Lil Kim and Derek Hough kicked off season eight of Dancing with the Stars last night, as the rapper dedicated her performance to former fellow inmates at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.

After her performance, Kim told People: “Yeah, my first dance was to my girls at FDC. They are representin.’ I know they are,” she said. “We watched the show and I know they’ll be happy to hear that that’s where I first watched [Dancing with the Stars].

Here are some other reactions contestants had, following a highly-rated eighth season premiere:

Gilles Marini: “I felt so good. I am going to the doctor on Wednesday. But tonight, it felt really good to get that first dance out of the way.”

Belinda Carlisle [on being compared to Julie Andrews and Cloris Leachman]: “I love Cloris Leachman and Julie Andrews, too. So for me, it was a double compliment.”

Steve-O: “I heard we got a standing ovation and I didnt even know."

Meanwhile, click on the photos below for larger images from last night's opening set of performances:

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.