Carrie Ann Inaba was moved to tears during the Dancing with the Stars premiere on Monday as she watched Selma Blair perform for the first time. The judge, who lives with several autoimmune diseases, described the actress as a "fellow invisible illness bearer" and was visibly emotional after her Viennese waltz.
Selma, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, danced with partner Sasha Farber to David Cook's Time of My Life. Following the performance, Selma herself broke down in tears as she received her scores, telling the judges: "I'm so grateful, I'm so grateful." The pair tied for third place with Drag Race star Shangela and Gleb Savchenko, both scoring 27 points.
The season 31 premiere was historic as the first to air on Disney+ instead of ABC. While the judging panel of Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Len Goodman returned, there were changes elsewhere. Host Tyra Banks was joined for the first time by Alfonso Ribeiro, the winner of season 19, as co-host.
The first episode also saw the first elimination of the series. Jason Lewis and Peta Murgatroyd left the competition after performing the cha-cha-cha. Their score of 18 out of 40 led to mixed and negative critiques, and they unanimously lost the judges' save.
Among the 16 couples, TikTok star Charli D'Amelio and returning pro Mark Ballas emerged as early frontrunners. Their cha-cha-cha to Savage received rave reviews for technical ability, earning a score of 32 out of 40 – the highest of the night.
