Watching Carole Baskin do the Paso doble to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" was something we never knew we needed.
The Big Cat Rescue CEO and Tiger King star brought her A-game while making her Dancing with the Stars debut with pro partner, Pasha Pashkov. And that footwork? Definitely impressive—especially for someone with very little dance experience.
Of course, it was only fitting that Baskin chose the iconic Survivor hit as her first song. After opening with Pashkov in a cage, the couple danced around the ballroom floor while sporting some fabulous tiger-print outfits.
In response, judge Derek Hough said, "You danced that Paso, you smashed it," while Carrie Ann Inaba commented, "Carole Baskin just danced the Paso doble to 'Eye of the Tiger,' everyone. I'm still gathering myself." Girl, so are we.
While the dance number garnered a lot of positive reactions, the judges offered their honest critiques before giving the pair a total score of 11/30—the lowest one of the night. But even so, we get the feeling that her loyal fans—or should we say her "cool cats and kittens"—will be fighting to keep her on the show.
When Baskin was asked why she chose to join DWTS, she explained that her true goal is to raise awareness about the treatment of cats. She told Entertainment Tonight, "There's plenty of wrongs but this isn't about me. This is about the cats and they were the real losers in Tiger King. There was [little] attention paid to what those cats go through. So I am really hoping that Dancing with the Stars will keep those cats first and foremost in the front of the viewers so that they are constantly thinking about those cats being in cages and being exploited so that we can change that and end the private possession and the cub handling." A true tiger queen.
Here's hoping Baskin and Pashkov stick around for awhile!
