‘Dancing With The Stars’ Recap: First Elimination (Season 28, Episode 2)

Shannon
16 Min Read
Courtesy of ABC
Courtesy of ABC

The second episode of the 28th season of Dancing with the Stars included the first elimination of the season; therefore, a spoiler will be at the end of this recap with who got the boot this week.

Starting out this episode, the hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews announce that this will be the first year people can vote by text; however, voting will only be open from the start of the episode in the Eastern/Central time zone and will end shortly after the last dance of the night during the commercial break.

At the end of the night the couples that are safe and the bottom two couples (based on the combined judges and audience scores) will be announced. Then, also new this year, the judges will save one of the bottom two couples.

During the episode Tom announced that there is a brand new official Dancing with the Stars podcast hosted by two-time mirror ball winner Kym Herjavec, which will be available starting September 24, 2019. The podcast will have exclusive interviews and backstage actions.

If you missed the first episode, you can read our recap from last week here, which includes information on where you may know each of the stars from.

James Van Der Beek and Emma Slater
Dance Style: Cha Cha
Song: “Dancing on the Ceiling” by Lionel Richie
Comments: Len said it was another solid performance with crisp footwork; however, there were a few too many gimmicks for his liking. Bruno said James knows how to open big and called him the “poster boy from Fame.” It was showy and was more like a Broadway Cha Cha. He noted that James missed a step though, and Carrie Ann noticed it also. Carrie Ann said after that he was on fire. It was a fantastic way to start off the night.

  • James and Emma’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 7
    Len Goodman: 6
    Bruno Tonioli: 7
    Overall: 20/30
    Total for both weeks: 41/60

Sailor Brinkley-Cook and Val Chmerkovskiy
Dance Style: Rumba
Song: “Senorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello
Comments: Bruno starts out saying Sailor has everything going for her, but is going to give her some tough love. He says she’s made for this dance, but her intention has to be much stronger. She has the moves, but the in-between carries the meaning of the dance and that was lacking. Dancing is just like acting and she needs to play the part. Carrie Ann agreed that she is lacking the consistency. She needs to set a tone and keep it throughout the whole dance. She also noted that Sailor moves beautifully. Len noted that she needs to keep her feet on the floor and drive through the ball of her foot.

  • Sailor and Val’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 6
    Len Goodman: 6
    Bruno Tonioli: 6
    Overall: 18/30
    Total for both weeks: 36/60

Ray Lewis and Cheryl Burke
Dance Style: Foxtrot
Song: “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
Comments: Carrie Ann said that Ray is enjoyable to watch, but there were tons of mistakes. Len said it was flat-footed and he just walked along. There were no rise and falls like there should be in Foxtrot. His personality is the only way he’s getting the score he’s getting, because otherwise it would be much lower. Bruno said no matter what happens Ray always lights up a room. Making mistakes always happen, and when he comes back he needs to make sure he doesn’t make as many mistakes.

  • Ray and Cheryl’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 5
    Len Goodman: 5
    Bruno Tonioli: 5
    Overall: 15/30
    Total for both weeks: 30/60

Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber
Dance Style: Viennese Waltz
Song: “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls
Comments: Len starts by saying it was a very pretty looking dance. The key to the Viennese Waltz is to get rotation, but the rotation kept starting and stopping. He would have liked to see more rotation. He noted that Ally did not seem to know what she was doing with her feet. Though it was a lovely dance, but technically it wasn’t so good. Bruno said she can dance, and it was a compelling heart-felt performance. Sometimes she did not sustain it though. Carrie Ann got up to give Ally a hug, which turned into a group hug with Tom and Sasha. She said that she loves when a dance is transformative. Dance can change people’s lives, and she sees it changing Ally’s life.

  • Ally and Sasha’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 7
    Len Goodman: 6
    Bruno Tonioli: 7
    Overall: 20/30
    Total for both weeks: 36/60

Mary Wilson and Brandon Armstrong
Dance Style: Cha Cha
Song: “Think” by Aretha Franklin
Comments: Bruno starts by saying she can work it. Carrie Ann said she knows how to work the room and the judges. There were some little mistakes, but she’s polished and was able to hide it with her face. Len said she could straighten her legs a little more.

  • Mary and Brandon’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 5
    Len Goodman: 5
    Bruno Tonioli: 5
    Overall: 15/30
    Total for both weeks: 32/60

Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko
Dance Style: Paso Doble
Song: “Confident” by Demi Lovato
Comments: Carrie Ann starts by saying she loves seeing her come out of her shell. Her shoulders were a little high, when she lost her focus and got a little tight. Len said there was a power about it with plenty of attack, but it lacked some shaping. Bruno said, “What would your Momma think about this?” and then commented that nasty suits her. It was a strong and focused performance.

  • Lauren and Gleb’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 6
    Len Goodman: 6
    Bruno Tonioli: 7
    Overall: 19/30
    Total for both weeks: 38/60

Sean Spicer and Lindsay Arnold
Dance Style: Tango
Song: “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon
Comments: Len starts that it was better than last week. Bruno admits that it looked like a tango and that he could see the effort. Carrie Ann said it was the most sure footed tango she has seen. It was “super much improved.”

  • Sean and Lindsay’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 6
    Len Goodman: 5
    Bruno Tonioli: 5
    Overall: 16/30
    Total for both weeks: 28/60

Karamo Brown and Jenna Johnson
Dance Style: Quick Step
Song: “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince & The Revolution
Comments: Bruno starts by saying everyone is going crazy for Karamo. He has a lot of flair, he lost it for a little bit, but it was “really, really good.” Carrie Ann said that is what she was hoping for. One thing to improve would be the body contact. Len said he doesn’t know what the other two are talking about because he wasn’t over struck on it. There was absolute lack of body contact. It was a little bit on the hectic side. While it’s fast it needs to be calm.

  • Karamo and Jenna’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 7
    Len Goodman: 5
    Bruno Tonioli: 7
    Overall: 19/30
    Total for both weeks: 36/60

Kate Flannery and Pasha Pashkov
Dance Style: Foxtrot
Song: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra
Comments: Carrie Ann starts with saying that was amazing and that she’s blown away with the technique. She reminds her of when Kelly Osbourne was on the show because she is mastering the technique. Len said that it was refreshing. He liked the music, the routine, and how it was better than last week. The bottom line is she did a wonderful job. Bruno said, “We have entered the correct orbit. Mission: Foxtrot accomplished!”

  • Kate and Pasha’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 7
    Len Goodman: 7
    Bruno Tonioli: 7
    Overall: 21/30
    Total for both weeks: 36/60

Kel Mitchell and Whitney Carson
Dance Style: Samba
Song: “Every Little Step” by Bobby Brown
Comments: Len starts saying there is plenty of rhythm and recognizable steps. Kel has a nice easy action about him that he likes. There were a couple mistakes, but overall well done. Bruno thinks it was a very cool Samba. It has a naturalness about it and was very musical. It felt easy, though he could push the bounce a little more. Carrie Ann said he is so smooth with the way the music flows through his body, but some of the bounces became thrusts. She loved there were some nicer lines and there was an improvement with more sophistication.

  • Kel and Whitney’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 7
    Len Goodman: 6
    Bruno Tonioli: 7
    Overall: 20/30
    Total for both weeks: 36/60

Lamar Odom and Peta Murgatroyd
Dance Style: Salsa
Song: “Con Calma” by Daddy Yankee
Comments: Bruno said he saw some progression and noticed he was more relaxed. He had more freedom of movement and seemed to enjoy himself. Carrie Ann said he looked like he was having fun and there were not as many mistakes as last week. Though, she did note that it looked like he missed a lift. A dismount is important for the lifts and he needs to be aware of how he puts Peta down. Len said it is difficult for him because of his height. He did not notice any of the mistakes and noticed he was more confident. He is on the right track.

  • Lamar and Peta’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 4
    Len Goodman: 4
    Bruno Tonioli: 4
    Overall: 12/30
    Total for both weeks: 23/60

Hannah Brown and Alan Bernsten
Dance Style: Viennese Waltz
Song: “Lover” by Taylor Swift
Comments: Carrie Ann starts by saying Hannah whisked her away with the movement which says she’s telling the story completely with her body. She finished every single move. Her extension was ridiculously good. Len said that he liked the rotation and that Alan put in a lot of Viennese Waltz. However, he would have liked more natural turns instead of mostly reverse turns. There was lovely musicality. Then Len voiced his opinion that it was the best dance of the night. Bruno said that from the opening shot it was pure American beauty. He then thanked Hannah for finishing the lines correctly and commented that he was transported to a romantic dream. Fantastic.

  • Hannah and Alan’s Scores:
    Carrie Ann Inaba: 8
    Len Goodman: 8
    Bruno Tonioli: 8
    Overall: 24/30
    Total for both weeks: 44/60

With a score of 24 out of 30, Hannah Brown and Alan Bernsten ended with the highest score of the night from the judges! Kate Flannery and Pasha Pashkov were a close second for the night with a 21 out of 30 from the judges.

The judges’ scores for this week were combined with the scores from last week. With a combined score of 44 out of 60, Hannah and Alan ended with the highest score from the judges for two weeks of dancing. James and Emma were second with a combined score of 41 out of 60.

**Elimination Spoiler Below**

The combined judges’ scores from both weeks were combined with the votes from the audience votes by text and from abc.com.

The safe couples (in no particular order) were:
Hannah Brown and Alan Bernsten
Lamar Odom and Peta Murgatroyd
Kel Mitchell and Whitney Carson
Kate Flannery and Pasha Pashkov
Karamo Brown and Jenna Johnson
Sean Spicer and Lindsay Arnold
Lauren Alaina and Gleb Savchenko
James Van Der Beek and Emma Slater
Ally Brooke and Sasha Farber
Sailor Brinkley-Cook and Val Chmerkovskiy

The two couples at risk were:
Mary Wilson and Brandon Armstrong
Ray Lewis and Cheryl Burke

Carrie Ann wanted to save Mary and Brandon. Bruno wanted to save Ray and Cheryl.
The head judge, Len, made the final decision. Before stating who should be saved, he said neither of those couples should be in that position. He said one he wants to judge from his heart, but the other he wants to judge from his brain. Based on that he said he has to save Ray and Cheryl.

The first couple to be eliminated was Mary Wilson and Brandon Armstrong.

Is there a star that impressed you with how much they have improved since night one? Leave a comment below!

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By Shannon
Shannon is a Florida girl who escapes the heat with TV, movies and music! On top of writing for Nerds & Beyond she has a full time job, does photography, and travels frequently to Disney, conventions or concerts. You can find her on social media as @reelnerdy!
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