Kirstie Alley Impresses Judges In 'Dancing With The Stars' Debut

In a group of models and athletes, Kirstie Alley may not have been the favorite going into Monday night's premiere of Dancing With the Stars. Yet the 60-year-old actress, and former spokesmodel for Jenny Craig, surprised everyone with her graceful moves across the ballroom. Alley and her partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy received 23 out of 30 points for their cha-cha, the second highest of the night. The actress’ spunky take on Cee Lo’s ubiquitous “Forget You” was a big hit with the judges. “It made me feel good,” Len Goodman said. The duo came in behind Ralph Macchio and Karina Smirnoff. The former Karate Kid and his partner set the tone for the new season with an impressive 24 points for their foxtrot.

The Cheers and Veronica’s Closet star joins Macchio, NFL star Hines Ward, Playmate Kendra Wilkinson, model Petra Nemcova, former boxing champ Sugar Ray Leonard, rapper Romeo, talk show host Wendy Williams and radio host Mike Catherwood. Among the best of the rest? The former pin-up girl turned reality star Wilkinson received a respectable 18 points while Williams and Catherwood floundered. Clearly talk is cheap when it comes to the dance floor. —EMILY EXTON

Watch Kirstie Alley's Dancing With the Stars performance below: