‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 17 review: Corbin Bleu delights fans with ‘wildcats’ chant
“Dancing with the Stars” season 17 started off with a bang and with only a couple of weaker dancers this season it’s still anyone’s game (even though Amber Riley and Derek Hough have a pretty substantial advantage). So where are we on week two?
1. Elizabeth Berkley and Val Chmerkovskiy – (Samba) Last week this pair did really well so we were kind of surprised to see them kicking off the show (which can really hurt a contestant if the dance isn’t out of this world). Their routine was a lot of fun and she is a fantastic dancer, but we are worried with them going first that people will forget to vote for them. Score: 25
2. Christina Milian and Mark Ballas – (Paso doble) Even though we didn’t like the song (sorry Gaga fans) the dance was electric, dark and exciting. The judges loved that her confidence showed through in this dance (as opposed to last week where it was missing) and it definitely showed in their score of 25
3. Bill Engvall and Emma Slater – (Jive) Emma decided to take all of Derek’s moves since he’s going on after her and Bill, that way she can maybe sandbag him by making his moves look tired since she’ll be doing them first. Interesting strategy, and Emma admits that she didn’t expect her comment to make TV. It was better then last week, but still not the top of the pack. Score: 21 and they are up from last week.
4. Jack Osbourne and Cheryl Burke – (Rumba) Jack’s self depreciating attitude is so enduring and makes us what to root for him, especially when he mixes his humor in. Can he make this dance as sensual as it needs to be and bring the confidence at the same time? We really liked it even though it wasn’t perfect and he’s instantly become a favorite of ours. Score: 24
5. Keyshawn Johnson and Sharna Burgess – (Samba) He really struggled the first week and while most NFL players have done well on the show in the past his low scores, unsure dance moves and his quiet personality have us worried that he might be going home tonight. Their “samba” tonight really felt like we were watching the two drunk people still at the wedding after everyone else has gone home. Score: 18
6. Snooki and Sasha Farber – (Rumba) Snooki was introduced as Nicole as she’s still trying to move away from her famous nickname. While we get that she’s trying to get the older skewing audience to see a different side of her, she’s pushing away her core fans in the process. To us, their rumba was gorgeous, but the judges were really tough on them, saying that it was just okay, giving them a finger wave on the lifts as well as a low score. Score: 20
7. Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani – (Samba) Leah is really hard on herself, especially with everything that has happened with her fight with the church, but she managed to rise above her personal problems and burn up the dance floor. When her confidence comes out it really improves her dance moves. Score:24
8. Bill Nye and Tyne Stecklein – (Paso doble) Bill and Tyne took all of the negative comments they got last week and pushed hard to change things around. While it wasn’t perfect, it was wonderful to see Tyne give Bill more dance moves then last week. The judges liked it better then last week and Len admitted that he under marked him on his last performance. Score:17
9. Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff -(Jive) This dance was a lot of fun and Corbin can really dance! He doesn’t have the fan base that some of the other people on this show have, but his talent can’t be denied. Score: 26
10. Valerie Harper and Tristan MacManus – (Paso doble) Her knee has been giving her trouble, but she’s not going to let the pain stop her with this dance. She did well and they didn’t hold back, but she lost her way part way through the routine and looked like it was hard for her to find her way back. Score: 19
11. Brant Daugherty and Peta Murgatroyd – (Rumba) Peta made a very good choice with the song choice and the chemistry between them was palpable. The judges were tough on them tonight when it came to the particulars, but regardless that dance was beautiful. Score: 23
12. Amber Riley and Derek Hough – (Jive) Even though they are at the top of the leader board, this routine was definitely making Amber nervous. After seeing what Derek put together for them we don’t’ know what Amber was worried about because it was crazy fun. Was it as good as last week? No, but it was still at the top of the pack. Score: 24
As for who is in jeopardy we saw Elizabeth Berkley, Keyshawn Johnson, Bill Engvall. In the end we saw Keyshawn leave the ballroom tonight.
How do you think everyone did tonight on “Dancing with the Stars” season 17? Are you disappointed to see Snooki moving away from what she’s famous for? Do you think Jack has what it takes to win? If you want to learn more about the star and their professional dance partner, just click on their names above and check out how we think they’ll do this season.
Photo: ABC