Kate Gosselin on DWTS Debut: "My Mind Went on Vacation"

Jake Pavelka, Shannen Doherty and Pamela Anderson share with us their thoughts after the Season 10 premiere

If it seemed Kate Gosselin wasn't quite all there last night as she danced a robot dance that was supposed to be a waltz, there's a reason: "I blanked out," she admits to us after her first episode of Dancing with the Stars. "I was like, 'Dear God, I don't know what I'm doing next!'"

So what went wrong? Where are Kate's eight little ones? And what do the rest of the gang—Shannen, Jake and Pam—have to say? Here's the scoop:

Though Kate was cool as a cucumber leading up to last night's premiere performance, she admits she completely freaked out once she took the stage. "It was literally that my mind went on vacation and I was like, 'Come back, I need you!'" Kate says with a laugh, adding that she credits her partner Tony Dovolani for being able to make it through. "It's amazing. I honestly couldn't do it without him. He is not only my dance instructor, he's my psychotherapist."

As for her kids, Kate says she didn't get a chance to talk to them last night, but they were at home watching. "Yes, I did say, 'Get your homework done, you can sit up with popcorn and eat it while you're watching,'" Kate says. "I miss them a lot…I know they're proud."

Speaking of proud, how about the waterworks in Shannen Doherty's corner last night? "I was petrified," Shannen admits. "I was really nervous before I came out and then right as we were setting in our place to start, I looked at my dad and my dad was crying and that was it. I was done. He kept crying, just crying. He's just crying, I'm crying. And Mark just looks at us, smiles and shakes his head."

Jake Pavelka also had his special someone in the audience last night: fiancée Vienna. "I looked at her as soon as I finished," Jake says. "I was nervous, but I was just trying to channel it to the right place. No fear nervous, just excited nervous.

Next week, Pam Anderson will be toning down the live sex show in favor of a more restrained (we presume?) dance: the foxtrot. "I love it; it's so sweet," Pam tells us. "I really like it. I like it better. The cha-cha was fun to start."

Good news for Kate: You can feel better about letting the kiddies watch!

Watch E! News tonight at 7 for more exclusive interviews and commentary from our special DWTS correspondent and reigning ballroom champ Kym Johnson.

Who are you rooting for this season? Anyone else thinking professional singer and dancer Nicole Scherzinger is going to win this thing—and that's so not fair?