Channel 7 and 7plus launched the latest season of Dancing With The Stars on Sunday, opening with six of the twelve celebrity contestants in its premiere episode. The broadcast, hosted by Sonia Kruger and Dr Chris Brown, returned with a familiar format split across alternate weeks.
7NEWS Sydney presenter and Spotlight host Michael Usher emerged as the frontrunner, earning 27 points for his foxtrot with professional partner Natalie Lowe. Judges praised Usher’s musicality, technique, and performance presence, placing him at the top of the leaderboard.
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The night closed with actor Rebecca Gibney and Ian Waite earning 24 points for a charismatic cha-cha-cha. Despite technical critiques, judges commended the entertainment value, with Mark Wilson remarking it was “so wrong, it was right.”
Other notable performances included AFL premiership player Trent Cotchin, radio host and podcaster Brittany Hockley, and Olympic boxer Harry Garside. Susie O’Neill, known as ‘Madame Butterfly’, received the evening’s lowest score of 13 but was acknowledged for her improvement and commitment.
The second group of contestants, including Felicity Ward, Karina Carvalho, Kyle Shilling, Mia Fevola, Osher Gunsberg, and Shaun Micallef, is scheduled to perform in the next episode on Sunday.
Dancing With The Stars continues at 7.00pm Sundays on Seven and 7plus.