ABC/Eric McCandless(NEW YORK) — The 28th season of Dancing with the Stars kicked off Monday night with an intense first-place performance — but it was a certain someone’s fluorescent green shirt that stole the show.
While former White House press secretary Sean Spicer earned the second-lowest score of the night, the highly controversial competitor broke Twitter with his neon green ruffled shirt. Spicer himself gave DWTS fans advance warning by tweeting Monday, “Trust me, I certainly haven’t forgotten and once you see the outfit I have to wear tonight you won’t forget for quite some time — even after lots of therapy.”
Spicer also performed the strangest dance of the night, a salsa to “Spice up Your Life” with partner Lindsay Arnold. Spicer began the routine by excitedly playing the bongos — judge Bruno Tonioli said it looked like he was being attacked by wasps.
On the flipside, the best dance of the night came from 90s heartthrob James Van Der Beek and partner Emma Slater. The two performed a smooth and mysterious tango to Imagine Dragons’ “Whatever It Takes” and scored a 21/30 — finishing in first place.
Another standout performance came from Sailor Brinkley-Cook, who wasn’t even on the original DWTS roster. The model only had three days to practice her routine after her mother, actress and supermodel Christie Brinkley, tripped and broke her wrist during rehearsals. According to Brinkley, her doctor claimed it was the worst break he had ever seen.
Christie Brinkley wore a thick cast on her right arm as she supported her daughter’s dancing debut. Brinkley-Cook and partner Val Chmerkovskiy scored 18/30, earned rave reviews from all three judges and finished the night in fourth place.
The worst dance of the night came from NBA star Lamar Odom, who stands a full one foot and three inches above dancing partner Peta Murgatroyd. The two struggled to make their height difference work as they foxtrotted to “Feeling Good.” The awkward and somewhat stiff performance earned them a meager 11/30.
Points earned during the DWTS two-hour season premiere will carry over to next Monday’s show, during which audience members will cast votes for their favorite dancers. Next Monday’s show will also mark the first elimination.
Dancing with the Stars returns Monday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here are the current standings:
James Van Der Beek, Dawson’s Creek actor, with Emma Slater — 21/30
Hannah Brown, The Bachelorette star, with Alan Bersten — 20/30
Lauren Alaina, country singer, with Gleb Savchenko — 19/30
Sailor Brinkley-Cook, model/filmmaker and photographer, with Val Chmerkovskiy — 18/30
Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes, with Brandon Armstrong — 17/30
Karamo, Queer Eye reality TV personality, with Jenna Johnson — 17/30
Kel Mitchell, actor and stand-up comedian, with Whitney Carson — 16/30
Ally Brooke, former Fifth Harmony singer, with Sasha Farber — 16/30
Ray Lewis, Baltimore Raven’s Super Bowl MVP, with Cheryl Burke — 15/30
Kate Flannery, actress from The Office, with Pasha Pashkov — 15/30
Sean Spicer, former White House press secretary, with Lindsay Arnold — 12/30
Lamar Odom, NBA Lakers star and ex-husband of Khloe Kardashian, with Peta Murgatroyd — 11/20
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