Dancing with the Stars kicked off season eight last night.  Joining the group as a last minute replacement for the injured Nancy O’Dell was Melissa Rycroft.  Bachelor fans know her as the woman who was rejected last week by Jason Mesnick before a live national audience following the finale.

Rycroft had just two days to get ready for her performance with dance professional Tony Dovolani.   It was apparent that Melissa has had ballet training as she and her partner danced a waltz to Moon River.  Her performance was very credible and the judges rewarded the couple with a 7 and two 8’s, giving them one of the highest scores of the evening.

Check out their performance here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I06FpuII7sw[/youtube]

Related Articles:

• DWTS Update: Jewel & Nancy O'Dell Quit Season 8
• Emails Between Jason and Melissa Revealed
• Jillian Harris is the Next Bachelorette
• Jason Mesnick Rejects Melissa Rycroft, Picks Molly Malaney (VIDEO)
• Sarah Welch: Bachelor Rome Contestant Sues Over Fall (VIDEO)
• Dancing with the Stars: Couples Promo Photos Revealed
• Chelsie Hightower & Dmitry Chaplin: First Time Pros on DWTS (Photos)
• Dancing With The Stars: Season Eight Celebrity Cast Revealed (Photos)
• Karina Smirnoff & Maksim Chmerkovskiy Engaged (Photos)
• Dancing with the Stars Season Seven WINNER (Photo Gallery)
• The Bachelorette's DeAnna and Jesse Break Up

Filed under: Celebrities, Dancing With the Stars, Reality TV