He admitted he was given the nickname 'unco' at school - but Act MP David Seymour had the guts to at least front up on Dancing with the Stars on Monday night.
The politician was anchored at the bottom of the leaderboard with a flush of fives giving him a score of 15.
His partner Amelia described him as "not a natural born dancer" - but paid tribute to the perseverance of a man who before the age of 35 was already an MP and a career success.
His jive was a little awkward but there appears plenty of potential.
On social media, many - even non-Act supporters - paid tribute to him for fronting up.
The judges described the performance as "kind of like a hoedown in parts".
"A lot of times you looked quite awkward ... I truly believe with time co-ordination will come," judge Rachel White said.
None of the competitors managed to top Jess Quinn's score of 23 on the opening night.
Suzy Cato's highly anticipated performance was not a let-down.
The well-known children's television presenter dazzled in a fitted dress with a split up to the waist.
The judges said Cato moved like a competitive dancer and was "absolutely brilliant".
They gave her a score of 21 - rocketing her to third place.
While all the hype about Roger Farrelly's performance was around his retro mesh singlet, he was surprisingly light on his feet.
The judges described his jive as "surprisingly good" and he walked away with a score of 18.
The Bachelor's Zac Franich didn't crack a smile during his tango routine and was described by one judge as the "quintessential Kiwi stud" and as a "big cute teddy bear". He walked away with a score of 19.
Bachelor contestant Naz Khanjani also scored 19 for her routine.
The judges agreed she was the most agile competitor but found fault with her technique and footwork.
Week 1 scores
Robert Rakete - 17
Jess Quinn - 23
Chris Harris - 18
Gilda Kirkpatrick - 18
Marama Fox - 17
Shavaughn Ruakere - 20
Samantha Hayes - 22
Roger Farrelly - 18
Zac Franich - 19
Naz Khanjani - 19
David Seymour - 15
Suzy Cato - 21