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Arts & Entertainment

Dallas athlete Von Miller is light on his feet on 'Dancing With the Stars' premiere

Fans had to wait until the end to see Von Miller and his sparkletacular suit perform Monday night on Dancing With the Stars.

NFL player Von Miller is paired with Witney Carson.
NFL player Von Miller is paired with Witney Carson.(Craig Sjodin / ABC)

With some of his teammates looking on, Miller and partner Witney Carson followed a sizzling performance from Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown and his partner, Sharna Burgess. But the North Texas native, who had mugged for the camera from the start of the show to his show-ending dance, came to play. When he and his "Barbie drill sergeant" finished, there were chants of "MVP" from the crowd.

Judges had kind words for Miller. Carrie Anne Inaba said he was "soft and silky." Len Goodman, who returned this season as head judge, didn't say anything bad, which was good. Bruno Tonioli said he had "presence." The duo finished with a score of 21 out of 30, which was a great first-night score but only managed to put them in the middle of the pack.

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In a video shown before the performance, Miller called Carson, who previously won DWTS with Alfonso Ribeiro, "one of the toughest coaches I've ever been coached by." And it showed, as the reigning Super Bowl MVP tried to show out during their fox trot, even mixing in some of his own moves.

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Carson promises that they'll come up with a signature move for the NFL player she calls "huge."

Miller has his footwork cut out for him, because the judges were impressed the whole night. (I've got a feeling that the voting public will have to determine this year's winner of the Mirrorball Trophy.)

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Three couples are tied at the top with 23 points: America's Next Top Model winner Nyle DiMarco and partner Peta Murgatroyd; Good Morning America meteorologist Ginger Zee and Val Chmerkovskiy; and Boyz II Men singer Wanya Morris, who brought the judges Philly cheesesteaks ahead of his dance, and Lindsay Arnold.

At the bottom? Former NFL player Doug Flutie is going to need all of his fan base -- seriously, fans of every team he ever played for -- to dial in. And Geraldo Rivera, who didn't so much dance as, well, walk, is going to need some help, too. Mischa Barton is going to need the entire O.C.

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The next show, with an elimination imminent, airs Monday March 28 at 7 p.m. on ABC (Ch. 8).