‘Dancing With The Stars’: Season 20 Premiere Recap

“Dancing with the Stars” returned on Monday night for its 20th season, and with it, some serious competition for the brand new golden mirrorball.

They performed last, but Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy managed to provide the biggest surprise of the night, churning out a performance that no one was expecting. The singer and actress (whose parents, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, were in the audience) took to the ballroom for a foxtrot that blew the judges and the crowd away with moves not usually seen in a Week 1 performance.

“Season 20 just got real, really fast,” Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said. “That was incredible! … What I saw that no one else brought was a fierce competitor. You are in it to win it, girl!”

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It was no surprise to anyone after that number that the pair earned the top score of the night – 8s from each of the judges, for a total of 32 out of 40.

Hot on their heels was the team of Riker Lynch (from R5) and Allison Holker, who tackled the jive and earned a 31-point score.

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“It was full on, flat out, lots of energy and attack,” Judge Len Goodman said.

Five-time mirrorball champ Derek Hough took his partner, Nastia Liukin, to third place for the night, finishing with 30 out of 40 for their foxtrot, which lost a point due to a technicality.

“I thought it was fantastic. It was polished, it was clean, it was a showstopper, but there was a lift, so…” Carrie Ann said, pointing out the rule infraction.

Army veteran Noah Galloway brought the ballroom audience to their feet after his routine with pro Sharna Burgess. But most impressed were his children, who were jumping up and down, cheering proudly for their dad. The judges also had high praise.

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“You are a titan amongst men,” Bruno Tonioli said. “Your interplay with your partner is wonderful.”

Noah and Sharna earned 26 points out of 40, which tied them in the middle of the pack with “Bachelor” no-more Chris Soules and his pro, Witney Carson, and Michael Sam and his pro, Peta Murgatroyd.

The youngest competitor of the season, Willow Shields, earned a score of 25 out of 40 after her cha cha routine with Mark Ballas, which opened the show.

“Like a glass of Alka-Seltzer. Sparkling, bubbly, refreshing and makes you feel good,” Len said. “You’ve gotta straighten your legs a little bit, but a great start.”

Willow tied with the oldest competitors this season – Patti LaBelle (who is paired with Artem Chigvintsev) and Suzanne Somers (teamed with Tony Dovolani).

The full leaderboard for the night was:

Rumer Willis & Val Chmerkovskiy 32/40
Riker Lynch & Allison Holker 31/40
Nastia Liukin & Derek Hough 30/40
Robert Herjavec & Kym Johnson 28/30
Michael Sam & Peta Murgatroyd 26/40
Chris Soules & Witney Carson 26/40
Noah Galloway & Sharna Burgess 26/40
Willow Shields & Mark Ballas 25/40
Patti LaBelle & Artem Chigvintsev 25/40
Suzanne Somers & Tony Dovolani 25/40
Charlotte McKinney & Keo Motsepe 22/40
Redfoo & Emma Slater 22/40

— Jolie Lash