by Kylene Hamulak

 

After popular former champion Drew and his partner Anna found themselves in the bottom two last week, the contestants of Dancing With The Stars: All Stars are entering Week 2 with their new reality - everyone is pretty good, and no one is guaranteed safety. (See, I can say that now that Pam is gone. I can't wait til I can say everyone is GREAT, but we're still a "star" or two away from that reality.)

 

Team: Melissa and Tony

Dance: Jive

As Melissa and Tony meet for rehearsal, she notes that every performance looked like one that would've been in the finals of any previous season. She's right, and that's also why she's nervous about this week's Jive. The last time she was scheduled to perform a Jive with Tony, she was not given medical clearance to actually do the dance after hurting her ribs, so this routine is about redemption for her. The dance goes very well, and Melissa and Tony look like they're having a great time. Judges said:

8.0 - Len tells them that they've set the bar high - he loved it.

7.5 - Bruno calls Melissa "The fastest girl in town!" When he notes a couple of mistakes with her feet, Carrie Ann, Len, and...well, basically everyone in the ballroom jeer him, so it looks like Bruno might be borrowing Len's villain hat today. He LIKED it, but he and Len bicker over whether or not the footwork was done correctly.

8.0 - Carrie Ann says Melissa was born to jive, and she's happy we were finally able to see it.

TOTAL: 23.5

Team: Bristol and Mark

Dance: Quick Step

So it seems like Bristol's schtick is to continuously remind us about how shy she is, and this week she's adding something new to the mix: She's a redneck. She's proud of always having a baby on her hip and her love of fishing and hunting and shooting (which she shares with Mark at the shooting range). Their routine is looks clumsy to me, like line dancing in the ballroom. Judges said:

6.0 - Bruno describes it as "the Quick Step goes Gangnam Style in the Wild Wild West!" And in case you wondered...that might be fun, but as Bruno points out, Bristol needs to worry about technique, too. Not only redneck fun.

6.0 - Carrie Ann gives Bristol the Most Improved trophy again, but she doesn't appreciate her decision to break the rules (by breaking the hold). "You slammed us in our face by saying I'm not going to follow your rules, so guess what - SLAM back." Claws up, Carrie Ann!

6.0 - Len agrees that the routine was fun and enthusiastic and says, "I liked the hoe down, but the technique was a bit LOW down."

TOTAL: 18.0

Team: Helio and Chelsie

Dance: Jive

To help Chelsie understand what he's going through on the dance floor, Helio decides to stick her in an Indy car and listen to her scream. Which she does. A lot. Back in the ballroom, their routine is fun and clean, and the audience loves it. Judges said:

7.5 - Carrie Ann tells Helio that this week, "your body caught up to the charm on your face."

7.5 - Len calls it style with a smile and says it was overall fabulous.

7.5 - Bruno describes it as a "delicious treat of a jive." Though he picks on a tiny piece of footwork, he also says it doesn't take away from the fun of the dance.

TOTAL: 22.5

Team: Apolo and Karina

Dance: Quick Step

As they rehearse their Quick Step, Karina invites Apolo to really lead the dance, knowing that the judges are going to expect the guys in the competition to really start stepping it up. Unfortunately for Apolo, while he'd love to take the lead, he doesn't really feel like he knows what he's doing. If you ask me, he definitely figured it out sometime between then and his performance because the routine is great. The footwork (to my untrained eye) looks amazing, and the two of them are totally in sync. Judges said:

8.0 - Len calls it a "gold medal." He says they combined speed with control - well put, Len. That's exactly what I saw, too.

8.0 - Bruno agrees, saying that Apolo has proven that determination, focus, and hard work pays off. "Wonderful."

8.5 - Carrie Ann is the first to comment on Apolo taking the lead, saying that it looked like he was "really driving the dance." Pretty high praise, but I'll admit - it was a terrific routine.

TOTAL: 24.5

Team: Sabrina and Louis

Dance: Quick Step

Last week, the judges (and Louis) warned Sabrina that she needed to be careful about over dancing. This week, Louis should've been more careful, instead of flying up stairs in rehearsal and allowing SABRINA to break his fall as the pair toppled down. Will they keep that move in the performance? Of course! What would DWTS be without a little drama! But this time, Louis doesn't drop her (or fall!) and their routine is terrific. Judges said:

8.5 - Bruno is highly impressed, calling it "a TRUE dazzler."

9.0 - Carrie Ann agrees and is hooting and hollering about Sabrina's top lines in particular, which are better than anything she's ever seen on DWTS.

8.5 - Len loved it, too - he says, "That was a great Quick Step. Well done."

TOTAL: 26.0, highest All-Star score of the season

 

Team: Kirstie and Maks
Dance: Jive

First Bristol (intentionally) danced her Quick Step as a redneck, now it's Kirstie, dancing her Jive like it's a hoe down. The difference? Kirstie is smart enough to try to fix it. Maks refuses to train her like a 60 year old when she's competing against "20 year old Olympians." Kirstie puts it into perspective - 3 lifetimes of Shawn is what she is. The dancing may not be as fast as some of the other pairs, but Kirstie and Maks put on a pretty good show. Judges said:

7.0 - Carrie Ann assures Kirstie, "age is just a number, and you just proved that to us." She recommends they match their styles a little better in the future, but still liked it.

7.0 - Len pulls a Bruno, calling her "Dirty flirty Kirstie." He says it was neat and precise, and a great improvement over last week.

7.0 - Bruno says she played it beautifully.

TOTAL: 21.0

Team: Emmitt and Cheryl

Dance: Quick Step

Emmitt won't be intimidated by an actor, or a racecar driver, or (snort) speed skater. No sir, he's been hit over 4,000 times, and he has the crooked head to prove it. He comes out wearing the reddest suit I've ever seen on a man who wasn't holding a pitchfork, dancing to a tune about the coolest cat in town. He pulls it off - it works, as you sort of expect it to. Judges said:

7.5 - Len likes Emmitt's "cool cat attitude." He liked the overall feel of the dance, though he felt some of the technique was lacking. "Well done."

7.5 - Bruno thinks the energy and chemistry with Cheryl really works, even if the frame and timing weren't terrific.

7.5 - Carrie Ann warns Emmitt to watch out for the competition - she thinks they did better than him tonight, upping their game while he sort of stayed the same.

TOTAL: 22.5

Team: Drew and Anna

Dance: Jive

I was definitely one of the people surprised by Drew's appearance in the bottom two last week, and I hope he doesn't end up there again anytime soon. Quote of the night so far for me? As Anna is practicing her slap across his face, he warns her not to leave a mark. "That's the money maker...that's why I'm broke." The routine is strong and entertaining, and emo rock boy Drew is kind of terrific. Judges said:

7.5 - Bruno calls it "very powerful" but cautions him to be careful not to go flat-footed, which causes him to lose the steps in the Jive.

7.5 - Carrie Ann welcomes Drew "home." She calls it really cool and edgy, but also notes the issues with his feet.

7.5 - Len basically echoes his fellow judges and makes a prediction: "Bottom Two Drew? Not this week." Let's hope not.

TOTAL: 22.5

Team: Joey and Kym

Dance: Quick Step

Drew's appearance in the bottom two was a wake up call for Joey too, who notes that with all the scores so close together, anyone could end up on the bottom at any time in the competition. Their routine is like an old Chaplin movie (at least I'm HOPING that's what Joey's mustache was supposed to indicate) and - hey! Is that the So You Think You Can Dance chaise lounge?! It's a very entertaining routine, and they really make it a show for the crowd, but that worries me - it can go either way with the judges. Judges said:

7.5 - Carrie Ann says everything about it was fantastic...except that he made some mistakes. She tells him he went out of sync a couple of times (to which Joey responds, "Sync....got it." And I laughed.)

7.5 - Len begins with a checklist of everything that was wrong. Posture. Footwork. Body contact. Pretty much...everything? Doesn't matter though - Len really enjoyed it. "If you can't dance much, come out and entertain us...and that's what you did."

7.5 - Bruno admits that, technically, it could've been better, but he also says Joey and Kym captured the magic of the flickers in the 20's.

TOTAL: 22.5

 

Team: Shawn and Derek

Dance: Jive

Though she's not totally disappointed by their placement in the middle of the pack, Shawn really wants to work towards getting in the top 3 now. So what's she going to do? Pull out her gymnastics "secret weapon." By cartwheeling down the stairs. What?! The routine is fun and fast, and personally? I don't think she needed to break out the secret weapon this early - she would've done just fine with her dancing. Judges said:

8.0 - Len pretty much discredits everything I just said by calling it a "just enough Jive." He says there was just enough content, just enough hold, just enough technique. Which he says is good.

8.5 - Bruno is a bit more enthusiastic, calling it vibrant and eye popping. He tells Len, "I don't know what you want more, but you won't get it." Oh. Ok. So maybe I am not as clueless as I thought.

8.5 - Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno and declares them "All Stars' Sweethearts."

TOTAL: 25.0

Team: Kelly and Val

Dance: Quick Step

In case you wondered, the focus of rehearsals with Kelly and Val centers pretty much on Kelly's chest. So much so, in fact, that Kelly decides Val needs to experience what it's like to dance with a set of fake boobs. Next thing you know? Val is walking around in a pink bra filled with water balloons. For all the jokes in rehearsals, they deliver a surprisingly sweet routine, and they gorgeous doing it. Judges said:

7.5 - Bruno says it was very elegant and very pretty, but does tell her to watch her top line. And then I think he called her chest "the Zeppelins," but I may have misheard that.

7.5 - Carrie Ann agrees and thinks she just needs to extend her lines a little more. As a side note, Carrie Ann called Val "Maks". Again. I bet he gets that a lot.

7.0 - Len thought it was an overall good job, but he liked the parts that Carrie Ann didn't more than the ones that she did.

TOTAL: 22.0

Team: Gilles and Peta

Dance: Jive

Last week, prior to his performance, Gilles had a hamstring issue that he was able to dance through. Unfortunately, throughout rehearsals for this week's Jive, it only got worse. Though medical advice was to give it 1-2 weeks to heal, Gilles continues to dance through it. And you'd never guess he was in so much pain, the way he was flicking his legs! Judges said:

8.5 - Carrie Ann agrees with me - she says his kicks and flicks were the best of the night. "I see a little John Travolta thing happening here, and it's quite enjoyable!"

8.5 - Len says the key to winning this competition is to be consistent. After last week's fabulous routine, he calls this one fabulous too.

8.5 - Bruno exclaims: "You've got the coif, you've got the cleavage, let the good times roll!"

TOTAL: 25.5

So at the end of the second night of performances, Sabrina and Louis are just half a point ahead of Gilles and Peta at the top of the leader board. Bristol rounds out the bottom with 18 points, and should probably be the most at risk, but I won't underestimate her - she stuck around a lot longer than anyone expected her to last time! Tune in to find out if she escapes danger again!

 

Don't miss the live results of Dancing With The Stars Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC!

 

(Image courtesy of ABC)