Dancing with the Stars fans shocked by Teresa Giudice, Jessie James Decker missteps

Teresa Giudice and Pasha Pashkov pose in promo image for Dancing with the Stars season 31
Teresa Giudice and Pasha Pashkov on Dancing with the Stars season 31 (Image credit: Disney Plus)

The first night of Dancing with the Stars always yields surprises, as stars and noteworthy people of interest hit the dance floor and show off their moves. The premiere of Dancing with the Stars season 31 was no exception. However, not all of the dancers were ballroom-ready. Two of the night’s biggest surprises were reality star Teresa Giudice and country music icon Jessie James Decker.

Nerves and ballroom jitters are to be expected on the first night — and throughout the competition, really, since none of the celebrities are ballroom dancers — but Giudice and Decker’s flubs left fans scratching their heads.

Giudice’s performance started with a table flipping homage to her early days as the OG of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The bedazzled turkey on the table went flying and so did her tango with partner Pasha Pashkov. We’ll chalk up her initial woodenness to nerves, but after a misstep Giudice seemed to pause before getting her head back into the dance. By then it was too late. When the judges picked apart her performance she seemed to be close to tears. 

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In the case of Jessie James Decker, it was all about song choice. It’s hard enough to learn ballroom dancing, but when you pick the wrong song it can make things even harder if the choreography and the music don’t seem to be in sync. Decker’s cha cha to "Sweet Home Alabama" with partner Alan Bersten was good, but at times it appeared too rushed and a little hectic as she made her way through the complex steps. Decker clearly has skills, though, so hopefully next week’s Elvis Night will yield a song that’s more suited to her routine.

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Both pairs ended the night with scores of 20/40, but Teresa and Pasha found themselves in the bottom two and were ultimately saved by the judges, sending Sex and the City’s Jason Lewis and his partner Peta Murgatroyd home.

The night wasn’t a total disaster, though. Among the other Dancing with the Stars season 31 cast members, TikTok star Charli D’Amelio (who, in fairness, has a background in dance) delivered the top performance of the night with partner Mark Ballas, while Selma Blair didn’t let her MS get in the way of an inspired Viennese Waltz that left the ballroom in tears.

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on Disney Plus

Sarabeth Pollock
Editorial Content Producer

 

Sarabeth joined the What to Watch team in May 2022. An avid TV and movie fan, her perennial favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, true crime documentaries on Netflix and anything from Passionflix. You’ve Got Mail, Ocean's Eleven and Signs are movies that she can watch all day long. She's also a huge baseball fan, and hockey is a new favorite.  


When she's not working, Sarabeth hosts the My Nights Are Booked Podcast and a blog dedicated to books and interviews with authors and actors. She also published her first novel, Once Upon an Interview, in 2022.