ABC/Andrew Eccles Wayne Brady is partnered with Witney Carson on season 31 of "Dancing With the Stars."
Wayne Brady has taken on the ballroom in his premiere performance of “Dancing With the Stars.” He is performing alongside professional dance partner Witney Carson.
The performance garnered an overall score of 29. Carrie Ann Inaba awarded 7 points, Bruno Tonioli awarded 8 points, Derek Hough awarded 7 points and Len Goodman awarded 7 points.
The duo performed cha-cha to “Bad Mama Jama,” donning gold costumes.
Brady is an actor, singer and comedian, known for shows like “Whose Line Is it Anyway?” “Let’s Make a Deal” and “How I Met Your Mother.” He is no stranger to performing live, having starred on Broadway in “Kinky Boots,” “Hair” and “Chicago.”
“You have to engage your back and your chest up and then make sure that your shoulder is up,” he explained of the competition’s physical demands. “But, by the time that I’m finished with this show, they’re going to call me Wayne ‘Man, that’s a good frame’ Brady.”
The dancing duo will return next week, which is Elvis-themed.
They will once again face off against celebrities Joseph Baena, Selma Blair, Trevor Donovan, Sam Champion, Charli D’Amelio, Heidi D’Amelio, Jessie James Decker, Daniel Durant, Teresa Giudice, Vinny Guadagnino, Cheryl Ladd, Shangela, Jordin Sparks and Gabby Windey. Jason Lewis was eliminated.
Brady’s Late Grandmother Inspired Him to Compete on ‘Dancing With the Stars’
Brady’s late grandmother served as inspiration for his turn in the ballroom.
As for why he finally agreed to participate in the dancing competition, Brady admitted to Carson, “My grandmother, who raised me; she just left me. And this was one of her favorite shows. So, I’m doing it to make my grandmother proud.”
He reflected on using the opportunity to make people happy in an Instagram post.
“I don’t talk about my personal stuff often but it’s been a rough year with losing my Grandma. I miss her everyday,” he captioned photos from their pre-show blocking. “I’m looking forward to pouring my energy into @dancingwiththestars and feeling joy! By day on @letsmakeadealcbs, I make people happy and give away money and laughs and now I get to dance like Everyone on @disneyplus is watching! Depression can kiss my ass! I’m doing this for me and I hope I can inspire any and everyone who feels like they’re in a dark space.”
Twitter Celebrated Brady’s Performance
Brady was a fan favorite during the premiere episode of “Dancing With the Stars.”
As one fan tweeted at him, “You ROCKED IT. I’m so proud of you. You will win this. #DWTS”
If they are right, the singer can put his mirrorball trophy next to his trophy from winning season 2 of “The Masked Singer.”
“First @WayneBrady taking over and winning the @MaskedSingerFOX now he is on @officialdwts like this man is taking over all the competition shows #DWTS #DWTS31 #DWTSDisneyPlus” read another tweet.
And while he did score second overall, some fans did not think it was high enough. As one tweet read, “Wow that @WayneBrady dance. I would’ve went 8s across the board #DWTS”
For the first time, “Dancing With the Stars” is airing only on Disney+ rather than its previous home of ABC. New episodes will air on Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern and 5 p.m. Pacific times.
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WATCH: Wayne Brady’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Premiere Performance