Charli D’Amelio, a TikTok sensation, has always been known for her dancing clips online. The small screen and short-video format may have led dancers on TikTok to be more expressive with their faces as they make each move to entertain audiences.
When D’Amelio took the stage, it was clear that her performing abilities transferred over well during the live premiere of “Dancing with the Stars.”
As the last contestant to go on stage, her cha-cha found the perfect rhythm to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage.”
Her partner Mark Ballas choreographed the routine — mixing the traditional dance style with D’Amelio’s approach to TikTok. Of course, her previous experience in competitive dance helps.
D’Amelio and Ballas together scored the highest on Monday, garnering 32 out of 40 points.
On the show, she said she was “super proud” of her mom, Heidi D’Amelio, and her performance. This is the first time a mother-daughter duo is competing against each other in the competition.
“I have really good friends and family around me, and I’m very happy that everyone came tonight to support me and my mom,” she said, per People. “And that meant a lot to us.”
D’Amelio’s account on TikTok has over 147 million followers, the second-highest on the app. According to Polygon, since the show aired, her fans have flooded the video app with clips of her performance on Monday.
In second place were comedian and actor Wayne Brady and Witney Carson with 29 points.
Meanwhile, Gabby Windey of “The Bachelorette” with Val Chmerkovskiy earned 28 points, as did Shangela, the first drag queen on the show, with Gleb Savchenko, and movie star Selma Blair, who danced with Sasha Farber.
“Dancing with the Stars” is available to stream on Disney+.