The two-night second week of Dancing with the Stars season 25 started out classy and elegant with Ballroom Night. But now it’s time to get sexy with Latin Night. The 12 remaining couples will perform their second routines of the week and someone else will be eliminated.
Monday’s elimination of Barbara Corcoran was an obvious choice, but with Nick Lachey and Derek Fisher tied at the bottom of the leaderboard, and five other stars within two points of them, it could be a dramatic and shocking result.
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Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev: Samba
Nikki giggles over being so close to a man who’s not John Cena. The night of sexiness starts off strong with very little clothing. She’s got some decent hip action, but she moves a little slowly. Len Goodman didn’t like the gyrating at the start and calls it just OK. The judges agree that her timing and legs were a bit off.
Judges’ Scores 6+6+6=18
That’s their worst score yet.
Victoria Arlen and Val Chmerkovskiy: Rumba
Playing the romance of the Rumba is hard for her. The routine is quaint and tender, but it feels very empty with a long build-up and emphasis on the story over content. Bruno Tonioli says it was more Contemporary and lacked hip action. Len points out that there was nothing recognizable from the Rumba. Val responds that times have changed, but Len comes back that they either need to fire him or Val needs to accept that Len’s idea of a Rumba is what matters. I’m Team Len all the way, especially because ignoring the style and doing whatever he wants has become a trend with Val.
Judges’ Scores: 7+6+7=20
It’s Victoria’s birthday and they make a huge deal out of it, with a cake and a song.
Derek Fisher and Sharna Burgess: Paso Doble
He’s a naturally nice guy, so it’s hard for him to be a tough matador. That shows in the routine as he lacks the intensity and doesn’t hit every single move as hard as he could. Carrie Ann likes that he’s improving, but the judges still have problems with some of his arm and hand movements.
Judges’ Scores: 7+6+6=19
Meh, he’s slipping to the bottom very quickly.
Sasha Pieterse and Gleb Savchenko: Samba
The routine has a prom theme and she opens up about gaining 70 pounds over two years because of a hormone imbalance, but she’s already lost 15 pounds doing this show. I’ve been hard on her thus far, but I enjoyed this dance a lot. She’s a tad curvier than some of the women on the show and she knows how to use it in all the right ways. The judges like her sparkle and bounce.
Judges’ Scores: 8+7+7=22
The judges are being stingy with the 8s this year, so this is pretty good.
Nick Lachey and Peta Murgatroyd: Argentine Tango
There’s a hilarious segment where Vanessa recalls their first date but Nick doesn’t remember it at all. The choreography is good, but once again Nick is too stiff. I’m ready to call it, he’s just not a very good dancer. Bruno gives him credit for trying to get into character, which is as weak a compliment as he can muster. Len goes in hard that he lacked the intensity. The judges all agree that he’s pretty bad.
Judges’ Scores: 7+6+6=19
Nick is going to have to rely on a big fan base of 98 Degrees fans because he won’t last much longer with these scores.
Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold: Samba
Lindsay admits that this is one of the hardest styles and she usually tries to avoid it, but Jordan is up to the challenge. Once again he makes it look easy, crushing it with a fast, passionate and fun dance. His legs are amazing, but I suppose I could use a bit more hip movement. Carrie Ann loved the Latin nuances and Len warns him to practice with his performance shoes, not tennis sneakers.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+8=24
He might end up on top of the leaderboard for a third night in a row.
Drew Scott and Emma Slater: Rumba
He’s pale and got a spray tan/ This guy reminds me a lot of Zachary Levi in Chuck. The dance is sensual with great silhouettes. In just three nights, he’s improving a whole lot. Len calls it his best dance yet. Carrie Ann says he didn’t come in as the best dancer and Bruno falls off his chair.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7=21
His scores get better with every routine.
Debbie Gibson and Alan Bersten: Argentine Tango
They want to show off her naughty side and they succeed with a steamy routine that looks great, filled with passion and intensity. The judges love her attitude, but not the feet. I’m primarily disappointed that Alan didn’t get a style for Latin Night where he could take his shirt off.
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7=21
Like Drew, she’s improved with every dance.
Vanessa Lachey and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: Salsa
The hot mama is trying to relive her 20s when she worked for MTV and went out dancing with her girlfriends. That younger Vanessa definitely shows, but there’s a lot of content and it might be a tad too fast for her. The judges love it, despite a tiny incident, and Len calls her a real contender for the Mirror Ball.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+7=23
I hope Nick goes home soon, because I’m worried he may be taking votes away from Vanessa and I want her in the finale.
Terrell Owens and Cheryl Burke: Samba
T.O. is single and goes home alone, watching Property Brothers. He thinks he’s sexily handsome. He plays a fireman and the whole thing feels a little goofy. They were actually sexier last night for their ballroom dance. Bruno thinks he needs more bounce in his legs and Carrie Ann is still underwhelmed.
Judges’ Scores: 6+6+7=19
He’s definitely going to be in danger soon, if not tonight.
Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas: Salsa
She comes from a farm family and has a strong work ethic, even when it comes to hip action. The dance is flirty and fun, a reminder of how great she was in week 1. The beginning is the best, but it stays energetic the whole time. Carrie Ann loves that she becomes the music and Len loves the full-on content without any long introduction.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+8=24
Like last week, she’s back to being tied with Jordan at the top. Hopefully, last night was an anomaly.
Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson: Cha-Cha-Cha
Frankie is extremely dedicated to the show, exercising, doing yoga, and cryo-therapy. Wow, he has a shocking amount of swagger and absolutely kills it. He could work a bit on the transitions, but it’s fantastic. The judges are equally shocked and delighted.
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+9=25
Holy crap, the first 9 of the season. Wow, after three nights, five different couples have been on top of the leaderboard.
THE RESULTS
With a very close leaderboard last night (seven couples had 19 to 21 points), anything is possible.
The first couple IN JEOPARDY is…Nick and Peta
The second couple IN JEOPARDY is…Debbie and Alan
I’m not shocked by either of those.
Debbie Gibson and Alan Bersten ARE ELIMINATED!
Despite a tight leaderboard, I predicted another one correctly. Sorry Alan, this was a tough first time as a pro. But she did an impressive job and is much better than most second eliminated contestants.
THE LEADERBOARD
25: Frankie Muniz
24: Jordan Fisher, Lindsey Stirling
23: Vanessa Lachey
22: Sasha Pieterse
21: Drew Scott
20: Victoria Arlen
19: Derek Fisher, Nick Lachey. Terrell Owens
18: Nikki Bella
Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
