specifically, her moments at 2:09, 2:17 and 2:27 were flawlessly executed. You go, girl!
Judges' score: 19/30. "This is one of the most joyous performances I've ever seen ... [your] leg action was so crisp and clean." - Carrie Ann Inaba
ET's score: 23/30. After watching Victoria dance, it's hard to believe this amazing talent was paralyzed for nearly a decade. We literally had chills watching this performance, and we can't wait to see what #TeamViVa surprises us with next.
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas - Cha Cha, "Don't Worry" by Madcon

Dance highlight: If we had to pick one person who looked the most like a dancer last night, it would be Lindsey, all thanks to her amazing leg extension at 2:46 and, of course, her creative genius of a partner, Mark.
Judges' score: 22/30. "Best dance of the night!" - Len Goodman
ET's score: 24/30. Lindsay previously revealed that learning to dance was always a dream of hers, and we're so excited to watch her make that a reality with help from Mark. She's got the attitude and the facial expressions down, and we know she'll only get better from here. Way to go!
Celebrity/fan reaction:

Are YOU excited for season 25 of Dancing With the Stars? Which team do you think had the best dance? Let me know on Twitter (@desireemurphy_ ) or in the comments section on our #AftertheStars reaction show! And be sure to follow all of our DWTS coverage all season long, right here on ETonline.com.