Joey Graziadei is taking a big step on “Dancing.”

On Monday, “Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei made a move in the first of two competitions that impressed the judges and sent him to the top of the leaderboard. A jive (complete with one of those backflips) showed he had the most musicality of all the contestants and really charmed the audience. He got a 34 and clearly made “Soul Train Night” his destiny.

The only person to beat him was Chandler Kinney, who made Run-DMC proud with a cha-cha that included a lesson from “Soul Train” dancer Reggie Thornton. There was a 36, ​​but Kinney has been a consistent leader since the start of the season. She's probably in the finals, but also has a smaller learning curve.

Also coming: “Bachelorette” Jenn Tran, who received a 31 for an elegant waltz. She took the jury's advice to heart and they were quick to point out that she had learned something from them.

The ones who didn't get those hollow compliments and praise for just being on the floor.

In other words, that's what greeted Reginald VelJohnson and Eric Roberts, two who will likely be heading home after Tuesday's “Metal Night.” VelJohnson landed at the bottom of the list with a 21; Roberts got a 24.

The Thirties went to Phaedra Parks, Ilona Maher, Stephen Nedoroscik and Danny Amendola. Brooks Nader got a 28, which was close, but she and her partner Gleb Savchenko were visibly upset, probably because they fueled the “showmance” rumors when they weren't on the show.

Basketball superstar Dwight Howard, who usually attends something like “Soul Train Night,” wore a Lord Farquaad wing and stumbled during his “What Was That?” song. dance. Because he's so tall, it's always a challenge to work with Daniella Karagach, but this was a complete flop.

As with “Oscar Night,” Monday's theme started strong – with “Soul Train” dancers in the audience and Popin' Pete on the dance floor – but then faded to include numbers that seemed out of place on “American Bandstand.” seem. Since “Soul Train” had a vibe all its own, the “Dancing” producers should have given everyone the opportunity to freestyle and avoided forcing the ballroom into Soul.

The judges (including guest judge Rosie Perez) fell over themselves early on trying to praise the mediocre dancers. Words like “wonderful” and “fantastic” fell out of my mouth. Parks received a 30, largely because her partner Val Chmerkovskiy had a tight grip on her the entire time.

Maher got one of those generous 30s, but she has a desire to improve every week. She's got plenty of personality, but there's something so effortless about Graziadei that he's worth watching. He admitted that he was a cheerleader in high school, but it wasn't a “serious” position. Still, it gave him the confidence to step out on “Soul Train” night.

Keep an eye out for the two seniors leaving after Metal Night. If they get saved, Howard or Nader could pack those dancing shoes.