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What shifts do we see as Week 1 becomes Week 2?

The Top 5 on the list are moving themselves away from the rest of the pack at a rapid rate.  Though the order was changed, the same 5 appeared in both this and last week’s Power List.

12. Bristol Palin and Mark Ballas (last week 12) – Bristol was bad last night.  Carrie called Mark’s choreography a slap to the face.  She performed early.  Nobody really cares about Bristol, and Sarah’s slowly fading from the spotlight as well.  Recipe for disaster tonight, and I hop (and think) Bristol will go.  I just can’t see a fan base getting behind her in 2012!

11. Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson (last week 11) – Joey is so corny, and DWTS viewers like that.  However, last night Len basically told him that he couldn’t dance (which was harsh and not even really true).  Viewer retaliation will save Joey, but it’s obvious that the judges aren’t fans.  As far as guys go, Joey is the weakest link.

10. Kelly Monaco and Val Chmerkovskiy (last week 7) – Kelly stumbles down the list after an okay dance.  Last week, Kelly had a great dance pushing her forward as the original DWTS Queen contended to find a fan base and be established as a frontrunner.  A late performing spot, as well as general DWTS nostalgia will keep Kelly in the competition for now however, despite an average performance.

9. Kirstie Alley and Maks Chmerkovski (last week 10) – Kirstie’s okay jive was easily enough to keep her in the competition, but only enough to bump her up one spot on the Power List.  The fact that Kirstie’s 60 and dancing with Olympic athletes makes her a major underdog, which also factors into those that admire her weight loss and her ability to dance.  Let’s face it though, Kirstie is hilarious on DWTS and people want to watch her.  She’ll stick around, even if her dancing ability isn’t up to par.

8. Drew Lachey and Anna Trebunskaya (last week 6) – I thought Drew was going to be a major frontrunner, but he tumbles down the list this week.  In addition to a shocking B2 appearance last week, Drew couldn’t muster up a good dance again and found himself in a three-way tie for seventh place.  He is a good dancer with a cool personality though, but it’s inevitable that Joey, with his over-the-top attitude, or Drew will be leaving soon.

7. Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani (last week 9) – Melissa goes up the Power List after a solid jive.  It’s obvious that Melissa’s dancing ability is in the upper half of the pack, but again, I fear her lack of relativity is going to do her in.  I hope Melissa’s pulling in a fan base, because she deserves to stay.  She might  be shockingly eliminated any week, however, if she can’t gain that fan base the other stars are able to develop.

6. Helio Castroneves (last week 8) – Helio also jumps up two spots.  His personality came out more this week, and he proved that he can bring charm, grace, and technique to his ballroom numbers.  Helio definitely improved and established himself as a contender.

5. Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke (last week 1) – A huge slap to the face of reality knocks Emmitt down from the top spot last week to 5th.  Emmitt is the embodiment of DWTS, and nobody can turn on the charm like he can.  He’s got swag, energy, and rhythm.  This week Emmitt came across as cocky however, closing the gap between himself, Helio, and Apolo created last week.  I also noted last week that Emmitt seems a little heavy on his feet, which the judges agreed with an pointed out this week.  He’s still a frontrunner I believe, even after an okay week.  Cheryl’s choreography has also been the best of all the pro’s thus far.

The Top 4 are all very close.  It came down to (mostly) dancing ability and fan bases to separate them, as none of them are over the top crazy.

4. Apolo Anton Ohno and Karina Smirnoff (last week 4) – Apolo doesn’t budge on the Power List after improving from last week.  He’s infectious and one of the DWTS favorites of all time, but at the end of the day he falls short to Gilles and Sabrina as far as dancing ability.  He’s basically untouchable until like Top 5 though.

3. Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough (last week 5) – Shawn goes up the list after a really strong jive that put her in third for the night.  Shawn’s downfall is that sometimes she isn’t the most consistent, but there’s no denying she’s easily one of the strongest dancers in the competition.  Her cuteness and champion status are definitely going to push her up even higher as more of her personality shines.  NOBODY dislikes Shawn, so she’ll go far.

2. Gilles Marini and Peta (last week 3) – Gilles is a lock for at least the Top 5 I believe.  I almost put him on top of the Power List, but we still need to see a little more enthusiasm from him.  He’s a reserved guy, but once he finds his mojo and America falls in love with him again, he’s going to run with it straight to the top.  Like Shawn, you just can’t dislike Gilles.

1. Sabrina Bryan and Louis van Amstel (last week 2) – Sabrina tops Emmitt, Gilles, Shawn, and Apolo as the leader of Week 2′s Power List.  I’ve watched this show for quite some time, and I can’t really recall any Quickstep that was stronger than Sabrina’s.  Her frame is absolutely flawless, and Sabrina has such a gratitude and enthusiasm for dance that she is becoming infectious and the top contender.  I really hope America won’t let her go again, because last night’s Quickstep was brilliant.  Sabrina is easily the most consistent (and best) dancer.  I think the gap between her and Gilles should have been a little bigger last night.