Tom DeLay was elected to the House of Representatives 11 times, but if his performance on Monday's "Dancing With the Stars" is any indication, he shouldn't expect that kind of longevity on the hit ABC dancing competition.
Paired with professional partner Cheryl Burke - a two-time winner when dancing with singer Drew Lachey and football star Emmitt Smith - the former Texas Congressman known as "the Hammer" sits third from the bottom on the judges' scorecards after one night of competition, the season premiere.
He is ahead of only actor Ashley Hamilton (paired with Edyta Sliwinska) and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (paired with Anna Demidova).While the ex- House Majority Leader shrugged off the trio of Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, saying, "I got bigger critics than those judges," pro athletes like Irvin have tended to score well with the show's viewers, which could give Irvin and Demidova a push past DeLay and Burke when the total scores are tallied.
DeLay and Burke danced a cha-cha-cha to open the competition, performing to the Troggs' 1965 hit "Wild Thing." The judges were left shocked by DeLay's hip-shaking moves - Tonioli proclaimed, "You're crazier than Sarah Palin!" - but were less-than-impressed with the actual dancing.
He was complimented on his "natural grace" and for being "light on his feet," but DeLay was only able to muster 16 points out of 30 from the three judges. Added to a last-place finish in the "relay" portion of the program, DeLay and Burke ended the first night of competition with a total of 20 points, leaving them vulnerable as the competition moves along.
Among the celebrities who will try to take down DeLay and Burke on Tuesday night are singers Macy Gray and Kelly Osbourne, Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin, model Kathy Ireland, and actress Melissa Joan Hart.
DeLay, for his part, welcomes the competition, telling viewers in his introductory video, "One thing I liked about politics was the challenge and competition and this is just like that. You've got to work hard, and maybe you can win."