Premiere: A fun start for celebrities and professionals

“Vaccinated, tested and in a good mood” – with this, Mirjam Weichselbraun, who returned to “Dancing Stars”, gave the motto for the first evening at the ORF in 2021. In addition to the return of the audience and many familiar names on the jury and dance professionals, there were Also many new faces in the beginning of the fourteenth season.

Since only ten new celebrities ventured onto the ballroom floor on Friday night: Katie Kalos and Michael Kaufman are also dance pros, Maria Santner is now a member of the jury alongside Balázs Ekker and Karina Sarkissova. Besides the Weichselbraun, Norbert Oberhauser was now a moderate.

For the first time with palpitations

As quickly as there is a group dance at first, the couple also has to take on the difficult task of being the first on the ballroom: this year, this task was assigned to former “Dancing Stars” presenter Kristina Inhoff and her dance partner Dimitar Stefanin. The dance began with her slow fox – and the jury watched with a keen eye.

“The first time, the heart beats like crazy,” Inhoff said after her debut at the dance — she was definitely not alone with that feeling that evening. And while the jury received a lot of praise from the start – ballerina Sarkisova was excited that the sport’s presenter “almost flew” to the floor – expectations for upcoming programs were at the same time high. “It was really cool for the first round,” said Maria Santner, the new member of the jury.

Lots of points in the first night

On the first evening, there were some appearances that particularly caught the jury’s attention: cabaret artist Caroline Athanasiades and her partner Danilo Campisi scored eight points three times – a mix of Greek and Italian temperament scoring points. “Mega sexy and sexy,” Karina summed up the dance, Maria saw sexy “diamonds in the rough.”

Moderator Nina Kraft and Stefan Herzog also won a big prize the first time around: They also took three eights for their carcass, which is a particularly fast dance. Then Kareena spoke of “a very high standard”.

“Bling-Bling” and “Rough Diamonds”

Meanwhile, the jury may not have remembered just some of the dances: “More Shine,” for example, was how designer Nico Nico summed up his costume logo – thus providing an equally shimmering look, which was mainly due to statements made after His tango chip with Manuela Stukel laughed. Good mood and plenty of “bling-bling” also gained unexpected enthusiasm on the jury, which awarded six points three times. “Great cinema,” said Maria.

Other than that, the jury was generous on the first evening: There were many points for pool pro Jasmine Auchan, who danced cha-cha-cha with Florian Gescheider. Actor Fares Rahouma also did well with professional newcomer Katie Kalos with Paso Double. Meanwhile, Maria saw another “diamond in the rough” – with much fewer points – in actress Margaret Tessel, who danced a Viennese waltz with Michael Kaufman.

“Air to the Top” for former professional athletes

But there were also some very direct words in the first episode. Karina was expecting better performances from former professional cyclists Bernard Cole and Vesila Dimova: “A lot still seems pretty clumsy.” With ten points, the samba was just enough for the bottom of the round. “Zaht’s on,” Balázs tip.

The jury also saw “room for improvement” with Otto Konrad, who danced a slow waltz with Lenka Pohoralek, as Ballaz summed it up. The former Salzburg goalkeeper was finally ahead of the professional cyclist.

The fact that Austrian pop legend Boris Bukowski is already celebrating her 60th birthday was not noticeable at first glance, given the speed of his stride with Julia Burghart. He captured “Heart and Above” Karina Sarkisova and got seven points for it, Maria and Balaz were more cautious and eventually gave four points each in the last appearance of the premiere.

The rating will be included in the next broadcast

In the first round, no couple had to leave the hall – the competition wouldn’t really start until next week. In addition to the jury’s assessment, the audience also has a say in who will stand a chance in the final. The debut still has an impact: not only does the jury’s rating on the premiere affect the outcome of the upcoming show, but all calls also decide who should go next.