Dancing with the Stars professionals Kym Johnson and Mark Ballas are hyping up the currently-airing fourteenth season's celebrity cast as being the best batch of amateur talent the ballroom dancing competition has ever seen.

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"This is the highest level of dancing I think we've had on any season. It really is," Johnson, who is partnered with actor Jaleel White, told People following Monday night's performance show.

"Out of all of the seasons -- I've been on 10 of them now -- this is probably going to be the highest caliber of dancing, and, at the end of the day, it is a dance show. I think every couple here is talented, so it's going to be good," said Ballas, who will perform all season with opera singer Katherine Jenkins.

Ballas told People that Jenkins had jitters prior to taking the stage during last night's broadcast but ended up hitting their foxtrot routine out of the park. The pair tied with Johnson and White with the high scores of the premiere night, earning 26 out of 30 possible points from Dancing with the Stars' judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

"She was a little nervous before. I said, 'Just go out there and have fun. Do what you did in the dress rehearsal.' We got out on the floor and she just like went up 10 gears. Everybody went up 10 gears from dress rehearsal to the show, so it's an amazing feeling," Ballas explained. 

"The competition is going to be so real. I just don't want to think about that for a while," added White, who is best known for his portrayal of Steve Urkel on ABC's Family Matters sitcom.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.