Diversity is the name of the game for season 13 of "Dancing With the Stars." The usual hodge-podge of reality stars, athletes and newsmakers hit the dancing floor sprinting - er, spinning - on Monday night's premiere, with a lot of pleasant surprises in the mix.
Who knew, for instance, that Rob Kardashian, the family's punching bag, would turn out to clean up so well on the dance floor? Or that Nancy Grace has had rhythm in her soul all these years she's been hiding behind a news desk? Or that eight-months sober David Arquette was such a softie?
On a show that values big hearts just as much as it does quick feet, the contestants all had one thing in common: Redemption.
Recently dumped Elisabetta Canalis and Kristin Cavallari were both looking to move - literally - beyond their ruined romances, though neither were able to score higher than a 20 for their first attempts on the dance floor.
Canalis, who was all limber and limbs with partner Val Chmerkovskiy, looked uncertain on her own, and it was no coincidence that the judges kept reiterating the same refrain: "When you're alone, you kind of fall apart."
Cavallari, meanwhile, is just "naturally uncoordinated," according to her partner Mark Ballas. Thankfully, though, she's a "bad girl with hot hips that can give hot action." America can thank Bruno for that one.
On the other end of the elegance spectrum were Chynna Phillips, Hope Solo and Ricki Lake, whose Viennese waltzes enraptured the judges. "Everything was perfection," Carrie Ann dared to say about Phillips, who got a high score of 22 for the night.
Bruno preferred to call Lake a "cup of cream," while Len insisted that Solo be more "feminine" in her movements. Nancy Grace, who also attempted the waltz, wasn't met with such kind words. Maybe it was a taste of her own medicine?
Meanwhile, the men of the evening mostly took to the stage in dapper suits and coats and tails - with the exception of Ron Artest and Carson Kressley, who both showed off the flashier sides of their personalities (not too much of a stretch for Kressley).
Artest tried on a Dennis Rodman look with bleached hair and goatee, but shared a touching tale about his four-year-old daughter's battle with cancer.
Kressley prefered to go with camp, dancing with "Jagger, swagger and stagger" and strutting around the dance floor so confidently that even Bruno was taken aback. The gentlemen of the hour, by contrast, all showed great restraint - except when it came to tears, which there was plenty of.
David Arquette got emotional at the sight of his daughter Coco and (legally) wife Courteney Cox in the audience. Chaz Bono welled up at the tremendous amount of support he's gotten from fans. But it was J.R. Martinez, the war vet and actor, that made the judges swoon.
"J.R. comes from Just Right," Len said, beaming. "It was beautiful to see the confidence, the fluidity and the musicality," Carrie Ann added. Looks like little Rob Kardashian has some learning to do before he can earn that kind of praise from the judges.