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'Dancing With the Stars' premiere: A controversial contestant and a historic partnership

Kyle Moss
·2 min read

The 30th season of Dancing With the Stars kicked off Monday and many viewers were not super excited to see new contestant Olivia Jade Giannulli, who goes by Olivia Jade, on the show. Her parents, Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli, both served time in prison for the college admissions scandal that broke in March 2019. Which is something Olivia Jade addressed during her introductory video package.

“I'm probably best known for being an influencer,” she said. “But the last few years I've been, I guess you could say, wrapped up in a scandal.”

Paired with fan-favorite ​pro Val Chmerkovskiy, the 21-year-old Olivia Jade danced a salsa for her first performance, finishing with a total of 25 points out of a possible 40. But viewers on Twitter were not impressed, calling her a criminal and saying they will refuse to watch the show until she is voted off.

But not every performance had viewers feeling so jaded, and that’s because former Dance Moms star and current YouTube personality Jojo Siwa made history on Monday along with her pro partner, Jenna Johnson.

“For the first time in Dancing With the Stars history, I am dancing with another female. And I'm really, really proud,” Siwa said. “I came out in early 2021, and what I love to do is make truly being who you are easier for kids.”

And the groundbreaking moment was felt by viewers who took Twitter with praise and celebration for the moment.

Siwa and her partner finished the night with 29 points, the most points scored out of the 15 contestants who performed.

Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Watch how viewers reacted to seeing Mike Richards host Jeopardy! after his ousting:

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