Cloris Leachman steals the show on ‘Dancing’

The glitter, the glitz and the all-important cheese factor were back in full force Monday, as “Dancing with the Stars” kicked off night one of a three-night premiere event. Tom “the host with the most” Bergeron was once again joined by his sidekick, Samantha “at least she tries” Harris, to welcome the biggest selection of ballroom wannabes the show has ever seen.

By the end of the evening, all 13 stars had strutted their stuff for the judges, and as always, the ballroom divide was evident from the get-go. But for once, the night wasn’t just about early finale favorites and dancing duds. Thanks to one veteran celebrity, entertainment value actually trumped all the fancy footwork.

Sure, she’s not going to bring home the mirror-ball bling, but with nine Emmys, a Golden Globe and an Oscar already under her belt, Cloris Leachman doesn’t even need it. The 82-year-old actress hit the floor with new pro Corky Ballas (dancer Mark’s dad), and proved sometimes even in a dance competition, moves are overrated.

After performing a good-for-an-octogenarian foxtrot, the sassy senior received a standing O from the audience, and that was before she showed the judges a little skin and forced the censors to bleep her reaction to the scores.

While Cloris is bound to falter when the more intense Latin numbers come around, she’s worth keeping around for laughs. Who else would be willing to pull the cue card to show the home audience that Samantha needs a cheat sheet to tell her six plus five plus five equals 16?

Dancers worth watching
As for actual ballroom prowess, the first soft shoe to show any potential was Toni Braxton. The built-in advantage that most singers bring to the show is the gift of rhythm, and she was no exception, as evidenced by her 22-point cha-cha-cha with season-one winner Alec Mazo.

Following in the footsteps of past competitors Drew Lachey and Joey Fatone, Lance Bass did his boy-bander roots proud. Joined by first-time pro Lacey Schwimmer, better known to some viewers as a past finalist from “So You Think You Can Dance,” Lance impressed the judges with his fast and free-style cha-cha