Here are my rankings for the best and worst dances from the second week of Dancing with the Stars season 23, TV Night. Also, check out my recap of this episode.
#26 Rick Perry and Emma Slater
Dance: Quickstep
TV Show: Green Acres
Judges’ Scores: 6+5+6+5=22
#25 Rick and Emma’s Performance
Like week 1, Rick was wildly entertaining but stomped through the routine. There’s no denying that he’s the worst of the season with very little potential for anything better.
#24 Amber Rose and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Viennese Waltz
TV Show: Game of Thrones
Judges’ Scores: 6+6+6+6=24
#23 Amber and Maks’ Performance
Amber just looked like a bit of a mess, and she’s one of only three stars who failed to get better scores in week 2 than she did in week 1. It looked like Maks was manhandling her the whole time, which is disappointing since she was playing the Mother of Dragons.
#22 Jake T. Austin and Jenna Johnson
Dance: Cha-Cha-Cha
TV Show: Go, Diego, Go!
Judges’ Scores: 6+6+6+6=24
#21 Jake and Jenna’s Performance
Jake has some decent moves, but he’s so out of sync with his partner that it distracts from everything else. Also, doing a “sexy” version of a children’s TV show theme song is just wrong on every level.
#20 Ryan Lochte and Cheryl Burke
Dance: Quickstep
TV Show: The Muppet Show
Judges’ Scores: 6+6+6+6=24
#19 Ryan and Cheryl’s Performance
Like Amber, he got the same score both weeks. However, despite the numerous technical flaws, he was entertaining this time in a silly way. His naturally aloof attitude fit perfectly with The Muppet Show theme song.
#18 Vanilla Ice and Witney Carson
Dance: Foxtrot
TV Show: Married…with Children
Judges’ Scores: 6+7+6+7=26
#17 Vanilla and Witney’s Performance
This was more of a week 1 performance, with actual choreography instead of him doing hip-hop, freestyle moves. He was fine, but with a few problems and it gave a much better indication of his potential.
#16 Maureen McCormick and Artem Chigvintsev
Dance: Quickstep
TV Show: The Brady Bunch
Judges’ Scores: 7+6+6+7=26
#15 Maureen and Artem’s Performance
One of the best improvements of week 2, Maureen was confident, peppy and full of energy with this breezy Quickstep that also found a way to include Florence Henderson.
#14 Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Allison Holker
Dance: Argentine Tango
TV Show: The X-Files
Judges’ Scores: 8+7+7+8=30
#13 Babyface and Allison’s Performance
The problem with a lot of Argentine Tangos is that the male stars don’t have to do a whole lot. This was cool and inventive, but Allison did most of the work and Babyface wasn’t as passionate as he needed to be.
#12 Marilu Henner and Derek Hough
Dance: Foxtrot
TV Show: Taxi
Judges’ Scores: 7+8+7+7=29
#11 Marilu and Derek’s Performance
This was a good routine. It felt like it was over before it began and I didn’t really have any problems with it, but it didn’t knock my socks off. It was nice the whole time. But, as usual, Derek kind of stole the show with his amazing moves.
#10 Calvin Johnson and Lindsay Arnold
Dance: Foxtrot
TV Show: Family Matters
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7+7=28
#9 Calvin and Lindsay’s Performance
Like James in week 1, this Foxtrot showed me a lot of potential in Calvin with his quality of movement and ease of playing a character. His Urkel was weird and nerdy, but smooth on his feet.
#8 Jana Kramer and Gleb Savchenko
Dance: Tango
TV Show: One Tree Hill
Judges’ Scores: 7+8+7+7=29
#7 Jana and Gleb’s Performance
Even with a painful injury, these two were sexy as hell and had unbelievable chemistry. The highlight was definitely her legs, long and flexible, and if she has her full range of motion, they could be deadly weapons.
#6 James Hinchcliffe and Sharna Burgess
Dance: Paso Doble
TV Show: The Walking Dead
Judges’ Scores: 7+7+7+8=29
#5 James and Sharna’s Performance
Once again, James is showing himself to be a star. His character work was impeccable, exuding the masculine energy and power needed for a Paso. The zombies were a bit distracting, taking away from the content, but it was still a great effort. Even as the only star to get a lower score in week 2 than he did in week 1, he’s still one of the three best.
#4 Terra Jole and Sasha Farber
Dance: Quickstep
TV Show: Bewitched
Judges’ Scores: 8+7+8+8=31
#3 Terra and Sasha’s Performance
I wasn’t particularly impressed by her in week 1, but Terra really stepped it up and showed off some serious dancing chops with this Quickstep. The massive height different should’ve been a problem, but it wasn’t at all and these two found a way to make it work beautifully.
#2 Laurie Hernandez and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dance: Jive
TV Show: DuckTales
Judges’ Scores: 8+8+8+8=32
#1 Laurie and Val’s Performance
DuckTales has one of those theme songs that unleashes my inner child and makes me smile. And with Laurie’s immense raw talent and unbridled energy, it was a perfect routine. There’s a good reason this routine received the highest score of the season, and that’s because it’s the best dance of the first two weeks.
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.
