Who is Tyra Haynes-Polke? Shakira calls first 'Dancing With Myself' winner a STAR

Tyra Haynes-Polke wins the first prize money on 'Dancing With Myself,' impressing both the judge and the studio audience
Tyra Haynes-Polke in 'Dancing With Myself' episode 1 (NBC)
Tyra Haynes-Polke in 'Dancing With Myself' episode 1 (NBC)

'Dancing With Myself' has premiered and you can tell it's not your typical dancing reality program. The episode began with 12 amateur dancers, and we already have a winner of the night - Tyra Haynes-Polke.

The reality dancing competition show features 96 contestants over eight weeks. Each week, 12 candidates will battle for a sum of $25k and the title of "Best Dancer of the Night." 'Dancing with Myself' is an American dance competition show based on Tik-Tok dancing trends. The show excludes judges in favor of creators who teach the participants dancing routines. The creators of 'Dancing with Myself' Season 1 are Liza Koshy, Nick Jonas, and Shakira.

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Who is Tyra Haynes-Polke?

Tyra Haynes-Polke is a 16-year-old high school junior from Los Angeles, California. She was not only the youngest participant in the series premiere of 'Dancing With Myself,' but she was also the first to win the cash prize of $25,000. Tyra, who is raised by a Japanese mother, is proud to be bilingual. She entered the show to bring her talents outside her bedroom and put it on show in front of her favorite creators. With around 14k Instagram followers, the young talent is well-known on social media. Tyra reveals in a confessional before her final performance that she hails from a large family and would love to take them on a vacation with the prize money. She also mentioned about saving the remainder for college expenses.

How did the young gun make it to the top?

Tyra was one of 12 candidates on tonight's episode of 'Dancing With Myself.' Tyra enters the competition by grabbing the audience and creators' eyes on "All Eyes on You." She impressed the studio audience in the next round, "Freestyle Battle Round," which, unlike other dance programs, has the potential to save or break you. After each round, the audience votes for their favorite, and those who are not protected must rely on the decision of the creators. However, in the following round, "The Dance Along," she ends up on the losing team. In this round, eight contestants compete in four-person groups. Nikki Glaser, a special celebrity guest, presents the choreography.

The audience was then asked to select one of the groups to advance, while the Creators saved two competitors from the losing team. Tyra had to rely on the Creators to save her after being on the losing side. Her performance astounded the creators. Liza Koshy praised the high schooler, adding that not only did she kill her performance, but she also carried her group on her young shoulders. Shakira couldn't help but praise her "phenomenal" performance. When Tyra mentions her desire to make others happy via her work, Shakira tells her that she can make this her "living" if she so desires.

Tyra and her partner, Jeremy Urann, breezed through the following round of "duo collabs," beating out their competition. Liza Koshy couldn't help but compliment the California girl and her partner, the 29-year-old plus-size model. "The Shake-Up," the fifth round, required the four surviving candidates to all dance at the same time while facing a different twist (or "Shake-Up"). This includes dancing with an object or adding an iconic dance move, in this context, a chair, into their performance. Tyra's beautiful split caused Shakira's mouth to drop, propelling her to the final round, "Be the Creator," where she had to perform a dance she choreographed at home to Shut Up and Dance by WALK THE MOON.

Tyra Haynes-Polke in 'Dancing With Myself' episode 1 (NBC)

Tyra knew she had to integrate some of her most incredible tricks into the performance if she was going to beat the other finalist, Smac. Tyra, who was influenced by Beyoncé and Shakira, combined both death drop and back into her final performance. Shakira's jaw was hanging in the air as soon as she executed the back tuck flawlessly. She referred to the young high schooler as "a star." Liza, on the other hand, was delighted she "broke out of the box," since so much unfolded on stage after that. Nick was also impressed and praised her for putting her all into the performance. Despite stiff competition from Australian actress Smac McCreanor, the audience chose Tyra.

After its premiere on May 31, 2022, at 10/9c, NBC's new show 'Dancing With Myself' will run fresh episodes every Wednesday.

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