Baton Rouge-born supermodel Brooks Nader caused a sexy stir at the premiere of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” on Tuesday night.
The 27-year-old Sports Illustrated cover girl and her professional dance partner Gleb Savchenko, 40, attempted a tango.
For the first night, the 13 celebrity contestants chose backing songs that embodied their personal mantras. Nader chose “Pieces of Me” by Britney Spears, another “girl from Louisiana” who is also “a girl like me.”
“I’ve been single for a while now, so the lyrics are super liberating,” Nader said in excerpts from rehearsals.
The star-studded cast of “Dancing with the Stars” gathers onstage with co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough (foreground).
Nader told Savchenko that she performed on the dance team at her high school, Episcopal High in Baton Rouge, but gave it up when she started modeling.
“He’s so hot. It’s a healthy, slightly flirtatious vibe that won’t distract us too much,” Nader said of her Russian-American partner, who is also a choreographer and model.
Nader and Savchenko will face the following opponents on the dance floor this season:
- Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola with partner Witney Carson
- Notorious anklet fashionista Anna Delvey with partner Ezra Sosa
- From “The Bachelor”: Joey Graziadei with partner Jenna Johnson
- NBA champion Dwight Howard with partner Daniella Karagach
- TV star Chandler Kinney with partner Brandon Armstrong
- Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher with partner Alan Bersten
- Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik with partner Rylee Arnold
- Reality star Phaedra Parks with partner Val Chmerkovskiy
- Film star Eric Roberts with partner Britt Stewart
- TV icon Tori Spelling with partner Pasha Pashkov
- From “The Bachelorette”: Jenn Tran with partner Sasha Farber
- Sitcom and film actor Reginald VelJohnson with partner Emma Slater
For the tango, Nader wore a shimmering champagne ensemble with a bra-like bodice and a sheer slit skirt that flowed as she danced.
Many in the audience, including some of her family members, gave Nader a standing ovation.
Look for Baton Rouge native Brooks Nader in the new season of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
“Because you have so much potential, you have to work on your strength and your core,” recommended judge Bruno Tonioli, criticizing in particular her occasional stumbling and her wrong start.
“I loved this tango. You did it very, very well. Work on what I said. That’s all,” Tonioli added.
“I mean, that was hot!” said Judge Carrie Ann Inaba. “Work on the contact points in the hold, because that’s how you don’t step on him. The thing that bothered me the most was that you didn’t know where your feet were going. Stay hot, guys!”
Judge Derek Hough agreed that Nader and Savchenko had a good first dance.
“You have a lot of potential, you really do,” Hough said. “Root yourself a little more in the ground, get a little more into the space where you feel more balanced. Good job.”
The couple’s total score was 18, which was average for the evening.
Dancing with the Stars returns Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ABC. In addition to airing live on ABC and Disney+, the show can also be viewed on Hulu the next day.
