Howdy everyone! :D
Welcome to week two of the 14th season of Dancing With the Stars! Last week, twelve new celebrities took to the floor and ended up with some of the highest scores ever for a premiere night. Whether or not the judges were being kind is up for debate (and tonight will give us a better indication of how easy or tough they plan to be) but the season definitely started out stronger than usual. The show planned on staying away from controversy and instead, aimed for casting fun celebs who could make viewers remember the earlier years of the show. Quite a few participants gave memorable opening night performances, giving us all an idea that this go around could turn out to be very exciting, competitive, and fun.
Tonight’s judges scores and audience votes will be added to those from last week and tomorrow night, the first celebrity will be eliminated during the season’s opening results show.
For those who need a quick recap of the scores, here is how the celebs ended up ranking on the judges leaderboard:
Jaleel & Kym – 26/30
Katherine & Mark – 26/30
William & Cheryl – 24/30
Gladys & Tristan – 23/30
Jack & Anna – 23/30
Roshon & Chelsie – 23/30
Sherri & Val – 23/30
Donald & Peta – 21/30
Maria & Derek – 21/30
Gavin & Karina – 20/30
Martina & Tony – 20/30
Melissa & Maksim – 20/30
It is quite jarring to see not a single couple with a score in the teens for a premiere night (even if a few deserved it in my eyes). To give them the credit that is due though, many of them came out swinging! Tonight, the celebrities are tasked with either the Quickstep or Jive. And with that, let’s enjoy some dancing! :)
Roshon Fegan & Chelsie Hightower – Quickstep
To vote for Roshon & Chelsie, call 1-800-868-3405. You can send the word “Vote” to 3405 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
Wow! Roshon has so much energy. It totally fits the quickstep. He is like a grasshopper. The dance is fun, energetic, and he and Chelsie are totally together. They are so much fun to watch and even though Roshon has dance history, he still needed a lot of work to get the details down of the quickstep. And it looks like the training is really paying off. This was a fantastic opening. I suspect Roshon will go far in this because he can appeal to a wide range of voters. It reminds me a bit of the Chelsie/Romeo pairing from a few seasons back, though I think Roshon is a bit better already.
Len has a smile on his face and liked it. He commented it went a little wild but totally enjoyed it. Bruno compared him to a bolt of lightening. Carrie Ann was a bit worried but thought it was amazing and Roshon looked like a little prince.
Carrie Ann- 9, Len- 8, Bruno- 9 for a total of 26/30. With last week’s score of 23, that’s a grand total of 49/60.
Sherri Shepherd & Val Chmerkovskiy – Jive
To vote for Sherri & Val, call 1-800-868-3406. You can send the word “Vote” to 3406 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
Sherri is over the top funny. I love her. Her attitude is so infectious. That being said, she messed up quite a few times. At one point, they completely missed a move and from that point forward, Sherri was a bit off time. She even seemed to be doing her own thing for a portion of the dance. But no one can deny how happy and spirited she is and at the end of the day, this was pure entertainment.
Bruno tells her she knows how to work it. He doesn’t even care that she messed up. Carrie Ann is in love with her. She calls it phenomenal and says it went beyond the mistakes. Len says it was a very feel good dance for everyone. All he wanted was a bit more jive content.
Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 7, Bruno- 8 for a total of 23/30. With last week’s score of 23, that’s a grand total of 46/60.
Melissa Gilbert & Maksim Chmerkovskiy – Quickstep
To vote for Melissa & Maksim, call 1-800-868-3407. You can send the word “Vote” to 3407 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
Oh boy. Alright, I like Melissa but parts of that dance were really rough. Like Sherri, she messed up and never fully recovered. In addition, as an actress, she needs to do a better job at hiding when she is nervous or when she knows she messed up. Her face totally gives everything away. She wasn’t amazing last week but I thought it was better than this week. This had way too many moments of being off.
Carrie Ann says she had a little slip but enjoyed it more after the slip. Once again, she mentioned her shoulders and told her to watch her face- it gives away mistakes. Len says it started well but the energy and posture went away as the dance kept going. He also called it hectic and a bit loose. Bruno tells her to stop thinking so much about it and try to not tighten up so much. He did commend her on coping with a difficult dance though.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 6, Bruno- 7 for a total of 20/30. With last week’s score of 20, that’s a grand total of 40/60.
Jack Wagner & Anna Trebunskaya – Jive
To vote for Jack & Anna, call 1-800-868-3402. You can send the word “Vote” to 3402 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
Jack is definitely consistent. He did an adequate dance last week and this was more of the same. Jack lost the beat a couple of times and made a few mistakes that he had Anna a bit off from time to time. Despite that, he still performed a pretty solid jive that had a whole lot of energy. If anything, he just needs to continue working on perfecting everything. He is on the cusp between giving average performances and totally nailing it. I continue to be impressed though because going in, I expected so much less out of him.
Len liked the content and energy but thought he lost a bit of control. He thinks he did enough to make it to next week. Bruno says he gave it all he could but work on the kicks and flicks. He also commented that Jack lost it from time to time. Carrie Ann says Jack is a good dancer but says this was actually over danced. She says he needs some ease.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 7, Bruno- 7 for a total of 21/30. With last week’s score of 23, that’s a grand total of 44/60.
Gladys Knight & Tristan MacManus – Quickstep
To vote for Gladys & Tristan, call 1-800-868-3411. You can send the word “Vote” to 3411 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
Well, this was a bit more of a “semi” quickstep than an actual quickstep. Sure, it was nice and Gladys seemingly did everything that was asked of her but you can tell the choreography was made a bit easier. I thought she did a respectable job for sure and I give her a ton of credit but at some point, she is going to need to up the difficulty because as of now, she can’t really compete with some of these celebrities. Of course, she isn’t in any trouble at the moment. It was okay but nothing special.
Bruno loves the natural feel for the music and the connection with Tristan but tells her to be careful about her frame. Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno but tells Gladys that she felt her frame was a bit too casual. Len congratulates her on getting through it because it is a difficult dance but he really didn’t appreciate it.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 5, Bruno- 7 for a total of 19/30. With last week’s score of 23, that’s a grand total of 42/60.
Katherine Jenkins & Mark Ballas – Jive
To vote for Katherine & Mark, call 1-800-868-3410. You can send the word “Vote” to 3410 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
Damn, Mark needs to RELAX. He does this every single season. He always tries to do too much when compared to his partner, which is totally not the point of this show. Katherine on the other hand, totally did what she was supposed to do. She had awesome energy, had some great foot movements, and tried her best to keep up with Mark’s crazy choreography. And I say crazy because it is very difficult choreography. She is a really strong celebrity this season and I expect her to go far.
Carrie Ann thought her extensions were amazing and she did excellent. Len was concerned but admits that she can also do full on dancing in addition to grace. The middle section wasn’t his cup of tea though. Bruno says the blonde bombshell has been unleashed. Bruno knows sexy when he sees it and complimented her flicks.
Carrie Ann- 9, Len- 8, Bruno- 9 for a total of 26/30. With last week’s score of 26, that’s a grand total of 52/60.
Jaleel White & Kym Johnson – Jive
To vote for Jaleel & Kym, call 1-800-868-3412. You can send the word “Vote” to 3412 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
I have very high expectations for Jaleel and that jive let me down a bit. I have to be honest, it seemed like Jaleel was behind the entire time. He was so good last week but I think a few more days practice would have helped with this dance. It was adequate enough to be called a decent dance but after seeing Katherine nail the jive as well as she did right before, this was lacking that extra something. Jaleel is a good dancer and I expect him to last a long time. All he needs is to keep on practicing and he can do just as amazing a dance as he did on the premiere last week.
Len says it lacked speed and attack. It wasn’t crisp or sharp. Bruno loved the concept but again, mentions kicks and flicks. They need to be sharper. Carrie Ann says it was solid but he was a bit flat footed throughout and the expectations were very high.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 7, Bruno- 8 for a total of 22/30. With last week’s score of 26, that’s a grand total of 48/60.
Maria Menounos & Derek Hough – Quickstep
To vote for Maria & Derek, call 1-800-868-3401. You can send the word “Vote” to 3401 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
This is one of the reasons why I prefer Derek as a professional partner as compared to Mark. Derek always choreographs to his partners strengths. Maria has certain limitations at this early stage of the competition but Derek hides that beautifully by creating a quickstep that truly shows her off. It took a bit of a dive when the duo when out of sync towards the end but it didn’t ruin the whole thing. All in all, this was a very solid routine and Maria shows lots of promise. I’m glad she is partnered with Derek.
Bruno complimented her frame and said it was nearly spotless. She only missed a step in the run. Carrie Ann also complimented her frame but said she got out of sync in the middle section. Len mentions the little incident but instead of harping on that, he compliments her speed and control. All he would have wanted was some more body contact and thought this was an improvement over last week.
Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 8, Bruno- 9 for a total of 25/30. With last week’s score of 21, that’s a grand total of 46/60.
Martina Navratilova & Tony Dovolani – Jive
To vote for Martina & Tony, call 1-800-868-3409. You can send the word “Vote” to 3409 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
And this is is what I would call a “semi” jive. Martina is being way too careful and the steps are so slow. Again, as much credit as I want to give her, she needs to be judged like everyone else. And if we are judging fairly, this was the weakest jive (and dance) of the night. She lost her way quite a few times and the whole thing was so below the standard we have seen tonight.
Carrie Ann said it was sad because Martina went for it but missed so much of the dance. Len says it was too neat and precise. Bruno says that “serve went into the net.” He complimented her on the moments where she was having fun and wants her to come back next week and do better.
Carrie Ann- 6, Len- 5, Bruno- 6 for a total of 17/30. With last week’s score of 20, that’s a grand total of 37/60.
Donald Driver & Peta Murgatroyd – Quickstep
To vote for Donald & Peta, call 1-800-868-3403. You can send the word “Vote” to 3403 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
This is a very strong quickstep. It had just about everything you could want in this type of dance.Donald and Peta were quick when they needed to be, elegant at other moments, and kept up with one another perfectly. This was even better than Donald did last week and I thought he was really good last week. The whole dance flowed beautifully from start to finish. This should definitely end up being one of the highest scoring dances (definitely for those doing the quickstep) of the night.
Len says that performance was up there with the best of the night and says he under-marked Donald last week and deserved higher. Bruno compliments his lines, delivery, and says he took the comments from last week and improved. Carrie Ann says all of Donald’s years of watching the show has paid off and it was excellent.
Carrie Ann- 8, Len- 8, Bruno- 8 for a total of 24/30. With last week’s score of 21, that’s a grand total of 45/60.
Gavin DeGraw & Karina Smirnoff – Jive
To vote for Gavin & Karina, call 1-800-868-3404. You can send the word “Vote” to 3404 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
Does Gavin ever remove that hat? Anyways, my problem with Gavin is similar to that of a few other dancers in the competition. He just doesn’t have a whole lot of ability and it shows with very tentative and odd dances. I’m not saying this was horrible (it wasn’t), but it was definitely lacking. The jive material was weak from Gavin and he looked a tad awkward in a few spots. The judges may disagree but I thought last week was better.
Bruno complimented the idea of the dance but said he messed up nearly all of the kicks and flicks. Carrie Ann says that Gavin is pushing his boundaries but the posture had some issues. Len liked the attitude and energy and even said it was an improvement on last week.
Carrie Ann- 7, Len- 7, Bruno- 7 for a total of 21/30. With last week’s score of 21, that’s a grand total of 42/60.
William Levy & Cheryl Burke – Quickstep
To vote for William & Cheryl, call 1-800-868-3408. You can send the word “Vote” to 3408 to text a vote. Finally, head over to ABC.COM with a registered email and vote online. 12 votes allowed per phone/text/email in this first week.
I am impressed by this. For a man the size of William, he actually moves really well in hold. He and Cheryl kept up with one another and the flow of the dance was good. We saw better quicksteps tonight but we also saw worse. It was definitely above average and I compliment William for doing a very good ballroom dance that isn’t latin. I say that because he can’t always depend on his latin moves to get him through. He needs to be able to tackle the other styles and with some more practice, he can do even better than what we saw here. But yes, it was good. And yes, he is still smoking. And yes, the audience is still screaming.
Carrie Ann says that William is the Harry Connick, Jr of the ballroom. Len says it was good but not great. He needs some work and points out a few things that bothered him (including the footwork). Bruno says that even fully clothed, he has the ability to dazzle. He compares him to the actor from the movie, “The Artist.” and calls him superb.
Carrie Ann- 9, Len- 7, Bruno- 9 for a total of 25/30. With last week’s score of 24, that’s a grand total of 49/60.
Final Judges Leaderboard
Katherine & Mark – 52/60
Roshon & Chelsie – 49/60
William & Cheryl – 49/60
Jaleel & Kym – 48/60
Maria & Derek – 46/60
Donald & Peta – 45/60
Sherri & Val – 46/60
Jack & Anna – 44/60
Gavin & Karina – 42/60
Gladys & Tristan – 42/60
Melissa & Maksim – 40/60
Martina & Tony – 37/60
Without thinking too hard about it, I think Martina, Melissa, Gavin, and Jack are the ones in trouble. Melissa has Maks and that will help in the votes and Gavin is dancing with the reigning champion. So, this might come down to an exit of either Jack/Anna or Martina/Tony. And that would be a pretty fair result although stranger things have happened on this show. I’ll edit some more thoughts later. :D
