'Dancing With The Stars' season 28 premiere: Ray Lewis has fans praising his performance, slamming judges' scores

Ray showcased massive enthusiasm in his performance, the same way he did during his 17-year career as a Raven, and fans loved every bit of it.
UPDATED SEP 17, 2019

'Dancing With The Stars' season 28 returned to ABC on Monday night after a long hiatus.

Premiering on Monday night, DWTS season 28 revealed its celebrity and pro partner pairings in the two-hour episode. With the season kicking off, fans and viewers were in for a lot of changes right from the scoring system to the ballroom set. 

Since it was the premiere, the series didn't have an elimination this week, but the scores will be carried over to next week when DWTS returns. While fans and viewers were eager to see who the stars were paired with, they were most excited to see Former Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis's partner and his performance. And not disappointing his fans, Ray showcased massive enthusiasm the same way he did during his 17-year career as a Raven during his debut performance and fans loved every bit of it. But they were mostly disappointed with the low scores the star received. 

Ray Lewis was paired with pro partner Cheryl Burke. (abc/craig)

The former Ravens linebacker was paired with Cheryl Burke for a salsa routine. For his debut performance, the champion wore a purple suit and stuck to a few moves he is known for. Ray also incorporated his famed 'Squirrel Dance' into their routine for Nelly's 'Hot in Herre'. Though their performance was far from being perfect, the duo did share some good chemistry. It was energetic and fun to watch. After their performance judge Len Goodman said, "There was a couple of mistakes but you have great potential!" Adding to that Carrie Ann said, "That was pretty damn good." 

Cutting right to the scores, the duo received a total of 15/30. They received a score of 5 from each judge, leaving them in the bottom three with the least scores. After their performance, fans took to Twitter to reveal that Ray and Cheryl had the most exciting performance of the evening. 

Fans are not happy with the scores the pair received from the judges. (ABC/Eric McCandless)

"Well I tell you what @raylewis was the most exciting. #DWTS," wrote a fan. Adding to that another said, "Way to go Ray Lewis! I thought you did great! #DWTS." Most fans also went on state that the pair were underscored for their performance. "It’s getting hot in here! The man has got his groove on. My #NFL guys always kill it on this show. @raylewis and @CherylBurke were #underscored in #DWTS!!!." 

"Come on @DancingABC @raylewis was scored waaaay too low. You literally told him he lit up the room and you give him 5s??? #DWTS  #RayLewis," wrote a fan. While another said, "What's with the very low scores for all our black performers? Esp Ray Lewis #DWTS." 

Well, though Ray is currently in the bottom three with the lowest scores, the tables might turn when the series returns next week for a brand new episode. 'Dancing With The Stars' season 28 airs every Monday night only on ABC. Check your local listings for more information. 

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