SPOILER ALERT: This post contains details from Tuesday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars.
The Dancing With the Stars ballroom is back in business, and all of the remaining Season 35 contestants are competing during the same live show for the first time Tuesday night. Last week, ABC split up the premiere into two nights, women and men, with two eliminations.
There’s still 14 people left in the competition, so things are really just getting started. Harry Shum Jr and Maura Higgins tied for the top scores across both nights last week, but no one scored above a 7. The judges have made it clear they’re not going easy on anyone this season.
Watch on Deadline
Speaking of the judges, the forces that be are also putting some rules on them this year. After going over time on Wednesday night’s broadcast last week, the third judge to speak each night will have to keep it short, summing up their thoughts in just one word. Jury is still out on whether cutting time from the judges is a positive change to a dance competition series, so we’ll see if they keep this going in the weeks to come.
Week 2 is all about the viral hits, so each of the couples are dancing to a song that made the rounds on social media recently.
Let’s dive in.
Actress Jenna Dewan with Val Chmerkovskiy. Last week, Carrie Ann Inaba told Dewan that she wasn’t always using her partner to his fullest potential, so she’s determined to get on the same page as Chmerkovskiy for a jive to “Animal” by Katseye on Week 2. They came out swinging, and Inaba was quite impressed with the kinetic resistance at play. “That’s what I’m talking about!” Inaba said. SCORE: 21 out of 30
Reality star Ciara Miller with Brandon Armstrong. Miller had an intense start to her DWTS journey, putting up an ambitious display of vulnerability during her first performance. Going into Week 2, she seems to be feeling much more secure in her place in front of the camera. Now that she’s feeling braver, she’s tackling a tango to “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines & Tinashe. “Ciara has entered the building!!!” Inaba declared after the routine. “You are in it to win it. Watch out everybody!” SCORE: 18 out of 30
Reality star Tyler Cameron with Sharna Burgess. The former Bachelorette star surprised himself with his performance last week and is really leaning into the experience in the second week. He finds himself getting his confidence back, and he’s ready to perform a salsa to “Girls” by The Kid Laroi. Burgess delivered an impressive and crowd-pleasing routine, but all three judges agreed there was barely a lick of a salsa to be found among the various wild lifts (which Julianne Hough slyly, or not so slyly, suggested viewers use for a viral trend). SCORE: 16 out of 30
Actress Julia Stiles with Ezra Sosa. Stiles took the judges’ corrections seriously, and she wants to implement as many as she can in a tango to “The Door” by Teddy Swims. She speaks during her intro package about “reclaiming my relationship with people watching me” after having a complicated relation to fame growing up. The judges can see her effort to go outside of her comfort zone, but they want her to really let go. Basically, keep doing what you’re doing! SCORE: 16 out of 30
Savannah Bananas midfielder Jackson Olson with Emma Slater. Olson says he’s “fired up to get better” after the judges hammered his technique last week. This week, he’s dancing a foxtrot to “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams, a song he’s used many times on his own social media. This is his first form dance, meaning he’ll need to stay in frame, so he’s determined to stay smooth and impress the judges. “Woah, improvement,” Inaba said, almost in disbelief. SCORE: 18 out of 30
Chef Giada De Laurentiis with Alan Bersten. A humble queen, De Laurentiis tells her pro partner she knows he was shocked they didn’t go home last week — and that’s OK! She’s open to the process and is ready to improve for her salsa to “Bella Ciao” by Becky G. It’s a challenging week, and she doesn’t quite land every step, but she went out there and gave it her all. “It still feels a little timid,” Derek Hough tells her. “Next time, I want a little bit more power.” SCORE: 12 out of 30
Comedian and podcaster Connor Wood with Rylee Arnold. The first time Wood went “big time” viral was a video with his grandma, so basically he owes his career to Grammy, he says. Let’s hope he can go viral again this week with a tango to “12 to 12” by Sombr in honor of her. The dance style is certainly out of his comfort zone, and the judges are keen to point that out, but not at the expense of acknowledging the effort he’s clearly putting in. “There were a lot of mistakes tonight, and you know that…but the good bits were excellent,” Tonioli said. SCORE: 15 out of 30
Paralympian Ezra Frech with Daniella Karagach. After coming out swinging with a fantastic first week, Frech is taking on what Karagach says will be his most difficult dance style of the entire competition — a cha cha to “Low” by Flo Rida. It becomes clear in training that several accommodations will be needed, but they take it on with ease, and they smash it. “Ezra, I am absolutely blown away,” Derek said. “This is your superpower.” SCORE: 21 out of 30
Actress Tatyana Ali with Jan Ravnik. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air star is happy with her lively performance last week and, this week, she’s getting much more vulnerable and reflective in a foxtrot to “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish. The judges are quite impressed, with Inaba calling it “touching.” SCORE: 18 out of 30
Olympian Amber Glenn with Pasha Pashkov. Glenn couldn’t dance a tango to “All the Things She Said” by Harrison without a nod to Heated Rivalry, which is the entire reason the song went viral in the first place. She struggles with the concept of dancing in frame, but she’s determined to do the routine justice. Needless to say, she nailed it. “Best tango of the night. Period,” Tonioli said. Hough didn’t even have to say his one word, trading it for what appears to be the pair’s secret handshake instead. It ended with a salute. SCORE: 21 out of 30
Late-night sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez with Witney Carson. Rodriguez might have a tough time getting serious this week for a paso doble to “Where Have You Been” by Rihanna (his favorite artist!). He says he’s going to think of his wife yelling at him to keep from laughing. And there wasn’t even a smirk! Not to mention, what a technical improvement over Week 1. “Guillermo, I appreciate that you just didn’t rely on shtick in that dance,” she said. SCORE: 12 out of 30 (The judges got booed for that one.)
Musician Taylor Hanson with Britt Stewart. Inaba said she’d be keeping an eye on him last week, so Hanson is eager to impress on Week 2. Now that he has a sense of the show, he’s ready to get to work and really dig in this week to learn a cha cha to “Cake By the Ocean” by DNCE. He might not be used to moving those hips that way, but he pulls it off, kind of. Now he needs to learn how to use his arms and finish his movements correctly. “But, I like the way you’re working,” Tonioli said. Inaba called it “frenetic.” SCORE: 15 out of 30
Actor Harry Shum Jr. with Jenna Johnson. After impressing the judges and scoring atop the leaderboard in his debut, Shum Jr. is feeling some pressure approaching a Viennese waltz to “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. It’s a very technical dance, so it’s something new, but he’s taking it on with confidence. “Overall it wasn’t bad,” Tonioli said, but both she and Inaba encouraged him to bridge the gap between his performance in the emotional, more expressive moments versus when in frame. SCORE: 18 out of 30
Reality star Maura Higgins with Mark Ballas. After tying for the top spot on the leaderboard last week, Higgins was truly in shock, and she’s feeling the pressure to pull off a cha cha to “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. Things get emotional in practice, but you’d have never guessed she was nervous when she stepped on the dance floor. “It was a little safer this time,” Inaba said, but that’s OK. She’s committed to learning the technique, and they agree that’ll take her far. SCORE: 19 out of 30
Who goes home?
Sadly, someone has to hit the road. This week, it’s Giada and Alan. The remaining 13 couples are back in the ballroom next Tuesday for Yacht Rock night.
