'Dancing With the Stars' premiere: What to expect from the first episode of season 25

The ABC reality competition show returns tonight.

By
ANDREA DRESDALE
September 18, 2017, 6:44 PM ET
3 min read

— -- When pop singers join the cast of "Dancing With the Stars," they usually wait a few weeks before cutting a rug to one of their own hits -- but that won’t be the case for Debbie Gibson.

When the show returns for its 25th season tonight on ABC at 8 p.m. ET, the 80s pop icon will hit the ballroom to her 1988 #1 hit ballad "Lost in Your Eyes."

But just because Gibson will be dancing to a familiar song, it doesn't mean the former teen idol will be any less nervous.

"Seriously, I am somebody who, once I'm on stage, I'm happy, I'm relaxed...but the hours leading up to a performance, even 30 years later, I make myself crazy!" she told ABC News. "I don't drink, I don't take Xanax, I have no crutches. I anticipate that first time on the ballroom, I'm sure I'm gonna be petrified and trying to...pull it together."

Another pop idol, Nick Lachey, is competing this season, and he’ll be facing his own wife, Vanessa Lachey. She's dancing with Maks Chmerkovskiy, while he's dancing with Chmerkovskiy's wife, Peta Murgatroyd. However, Nick Lachey said he and his spouse will avoid any trash talk.

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"I don't think we even need to talk smack, because it's just kind of understood that there's a lot riding on this," he told ABC News. "I mean, pride if nothing else....we're both competitive. We both wanna win, but we also both support each other."

"I think there's really a great opportunity to...be there for each other, and hopefully that gets us both into the finals," he continued. "And then we'll see what happens!"

The third musician in the ballroom this year is platinum-selling pop violinist Lindsey Stirling. She's paired with two-time champ Mark Ballas, a personal friend of hers.

"I saw that I could...make it work [with my schedule] and...I was like, 'Sign me up! I'm in!'" Stirling said with a laugh. "And then when I found out Mark was doing it, I was like, 'Can he be my partner?'"

On tonight's show, each couple will perform a salsa, foxtrot, tango or cha cha, and no one will be eliminated.

Here's who's dancing to what tonight:

  • Barbara Corcoran & Keo Motsepe – Salsa – “Money Maker” by Ludacris featuring Pharrell
  • Debbie Gibson & Alan Bersten – Foxtrot – “Lost in Your Eyes” by Debbie Gibson
  • Derek Fisher & Sharna Burgess – Salsa – “Basketball” by Kurtis Blow
  • Drew Scott & Emma Slater – Foxtrot – “Our House” by Madness
  • Frankie Muniz & Witney Carson – Foxtrot – “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles
  • Jordan Fisher & Lindsay Arnold – Tango – “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” by Shawn Mendes
  • Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas – Cha Cha – “Don’t Worry” by Madcon
  • Nick Lachey & Peta Murgatroyd – Cha Cha – “Come Get It Bae” by Pharrell Williams
  • Nikki Bella & Artem Chigvintsev – Tango – “So What!” by Pink
  • Sasha Pieterse & Gleb Savchenko – Cha Cha – “Like That” by Fleur East
  • Terrell Owens & Cheryl Burke – Cha Cha – “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” by The Temptations
  • Vanessa Lachey & Maks Chmerkovskiy – Cha Cha – “Woman” by Kesha featuring The Dap-Kings Horns
  • Victoria Arlen & Val Chmerkovskiy – Cha Cha – “Born Ready” by Disco Fries featuring Hope Murphy