Kicking off that night are James Van Der Beek and Emma Slater, who got the top score last week, as the pair take the ballroom to perform an energetic Cha Cha which earns praises from the judges.
- Sep 24, 2019
AceShowbiz - "Dancing with the Stars" season 28 returned with a new episode on Monday, September 23. The ABC series introduced some changes in the second week in which the judges would have the power to save one of the bottom two couples in addition to text voting before one of them was forced to go home in the first elimination.
Kicking off that night were James Van Der Beek and Emma Slater, who got the top score last week. The pair took the ballroom to perform an energetic Cha Cha which earned praises from the judges. "Another solid performance," Len Goodman said, though he added that he was not a fan of the "gimmicks" in the performance. James was given a 20 out of 30 which meant he earned a 41 in total.
Next up was Sailor Brinkley-Cook who danced a Rumba along with Val Chmerkovskiy. "You have to play the part as well as dancing it," said Bruno Tonioli, adding that Sailor was "lacking consistency" despite moving "beautifully." The daughter of Christie Brinkley got 18 points, making her total score a 36.
Meanwhile, Ray Lewis and Cheryl Burke opted for a Foxtrot for that night's performance. Carrie Ann Inaba said that he was "so enjoyable to watch," but she also noted that he did "tons of mistakes." Meanwhile, Len called him "flat-footed" though he believed that his personality would get him a better score. With additional 15 points from that night's routine, Ray's total score was 30.
Dancing a Viennese Waltz, Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber offered "a pretty-looking dance," according to Len. However, he noted that it wasn't good technically. Bruno then added that she could dance, but her performance lacked continuous movement as she sometimes skipped through the dance. Ally got a 20 which brought her total score to a 36.
The next performers were Mary Wilson and Brandon Armstrong who danced a Cha Cha. Bruno thought that it was "simple, effective and nicely presented," while Len said that she needed to straighten her legs more. The judges gave her a 15 for the performance, which made her earn a 32 in total.
Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko then hit the stage, dancing a Paso Doble to "Confident" by Demi Lovato. Bruno loved it, adding, "Nasty suits you." As for Len, he thought it "lacked a bit of shaping" and she might have gone wrong in places. She got a 19, bringing her total score from last week to a 38.
Doing a Tango were Sean Spicer and Lindsay Arnold. Len said it was better than last week. Meanwhile, Bruno thought it looked like a real tango but a little militaristic. Sean was given a 16 while his total score was a 28.
Karamo Brown and Jenna Johnson were then dancing Quickstep. Bruno gushed Karamo for his "panache" and "flair." However, he said that Karamo needed more body contact. Len agreed, adding that the performance looked "hectic." His total score was brought to a 36 after given a 19 that night.
Kate Flannery danced a Foxtrot with Pasha Pashkov to Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon" which got Carrie Ann "blown away." She added that Kate reminded her of of past contestant Kelly Osbourne. Len liked almost everything about the performance, including the music, the routine, the improvement from last week and even Pasha's proper outfit. She racked 36 points as the judges gave her a 21 that night.
The next performers were Kel Mitchell and Witney Carson who took the stage to dance a Samba. The judges loved it with Carrie Ann saying it was "so smooth." Kel was given a 20 which made his total score a 36.
Dancing a Salsa, Lamar Odom and Peta Murgatroyd performed next. Of the performance, Bruno thought he was "more relaxed" and had more "freedom of movement." However, Carrie Ann noted that he had trouble with lifts and in hold. He was once again given the lowest score that night as the judges gave him a 12. His total score was 23 points.
Concluding the night was Hannah Brown. She performed a Viennese Waltz with Alan Bernsten. "You whisked me away," said Carrie Ann, adding that her routing was "ridiculously good." Bruno chimed in, "Now we are in business! … Pure American beauty." With 24 additional points from that night's performance, Hannah total score was 44 points.
Now it was time for the results. Lamar, James, Ally and Karamo were announced to be safe. Joining them were Sean, Hannah, Sailor, Kel, Lauren and Kate, putting Mary and Ray in jeopardy. The final decision was on the judges' hands and Carrie Ann voted for Mary while Bruno wanted to save Ray. Len decided to keep Ray for another round, which meant that Mary was sent home in the first elimination.
