Dancing with the Stars premiered Sept. 16, drawing record-breaking numbers with 5.5 million viewers and more than 20 million votes cast.

Fans have praised this season’s cast, which includes influencers, musicians, reality stars, actors, athletes and more.

The competition is fierce, but a few contestants have stood out so far.

Whitney Leavitt, star of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, is partnered with pro Mark Ballas. Her Week 1 tango and Week 2 cha-cha earned her a combined score of 37 out of 50, tying her for the top spot on the leaderboard.

Tied with Leavitt is Robert Irwin, son of the late Steve Irwin and younger brother of former Mirrorball champion Bindi Irwin. Partnered with Whitney Carson, Robert was a highly anticipated celebrity and is living up to the family’s legacy. His Week 1 jive and Week 2 tango also earned a combined score of 37 out of 50.

Another contestant to watch is social media star Alix Earle, partnered with Val Chmerkovskiy. With more than 7 million followers on TikTok, she is bringing significant attention to the show and receiving a high score of 34 out of 50 and a strong fanbase.

It would be unfair to rank these celebrities without any ballroom experience myself, so I decided to take some lessons at Baton Rouge Ballroom.

Owner James Heath, a certified dance instructor with more than 30 years in the industry, has a background in various styles. He enjoys sharing his passion and teaching students to appreciate the art of ballroom dance.

“Don’t be inhibited. Don’t be shy. Let yourself go. You can’t think about what other people think about how you dance,” Heath said when asked for his biggest advice.

Although I was in the studio for just 45 minutes, these celebrities spend hours every day learning new routines and styles.

“It’s a lot harder than people may think. They’re probably practicing eight to 12 hours a day,” Heath said.

Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays on Disney+ and Hulu. I’ll definitely be going easy on the celebrities from now on.