DWTS 23 Week 2 Live Blog and Performance Videos

The show begins with a look back at last season’s premiere, including the incident involving the protesters and Ryan Lochte. I guess we can expect a lot of that being talked about tonight. Tonight, it is a tv night celebration. And we start with Maureen. No opening number this evening.

Maureen & Artem – Quickstep
Maureen is a little upset about last week. She wants to change her fortune. Tonight, she gets to be Marcia Brady again and Florence is at rehearsal. In fact, she is in the routine. Well, the very beginning of it at least. A better routine than last week. Maureen looks a lot more confident here. A simple quickstep, perhaps a tad bit slower than what it should be. No obvious errors or missteps though and I really like this smiling and sure of herself Maureen as compared to last when she was so tentative and nervous looking. Good job! – Watch the Video Performance

Len enjoyed that it was fun and entertaining. He marvels at her confidence and says the technique was better. Julianne says Maureen looks better this week but she needs to work on the body contact. Bruno says Maureen was much more at ease. He liked the sassy side of Maureen too. He mentions a couple of foot issues but says it was much better. Carrie Ann agrees with the confidence. She says Maureen covered one moment where there might have been a mistake.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 6, Julianne- 6, Bruno- 7 = 26/40 *A four point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Maureen by calling 1-800-868-3409 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Jana & Gleb – Tango
Gavin DeGraw will be on hand to perform the theme song from Jana’s show as the couple dances. Nice! I remember when Gavin was a contestant on the show. Jana wants to work harder after last week. However, during rehearsal, she tore muscles in between her ribs. The doctor doesn’t want her to dance but she powers through. She is in a lot of pain though. Props to Jana for getting through that. However, I wonder if a few missteps in the dance and it being more on the sloppy side than on the clean side has something to do with the injury. I’m glad Gleb choreographed with less “sex” as I was worried he might be inclined to include that once again. I have to imagine rehearsals leading up to tonight were tough. Last week’s dance was better for me but I will give her a pass and hope she is okay to continue on in the competition. – Watch the Video Performance

Julianne calls Jana a trooper. She calls her a very good dancer but she needs to focus on her legs- she needs to bend them and her foot just hangs there. Bruno feels like going to confession after the dance. He loved the passion and drive. He says she missed a couple of passes. And work on the extensions. Carrie Ann says the routine was difficult and saw Jana’s pain. Everything was a lot less than Jana is capable of, according to Carrie Ann.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 8, Julianne- 7, Bruno- 7 = 29/40 *A two point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Jana by calling 1-800-868-3406 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Rick & Emma – Quickstep
A pretty funny campaign-like video airs. Rick is walking around telling everyone to vote. Well, we are in a political season so I guess this works. Emma wants to move up from the bottom of the leaderboard. Rick is so stiff. I mean, this is a marked improvement over last week. He is actually keeping up with Emma and I don’t see any major hiccups. But his posture and frame is so over the top stiff. It looks awkward. And of course, similar to Maureen, it isn’t as quick a quickstep as I would like to see. But if we are grading on improving from the premiere, Rick did that. – Watch the Video Performance

Bruno thought the performance was very catchy. He gives Rick credit for the enthusiasm. But the footwork was too heavy. Carrie Ann disagrees with Bruno. She felt it was perky and efficient. Len says Rick needs a bit more polish but it was well done.
Carrie Ann- 6, Len- 5, Julianne- 5, Bruno- 6 = 22/40 *A two point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Rick by calling 1-800-868-3410 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Calvin & Lindsay – Foxtrot
Calvin is enjoying the hell out of this show. He loves that people are seeing a different side of him. Lindsay tells him to play the character. This is adorable. Lindsay did a great job here with the choreography. It is totally fun and quirky. The dancing is decent but something, similar to last week, is just need hitting it when it comes to Calvin’s moves. I’m not sure if it just a simple explanation of needing some more rehearsals or if Lindsay needs to help him work on his fluidity. At times, it looks great. At other times, you can note where the quality drops a notch. – Watch the Video Performance

Carrie Ann calls Calvin so darn cute. She enjoyed the charm. She compliments the hold. Len enjoyed the understated moments. He says watching Calvin dance gives him joy. Julianne thought the dance ended too soon- she calls him cool and easy. She thinks he will improve each week.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 7, Julianne- 7, Bruno- 7 = 28/40 *A two point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Calvin by calling 1-800-868-3403 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Amber & Maks – Viennese Waltz
Amber says she blacked out during last week’s performance. Maks says Amber is getting stronger. Amber wants someone that won’t give up on her and that person is Maks. Amber has got to work harder on these steps during rehearsal. I counted three times during the routine where she was about to lose her way. And when you see that, it takes you out of the dance. It takes Amber out of it too and it is a good thing she has a strong partner to continue guiding her. I do have to dig Maks a bit though because that definitely needed more classic viennese waltz steps overall. It was a solid theme and song but I can’t really commend the execution. – Watch the Video Performance

Len thought it was full of imagination. He wanted to see more ballroom hold. Julianne saw more of a connection this week. But she feels the shoes made Amber uncomfortable. Bruno could see the effort. He wants Amber to give more though. He tells Amber to work with Maks.
Carrie Ann- 6, Len- 6, Julianne- 6, Bruno- 6 = 24/40 *SAME as last week.
You can vote for Amber by calling 1-800-868-3401 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Jake & Jenna – Cha-Cha-Cha
Jake came in with confidence and he was upset about the judges scores. Jenna comes up with a clever idea for this dance to be Jake 2.0 Jake feels as though is there is ever a week he should not go home, it is this one. Wow, this isn’t great. First, many out of sync issues. Second, like last week, Jake misses cues to grab Jenna, which throws off the dance. Third, the cha-cha-cha is supposed to be a fun party dance but the energy was lacking overall. Jake is a mystery to me. He is young and athletic and one would assume he would do well but perhaps this type of dancing is just not something he can get a handle on. – Watch the Video Performance

Carrie Ann thought it was better than last week but says Jake was ahead of the music. She thinks Jake is trying to force it too much. Len says it was a better dance than last week but he can’t give a higher score because the timing was lost. He wants him to calm down. Julianne notes that the chemistry will help with the timing issues.
Carrie Ann- 6, Len- 6, Julianne- 6, Bruno- 6 = 24/40 *A two point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Jake by calling 1-800-868-3404 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Vanilla Ice & Witney – Foxtrot
Vanilla Ice loved the routine last week. Witney says this song and dance will show a side of Vanilla Ice people haven’t seen before. Witney notes how Len said they need more content and she is doing that. Ha! Great opening with Witney as Peg Bundy and Vanilla as Al Bundy. Okay, so Vanilla showed here that he can indeed learn proper ballroom and he can pull it off. It wasn’t perfect but it was fun, flowed relatively well, and the posture and footwork were on the right side of things. Last week was such a non-ballroom routine with all the hip hop so this was really the first time seeing what Vanilla can do. A little more practice and continued improvement and things are looking good for him. – Watch the Video Performance

Bruno felt it was very effective though it wasn’t elegant or sophisticated. He wants him to be careful with how he throws his hands away. A little more graceful and lyrical. Carrie Ann says Vanilla Ice wasn’t in his comfort zone. She feels like his dancing is at an imbalance and needs a happy medium. Bruno calls it a thriller from Vanilla. He saw improvement in the movement and content.
Carrie Ann- 6, Len- 7, Julianne- 6, Bruno- 7 = 26/40 *A one point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Vanilla Ice by calling 1-800-868-3413 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Terra & Sasha – Quickstep
Terra calls last week amazing. She loved it. Sasha says this is the first time they are going to be in frame. Terra says her little legs will try and keep up. She is still scared but she is ready. You know what? This is a very strong quickstep. Sure, Sasha and Terra are never going to look as good in hold as others and sure, the quickstep will be a bit slower. But, with what they were tasked to do, they absolutely pulled it off. It was fun, it had content, Terra nailed the moves, and Sasha choreographed it to perfection. A really strong outing here for Terra. – Watch the Video Performance

Len says diamonds come in small packages. He said Terra danced better tonight. Julianne says the performance was made for her. She compliments the frame and says it was her favorite routine of the night. Bruno thought it was most complete and rounded quickstep of the night. He is astounded.
Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 7, Julianne- 8, Bruno- 8 = 31/40 *A six point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Terra by calling 1-800-868-3412 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Babyface & Allison – Argentine Tango
Babyface says he was a roller coaster of emotions last week. He went into entertainer mode last week. Babyface says the dance is supposed to be sexy and he is having trouble with that. He is shy. Toni Braxton arrives at rehearsal to help out. Nice! A proper argentine tango with some great choreography. I would have liked to see just a little more crispness in some of Babyface’s moves. But you can tell he practiced hard and really got into character. I saw a nice bit of chemistry with Allison too. He should be pleased with that overall. – Watch the Video Performance

Julianne calls Babyface an unexpected surprise. She says she is looking forward to his journey each week. Bruno calls it intriguing. He says it was played correctly. Carrie Ann says Babyface understands the music and that helps. She calls it his phrasing and compliments him.
Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 7, Julianne- 7, Bruno- 8 = 30/40 *A four point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Babyface by calling 1-800-868-3402 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Laurie & Val – Jive
Laurie mentions how the Lochte situation happened right before her dance. Val says it took away from Laurie’s experience but she still went out and did what she had to do. Val says no one is better to play a cartoon character, as this dance will require that type of fun and bubbly personality. Fun! Lots of energy, as expected. Good kicks and flicks and stuffed with content. I would caution to Laurie to be careful when it comes to getting too excited to the point where you can catch a few little instances during the dance where things aren’t perfect. And I totally understand that I am being hard on her right now but the bar is set so high and she is clearly in a league above so many others that these things are important. But another stellar job of course. – Watch the Video Performance

Len calls it high energy and high performance level. He loved it. Julianne calls it amazing and loved the beginning when Laurie was dancing with two other females. Bruno calls Laurie a leading lady. He says it has power, personality, and an incredible level of performance.
Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 8, Julianne- 8, Bruno- 8 = 32/40 *A one point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Laurie by calling 1-800-868-3407 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

James & Sharna – Paso Doble
James thinks it is crazy that he is tied for the top score. James had a race this week so only two days of rehearse and he isn’t even at camera blocking. So, this has been a tough week for he and Sharna. And you wouldn’t know he missed rehearsal. A strong paso. Lovely staccato movements throughout, great facial expressions and character, and solid choreography. James is an absolute surprise in this competition and tonight showed last week was no fluke. I am really interested to see how he does with a fun latin routine such as a cha-cha-cha. He could be the unexpected one to give someone like Laurie a run for her money. – Watch the Video Performance

Carrie Ann calls it impressive. She said it wasn’t as good as last week and James needs to expand outward a bit more. Len calls James an accomplished dancer. He thought the paso got a bit mixed up with everyone else going on. He says he is judging the dance and wants to see steps he is aware of. Julianne appreciates the commitment. She cautions him to work on his shaping.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 7, Julianne- 7, Bruno- 8 = 29/40 *A one point DECREASE from last week.
You can vote for James by calling 1-800-868-3405 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Marilu & Derek – Foxtrot
Marliu is absolutely dancing to her theme song from Taxi. The music though is a bit of a mystery to Derek. He is trying hard to put something special together for this theme. He wants to do this justice. This is a tough one. The music really was complicated to create a foxtrot. I thought they handled it well enough, with some nice gliding around the floor. However, it was pretty basic and if Marliu wasn’t going so late in the show, this would be quite a forgettable routine. It was just sort of there- nothing to rave about but nothing to really pick apart either. – Watch the Video Performance

Bruno loved the lines and shapes. He says Marilu may have gone on the wrong foot at one point. Carrie Ann loved seeing how beautiful Marilu dances. Len says it was smooth and stylish. He compliments Derek’s choreography.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 8, Julianne- 7, Bruno- 7 = 29/40 *A two point INCREASE from last week.
You can vote for Marilu by calling 1-800-868-3408 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Ryan & Cheryl – Quickstep
Cheryl and Ryan discuss last week’s incident. His mom was crying in the audience. He says he has never quit and won’t now. Haha. That was cute. A very appropriately choreographed quickstep by Cheryl considering the show they were dancing to. And you know, the actual quickstep was good. This dance was a much better outing for Ryan as compared to last week. I actually saw more of what he could be capable of. A little more rehearsal to get those feet right at all times (saw a mess up) and I would be even more pleased. But considering last week, he should feel good about this. – Watch the Video Performance

Julianne loved the concept. She saw so many mistakes. She wants him to work on his posture and frame because that and the footwork was distracting. Bruno called it fun. He wants him to work on his frame and of course, work on the mistakes. Carrie Ann appreciated the joy. But she agrees that there was a lot going wrong. But she enjoyed the fun chemistry.
Carrie Ann- 6, Len- 6, Julianne- 6, Bruno- 6 = 24/40 *SAME as last week.
You can vote for Ryan by calling 1-800-868-3411 during the show and for 60 minutes after the broadcast in each time zone. You can also vote online at ABC.COM and/or on FACEBOOK (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 11AM Eastern Tuesday.

Leaderboard For Weeks One & Two (Out of a total of 80 judges points)
Laurie- 63
James- 60
Marilu- 56
Jana- 56
Babyface- 56
Terra- 56
Calvin- 54
Vanilla Ice- 51
Amber- 48
Ryan- 48
Maureen- 48
Jake- 46
Rick- 42

A new polls thread will be up shortly. Remember, tomorrow night, we have a 2-hour results show that begins at 8 Eastern. I will be right her to live blog and I hope to see you all. :)