"Dancing with the Stars" Season 21 kicked off on Monday to a strong start with an interesting mix of talent and entertiainment.

The premiere jumped in right into the dancing with a lively opening number by all the contestants that earned a standing ovation from the judges, but the highlights were certainly in the solo performances.

Victor Espinoza and Karina Smirnoff started off the festivities by grooving to "G.D.F.R." by Flo Rida. The celebrated jockey is less of a force on the dance floor than he is atop a horse, but the judges gave him a woeful score of 15 points.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the lowest score of the night as Chaka Khan and Keo Motsepe's efforts drew in only 13 total points. The couple, who call themselves "the royal couple" botched a simple routine and Khan was told to work on her technique.

Other low scoring performances include funny man Gary Busey and Anna Trebunskaya's cha cha routine, which was lauded for being extremely entertaining, and Paula Deen's quickstep with Louis van Amstel. Kim Zolciak-Biermann and Tony Dovolani's salsa garnered one of the lowest in history with 12 points as the reality star was told she did the "bare minimum" on the dance floor.

Judge Julianne Hough wasn't too worried about the handful of low scores. In a report from Entertainment Weekly, the dancer said, "We will see a lot of growth, a lot of surprises this season, maybe a dark horse coming through the middle."

She reasoned, "If we start high, there is no where to go!"

Despite the handful of less-than stellar performances, there were plenty of talent to celebrate in the season premiere of DWTS.

Youngster Hayes Grier may lack polish in his cha-cha-cha routine with Emma Slater, but his natural potential and stage presence got him 21 points. Singer-songwriter Andy Grammer got 21 points as well after appearing smooth and "dashing" in his foxtrot with partner Allison Holker.

Tamar Braxton showed off with a fast-paced quickstep in Valentin Chmerkovskiy's arms, impressing the judges with her ability to keep up with the tempo and earning 23 points. Couple Carlos and Alexa PenaVega also wowed in their jive performances with respective partners Witney Carson and Mark Ballas. Both knew how to work the dance floor with plenty of chemistry, musicality and sensuality for the judges.

The surprise of the night was real-life hero Alek Skarlatos, who was paired with Lindsay Arnold for a smooth foxtrot that got 22 points. The judges loved his ease on the dance floor with Bruno Tinioli saying he was "born to ballroom".

The strong performances are impressive, but there are definite frontrunners to the top. Golden couple Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough did the jive to "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John and the energy of the Australian pair was off the charts. The charming routine earned 24 points from the judges.

Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter's cha cha performance with Sharna Burgess was another impressive dance number. Mixing in his boy band experience with the standard ballroom moves worked for the pair as everyone was swooning over Carter for the best score of the night with 24 points.