The first elimination is always the toughest. We know that.
What we don't know, or just plain forget, is how unpredictable the results can be. America can warm to an underdog just as quickly as it can turn its back on an early favorite.
Here's what happened.
In Week 2 Kramer and Savchenko picked up where they left off in Week 1... steamy. This time it was with a dance more closely associated with hot and sultry movement - the Tango.
Jana Kramer gets the early "most likely to be mistaken for a dance professional while standing in costume" award. She looks fantastic, and her Tango routine was able to match her look on the floor. We thought she needed fundamentals, and the pair delivered. Savchenko kept the ratio of closed dance frame fundamentals higher than flashy highlights, which kept the routine from going overboard.
Latin dances are looming around the corner, and that plays into the steamy theme thus far. Now it's time for this pair to temporarily part ways with the "steam theme" to show America that Kramer has diversity.
We thought Babyface needed to be more daring, and he and Holker delivered that with their impressive Tango performance.
While he was still smooth, Babyface and Allison's Tango routine had enough drama and sharp transitions to keep America from typecasting him as a one themed wonder.
Over his career, Babyface is known mainly for his ability to sing slow, romantic music, not necessarily up tempo dance tracks. So far, with the Foxtrot and Tango, he's matching that theme. Now he needs to show that he can go uptempo with his dancing in the coming weeks.
Marilu Henner and Derek Hough took on one of the most iconic Television theme songs, that also just happens to be a little funky, slightly haunting, and wow, if they didn't turn that into something beautiful.
We emphasized that Henner would need to expand on character development, and lean on the choreographic mastery of her Emmy Award winning teacher, Derek. Taking on the Taxi theme song, and constructing a storytelling Foxtrot served up every tasteful note you could want with a song that challenging, yet so important to the celebrity partner.
Consistency. She does not lack it by any stretch now, but to make a long run on this show, she'll need to push aside any doubt that may creep into her head, keep the blinders on, and rely on the mountain of dance instruction that she's receiving.
We said that Amber Rose has the capability of filling out a dance frame, but she and Maks were rarely in one during their Week 2 Game of Thrones Waltz performance.
This routine had the highest production value, but played out like a movie with great special effects, but not the best writing. That's not to say Maks and Rose didn't do a good job, but this looked like, possibly, the Plan B version of, what could have been, a more challenging routine. Maybe suggesting that DWTS is rigged isn't the best strategy between rehearsals?
Rose has loads of personality and potential, but that will all go to waste if she doesn't trust the process. She's got to eliminate the distractions and put the work in if she hopes to stick around past week 3.
There's a lot to be said about an underdog with a great attitude. We said that Rick Perry could surprise you and boy did he.
The Quickstep can disrupt the posture of many dancers. Emma Slater made sure that that wouldn't happen to Rick Perry. During their Quickstep, not only was Rick Perry's head held high, but he kept his dance frame wide, his smile big, and he made it look easy. How's that for an underdog?
Stay absolutely positive. Say nothing about the "underdoggedness", refrain from going on camera sharing how shocked they weren't eliminated, and stay positive, grateful, and let the momentum continue to build.
As if this was ever in doubt.
Dancing with the Stars has been waiting for a star like Laurie Hernandez probably as long as Laurie Hernandez has wanted to be on Dancing with the Stars. She's got all of the ingredients for a fantastic dance student: Energy, Effort, Enthusiasm, and Ability. Laurie and Valentin's Duck Tales inspired Jive had great dance elements which made the props just an added bonus.
While America sees her as an Olympian turned professional Ballroom dancer, there is still plenty of potential for improvement. Her biggest challenge will be leg and hip action in a slow and controlled Rumba, but seeing what she and Val have done so far, that doesn't look like it could stop her in the least.
Ryan Lochte looked to be in good spirits during his Muppets themed Quickstep. Maybe that's because the show's producers beefed up security to avoid any protester entanglements.
This Quickstep, and Kermit-Green tailsuit, may have kept Lochte alive another week, but not by much. Many swimmers will train by swimming laps with just their arms, and without their legs, to improve their upper body strength. Lochte's Quickstep looked a little like that. While his frame stayed expanded in dance position, his footwork began to break down, and with music that fast - it's a tough recovery.
Lochte needs to dedicate this week to clean footwork, fewer interviews, and eliminate anything that sounds remotely like an excuse.
We suggested that "Vanilla Ice needs to show us that he's more than Vanilla Ice", and his Married with Children Foxtrot did just that.
The transformation is beginning. Had Vanilla and Whitney gone immediately to a black and white tailsuit, it may have seemed forced or premature (and definitely wouldn't have worked for Al Bundy). The Bundy role, complemented by a "just formal enough" Foxtrot sets the stage for a week 3 evolution.
Ditch the comfort zone, and leave it all in a storage container marked "1990's".
Calvin Johnson dancing as Steve Urkell showed that he's not just a token Wide Receiver turned Dance Celebrity. He's going deep into this season.
Calvin and Lindsay created a great Foxtrot that blended enough character with dance fundamentals. In addition, Calvin extended his arms - which is not always the most comfortable thing for tall males on the dance floor. He used all of the dance floor, and America gave him all the votes necessary for another week on the show.
He's got to go bigger. While his arms and frame were addressed, Calvin Johnson has to move like Lindsay Arnold is a WNBA player. She's more than capable of moving that way, and Megatron just needs the training and confidence to move right at her.
Think Maureen McCormick ever would have predicted that she'd be dancing the Quickstep to the TV theme song of her youth? Initially we thought she was out to shed the Brady persona, but you just can't escape that catchy theme song.
McCormick looked poised and full of life in her Quickstep adaptation of the Brady Bunch theme song- complete with a cameo appearance by DWTS alum, and TV Mom, Florence Henderson. Knowing how often she's been associated with Marcia Brady could have brought an eye roll when the theme song was selected for her Week 2 Performance, but she danced her heart out.
McCormick may have some timing and footwork areas to improve, but so does everyone at this point of the season. McCormick must continue to appreciate every day of this opportunity and not overthink anything.
After Week 1, he seemed like a rising star, but his Week 2 Cha-Cha performance was called "just wrong" by Rebecca Iannucci of TVline.com, and maybe going public about having a crush on your dance teacher is a bit premature at this stage of the competition.
There were already rumors of a possible romance with his DWTS teacher, Jenna Johnson, but an exit this early doesn't do much for either of their careers. We thought that for him to have a chance in the competition, he'd have to develop the right kind of Focus, but it looks like America is focused more on dancing than a budding young adult romance.
It doesn't take a zombie themed Paso Doble to show that Sharna Burgess and James Hinchcliffe are taking this seriously. Then again, who doesn't love a zombie themed Paso Doble?
For every zombie, set piece, and realistic bite mark from the makeup department, Hinchcliffe and Burgess matched it with solid technique and great execution.
While his arm styling for Paso Doble was well above the expected grade of a celebrity this early in the season, Hinchcliffe needs to fill out the rest of the silhouette by picking up his posture. Coincidentally, one place where posture seems to diminish is while driving. A great fix, even for non-professional racers on dance TV shows, is to raise up the rear view mirror to force your spine to stretch. So if Hinchcliffe wants to look down at a MirrorBall Trophy, he'll have to look up to the balcony.
We said that Terra needed to add volume to her future performances, and from her character to her movement; she showed it in her Week 2 Quickstep.
Sure, there are plenty of people that don't consider reality TV stars to be actors or actresses, but there was plenty of acting skills on display from Jole in her Bewitched Quickstep. With a great mix of basic actions, and a few dips to keep things interesting, Jole and Faber delivered a solid Week 2 performance.
Volume in movement will be an ongoing theme for Jole, but one specific area she can focus on is her dance frame. Keeping her elbows away from her body will give her topline more breathing room, and make for better picture lines.
Read more about our DWTS Season 23 Predictions
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