Georgia’s Bachelorette Charity Lawson debuts with top score on ‘Dancing with the Stars’

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A Georgia woman has moved from the Bachelor mansion to the ballroom.

The 32nd season of “Dancing with the Stars” premiered on Channel 2 on Tuesday. Among the 14 people competing for the Mirrorball Trophy is former “Bachelorette” Charity Lawson, a family and child therapist from Columbus, Ga.

Lawson, 27, and her dance partner, Artem Chigvintsev, 41, received the highest score of the night with a 22 out of 30 for their tango to Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In the World).”

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“Vanderpump Rules” star Ariana Madix and her partner Pasha Pashkov and singer Jason Mraz and his partner Daniella Karagach received the next highest scores with 21 out of 30.

This is Chigvintsev’s 12th season of “Dancing with the Stars” and not his first time dancing with a “Bachelorette.”

He and former “Bachelorette” Kaitlyn Bristowe won season 29 of the ballroom dancing competition.

Lawson and Chigvintsev avoided being the first couple eliminated from the competition. Actor Matt Walsh and his partner Koko Iwasaki were the first to leave the competition.

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Lawson joins nine other previous leads from “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” Of the four previous Bachelorettes to compete on the show, season one’s Trista Sutter, season 11′s Bristowe, season 15′s Hannah Brown and season 19′s Gabby Windey, three have made the finals and two have taken home the coveted Mirrorball Trophy.

After competing on Zach Shallcross’ season of “The Bachelor” and being eliminated after he visited her Georgia hometown, she led the 20th season of “The Bachelorette” where she got engaged to Dotun Olubeko.

“Dancing with the Stars” airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on Channel 2.

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Ga. ‘Bachelorette’ star teases ‘very happy’ ending to 20th season on Channel 2 Charity Lawson, a child and family therapist from Columbus, Ga., is letting millions of people in on her journey to find love.

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