Dancing with the Stars premiered its 34th season with wildlife conservationist Robert Erwin and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Whitney Leavitt topping the judges' leaderboard Tuesday night on ABC.
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RELATED LINK: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' PROS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: WHO'S DATING OR MARRIED TO WHOM!? (PHOTOS)
Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba was absent from the show due to illness.
Robert, son of the legendary "Crocodile Hunter," tied for first place on the judges' leaderboard with Whitney, a Mormon reality TV and #MomTok star, after they both received 15 out of 20 possible points from the judges.
Robert and pro partner Witney Carson performed a jive to "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf.
Bruno said Robert's kicks were brilliant, and Derek said he was "so relieved" because Robert had some big shoes to fill after his sister Bindi Irwin had won a prior season of Dancing with the Stars.
"That's probably the best first dance I've ever seen on the show. That was incredible!" Derek gushed.
Whitney and pro partner Mark Ballas danced a tango to "Golden" by HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters.
Bruno complimented Whitney's energy, acting and "incredible and elegant" performance. He also thought the choreography was high quality. Derek added that Whitney just needs to watch her frame going forward.
Author and wellness influencer Hilaria Baldwin -- who is the wife of actor Alec Baldwin and host of TLC's The Baldwins -- and pro partner Gleb Savchenko finished the night in third place on the judges' leaderboard with 14 out of 20 points.
Hilaria and Gleb took the stage with a cha cha to "Let's Get Loud" by Jennifer Lopez.
Bruno shouted about how Hilaria went for it and had great foot placement as well as a lightness to her performance. The judge said she used dance as a conversation and he can't wait to see more from her.
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Fourth place on the leaderboard was a tie between two celebrities at 13 points: podcaster and social-media sensation Alix Earle and Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui.
Alix and pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy performed a cha cha to "Circus" by Britney Spears.
Derek called the routine sharp, clean, precise and powerful, and Bruno gushed about how Alix looked gorgeous and confident on the stage.
Lauren and pro partner Brandon Armstrong danced a tango to "Yes, And?" by Ariana Grande.
Derek gushed about how the dance was elegant and sophisticated and there was texture in Lauren's movement.
Sixth place also represented a tie amongst three Dancing with the Stars couples, who all earned 12 points.
Film and TV actress Elaine Hendrix, best known for her roles in The Parent Trap and Dynasty, and pro partner Alan Bersten earned 12 points for their cha cha to "Woman" by Kesha.
Derek asked Elaine to straighten her arms and strengthen the back of her legs, but the judges agreed her performance was sexy and striking.
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Bruno said Danielle has a wonderful sense of movement and they had a great partnership. However, he asked her to check her shoulder in the weeks to come.
Derek also admitted, with his wife Hayley Erbet in the audience, that most of the men in the ballroom probably had a crush on Danielle when they were younger.
And The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Jen Affleck and new pro Jan Ravnik -- who had danced alongside Taylor Swift on her ERAs tour -- took the stage with a 12-point worthy salsa to Bad Bunny's "NUEVAYoL."
Derek and Bruno agreed all the lifts slowed the routine down a little bit but it was a great first dance.
A whopping four couples tied for ninth place on the judges' leaderboard with 10 points.
Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles and pro partner Ezra Sosa landed in the middle of the leaderboard after performing a salsa to "Break My Soul" by Beyonce.
Derek called it an "amazing first dance" and said Jordan certainly had some Beyonce flair. Derek, however, said he would've liked to have seen more salsa content.
The Traitors Season 3 winner Dylan Efron -- who is actor Zac Efron's little brother -- and pro partner Daniella Karagach performed a fun cha cha to "Milkshake" by Kelis.
Bruno pointed out how Dylan was on and off the timing throughout the whole dance. But Derek said he was pleasantly surprised by Dylan's fluidity and natural performance ability.
NBA All-Star Baron Davis and pro partner Britt Stewart performed a 10-point worthy cha cha to "Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer.
"Baron, you didn't just touch this; you crushed this!" Derek exclaimed.
And the other pairing who tied for ninth place were Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying and pro partner Rylee Arnold, who danced the tango to "Abracadabra" by Lady Gaga.
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And finally, two celebrities tied for thirteenth -- and last -- place on the judges' leaderboard with only 9 points.
Those celebrities were reality TV star and actor Corey Feldman and comedian Andy Richter.
Corey and pro partner Jenna Johnson performed the tango to "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me" by Billy Joel.
Bruno said the performance was great but now Corey needs to "clean up the technique." And Derek noted the routine was fun to watch but Corey still has a lot to work on in terms of his frame and technique.
Andy and pro partner Emma Slater took the stage with a cha cha to "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips.
RELATED LINK: 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' PROS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: WHO'S DATING OR MARRIED TO WHOM!? (PHOTOS)
Derek acknowledged how everyone was rooting for Andy and America appreciates his joy and authenticity.
Next week, Dancing with the Stars will feature a double elimination in which two couples will be sent packing from the Season 34 competition.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
