Night two of the two-night event of the second week of performances was Latin Night, and it was filled with all sorts of fiery Latino dancing! After an episode of South American dance styles, we then witnessed the second elimination of the season!
With thoughts on the night, here are Julia Delbel, Dwtsdreams, and Paul Bentley!
Latin Night Dances
After their ballroom dances the night before, the remaining twelve couples performed dances to Latin American styles. Then, another couple was eliminated from the competition.
Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev
Samba
Despacito by Luis Fonsi, featuring Daddy Yankee
Bentley My biggest issue with this dance is in the name of the song - it was just too slow. Granted, Despacito itself isn’t very fast-paced, but I think that Artem could have worked with the music a little more efficiently. And because the dance was a bit on the slow side, I saw all of the flaws in Nikki’s technique. Her Samba kind of reminded me of Sasha’s Cha-Cha last week with how she appeared to pose, and then stop between steps, which does not translate well on camera at all. On the bright side, this was one of the hottest dances of the night, and Nikki and Artem’s superior hip action together made for that party feel that I love about Latin Night.
Julia I agree with what Bentley said about this dance. (I gotta get here first more often so I can call dibs on some of the good commentary. :P)
Dwtsdreams This dance was very disappointing technique-wise and performance-wise. Nikki has become much more confident in her dancing abilities, but this dance just felt too slow and marked. Artem taught her a dance from tour, basically, and just dumbed it down, causing me to feel very underwhelmed.
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
6
|
Len
6
|
Bruno
6
|
Total
18/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
6
|
Dwtsdreams
6
|
Julia
6
|
Total
18/30
|
#TeamSmackdown 1(800)868-3409
Victoria Arlen and Val Chmerkovskiy
Rumba
Easy by Sky Ferreira
Bentley This wasn’t one of the more memorable dances of the night, but it was still pretty good. Although, I do have to say that the dance was kind of odd. Like, what was the concept? I didn’t get it. And why did Victoria just walk away from Val at the end? It was such a weird way to end the dance. Plus, it didn’t really help that it looked like Victoria was dazed and confused from her peculiar facial expressions. But saying all of this makes it seem like I didn’t like the Rumba; it’s quite the opposite, actually (well, at least of the little amount of Rumba that was actually in it). Victoria was able to be both powerful and elegant in this dance, keeping controlling of her body while still being open and expressive to the audience. I definitely would have like to have seen some more footwork, though, because there was not a lot to base it off of, and at times, it looked like she was not as focused on her feet as the rest of her body. And being that she literally cannot feel anything in her legs, she has to be extra observant of them.
Julia I don’t think the story of the dance matched the song which made it strange, and there was almost no Rumba content in it at all, but Victoria’s performance kinda sold it for me. She stayed in control and character and had nice chemistry with Val which is about all I could ask for such a “nontent” routine.
Bentley “Nontent.” Ha, I like that word.
Dwtsdreams I love this team so much and the routines they have created before this has been incredible, but this routine left me disappointed. There was just so little rumba content. I mea,n there were barely any Rumba walks! The Rumba is all about the sensual movements and hip action, and it lacked both. This dance seemed so short and as just a filler routine.
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
7
|
Len
6
|
Bruno
7
|
Total
20/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
7
|
Dwtsdreams
6
|
Julia
7
|
Total
20/30
|
#TeamViVa 1(800)868-3413
Derek Fisher and Sharna Burgess
Paso Doble
Diablo Rojo by Rodrigo y Gabriela
Bentley Am I the only one who thinks that every Paso Doble on this show is starting to look just like the last? I want some variety! Nonetheless, Derek executed the dance with great might and adequate strength. His arms were sort of robotic at the beginning, and his whole stature felt too tense for me, but besides that, he nailed the Paso steps and, despite the misplacements he had when in hold with Sharna, he felt the intensity from her, and he sent some of that intensity right back at her. And a connection to a partner like that is always an advantage!
Julia It’s cool to see some traditional-themed dances seem into modern DWTS every once and awhile. I think the music helps the celebrity get more in tune with the style they’re supposed to be doing, like it seemed to for Derek this week. He showed a lot of strength and power in this routine, but I want to see even more of that from him going forward!
Dwtsdreams Derek impressed me with this routine! It was filled with sharp, powerful movements, and it had a good amount of content! Those knee works are hard, and Derek killed them! I really enjoyed this routine.
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
7
|
Len
6
|
Bruno
6
|
Total
19/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
6
|
Dwtsdreams
6
|
Julia
7
|
Total
19/30
|
#TeamHoopsAndHeels 1(800)868-3403
Sasha Pieterse and Gleb Savchenko
Samba
Most Girls by Hailee Steinfeld
Bentley Sasha is opening up more and more every episode, and I appreciate that from her. And the fact that Sasha had such a connection to the song was imminent in Sasha’s dancing. And through her opening up to the audience, she glowed. She is going through a transformation this season, and I am already loving it! Sasha is working on being more fluid, and she is starting to turn her confidence into stabilized energy for the dance. Still, Sasha has to dance more from her core with dances like the Samba, but she is on the track since she is already paying attention to the judges’ comments!
Julia Sasha seemed to be a little off-time at the beginning and wobbly throughout, but this was a huge step forward for her! I hope she keeps the momentum going to get more voters on her side. :)
Dwtsdreams Gleb normally goes for super sexy routines during Latin Week, but instead he created an inspiring routine which I loved! It was so refreshing to see that! This dance was definitely Sasha’s best so far!
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
8
|
Len
7
|
Bruno
7
|
Total
22/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
7
|
Dwtsdreams
7
|
Julia
7
|
Total
21/30
|
#TeamATeam 1(800)868-3410
Nick Lachey and Peta Murgatroyd
Argentine Tango
She’s a Lady by Lion Babe
Bentley It can be really difficult for a celebrity to match up to Peta’s performance quality, and on Tuesday night, it seemed like Nick got drowned out by Peta. Nick didn’t put nearly as much force or passion as Peta into his moves, which ended up hindering the performance in the long run. Nick is good at framing Peta’s dancing, but now he has to showcase what he can offer to the audience. While he and Peta would do the same steps, Nick would not do them to the same extent as Peta, making the different levels of dance experience obvious in the Argentine Tango.
Julia I think Nick did a decent job with his Argentine Tango but he needs to get those expressions down because his blank face just made this dance fall flat for me. He showed strength in this dance, but now we need to see some personality in his performances!
Dwtsdreams Peta has such a big stage presence, and it can be hard to keep up with a professional like that. This was an okay routine.
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
7
|
Len
6
|
Bruno
6
|
Total
19/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
6
|
Dwtsdreams
6
|
Julia
6
|
Total
18/30
|
#TeamMomAndPops 1(800)868-3408
Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold
Samba
Mi Gente by J. Balvin & Willy William
Bentley ¡Ay dios mÃo! This Samba has got to be my favorite dance of the season thus far! Everything just flowed together so well! It was sexy without being overly raunchy, it has a smooth transition between fast slow, and it went perfectly to the reggaeton music! Len was right, however, with the fact that Jordan’s feet were a little lanky, which was a good PSA for the guys to wear Cuban heels more often! XD He was also just a hair off from Lindsay at one point, but at week two, that is just nit-picking. Jordan’s musicality this early in the competition just goes to show that he might be destined for the finales!
Julia I was blown away with how Jordan managed to pull of a Samba this great in the second week of the season! His technique was amazing and his performance quality remains high. The one off thing about this dance was that Jordan did seem visibly uncomfortable in the Cuban Heels so I agree he should practice more in them going forward.
Dwtsdreams JORDAN IS A LITERAL BEAST. I'M OBSESSED! He manages to put his style of dance in a Samba routine and kill it during week 2!
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
8
|
Len
8
|
Bruno
8
|
Total
24/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
9
|
Dwtsdreams
9
|
Julia
9
|
Total
27/30
|
#TeamFishUponAStar 1(800)868-3406
Drew Scott and Emma Slater
Rumba
Lights Down Low by Max, featuring gnash
Bentley I don’t really know how I feel about this performance. It definitely demonstrated some sort of stability that was absent in his other two dances, but at the same time, I feel like we could have seen some more from him. I don’t know exactly what “more” would constitute, but I was left wanting more from him after it ended. Furthermore, Drew has a issue with centralizing his movement, and it is really odd to watch, especially when he does something like waddle side to side when he is doing free motion. The Rumba should flow like water, but to me, it felt like Drew was rushing too much and was too tense for it to naturally tie together like that. But when it comes down to the science of the dance, Drew seems to be catching on to holding himself better and relying on his own developing skills rather than Emma’s expertise.
Julia I’ve recently come to the conclusion that the Rumba seems to be an unfair dance to have on DWTS. If you’re a woman you have to do most of the work, but if you’re a man all you have to do is frame the woman. (The judges do seem to recognize this, but this means the men rarely get top props for it, which just creates more unfairness.) Rumba is a dance that just seems to make more sense in a competition sense when it’s a real ballroom couple being judged on it together than just one half, as happens on DWTS. So, Drew pretty much just had to frame Emma for this, and he did pretty well. It was his best dance so far and it’s clear he’s truly listening to the judges’ comments and working to implement their advice in his performances.
Dwtsdreams Most of these dances left me uninspired tonight. This was a basic Rumba routine, and Drew did okay.
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
7
|
Len
7
|
Bruno
7
|
Total
21/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
6
|
Dwtsdreams
6
|
Julia
7
|
Total
19/30
|
#TeamHotProperty 1(800)868-3404
Debbie Gibson and Alan Bersten
Argentine Tango
Eliminated- 12th Place
Havana by Camila Cabello, featuring Young Thug
Bentley Traditional Argentine Tango-- it was so refreshing to see! Debbie really went above and beyond to get into the sultry personality that this dance required! She connected with Alan in such a way that I didn’t think I would ever see from her, so I was happy to see the full potential that she had as an actress in her dances. I knew that she would be eliminated sooner or later, but I was disappointed that she was eliminated this early. She started to bloom in more ways than one, and it was unfortunate that we’re not going to see how else she would handle other things that Alan would throw at her. With yet another challenge from Alan, Debbie had such crisp and clean lines, despite some shakiness and a loss of energy towards the end. But overlooking that, I enjoyed everything about this from the scene to the choreography. This performance was molded especially for her!
Julia It was very disappointing to see Debbie eliminated on Tuesday. She’d been improving and was clearly much more invested in this experience than a few other contestants I could mention. She had great technique and chemistry in this performance and I was pleased to see her have a really good dance before she had to leave.
Dwtsdreams I was disappointed to see Debbie eliminated as see showed a lot of growth. Her technique was pretty impressed and I love the concept!
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
7
|
Len
7
|
Bruno
7
|
Total
21/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
6
|
Dwtsdreams
6
|
Julia
7
|
Total
19/30
|
#TeamSonBerst 1(800)868-3402
Vanessa Lachey and Maks Chmerkovskiy
Salsa
Instruction by Jax Jones, featuring Demi Lovato & Stefflon Don
Bentley Vanessa is not playing around-- she is here to compete, and have fun while doing it! I actually really enjoyed the choreography for this dance and how Maks managed to combine Salsa with some modern moves in a way that was still tasteful and jam-packed with steps (even though the poor camera angles made us miss out a lot of them). Vanessa still has a long way to go in terms of polish and sharpness, but she already has the acting abilities down! She also has such a natural rhythm that makes her dancing look easy! I am so pleasantly surprised by how much I am entertained by this couple so far!
Julia The choreography for this was fresh and exciting, and Vanessa’s enthusiasm while dancing made it all the more fun to watch! Vanessa kept up pretty well, even though her execution of some of the movements was pretty messy at times. I think she is going to improve pretty quickly, though, and I think there’s a good chance she’ll be sticking around for quite some time.
Dwtsdreams I loved this concept and Vanessa’s personality throughout this routine! Some of her movement was a little messy and off balance, but overall, I see Vanessa as a finalist.
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
8
|
Len
8
|
Bruno
7
|
Total
23/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
8
|
Dwtsdreams
8
|
Julia
8
|
Total
24/30
|
#TeamBabiesAndBallroom 1(800)868-3412
Terrell Owens and Cheryl Burke
Samba
Hot in Herre by Nelly
Bentley While Terrell and Cheryl’s Samba had substantially more fundamentals of the assigned style than their Monday night dance, I found myself liking their Foxtrot a whole lot more. Terrell is definitely more of a ballroom dancer than a Latin dancer, mainly because of how calm his movements are. And for a dance like this, calm is not good, except for being able to keep consistent control. Because of that, he never really nailed his steps with as much force as I would have liked him to. But being that this was a double dance week, I think Terrell will be able to get into the groove of things more for any possible future Latin dances.
Julia I agree with Bentley that Terrell’s Foxtrot was more enjoyable to watch than his Samba despite the lack of technique in the former. He seemed kind of out of control in Tuesday’s routine, and while there were shades of potential with his technique it was never fully realized in this performance. I would like to see him leave on Monday but hopefully he’ll have a better dance whether he’s safe or not.
Dwtsdreams Three words: No thank you.
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
6
|
Len
6
|
Bruno
7
|
Total
19/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
6
|
Dwtsdreams
6
|
Julia
6
|
Total
18/30
|
#TeamGetchaPopcorn 1(800)868-3411
Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas
Salsa
Mani Picao by Ricky Campanelli
Bentley Oh, how I love Salsas like this! This dance was straight to the point and loaded with all sorts of underarm turns and quick steps! It was just such a fun dance! Lindsey and Mark made use of the empty space around them with all of their party moves filling up each inch of the dance floor as well as each beat in the song. I especially enjoyed the variety of choreography in the dance, which was emphatically refreshing after a lot of the dances that strayed away from their dance styles. I do have to say, though, that even though I loved how much Lindsey got into the dance, she was so immersed into the music that she might have lost a bit of grace in her moves along the way. But that doesn’t take away in the slightest from the genius that was this Salsa!
Julia This Salsa was PACKED with technique and Lindsey managed to perform it expertly! The only issues I had were very minor, like a lack of grace with a few moves here and there. I think these two are on track to win the season if the producers don’t mess with things, but since I don’t think either of them are touring with DWTS this winter and Lindsey isn’t an ABC employee, I worry they’ll start getting knocked down soon.
Dwtsdreams This Salsa was fun and flirty and packed with technique. She is so good at playing with the camera and with her facial expressions! This dance was great!
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
8
|
Len
8
|
Bruno
8
|
Total
24/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
9
|
Dwtsdreams
9
|
Julia
9
|
Total
27/30
|
#TeamSTARK 1(800)868-3407
Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson
Cha-Cha-Cha
Perm by Bruno Mars
Bentley Where did that come from?! Frankie claims to be nervous every time he comes out to dance, and if that really is the case, he is good at hiding it-- and the confident energy that he projects goes a far way! Even though there wasn’t a whole lot of Cha-Cha content (but I guess we’re all used to a lack of content on this show by now), he moved with the motions seamlessly and naturally, especially showcased in how he was able to move his hips in motion with his feet, rather than apart from his feet. When he moves, it all comes from the same place, with all moves having a seismic effect on the rest of his body. Maybe his energy was a little too much at times, though, because his upper body was clearly frenetic, plus he wound up throwing his limbs away at times. But besides that, this was a pretty solid Cha-Cha, and I feel like Witney is getting a revival to show what she has to offer with him!
Julia Frankie was a true showman Tuesday night, and his performance was a lot of fun so I could see why they made it the last of the night. However, for a dance with such a lack of content and some technique issues in what little we did see, this was MASSIVELY overscored. Frankie’s footwork was quite good, but his arms and upper body were doing some weird things, so I thought multiple 8’s were excessive and the 9 (let alone the first 9 of the season) was totally over-the-top. I do think that Frankie & Witney are doing everything they need in order to get the audience on their side and make it to the end. If he improves quickly enough, they might even be contenders to win, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Dwtsdreams I am so impressed by this dance! Frankie killed it! His confidence has improved causing his dancing to improve! Also, Witney’s choreography the last couple seasons weren't my favorite, but now Litney is back, y’all!
The Judges’ Scores
|
Carrie Ann
8
|
Len
8
|
Bruno
9
|
Total
25/30
|
The Bloggers’ Scores
|
Bentley
8
|
Dwtsdreams
8
|
Julia
7
|
Total
23/30
|
#TeamFranneyPack 1(800)868-3405
Dance Rankings
Julia
1. Jordan & Lindsay
2. Lindsey & Mark
3. Frankie & Witney
4. Vanessa & Maks
5. Sasha & Gleb
6. Drew & Emma
7. Debbie & Alan
8. Victoria & Val
9. Derek & Sharna
10. Nick & Peta
11. Nikki & Artem
12. Terrell & Cheryl
Bentley
1. Jordan & Lindsay
2. Lindsey & Mark
3. Frankie & Witney
4. Vanessa & Maks
5. Sasha & Gleb
6. Victoria & Val
7. Debbie & Alan
8. Derek & Sharna
9. Drew & Emma
10. Nick & Peta
11. Nikki & Artem
12. Terrell & Cheryl
Dwtsdreams
1. Jordan & Lindsay
2. Lindsey & Mark
3. Frankie & Witney
4. Vanessa & Maks
5. Sasha & Gleb
6. Victoria & Val
7. Derek & Sharna
8. Debbie & Alan
9. Nikki & Artem
10. Drew & Emma
11. Nick & Peta
12.Terrell & Cheryl
Bentley Who doesn’t love a good Latin Night opening number? The one was great at setting the tone for the night, even if parts of the show didn’t quite live up to the hype!
Bentley Usually Bruno is the most consistent judge that isn’t too controversial, but his scoring so far this season is… weird. Sometimes he gives really generous scores, and then other times, I’m left scratching my head because of how his low scores sometimes don’t match his comments.
Bentley Having two nights of dances is cool and all, but I’m glad that this is a rare occurrence. First of all, having the show on a Tuesday from 9-11PM really threw me off. Like, was Celebrity Family Feud really that necessary to put on before the show? Even if that is it’s normal time slot, I find it hard to believe that that show gets more views over Dancing With the Stars. Although, speaking of ratings, I have noticed that DWTS isn’t doing all that great in terms of views this season. This show has maybe become a little too “same old, same old” for some people, which I can completely understand, so I can get why they are skipping out on the Spring season next year.
Week 2, Night 2 MVP Picks
Most Valuable Pro
Julia Even though it was short, Alan Bersten’s first outing as a DWTS pro impressed me, particularly the work he did with Debbie to hone her skills for the Argentine Tango Tuesday night. I think he proved himself to be better than certain people thought he would in the three episodes he had to do so this season.
Bentley I couldn’t say it any better than Julia; Alan Bersten entered this season guns blazing! He choreographed each dance he did with Debbie this season with his partner in mind. He worked with everything that she is strong at while still giving her an appropriate challenge that, in my eyes, really paid off!
Dwtsdreams My MVP is Lindsay Arnold! She has killed it this season by coming up with fun, creative routines! She is an incredible teacher and pro, especially this season!
Follow DWTS Interact on its new Twitter at @DWTSInteract, and follow the bloggers at @TheBentleyNinja, @juliadelbel, and @dwtsdreams!
#DWTS #DWTS25
#LatinNight
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