Amy Purdy, Charlie White Excel on Season Premiere of 'Dancing with the Stars'

Charlie White led all scores with a 27 to kick off season 18.

ByABC News
March 17, 2014, 2:00 PM

March 17, 2014 — -- Jason Derulo kicked the show off with his hit "Talk Dirty," but the real talk came from an excited judging panel over the new cast for Season 18 of "Dancing with the Stars."

Candace Cameron Bure and Mark Ballas scored a 25 and Amy Purdy, the double-amputee snowboarding champ, received a standing ovation from the crowd and impressed the judges with a 24.

"I am in shock, I have never seen anything like that ... you are beacon of light," said judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

Charlie White and Sharna Burgess led the way with a 27. Inaba called them "a perfect match."

Billy Dee Williams danced at 77 years young, which impressed Goodman, but fellow judge Bruno Tonioli joked he would never forgive the "Star Wars" star for betraying Han Solo. Williams and Emma Slater scored the lowest of the night at 15.

Along with a new cast, a big change was Erin Andrews taking over as co-host, replacing Brooke Burke-Charvet. Andrews interviewed the pairs as they exited the dance floor – something that suits the veteran ESPN sports reporter.

Another theme of this season could be budding relationships! There was definite chemistry between Maxsim and Meryl, and Peta and James, who actually admitted that they had gone on a past date. Also, Cody Simpson revealed that his partner Witney Carson's moves were a bit "distracting." This could be the best "DWTS" season yet!

For the full recap, make sure to head over to GMA for all the juicy details!