After a long summer, Dancing with the Stars season 7 finally premiered tonight. The 13 couples took the stage to perform either the cha cha cha or the foxtrot, and it was a great two hours filled with laughs, strong performances and some really bad ones.

All 13 couples performed tonight, but only 12 will continue on tomorrow to dance either the quickstep or the mambo. Then on Wednesday night, we'll have the very first Dancing with the Stars results show of the season. Read on to see how the night's performances went.

Brooke Burke and Derek Hough – 23

Cha cha cha, scores: 7+8+8=23. Brooke and Derek make the hottest pair on Dancing with the Stars this season, seriously. Brooke just had her fourth child six months ago, but she already has a fantastic bod. They impressed the judges the most tonight, but there is still a lot of work for them to do as the season goes on.


Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer – 22

Cha cha cha, scores: 8+6+8=22. Lance and Lacey were the best couple of the night, in my opinion. They flew through their cha cha with elan, and Lacey pulled out all the stops in choreography. Carrie Ann and Bruno loved it, and gave them 8s, but Len was too much of a traditionalist to appreciate it very much.


Toni Braxton and Alec Mazo – 22

Cha cha cha, scores: 7+7+8=22. Considering that Toni was diagnosed with a heart condition this summer, this lady really rocked it out tonight. They brought out a sexiness that was really entertaining.


Misty May-Treanor and Maksim Chmerkovskiy – 21

Foxtrot, scores: 6+8+7=21. Misty is probably the strongest woman competitor to have ever competed on Dancing with the Stars. She's got huge muscles and an unmatched intensity, which is not exactly right for the foxtrot. Nevertheless, she pulled out a solid performance.


Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson – 21

Cha cha cha, scores: 7+7+7=21. Warren might be a humungus human being, but he's surprisingly light on his feet. He is a really entertaining dancer, and I suspect that he and Kym will make it far.


Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas – 19

Foxtrot, scores: 6+7+6=19. Much to my surprise, Kim Kardashian did not completely suck. She was too safe and too stiff, but her footwork was clean, and she has potential to improve.


Cody Linley and Julianne Hough – 18

Cha cha cha, scores: 6+6+6=18. Cody and Julianne had the unenviable position of starting out the night as the first performers. They are the youngest couple in the competition this year, and it really shows in their energy level, which is through the roof. Now, if only Cody can control his energy, I think these two will make a fabulous team.


Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke – 18

Foxtrot, scores: 6+6+6=18. I thought that Maurice and Cheryl's performance was slightly too careful, but the judges thought it was a good, entertaining performance. Maurice excelled in the funkier parts of his routine. He's got the attitude, but now he just has to perfect the foxtrot style.


Ted McGinley and Inna Brayer – 18

Foxtrot, scores: 6+6+6=18. This must be a pattern here. Ted McGinley was a bit too stiff and careful in his foxtrot as well. However, once he learns to relax, I think these two will start improving by leaps and bounds.


Cloris Leachman and Corky Ballas – 16

Foxtrot, scores: 6+5+5=16. Cloris Leachman is one of the funniest, most irreverent people ever to have been on Dancing with the Stars. She's also definitely the oldest. Her performance might not have been great tonight, but she made up for it by being a complete crackup to the judges, even prompting Len to offer his services as her boy toy.


Susan Lucci and Tony Dovolani – 15

Cha cha cha, scores: 5+5+5=15. I thought that Susan Lucci's incredible fan base would bring her through to the finals, but if that's the case, Susan still has a whole lot of work cut out for her. She didn't exhibit enough strength and verve to please the judges, even though her movements were mostly clean.


Rocco DiSpirito and Karina Smirnoff – 14

Foxtrot, scores: 5+4+5=14. Karina had a tough day today, taking a bad fall in dress rehearsal this morning. Nevertheless, she worked through it and pulled out a fabulous performance tonight. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Rocco. He generally lacked finesse in his foxtrot, and the scores reflect his shakiness on the dance floor.


Jeffrey Ross and Edyta Sliwinska – 12

Cha cha cha, scores: 4+4+4=12. Jeffrey Ross, like Karina, was also sent to the hospital during dress rehearsal this morning after Edyta accidentally poked him in the eye. He still danced tonight, but it was a pretty rough performance. He's a funny guy, but nothing Edyta can do can make him a good dancer.



-Debbie Chang, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)