Dancing With the Stars – Some shine and some falter in week two

Well, it’s week two of Dancing With the Stars, and we’ve gotten another chance to check out the full cast before someone goes home. I have to say I was completely bowled over by the premiere episode, and this second night of dancing for the celebs was almost as good. There were some stumbles, flubs and lost steps, but when you only have five days to learn something new, compared to five weeks for the first dance, you can’t really expect everyone to be perfect. There was some improvement, some steps backwards, but for the most part everyone acquitted themselves nicely. But who deserves to be the first to go home? (I’m sure Tara would say Jaleel!) Let’s have a look at what happened this week, and at the end we’ll let you cast your vote for the first star to go have a visit with Jimmy Kimmel.

Rochon & Chelsie — Wow! This kid has mad skillz. It’s amazing he’s able to channel all of that freestyle energy into a pretty perfect Quick Step. Even the judges were pleased, with Len calling the dance young and fresh, Carrie Ann said he turned his swagger into sophistication, and Bruno found it all delicious. Score: 26

Sherrie & Val — Sherrie just looks like she’s having a great time, cutting up in rehearsals, but just applying everything she learns and puts it all out on the dance floor with a big smile. Even a huge flub and a nice recovery couldn’t stop the joy, and the little homage to Marie Osmond at the end was priceless. And the judges loved it, flub and all! Score: 23

Melissa & Maks — Hmmm. Melissa seems like she’s still waltzing around out on the prairie … which isn’t a good thing when you’re doing a Quick Step. She was just too slow and careful, and could barely get her feet off the floor during the kicks and flicks. All of the judges felt she’s just too much into her head while she’s dancing, and that potential they saw last week may not be there after all. Score: 20

Jack & Anna — Jack’s Jive was passable, but nothing really spectacular (a little flubbed step didn’t screw him up too much). This 80s icon, just like Melissa, is going to have to rely on fan goodwill to stay in the contest much longer because there aren’t that many worse dancers than either of them. As it is, Len thinks he’s done enough to get through to next week. Score: 21

Gladys & Tristan — Miss Knight is so much more committed to the dance and works so much better with Tristan than Nancy Grace, so I expect a lot from our most senior member of the game. And she pulled off the Quick Step rather nicely, especially during the little runs down the dance floor. Hopefully the fans will keep her around because I’m betting she will be glorious during a waltz. Unfortunately, Bruno and Len felt her technique was lacking, but Carrie Ann said she had a good connection with Tristan. Score: 19

Katherine & Mark — Wow!  What can you say about Katherine’s Jive? After watching her be all shy about shaking her naughty bits in the taped package, Katherine came out, shook it all over the place and set the dance floor on fire! She was sharp, precise and amazing, and unless she totally screws up at some point, should already be thinking about the finals … even if Len thought part of the dance was too wild and wacky (but that’s what you expect from Mark Ballas choreography!). Score: 26

Jaleel & Kym — Jaleel surprised everyone last week, including Tara, but I think he went backwards a bit this week with his Jive. Especially taking the stage right after Katherine. It really wasn’t fair at that point because nothing could have matched her performance. Jaleel was adequate, but he just lacked energy, and all of the judges noticed. Score: 22

Maria & Derek — Okay, for a girl with two broken ribs (she apparently broke them at the point where she has to come down on Derek’s knee at the end of the dance), she pulled this dance off with a lot of style and energy. All of the judges noted they got a little out of sync at one point, but the performance was so good that it didn’t hurt her score one bit. Score: 25

Martina & Tony — I had some high hopes after Martina surprised me with her dance last week, but the poor girl was totally lost in her Jive. She missed so many steps that during judging Tony said it was the Jive on a budget. But Martina soldiered through and did recover, but there was nothing that could save her this week. Score: 17

Donald & Peta — Again, the football player shows that he has the skills to pull this off. His Quick Step was so tight and in sync, with some terrific back kicks, that Len said it was up there with the best dances of the night. And Len even stunned the ballroom, Tom Bergeron, and viewers across the country when he admitted he under-scored Donald last week after rewatching the dance. Score: 24

Gavin & Karina — Oh, Gavin. He’s continuing to prove that not all musicians have the rhythm to dance. There were a lot of clunky kicks and flicks in his Jive, but he still made a little improvement over last week. And Gavin agreed that he messed up when Bruno pointed it out, but Carrie Ann praised him for going out of his comfort zone. Score: 21

William & Cheryl — It’s a wonder they can even hear the music because for someone who’s not really well-known in the US, William has a major fan base who scream so loud, that even the judges can’t be heard. The Quick Step was out of William’s Latin comfort zone, but he still pulled off a nice dance that stayed in sync the whole time. Carrie Ann called him the Harry Connick, Jr. of the ballroom, but Len complained about the lack of body contact. Score: 25

So how do you think the stars did this week, and who do you think should go home? It’s really anyone’s game at this point and the eliminated star is really going to come down to fan base. I’d put my money on Martina, but Melissa and Jack shouldn’t get too comfortable because we could end up with a shocking Hoff-style elimination. Cast your vote below (and hurry, the voting ends as the Results Show starts) and give us your thoughts in the comments section.

“How are you doing, Gavin? Leather does wonders for you … and for me.” — Bruno “complimenting” Gavin on his Brando meets Elvis biker attire.

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on Mar 26, 2012 @ 23:39 EST5EDT