Happy Tuesday :)
“Hometown Glory” week continues on Dancing with the Stars as our twelve remaining couples will dance to celebrate the professional partner’s hometown. Last night, we said goodbye to Chaka & Keo. Gary & Anna were in jeopardy and everyone else was safe.
Tom nor Erin said that Gary was indeed in the bottom so who knows for sure if he was. I was as surprised as many that Kim & Tony escaped not only elimination but being in danger as well. As far as Chaka goes, while she wasn’t my first pick for elimination, I can understand the boot. She had two dances on the show and she really wasn’t able to improve last night. While I thought the demo (and history) for the show would keep her around a bit, I doubt we would have seen any major breakthroughs.
We did have some redemption last night though. Paula was able to improve on her previous routine and Kim came roaring back showing that yes, she can actually dance and is fighting to stick around. Quite a few couples that were strong last week continued to do well while one, Nick, faltered just a bit. The surprise of the season so far, Alek, continues to impress.
What did you guys think in terms of our poll numbers? Just about 40% of you enjoyed Bindi & Derek the most, with only Alek & Lindsay and Tamar & Val in double digits as well. The least favorite poll was much closer, as Victor & Karina lead but Paula & Louis, Gary & Anna, and Kim & Tony all have a nice amount of votes. Almost 65% of you felt last night’s elimination was corect. When it comes to tonight’s boot, almost 39% of you think Victor & Karina are out. But Kim & Tony, Gary & Anna, and Paula & Louie are also in double digits.
If Gary was indeed in the bottom last night, he could very well find himself there again. Could he be eliminated? I really don’t think so. I think we are looking at either Kim, Paula, or the most likely choice for me, Victor, as the biggest possibilities to get the boot. Even though this is still the second week, it is the third dance for everyone. Due to that, I am looking to see who will really start to stand out in the competition. A lot of dancers are really close in scores right now.
Let’s see how the pressure of having to learn two different routines in 48 hours affects the couples. Could we see a major shake up on the leaderboard? And of course, who will be turning in their dancing shoes as the second star eliminated? Here we go…
Cute opening featuring the pros with some photos of them as kids as they dance into the ballroom. Mandy Moore choreographed that. The pictures of the pros as kids was adorable. For the first time this season, we get actual celebrity introductions, complete with goofy dancing from the celebs. I missed this.
Click to watch Mandy Moore’s Opening Number VIDEO
Hayes and Emma – Quickstep
Emma is from England and has a twin sister. Funny rehearsal video of Hayes not understanding Emma’s accent. This is a fun quickstep. It is definitely age appropriate for Hayes because it is fun and lively. Hayes needs to work a little harder on the technicalities of his dancing. The hold is decent but good be better. The footwork is nice and fast paced but can get a tad messy at times. So he basically did a good quickstep that I would just like to see perfected a bit more.
Click to Watch Hays and Emma’s Quickstep VIDEO
Julianne calls it fresh and youthful. She still wants Hayes to tuck in his booty. Bruno calls it hip and cool. Bruno did mention the frame and yes, the bum. Carrie Ann loved the energy. She wants him to work on his feet.
Carrie Ann- 8
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 8
Total: 23/30
You can vote for Hayes and Emma by calling 1-855-234-5608 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).
Carlos & Witney – Cha Cha Cha
Witney is from Utah. Witney talks about her friends, Jenna and Lindsay and how they would all dream of being on the show. Carlos is tired during rehearsal. They can’t believe how much they have to do this week. This is what I meant last night by Witney doing a bit more with the choreography to have Carlos do a routine that stands out. This is a fun cha cha cha. Some crisp movements and nice latin steps. Carlos is keeping up nicely with Witney, who is like a cha cha cha machine in this. I think Carlos & Witney have one of the best connections out of the couples dancing. They really seem to fit one another perfectly. Good dance.
Click to Watch Carlos and Witney’s Cha Cha Cha VIDEO
Bruno loved it. He wants Carlos to be careful of looking like he squatting and he missed a couple of steps. Carrie Ann was not impressed tonight. She thinks Carlos is fantastic but he shortened his swagger. Julianne says Carlos has style and swagger. Julianne says the squatting is because his legs were really bent.
Carrie Ann- 7
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 7
Total: 21/30
You can vote for Carlos and Witney by calling 1-855-234-5605 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).
*Wow. For me, the judges were rather harsh on Carlos on that one. The bent legs/squatting was not something that bothered me in this and I didn’t actually see any missed steps. Granted, I am typing and watching at the same time but that critique seemed really tough.
Gary & Anna – Paso Doble
Anna is from Russia. She doesn’t know what her life would have been like without dance.Hysterical rehearsals playing with Russian accents. Okay. I’m not sure I would actually even classify this as a paso doble. You have Gary stomping around a whole lot. You have him doing some odd arm movements that are not exactly in-sync with Anna. Gary is entertaining and comedic of course but his dance last night had some actual technique that I was really pleased with. This was kind of a step backward.
Click to Watch Gary and Anna’s Paso Doble VIDEO
Carrie Ann gives him many checks but not on the paso doble. She says everyone is rooting for him. Julianne loves that Gary is having so much fun. She mentions that the dance was scary in terms of Gary forgetting his steps. Bruno says the problem was that Gary was doing so many different characters, he went off kilter. But he can’t wait to see what he does next.
Carrie Ann- 5
Julianne- 5
Bruno- 5
Total: 15/30
You can vote for Gary and Anna by calling 1-855-234-5607 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).
Andy & Allison – Contemporary
Allison is from Utah. Twitch from SYTYCD and Allison’s husband arrives at rehearsal for some encouraging words. Allison is in her element here. She knows contemporary dance like the back of her hand and she knows how to choreograph a beautiful routine. This is Andy’s best dance so far but he still has some messy and awkward moments. I definitely feel as though practice is the key word for Andy. The potential seems to be strong with him and I want him to do well but each dance feels like there is a level that he needs to hit and he just misses the mark.
Click to Watch Andy and Allison’s Contemporary VIDEO
Julianne says that yes, dancing is hard. She said she saw Andy being present tonight. She critiques that he doesn’t finish his arms though. Bruno says it was such a difficult routine. He felt he was much more grounded. But he must sustain his moves and he nearly missed a lift. Carrie Ann disagrees and Bruno apologizes. She felt that Andy improved but she saw a bit of stress in his eyes.
Carrie Ann- 8
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 7
Total: 23/30
You can vote for Andy and Allison by calling 1-855-234-5603 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).
*Bruno takes back his apology about the lift because he got it right.
Alexa & Mark – Rumba
Mark grew up in England and his parents had to sacrifice a lot for dance. Mark is dedicating this dance to his parents and Alexa wants to make it special for him. So pretty. Nice and elegant. I think Alexa was even able to somewhat successfully pull off that very hard move that Mark’s mother perfected. I see some weird hip movements at times (I found that last night too with Alexa). She might just need to work on that because proper hip movement is so paramount in many dances. But a really nice and elegant routine.
Click to Watch Alexa and Mark’s Rumba VIDEO
Bruno found it proper, romantic, and sensual. Carrie Ann loves hearing the dancer’s stories. She does think Alexa felt a little stiff in the beginning and the hips were going the wrong way at times. Julianne enjoyed that tonight was all about class. She does agree with Carrie Ann. But she thought it was beautiful.
Carrie Ann- 7
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 8
Total: 22/30
You can vote for Alexa and Mark by calling 1-855-234-5602 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).
Paula & Louis – Tango
Louis is from Amsterdam. He left because he thought he wanted to do Broadway. But he ended up teaching some of our other pros. Paula’s issue for me is the same as it has been since her first dance. She has issues with remembering her steps which results in her holding on so tight to Louis. He has to guide her, which is fine, but it ends up looking weird. She looks scared at times. She did some nice tango steps but I watch with fear that she is going to lose it at any moment.
Click to Watch Paula and Louis’ Tango VIDEO
Carrie Ann calls Paula sexy. She says Paula made some mistakes. She wants her to nail the choreography. Julianne says Paula showed sass and she loved it. But yes, a couple of mistakes. Bruno wants to keep boiling but not boil over. He wants her to keep from forgetting steps.
Carrie Ann- 6
Julianne- 6
Bruno- 6
Total: 18/30
You can vote for Paula and Louis by calling 1-855-234-5611 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).
*Louis seems a bit annoyed with Paula. It could just be his personality but he remarked even before the judges did that Paula missed some steps and he seemed to think the scores were fair. They were in my mind but it is a little unusual for the pro to be harsh on their partner when on the show and not in rehearsal. But again, could just be Louis. He did say he tells it like it is.
Bindi & Derek – Waltz
Derek is from Utah. He was bullied and he felt like he left that kid in Utah when he moved to England. Bindi gets a bit frustrated at times because she wants to do Derek proud. Interesting choreography in this. A bit of a waltz/contemporary routine if you will. But more than enough waltz to make the judges happy I am sure. Very pretty. Very elegant. Bindi completes her moves and is in it performance wise. Yet another strong Bindi performance.
Click to Watch Bindi and Derek’s Waltz VIDEO
Julianne saw two dancers dancing as one. She loves how Bindi has so many different sides. Bruno loves the purity of Bindi’s intentions. He says she is like the perfect actress. But he does mention her shoulders. Carrie Ann thought it was stunning but she mentions a lift. She says the lift police is in the house.
Carrie Ann- 7
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 8
Total: 23/30
You can vote for Bindi and Derek by calling 1-855-234-5604 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).
*Next week is a TV night theme with guest judge Alfonso, winner from a few seasons ago. I thought we weren’t having any guest judges this season. Well, another thing the EP said that is now changed. Alright.
Kim & Tony – Foxtrot
Tony is from Kosovo. Dance was his escape from being in a war torn country. Kim really likes the dance. She wants to do well for Tony. I am looking forward to Kim doing another latin dance to see if she improves because she definitely is doing better with these other styles. This is fine. I’m not jumping out of my chair though. It is very simplistic choreography and Kim does okay but it isn’t anything special. She does some nice foxtrot steps. This is still an improvement from week one. I just wish Kim could do something that excites a bit more in her dancing. I do think nerves play a big part with her.
Click to Watch Kim and Tony’s Foxtrot VIDEO
Bruno says everyone likes the new Kim. He doesn’t want Kim to play it safe. And work on the footwork. Carrie Ann thinks Kim is a better dancer than Kim thinks she is. She doesn’t think it was as good as last night. Julianne wants her to work on hitting her lines and not stopping. She wants her to use her energy more.
Carrie Ann- 6
Julianne- 6
Bruno- 6
Total: 18/30
You can vote for Kim and Tony by calling 1-855-234-5609 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).
*Both Kim and Tony are unhappy with the judges comments and the scores. I both agree to an extent and disagree. Yes, two dances in a week is tough and the scores are average but they are deserved and everyone is dealing with the same amount of stress.
Alek & Lindsay – Quickstep
Lindsay grew up in Utah and considers herself an all American girl. Alek and Lindsay are both stressed by having two routines this week. Eh. I think this might have been Alek’s weakest dance of the competition. It isn’t bad by any means at all. But I saw some steps that went wrong. He did keep up with Lindsay for a lot of it. The issue was just that he went off sometimes and I want to attribute that to having a lot to do this week. A lot to remember and a lot to practice. I’m not making any excuses for him though. Everyone has it tough tonight but Alek has impressed previously so when you see a weaker performance, it stands out.
Click to Watch Alek and Lindsay’s Quickstep VIDEO
Carrie Ann thought it was okay. She felt like Alex lost his steps a few times. She calls them a power couple though. Julianne says something happened toward the middle. But she feels Alek is very mature for his age. Bruno wants to rename Alek… Alek the great. He loves that actually did the dance on his toes- the only one tonight.
Carrie Ann- 7
Julianne- 7
Bruno- 8
Total: 22/30
You can vote for Alek and Lindsay by calling 1-855-234-5601 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).
Victor & Karina – Rumba
Karina is from the Ukraine. Her family left after the Government changed. Victor says he feels like his story and Karina’s are similar. Victor is a nice guy and very endearing. But I have no clue what he did in that dance that constitutes in being a rumba. Karina did so much work in that. Where is the hip movement and the gliding from step to step? I guess Karina attempted to put stuff in this that works for Victor but I found myself just staring at Karina and wishing she was doing the dance on her own.
Click to Watch Victor and Karina’s Rumba VIDEO
Julianne says Victor looked like he was ten feet tall. She says it was his best dance. Bruno thought he played it well. Carrie Ann thought it was incredible.
Carrie Ann- 7
Julianne- 6
Bruno- 7
Total: 20/30
You can vote for Victor and Karina by calling 1-855-234-5613 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).
*Wow. I couldn’t disagree with the judges more on this one. They seem so harsh on so many couples tonight but were very kind on Victor, who’s dance I found so weak. Well, dance can be very divisive.
Nick & Sharna – Foxtrot
Sharna is from Australia. Nick is of course bummed and worried about his slip. Sharna gets really homesick. Sharna’s dad and grandma are on dialysis and can’t make the trip to LA to see her so she is quite emotional. Aww. I might be a bit taken back by Sharna’s story and the rehearsal package but this is really fabulous from a performance standpoint. It is also pretty damn good from a dancing standpoint. Nick totally redeemed himself. Gorgeous dance from the two.
Click to Watch Nick and Sharna’s Foxtrot VIDEO
Bruno says Nick is back. He loved it. Carrie Ann felt it was magical. Julianne says Nick got out of his head and was there for Sharna. She critiques that Nick’s chest goes in and if he improves that, it will be a game changer.
Carrie Ann- 8
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 8
Total: 24/30
You can vote for Nick and Sharna by calling 1-855-234-5610 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).
Tamar & Val – Charleston
Val is from Ukraine but came to New York City. Val and Tamar have a bit of discourse during rehearsal about the theme of the dance. Ha. This is fun. Charleston is such an old school dance and Tamar is nailing the performance quality of it. Good choreography here from Val. So much play between them and it works like a charm. Another solid routine from Tamar. Tamar is the definition of consistent so far on this show.
Click to Watch Tamar and Val’s Charlston VIDEO
Carrie Ann thought it was the funkiest charleston she has seen. Julianne says her opinion last night was corrected tonight when Val and Tamar got together. Bruno found it uplifting and he loved the details.
Carrie Ann- 8
Julianne- 8
Bruno- 9
Total: 25/30
You can vote for Tamar and Val by calling 1-855-234-5612 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).
Judge Leaderboard After Week Two, Night Two
Tamar & Val- 25/30
Nick & Sharna- 24/30
Bindi & Derek- 23/30
Hayes & Emma- 23/30
Andy & Allison- 23/30
Alek & Lindsay- 22/30
Alexa & Mark- 22/30
Carlos & Witney- 21/30
Victor & Karina- 20/30
Kim & Tony- 18/30
Paula & Louie- 18/30
Gary & Anna- 15/30
The show did a bit better with timing tonight as we aren’t rushing crazy into eliminations. But it is that time. So here we go…
The first couple in JEOPARDY is… Gary & Anna.
The second couple in JEOPARDY is… Victor & Karina.
The rest of the couples are SAFE.
And… the second couple eliminated from season 21 is…
VICTOR & KARINA
Victor had an amazing time, especially tonight because it was so special to Karina. Time for them to take center stage to say goodbye.
And that bings “Hometown Glory” week to a close. How did the second night of competition shape up for you? Were you impressed at some of the couples being able to do two routines this week? Satisfied with the elimination? POLLS will be up in a new post very soon. Thanks so much for watching with me. :D
