It’s back! Tonight the male stars dance and tomorrow the women dance. They’ll all be back next week for a double elimination round.

The show opens with a routine by the pros. It sure is good to see Louis Van Amstel back again, but I do miss Maks.

Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson

Dance: Cha cha

Wardrobe: Penn looks debonair in a vest and Kym is showing a lot of cleavage.

Music: Not sure what song it was, but it wasn’t too bad, could be better.

Performance: There was not a lot of dancing from Penn, but there was a lot of entertainment - even a magic trick at the end. Penn was fun to watch, but there is going to have to be a lot more substance in the routines if he wants to stick around for very long. (Teller was in the audience nodding and clapping, by the way.)

Judges: Bruno said it was like watching a trailer for “Shrek Goes Cha Cha Cha”.

Judges Scores: 5 + 6 + 5

My score: 6

Jason Taylor & Edyta Sliwinska

Dance: Foxtrot

Wardrobe: Edyta was…Edyta. ;) Jason looked awesome. No squabbles with the wardrobe for this couple.

Music: Great music, but a tiny bit slow for my taste. Could have been just a tad faster.

Performance: Jason was a little stiff in his upper body, but it’s only the first dance and it’s something very foreign to him as a football player, so I’ll cut him some slack, especially since he was actually dancing. He was graceful, though and hit some very nice lines. He’s definitely got some potential.

Judges: Len said he was a good looking guy and it was like looking in a mirror.

Judges Scores: 7 + 8 + 7 = 22

My score: 8

Christian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke

Dance: Cha cha

Wardrobe: Cheryl’s dress was a little crazy, but overall they looked good. I love that they put him in a short sleeved shirt to show off those arms. Ay yi yi!

Music: The music was perfect.

Performance: Cristian is no Helio. But again it’s the first week and I think he has potential. He was definitely having fun. He just needs to work on his posture. But overall a fun dance to watch!

Judges: Bruno said “she bangs you have to bang twice as hard”. I’m so not kidding.

Judges Scores: 7 + 7 + 7 = 21

My score: 7

Adam Carolla and Julianne Hough

Dance: Foxtrot

Wardrobe: Adam looked great. Julianne’s dress looked like Grandma meets Big Bird. Not sure what that was about.

Music: Mellow Yellow. Um, no.

Performance: Julianne is probably not enough of a miracle worker to save Adam. Adam wasn’t great, but he was a better than I expected him to be. He did actually dance and move his feet, although he was very very stiff. If he can loosen up a bit he might stick around for a few weeks.

Judges: Carrie Ann said “keep working”. Adam was funnier than all the judges put together. What can I say?

Judges Scores: 5 + 5 + 5 = 15

My score: 6

Mario and Karina Smirnoff

Dance: Cha cha

Wardrobe: I didn’t care too much for the cream colored pants, but the not so subtle reminder to phone 05 on the back of his shirt was cute. Karina looked great.

Music: The song was fun.

Performance: Karina seems to have a lot of luck with partners named Mario. If Mario can get a fan base going and if he can do as well with the ballroom dances as he did with the Latin, he’ll be around for a good long time. Very entertaining and well done. Best dance of the night so far.

Judges: Bruno said “Karina you have a monopoly on hot Marios?”

Judges Scores: 8 + 8 + 8 = 24

My score: 8

Steve Guttenberg & Anna Trebunskaya

Dance: Foxtrot

Wardrobe: They looked terrific.

Music: Great song.

Performance: Okay, Steve is not the best dancer, but he really got the character of the dance. He had fun, he performed. He was enjoyable to watch and he was obviously trying really hard. I hope he stays around for awhile because he’s very charming and I do think he can get better. Not better enough to win, but to hang around for a few weeks at least!

Judges: Len said “you’re the first one who’s come out and looked like you’re enjoying yourself”.

Judges Scores: 6 + 6 + 6 = 18

My score: 7

Judges ranking:
1. Mario & Karina (24)
2. Jason & Edyta (22)
3. Cristian & Cheryl (21)
4. Steve & Anna (18)
5. Penn & Kym (16)
6. Adam & Julianne (15)

My ranking:
1. Mario & Karina (8)
2. Jason & Edyta (8)
3. Cristian & Cheryl (7)
4. Steve & Anna (7)
5. Penn & Kym (6)
6. Adam & Julianne (5)

Tomorrow night it’s the women. But I might be crushing on Steve Guttenberg a little. Shh. Don’t tell.