DWTS 22 Week 2 Live Blog and Performance Videos

43% of you picked Nyle & Peta as your favorite partnership so far. The only other couples in double digits (by a much lower percentage though) are Ginger & Val, Wanya & Lindsay, and Jodie & Keo. You also gave Nyle & Peta the most votes for favorite week one routine. Their Cha-Cha-Cha earned 48% of the vote. Wanya & Lindsay had 17% and Ginger & Val had 11%. Also in overwhelming fashion, 66& of you disliked Geraldo & Edyta and their Cha-Cha-Cha. 17% of you went with Mischa & Artem. Most of you agreed the premiere was of “B/B+” quality. Now, turning to tonight’s elimination. 68% of you believe Geraldo & Edyta are out, with 21% of you thinking it might be Mischa & Artem.

I agree with the majority here. It has got to be Geraldo. I am finding it hard to pull any positives from that routine would result in people voting for them. Despite Edyta’s popularity, she has been gone a long time. If folks wanted to vote for someone of a certain age, I would assume both Marla and Doug would be getting those votes. And to be honest, Geraldo isn’t the most popular person in the world outside of the show. So, I would be pretty darn shocked if he didn’t get the boot at the end of the night.

So, “Latin Night” should be fun to watch. I am really looking forward to seeing if last week’s high scoring couples could keep up the momentum or if they falter a bit. Will any of the less than stellar couples improve? Will the producers continue to come up with an Antonio Vs. Von narrative even though we don’t really have one? And will the one week rehearsal time versus the weeks the couples had before last week hurt their routines? I’m excited to find out the answers to all these questions and excited to interact with you guys again. Let’s get this party started…

We open with our pros and troupe members giving us some latin flare on the dance floor. And yes, Mandy Moore choreographed that. Here come the stars. Mark is absent when he and Paige are announced. As was reported earlier, he suffered an injury in rehearsal. We will find out later if he can dance tonight. Oh lord. Geraldo is dressed like Donald Trump, hair and all. Anyways, time to get the show started… – Click to Watch the Opening Number VIDEO

Jodie & Keo – Samba

Jodie was upset at that one six she got last week. She wanted all 7’s. She’s starting to feel some pressure now that rehearsal time is limited. And she walks out of rehearsal in tears. Keo gives her a pep talk. This is a solid samba. Jodie starts off on her own, with just a few pros dancing with her and no Keo. It gives her some time to get a little rhythm and excitement going. Once Keo comes, we have the usual samba moves, though no difficult samba rolls here. Some nice rhythm, she seems to be on time and keeping up with Keo, and her musicality is good too. I think this was better than last week, even if I’m not exactly jumping up and down. Maybe the choreography could have been a bit better? That’s on Keo.

Len called the dance hot. He wanted the leg action to be a bit stronger. He did compliment Keo on content. Bruno liked what he saw. He wants her to remember that once she gets the feel, she shouldn’t doubt herself during the performance. Carrie Ann thought her comfort level was better than last week and calls her a fantastic dancer. She does agree with Bruno that Jodie tenses up sometimes.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7
Total: 21/30
You can vote for Jodie & Keo 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Jodi & Keo’s Samba VIDEO

Marla & Tony – Argentine Tango

Tony wants Marla to be more aggressive. We get to hear all about Marla’s very healthy lifestyle. She does yoga, takes a lot of vitamins, eats organic, etc… Okay, so the argentine tango is an extremely sexy, lustful, and almost dangerous dance. While Marla is doing the steps and staying in character, this is a tad careful. You can see her get a bit wobbly at times and not really pulling off the character completely when that happens. I think the best part of this routine for her is the fact that she has gorgeous long legs that get to be on display. But if I’m being honest, I enjoyed last week’s dance more.

Bruno wanted more down and dirty. He thought she held back. Carrie Ann doesn’t think she needs to get down in every dance. She finds Marla elegant. She loved the lines. But she does give Marla a tip to improve things in-between the lines. Len thought it lacked a bit but he did think it was clean and polished.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Marla & Tony 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Marla & Tony’s Argentine Tango VIDEO

Geraldo & Edyta – Salsa

Geraldo says he sucked last week. Well, at least he is honest. Oh boy. A parody of Donald Trump. Alright, so obviously, Geraldo and Edyta realize that dancing isn’t going to be great for him, so let’s do big characters and comedy. Geraldo has issues with feeling in his right foot due to a surgery. Good heavens. What in the world is going on here? He starts off on the phone, doing a Trump impersonation and he should have just stayed there. The dancing didn’t get better from last week. It stayed the same. Heck, it may have even been a bit worse. He missed so many steps and so much partnering with Edyta. The musicality was just bad. I get the idea. Let’s be funny to mask the bad dancing. But this wasn’t funny. I was embarrassed for him.

Carrie Ann says she laughed. The shirt had a lot to do with it. She says there was improvement. Len thinks Geraldo is the best person to have on DWTS. Bruno thought Geraldo was true to the source but he doesn’t know what the content was. He calls it impressive for all the wrong reasons.
Carrie Ann- 5
Len- 4
Bruno- 4
Total: 13/30
You can vote for Geraldo & Edyta 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Geraldo & Edyta’s Salsa VIDEO

Paige & Mark – Salsa

Troupe member Alan will be stepping in for Mark. During rehearsal, Paige is a bit nervous about the lifts. During camera blocking, Mark aggravated a pre-existing back issue. It seems serious. Well, Paige seemed to acclimate herself to a new partner well. This is a very fast and sexy salsa. She is keeping up with Alan here and doing the steps. Some nice lifts too. A tad chaotic at times and I can name two or three places it got messy but I think considering the last minute partner change, Paige handled the dance very well. She definitely keeps her momentum from last week as being a solid dancer. I really hope Mark will be alright and he can return to her.

Len gives Mark kudos for choreography. He compliments Paige and calls it the best dance so far of the season. Bruno loved the energy. He wants her to be careful of going ahead of the music. She did it last week too. Carrie Ann agrees some of it was rushed but she says Paige destroyed the number.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8
Total: 24/30
You can vote for Paige & Mark 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Paige & Mark’s Salsa VIDEO

*Mark comments that he hopes to be back but the Doctor’s are running a myriad of tests just to be sure he can.

Antonio & Sharna – Rumba

And here we go. “Do you think you and Sharna are better than Von and Witney?” to which Antonio declares they are. Why is the show doing this? Stop manufacturing something that isn’t there. And to be honest, it makes Antonio come off too cocky and that’s not a good look. Sharna explains how sensual the rumba has to be. She notes how Antonio is not an actor, so this type of character dance isn’t natural. Hmm. This is a decent rumba but for the second week in a row, underwhelming. The show did Antonio no favors by talking so much about how the football players always do amazing. Antonio did himself no favors by being cocky. You have got to back it up with something really special. And while this was your typical run of the mill rumba with no glaring issues, it wasn’t the hot, smoldering, fluid dance it should be. It was just an okay routine from a choreography standpoint danced… okay.

Bruno calls Antonio gifted. He wants Antonio to apply more. He wanted some more fluidity. Carrie Ann appreciates the chemistry and how Antonio understands the movements but wanted a more sturdy frame for Sharna. She also mentions a lift- which of course, brings out the lift police department. Len believes there is a dancer inside of Antonio but it hasn’t quite come out yet. He felt it lacked finesse.
Carrie Ann- 6
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 19/30
You can vote for Antonio & Sharna 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Antonio & Sharna’s Rumba VIDEO

Kim & Sasha – Salsa

Kim loves Gloria Estefan. Kim is frustrated. She is crying. She is really emotional. So, Gloria Estefan (yes, for real) is on a Skype call. She gives Kim a pep talk. It instantly improves Kim’s mood. Fun! This is a fun salsa. Is it perfect? No. Could Kim stand to perfect these moves a little just like last week? Yes. And is that a tiny hiccup there at the end? I think so. But Kim’s big personality and Sasha’s fun routine elevates the dance. I really think Kim could be very impressive if she would just work a little harder on making her dance moves crisp. That would go such a long way into making the entire routine look better.

Carrie Ann mentions the issue at the end. She does love that Kim is a natural performer. She doesn’t want Kim to make too many faces. Len thinks Kim has a lot of potential for week two. He also mentions the mistake but says well done. Bruno loves that Kim is having fun. He notes that Kim should cover for mistakes better.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 6
Total: 19/30
You can vote for Kim & Sasha 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Kim and Sasha’s Salsa VIDEO

Nyle & Peta – Rumba

Nyle says last week was the most memorable moment of his life. Peta doesn’t want Nyle to get comfortable. She wants to push it. Nyle’s family comes to rehearsal. They are all deaf. He wants to continue to get better. Nice! Elegant routine and wonderfully fluid. I like Nyle’s attention to his lines. He also has steaming chemistry with Peta, which can only help with a rumba. That was a major (and I mean major) lift at the beginning that I have to imagine will cost them quite a bit. A little more hip action would be appreciated in this. We saw last week that Nyle doesn’t have issues getting that hip action moving so I am surprised it isn’t on more display here. I thought this was a better rumba than we saw earlier.

Len can’t accept the lift. He also thought it was too hectic. Too much attack for Len. Bruno compliments Nyle’s eyes. He wants Peta to teach him not to break his lines at the hand. Carrie Ann thought it was stunning. She thought the tone was a bit strong for the dance. She also agrees on the lift.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Nyle & Peta 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Nyle & Peta’s Rumba VIDEO

Mischa & Artem – Cha-Cha-Cha

Mischa was not happy with Len’s comments. Artem feels Misca is being her own enemy. A little bit of a frustrating rehearsal. This rehearsal package is not putting Mischa in the best light because she still seems like she doesn’t want to be here. Oh boy Mischa. Okay- the positive…this was better than last week. The negative…it wasn’t so great. I want to just shake Mischa around and tell her she is dancing a Cha-Cha-Cha. She has nearly no energy. It wasn’t so much that the steps were off (just a few) or that her musicality was lacking (a bit) but more that it seemed like the dance was a chore to get through. No fun. No flare. No flavor.

Bruno appreciated that Mischa tried to get into character. The movements just didn’t fit to the music. Carrie Ann loved to see more of Mischa’s personality. She mentions the mistakes and being off beat. Len thought it was a tad better. He talks about her nerves. He wants her to just come out and give it a go.
Carrie Ann- 5
Len- 5
Bruno- 5
Total: 15/30
You can vote for Mischa & Artem 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). Click to Watch Mischa & Artem’s Cha Cha VIDEO

Von & Witney – Cha-Cha-Cha

Witney was impressed with Von last week but didn’t like Von calling her out. HAHA. Von, being late to rehearsal, owes Witney money. She is also fining him for passing gas. Money for basically everything. Funny rehearsal. This is cute. Very cheesy and cheeky but it works. A little less freestyle, thank you Witney for that. The more actual content the better, right? So much of this competition for Von is going to rely on Witney doing him justice with these routines. I think Von has the goods to go the distance in this competition but practice is going to need to be his best friend. You can’t just show up at rehearsal, know the steps, and think you on the show night, it will be magic. It has to be perfected. While the Cha-Cha-Cha moves were there, I can’t help but think with a little more practice, it could have been really outstanding.

Carrie Ann thought it had great moments but she thought the dancing from Von was dancing a bit too small. Len called it tasty in places but funny bits along the way. Bruno wants to see the style of the dance more and doesn’t want Witney to drown the dance in Von’s personality.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Von & Witney 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Von & Witney’s Cha Cha VIDEO

Wanya & Lindsay – Salsa

Wanya has a hectic travel schedule this week. He is happy people are learning who he is outside the group. He wants to bring his A-game. LOL. Oh my. Energy for days. What a fun salsa. This is probably my favorite salsa routine we have seen tonight. Lots of actual salsa steps done with high energy and commitment to the character. Great rhythm and musicality and Lindsay continues to choreograph stellar, not giving in at all and making things any easier. She knows she has a partner she can give difficult steps to and he delivers. Minor critique (and perhaps a little nitpicking on my part), Wanya needs to watch that his energy level doesn’t exceed Lindsay. A bit more “togetherness” if you will.

Len says full of dance, excitement, and rhythm. He is full of praise. Bruno also loved it. Carrie Ann also loved it, calling Wanya the king of the ballroom.
Carrie Ann- 8
Len- 8
Bruno- 8
Total: 24/30
You can vote for Wanya & Lindsay 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Wanya and Lindsay’s Salsa VIDEO

Doug & Karina – Paso Doble

Doug was so happy last week. He is a bit afraid though about tonight’s elimination. His daughter arrives at rehearsal and gives Doug some tips. She is a dancer. His son has autism. He is just going to go for it with this dance. A much, much, much better dance from Doug this week. Len was right last week. The paso doble fits Doug. It doesn’t require too many steps, you can powerful and get into character, and when it works, it just looks great as a viewer watching. I saw no obvious errors and I even think Doug’s musicality was on point. A proper step in the right direction for him.

Bruno loved the masculinity of it. He wants Doug’s hips forward so his butt isn’t out but so much better. Carrie Ann says Doug is in the game. She calls it a simple and basic routine but definitely to his strength. Len says it had attack and purpose and was better than last week.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Doug & Karina 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Doug and Karina’s Paso Doble VIDEO

Ginger & Val – Samba

We see clips of Ginger at Good Morning America talking to everyone. Val says Ginger just lacks some swag. He wants sexy, not cute. Even Ginger says it is a bit slow to get back to her sexy side. Strong finish to the night here. A really good samba. Again, no samba rolls. But great rhythm out of Ginger. I thought Val’s choreography was a tad bit… easy (for a second week in a row) but maybe I’m not seeing something he is. I am under the impression from what I see that Ginger is a good to really good dancer and I want to see her tackle a bit more in these routines. But if Val is seeing her daily at rehearsal, maybe less is more to him. Regardless, a strong samba to end latin night.

Carrie Ann thinks Ginger owns her sexiness. She mentions a slip up in the middle but she got right back in. Len wasn’t a fan at the start (the flowers and all) but he loved the recognizable steps. He actually compliments Val’s choreography while throwing a bit of shade at other pros. Bruno says Ginger brings on the feel good factor. He agrees on the mistakes but that Ginger never showed it.
Carrie Ann- 7
Len- 7
Bruno- 7
Total: 21/30
You can vote for Ginger & Val 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 https://apps.facebook.com/votedwts/ (voting is combined via this method) from the start of the East Coast show till 8PM the next day (Eastern). – Click to Watch Ginger & Val’s Samba VIDEO

Time for the first elimination of the season!

Mischa & Artem are in jeopardy.
Geraldo & Edyta are in jeopardy.
Doug & Karina are in jeopardy.

Everyone else is safe.

So, this is the bottom three, Tom said. No “not necessarily” speech so perhaps this was the legit bottom three. On this second week of competition, the first couple to be eliminated is… Click to Watch Geraldo and Edyta’s Elimination VIDEO

Geraldo & Edyta

Geraldo gives kudos to Edyta. He knew he would have been eliminated and would have asked for a recount if he stayed. LOL. Not too much time to talk due to thew show running late. Edyta returns after so many seasons and leaves in just two weeks. But of course, let’s face it. It was the right call considering last week’s routines. Geraldo just didn’t have it.

Judge Leaderboard Following Week 2 Dances (Out of a possible 30)
Paige & Alan (in for Mark) – 24/30
Wanya & Lindsay – 24/30
Ginger & Val – 21/30
Jodie & Keo – 21/30
Nyle & Peta – 20/30
Marla & Tony – 20/30
Von & Witney – 20/30
Dough & Karina – 20/30
Kim & Sasha – 19/30
Antonio & Sharna – 19/30
Mischa & Artem – 15/30

And with that, another “Latin Night” is in the books. It was interesting. A few of last week’s high scorers maintained their high level of dance while a few others dropped a couple of notches. Len was particularly tough tonight. We have a real close in the middle of the pack with 4 couples all scoring 20. Other than Mischa at the bottom and Paige and Wanya at the top, this is close.

What did you guys think? Have you changed your mind from last week? Did anyone new impress? Who unimpressed? Do you think Mischa is toast next week? Sound off on whatever you like in the comments and stay tuned as a new POLL post will go up very soon. I’ll see you guys in that thread as well as back here next week for “Most Memorable Year” night. Get the tissues ready.