Onto week 2! Kaitlyn Bristowe, Skai Jackson, Carole Baskin and the rest of the Dancing With the Stars cast returned to the studio following a competitive first week of the reality competition show.
The celebrities looked excited to be back practicing. The season 11 Bachelorette, 35, was all smiles as she arrived in a crop top and workout pants with a flannel wrapped around her waist. Skai, 18, looked adorable in brown biker shorts and an orange T-shirt. The Tiger King star, 59, wore a denim shirt and capri pants but was sure to show off her tiger-print drawstring bag.
Season 29, which premiered on September 14, proved this is going to be an extremely tough competition. Catfish creator Nev Schulman was an unexpected frontrunner with partner Jenna Johnson along with actress Justina Machado and dancer Sasha Farber. Both teams scored 20 out of 30, just one point behind week 1’s leader Skai and partner Alan Bersten. Kaitlyn and Artem Chigvintsev also scored a 20.
Carole had the lowest score of the week with an 11 out of 30. Other duos that fell on the bottom of the leaderboard included iconic NBA player Charles Oakley and Emma Slater, Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko and rapper Nelly with newcomer pro Daniella Karagach.
One major change to the competition is Derek Hough replacing Len Goodman at the judges’ table. The longtime judge, 76, was not able to film in Los Angeles due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, but ABC said in a statement he “will still be part of the show in a different capacity sharing his ballroom expertise from London.”
As for Derek, 35, the former DWTS pro is excited to bring his expertise to the ballroom. “This show has and will always be incredibly special to me. This show has gifted me with so many memories and priceless experiences,” the brother of Julianne Hough said in a statement via Instagram on September 8. “Amazing relationships, growth, triumphs, failures, struggles, fears, celebrations, fun and just pure entertainment. I look forward to returning as a judge. I hope to be fair, fun, encouraging, honest, helpful, compassionate and I look forward to watching these amazing journeys unfold.”
We can’t wait to see what week 2 brings! Keep scrolling to see the celebrities at the dance studio.