Carole Baskin is known for her animal activism, among other things, as portrayed in the Netflix documentary series “Tiger King,” so it was no surprise that she danced to “Eye of the Tiger” as her first routine on “Dancing with the Stars” season 29. And Baskin’s participation on the show drew so much attention that they saved her performance for the end of the season premiere. Did they save the best for last? Well … not according to the judges. Watch her performance above.
Baskin was paired with pro partner Pasha Pashkov in just his second season on the series after he teamed up with “The Office” actress Kate Flannery last year during season 28. And not only was their dance music tiger-themed, Pashkov also leapt out of a cage wearing fabulous tiger-print pants. But the style of their dance was the combative paso doble, which is hard-hitting and intense, and thus a tough way to start the competition for anybody.
The animal lover admitted upfront that she had “absolutely zero dance experience,” but while judge Carrie Ann Inaba appreciated the connection she had with Pashkov, and Derek Hough admired her for putting herself out there on the dance floor, Bruno Tonioli didn’t mince words: “You didn’t quite kill the paso doble. It was kind of sedated.” Ultimately she received a 4 out of 10 from both Hough and Inaba, and a 3 from Tonioli. She was the only dancer to get a 3 on Monday night, and her total score of 11 was also the lowest of the night.
The good news for her was that there was no elimination during the first night of the competition. That means she’ll be back in week two to try to take another bite out of the dance floor. But there will be an elimination at the end of that show, so this low score could come back to haunt her. Do you think she’ll be eliminated first? Or will she dance another day?
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