A new host, an eclectic set of participants, coronavirus protocols and a Carole Baskin controversy – the two-hour debut of season 29 of the TV show ‘Dancing With The Stars’ had it all. The show, which was telecast on ABC on Monday night, saw 15 new celebrities hit the dance floor. Fans were in for a treat as some of these stars have never put on dancing shoes, or performed routines and dance forms that they have never done before.

The new field of stars includes NFL star Vernon Davis, Cheer’s Monica Aldama, big cat activist Carole Baskin, Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean, Disney channel star Skai Jackson and Olympian Johnny Weir.

Supermodel Tyra Banks, who is hosting the show for the first time, was the first surprise that the fans encountered. While some took warmly to the 46-year-old’s entry, old fans of the show lamented that veteran hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were dropped.

Backstreet Boys is back

Backstreet Boys singer AJ Mclean knows how to croon songs that top the music charts, but does now know much about dancing.

But on the first night of Dancing with the Stars, contestant Mclean out up a spectacular Jive performance. Dressed in a baby blue suit, Mclean gave a high-energy performance with his dance partner Cheryl Burke to The Weeknd’s song ‘Blinding Lights’.

Watch: Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean’s performance on Dancing with the Stars

Controversy’s favourite child

Carole Baskins, who was the ‘villain’ in the hit Netflix show ‘Tiger King’, made quite a start to her journey of the dance show with a paso doble performance that earned 11 out of 30 points from the 3 judges.

The docuseries ‘Tiger King’ repeated rumours that Baskins killed her ex-husband, Don Lewis, and fed him to the tigers. Baskins calls this a ‘ludicrous lie’ and says that the show destroyed her reputation.

Baskins seems to have been cast on the show as she is known to be a headline magnet.