PureDWTS Season 21, Week 2, Tuesday – Power Rankings

And judging by the overall demeanor of the couples and judges last night, kids – DOING TWO DANCES IN WEEK 2 IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. Just felt like everyone was stressed-out and feeling the strain – I dug hearing about everybody’s hometown, but I don’t know that it was worth it to see everyone so on-edge. Glad we’re back to just ONE dance per week next week.

Something else I’m glad about next week? Alfonso at the judges table to hopefully give some positive, relevant critiques – because tonight, the judges table on the whole just seemed like a bunch of petty, bickering toddlers in need of a nap. Carrie Ann was the worst offender – wayyyy too hard on the couples last night, and prone to honing in on stupid sh*t (i.e. the ignominious “lift policing” – give it up, CA; it’s not relevant or cute). At times, I felt like grabbing all three judges, shaking them hard, and saying “You DO realize they had to do TWO dances this week, right? And it’s ONLY WEEK 2???”

Sad to see Victor go 🙁 But if I’m being honest, I’m not exactly surprised.  As an athlete from a more obscure sport with a less mainstream following, I knew Victor was likely going to struggle with votes. And while a lot of the Karina fans seemed eager to argue with me on Twitter that this season “was different” and that she “wouldn’t go out early like she did with Sean & Randy” – hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. If a more mainstream name like Randy couldn’t get the votes – Victor unfortunately didn’t stand a chance. Karina fans, you’re good power voters – but I don’t think you’ve reached the point where you can compensate for a celeb that has little to no voting fanbase.  It is what it is – and fingers crossed that we get an epic dance from Victor & Karina at the finale 🙂

Monday’s power rankings are here if anyone needs to catch up.

1.) Bindi & Derek – Was nice to finally see Bindi doing something slow and vulnerable – now we know she’s versatile 🙂 I also have decided that the best word to describe Bindi is “whimsical” – her metaphor about the field of daisies with the mist over them had me going “Dude, she’s like the Australian Mary Poppins.” Thought this waltz was lovely, even if it was a waltz only in name – seemed more like a waltz/contemporary fusion. Would still like to see her calm down just a smidge on some of the oversways, as she still seems a little enthusiastic. But this was a good indicator of what’s to come, Carrie Ann’s petty lift policing notwithstanding.

2.) Nick & Sharna – Definite redemption from Nick last night – he showed up both mentally and physically, and I think this was the most “in the zone” we’ve seen him so far. Great frame – probably the best of any of the smooth dances we saw last night. Also loved all the little “moments” that got choreographed in the routine – Nick lifting Sharna’s chin, the little accents she puts on various downbeats…loved it.  Not a whole lot to add here, except that I think Nick’s back in the game again 🙂

3.) Tamar & Val – Tonight, Tamar made me sit up and go “Ok, now the competition is getting REALLY serious.” I think this was actually my favorite dance of the night – and I couldn’t take my eyes of Tamar the whole dance.  She just lived and breathed the steps in this one, and watching her up there reminded me of watching footage of Frankie Manning and his partner doing Lindy at the Cotton Club in the ’40s. Now as for Val – I could not see the choreographic benefit of being shirtless, and I’m glad Tamar was on the same page.  Seriously – how did the dance benefit, both choreographically and performance-wise, from him not wearing a shirt? I found it distracting, and thought that the routine would have come across a lot more serious and “Hey, we’re contenders too!” if he had left it on to give he & Tamar a more uniform appearance. I’m loving that Tamar is teaching him a thing or two, and this is one instance in which I think he probably should have listened to her – but I guess I’ll let this one slide, since it was “his” dance, and if being shirtless reminds him of being home…*shrug*, go for it, I guess.

4.) Hayes & Emma – After the initial youthful obnoxiousness of week 1, I have been pleasantly surprised by how well Hayes did this week – he’s coming across as mature, respectful, and actually engaged in the dances.  He kept up really well with this quickstep, although I think his frame could probably be a tad stronger – something to work on – and his feet could use some work.  Will be interesting to see how he fares with another Latin dance. I guess I’m just glad he’s not coming across as jerky as I was led to believe he’d be, and that he’s listening to Emma 🙂

5.) Alek & Lindsay – Judging from the lack of sound effects and the presence of a lot of head-hanging, it looked as though even normally level-headed Alek was getting stressed out in rehearsal – and it just drove the point home that these celebs had no business trying to tackle two dances in one week.  All stress aside, I thought Alek did a pretty admirable job with this quickstep, despite the judges just picking it apart – he kept up nicely, only got a bit tripped up on a couple steps, and he still comes across as such an organic, natural mover.  Still blows my mind that this guy has never danced before – maybe his athleticism helps him. And man, do I love the way Lindsay has been dressing him – you know a guy is good-looking when he can be completely covered up in a well-fit suit, and I still find him sexier than an in-shape guy with his shirt off. This guy belongs on the cover of a Nicholas Sparks novel or something 😛

6.) Carlos & Witney – I’m a tad puzzled here, because I actually thought he handled this dance pretty well – but judging from a lot of the comments I’ve seen, it seems like a lot of folks thought he did bad last night. I think the problem here was not Carlos, but the choreography and the music – song was too fast for a cha-cha, and Witney threw in way too many syncopations and complicated steps…for a second, this seemed like more of an Allison routine, with how much got thrown into it. I kinda took issue with the judges complaining about him being “scrunched up” – I would argue that, with the choreography being so fast & intricate, he did not have time to move BIG like they were wanting him to; otherwise, he would have gotten off-time. So for this one – I still think Carlos did well, considering what he was given, and the choreography was to blame.  But his performance Monday was better.

7/8.) TIE: Alexa & Mark and Andy & Allison – I think I was finally able to put a finger on just why the Alexa/Mark partnership has not been doing it for me, and oddly enough, it’s kinda the same problem I have with the Andy/Allison partnership: in both instances, I think the pros are just putting too much pressure on the celebs to do well. With Mark, it’s pretty literal – the whole lecture about Alexa “being distracted” in week 1, and then the “you’re doing my mom’s signature move – don’t mess it up!” bit last night.  No wonder Alexa seems to struggle with coming across as confident and in the zone on the floor – she’s got Mark putting a ton of pressure on her not to mess up. Their rumba was pretty, no doubt – but I’m still not seeing much of a connection between the two of them, and Alexa seemed to get a bit stuck at a few points. I could see she was really trying, though. Also – WTF was up with the character shoes? I saw no reason for them. Good effort by Alexa – but I’m starting to wonder if Mark might be the issue here. As for Andy & Allison – last night was the first time I really saw Andy shine, but it was at the expense of looking nervous and stressed out, while trying to keep up with Allison’s hectic choreography. Even when doing her own style – contemporary – it was as if Allison just couldn’t resist jam-packing every last step she could think of into the routine.  And I think it put undue pressure on Andy to keep up, and the poor guy looked at times like he was rushing from step to step, just trying not to mess up. Lifts were decent, but did look a tad shaky to me – after watching how sturdy Alek was with his lifts on Monday, it was kinda obvious that Andy was struggling a bit.  Just not really sure where I stand on either couple – their dancing is ok to decent, but there seems to be some underlying personality issues that are preventing me from really connecting with them.

9.) Paula & Louis – Paula is really trying – and I think last night, she did better than she did in week 1, but maybe not as good as Monday night. Like most of the older contestants we’ve had on the show, I think her Achilles’ heel is simply REMEMBERING her choreography – I think she just spaced a few steps last night, and it ended up throwing a big ol’ wrench into the overall flow of their tango. Louis probably needs to take a page out of the Peta Playbook and just drill, drill, DRILL that choreography with Paula – even if she says “Ok, I got it”, practice it five more times just to be sure.  Make it muscle memory, because it sounds like Paula does struggle with stage fright. But I am enjoying Paula – she seems to be having fun, and she looks fantastic.  Love the bouffant ‘do they gave her last night 🙂

10.) Kim & Tony – Actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would – it was a rare glimpse into something Tony felt really connected to, and I think we’re (starting to) see Kim get out of her head and connect to the dance.  She still seems to go blank from time to time, but it’s slowly getting better. She, like a lot of the celebs this season, seems to handle the ballroom better than the Latin; but I still feel like she’s moving a bit small, and if it keeps up, I think it’s going to look really boring. I think Tony also needs to force her out of her comfort zone a bit more, in order to encourage the “moving big”, and he’s gonna need to spice up the choreography a bit more in order to do that.  Can they rise to the challenge? I don’t know.  Time will tell. My gut says she won’t last past week 5, though.

11.) Gary & Anna – Well…Gary nailed the appel, I’ll give him that 😛 Still fun watching him dance, but I think the schtick is wearing a bit thin at this point – with Chaka & Victor gone now, I think Gary is the weakest dancer left, we’re nearing the limit of his abilities…just not sure there’s a whole lot left he can really do. With he & Anna’s routines getting ever more simple and kindergarten-y, I think the writing’s on the wall…plus he’s been in jeopardy twice now, which likely doesn’t bode well for him come Monday. I think we’re beginning to see Anna’s steely facade crack a bit, too, as I caught flashes of her getting really frustrated with him last night – probably best that he is likely to go on Monday.  But I have enjoyed him far more than I ever thought I would – and as always, I love that he’s having fun. 🙂

Phew! So now with the “Hometown Glory” extravaganza behind us…who do you guys think came out on top? And who’s on the chopping block?