Dancing With the Stars has made Disney+ its home, and after two episodes, it’s clear the series is better following the move.
Monday’s two-hour spectacular involved a tribute to Elvis Presley.
There was immediate drama going into the episode after it emerged that Daniella Karagach tested positive for COVID-19.
As a result, Joseph Baena was paired up with Alexis Warr as a temporary measure.
How did they match up when all was said and done, and more importantly, who got the boot?
Jessie James Decker and Alan Bersten – 25 out of 40 – Safe
It’s becoming increasingly clearer that these two may be a match made in DWTS heaven.
They’re not the best of the performers, but they are close enough to the best.
Jordan Sparks and Branton Armstrong – 25 out of 40 – Safe
Their performance markedly improved on the season premiere, delivering some great moments.
Thankfully, they were deemed safe and advanced to Week 3.
Sam Champion and Cheryl Burke – 26 out of 40 – Safe
The Vienesse Waltz is one of the trickiest styles to master, and Sam and Cheryl delivered.
There wasn’t enough Sam, and I hope that future performances allow for more time.
Shangela and Gleb Savchenko – 28 out of 40 – Safe
There was a lot to love about their Quickstep. Shangela knows how to command a room, and I expect these two will make it very far into the competition.
Daniel Durant and Britt Stewart – 29 out of 40 – Safe
Daniel’s performance in the premiere with Britt was very good, but they both upped their game considerably in the second week.
They understand the challenge, and they’re delivering.
Gabby Windey and Val Chmerkovskiy – 32 out of 40 – Safe
The premiere was no blip for Gabby and Val.
Their performance was as close to perfect as you can expect for this part of the process.
They will be around for much of the season if they can keep improving.
Vinny Guadagnino and Koko Iwasaki – 27 out of 40 – Safe
There were plenty of jitters for Vinny on week one, but Koko helped nurture his performance this week into something else.
It was an improvement of epic proportions.
Charli D’Amelio and Mark Ballas – 32 out of 40 – Safe
There were many naysayers when Charli joined the cast, but the truth is, she’s probably one of the most talented performers in years.
She and Mark work very well together, and this train will not stop in the near future.
Selma Blair and Sasha Farber – 28 out of 40 – Safe
Selma is receptive to feedback and used the feedback from last week to up the ante and show presence and confidence.
That will bode well if the improvement continues.
Joseph Baena and Alexis Warr – 24 out of 40 – Safe
It was inevitable that Joseph would have some hurdles following the last-minute switcheroo, but this was a decent performance.
Heidi D’Amelio and Artem Chigvintsev – 28 out of 40 – Safe
Heidi had first-show jitters during the premiere, but those were a distant memory during this latest performance.
Trevor Donovan and Emma Slater – 30 out of 40 – Safe
The Rumba is another tricky component of DWTS, but Trevor and Emma oozed finesse as they helped one another deliver a real showstopper of a performance.
Wayne Brady and Witney Carson – 32 out of 40 – Safe
Wayne and Witney are making a strong case for winning the whole thing.
There, I said it. If this is the level at the second week, then I’m excited to see where they land.
Cheryl Ladd and Louis van Amstel – 21 out of 40 – Saved by Judges
Cheryl and Louis had a frustrating performance because it was much weaker than last week.
Hopefully, it’s just a blip, and they’ll bounce back next week.
Teresa Giudice and Pasha Pashkov – 23 out of 40 – Eliminated
Teresa and Pasha managed to improve week-to-week, but compared to the other competitors, their performances aren’t where they need to be.
It’s unfortunate to lose Teresa so soon, but at least she’s going out knowing she improved quite a bit.
What are your thoughts on the eliminations?
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.