It’s time for Dancing with the Stars Season 21 week 2 and you know what that means. Time to enjoy some friendly, educated banter in the Pure DWTS Insider. If you’re not a Pure DWTS Insider yet, you can do so here. If you are, then I look forward to the discussion in the comments.
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The Dancing with the Stars season 21 week 2 is here! I know that we often spoil the songs, before the show, but we’re keeping the simple list of music up for posterity’s sake (or in case you missed it before). Be sure to check out our full list of Dancing with the Stars music throughout the season. Time for the Dancing with the Stars music:
Nick & Sharna danced a Jive to the song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” —The Andrews Sisters
Paula & Louis danced a Rumba to the song “Midnight Train to Georgia” —Gladys Knight & the Pips
Hayes & Emma danced a Foxtrot to the song “This Is How We Roll” —Florida Georgia Line feat. Luke Bryan
Chaka & Keo danced a Foxtrot to the song “Chicago (That Toddlin’ Town)” —Frank Sinatra
Andy & Allison danced a Jive to the song “Only the Good Die Young” —Billy Joel
Kim & Tony danced a Quickstep to the song “Queen Bee” —Rochelle Diamante
Alek & Lindsay danced a Jazz to the song “Don’t Stop Believin'” —Journey
Alexa & Mark danced a Salsa to the song “Que Es Lo Que Quiere Esa Nena”—El General
Victor & Karina danced a Jive to the song “La Bamba” —Ritchie Valens
Tamar & Val danced a Cha-cha-cha to the song “We Are Family” —Sister Sledge
Gary & Anna danced a Foxtrot to the song “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” —The Beach Boys
Carlos & Witney danced a Foxtrot to the song “Home” —Blake Shelton
Bindi & Derek danced a Tango to the song “You Shook Me All Night Long” —AC/DC
As Heidi is still on vacay, you guys get me (Court) manning the live blog tonight – and let’s just say tonight has the makings of a perfect storm of things that could go wrong 😯 The Colts are playing Monday Night Football, so my ABC is currently showing that game and I’m winging it with a live feed of DWTS on my laptop; and my internet connection has been pretty shoddy lately (thanks, AT&T) so it’s entirely possible that I may miss entire dances – so please, bear with me if I’m not posting 100% in realtime. Doing the best I can, given the circumstances 🙂
Random though while trying to find a feed to watch: I had no idea that Jeopardy! doesn’t air on the same network everywhere. Apparently in NY, it’s on ABC; where I live, it’s on NBC; and someone else tweeted that it airs on FOX where she lives. How did I not know this???
Thoughts going into tonight: two dances in week 2 is kind of overkill. Hoping Alek can deliver two performances as strong as his foxtrot last week. Praying that Victor isn’t the first (or second) one out; will be shocked if Kim isn’t sent packing by the end of the night.
Looks like some people are using their birthplaces and some aren’t – interesting. Announcer guy stepped on Tom’s line – aaaaand my feed just froze for the first time.
Hmmm…Nick’s not quite as adept at jive as he is cha-cha. Not convinced anymore that he’s gonna coast all the way to the finale…
Ok, Paula actually did kind of awesome – and I gotta commend Louis for sticking to solid basics. I think she redeemed herself.
Soooo many commercials…
Hayes’ mom is gorgeous. And that foxtrot wasn’t too shabby – he’s doing something weird with his arms, but it was pretty nice.
Heidi Here, stepping in because my cruise ship TV is doing a bit better than Court’s stream. 🙂 I gotta say, Hayes might be a contenda!
Er…did Chaka move her feet? I did look away for a moment. Just sayin’ – she didn’t when I was watching. 15 actually sounds a bit right.
PIMP SPOT goes to Bindi!! From our source. 🙂
Shhhiiiiii….Andy just busted out a really good dance. I think Bruno might be slightly on crack. Yeah, I saw him go off time a bit, but I think calling it a “mess” for week 2 is kinda silly.
Big improvement from Kim, although you could drive a truck between them. Maybe be too little too late.
Sorry…got distracted. Yeah, Mark called it. Alexa improved a good bit, but I’m still not really impressed. Why the OTT costume? Maybe I’m not paying close enough attention?
I love Victor so much…but that was a bit of a mess.
Maybe you should have left it at Salsa, Tamar. Not terribly impressed with the Cha cha. She’s throwing her arms away, for one thing, Man, “a class of her own?” That’s some hyperbole right there.
Lead in to commercial making me a bit…grrrr. Just saw Tamar dance. The rest was Nick and Alek…yet Bindi and Derek had the most watched dance on youtube last week and were no where to be seen.
Gary = Goofy Goodness
Carlos is definitely a contender. I thought that dance was a bit…tiny bit dull, but good. I’m not sure I *like* him as much as I like some of the lesser dancers.
The thing that disappointed me about Derek and Bindi was that the dance was TOO SHORT. I feel like they got hosed. I might have to time it compared to some of the other dancers.
Yeah, not buying that Kim wasn’t in the bottom. I figured Kim would be gone, but Chaka was my second choice. I’ll try to do the numbers tonight, but have a hard time believing that her name wasn’t even mentioned. Gary the Red herring??
Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, baker, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donnie Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night" as a paso doble.
Is Chaka Khan ready to “woo” the judges tonight? Keo Motsepe says she is. Here is more from IB Times.
I think it’s going to be different on Monday. It’s going to be improvements and that’s what I’m excited about,” he told IBT, adding the two have learned a lot since their low-scoring debut. “She’s doing very well.”
“Obviously, the first week she didn’t know what to expect. You can explain as much as you want but she didn’t expect something like that,” the artist said, revealing that Khan was thrown off during the live premiere by the unexpected loud noises, screaming fans and the numerous cameras that were shoved in her face. However, after the “I Feel For You” songstress completed her first performance, she became aware of her chaotic surroundings.
Motsepe said after their routine, Khan told him she finally “got it.”
“She said, ‘I get now what I should do before the show, what my attitude should be like.’ Because there’s so many factors involved,” he dished to IBT, referring to hair and makeup, numerous interviews, cameras lurking around every corner. “She didn’t get that cameras [were] everywhere. So, I think that threw her off.”
But Motsepe unveiled his partner is ready to woo the judges Monday night as she Foxtrots to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s single “Chicago” during the upcoming episode. The pro dancer also noted Khan will use her boisterous presence as one of her strengths during the installment. “She’s a diva, which I like because when she’s on the floor, people know she’s there.”
To read the full interview, see the IB Times. US Weekly has a fun article posted on getting to know Keo better too.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Alexa and Carlos PenaVega tell People in their new blog that Dancing with the Stars week 2 has been tough on everyone. Furthermore, Carlos is worried he or his wife (or both of them) are going home this week (oh no, I hope not!! I would be so sad!).
From Alexa:
It’s Hometown Glory Week, and tonight Mark and I will be doing a salsa. The choreography is fast and exciting. There’s a lot going on. We’re putting on some outfits and getting into character, so it should be a blast.For Tuesday, we are doing rumba. It’s a slower, passionate and super emotional dance, and the moves are so precise.
Even though it’s the dance that represents Mark’s story, I feel more comfortable with the rumba this week. I think it’s because there is so much emotion behind it. I feel like we can tell an incredible story there. The song we picked is a song that Mark’s parents danced to before they split up, so for him it’s a very meaningful song. We just want to bring all that emotion so that when the audience watches it they feel enveloped in that story.
Rehearsals have been intense since we’re learning twice the dances in half the time. And I’m feeling it. I’m tired. I’m really tired. I’m praying for supernatural strength because I think that is the only thing that will get me through these next two days.
Carlos’ Take:
Tonight, we are doing the foxtrot. And on Tuesday, we are doing the cha-cha. I have never done either of these types of dances, and they are the complete opposite of each other, which is hard for me. In one I have to keep my legs straight and the other I have to bend my leg. I keep bending my leg in the wrong one.I’m really glad we don’t have to do both dances in one show. I’ve heard that happens later on in the season, but luckily that’s not where we are yet. It makes it much easier.
Knowing that two pairs are going home this week is weighing on me, for sure. I am trying to not let it get the best of me, but I definitely have a little rock in my gut that it could be my wife or me – or both of us – going home. So I’m just really trying to focus on my dances and my flicks and my kicks … or whatever they call them.
I’m curious to see how everyone has taken to this week because it was really stressful for me, and I know it has been stressful for all of them, too. This week is going to be tough for everyone.
Lots more at People.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Lindsay Arnold talks to DivaDarv about Alek Skarlatos, being back on Dancing With The Stars, and lots more. Great interview! I’m loving Lindsay this season. I’m glad they gave her another chance as a Pro.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Sharna Burgess tells US Weekly she was shocked to find out Nick Carter was her partner on Dancing With The Stars and she was even “fan girling” (I don’t blame her! 🙂 ). She also chats about their dances last week and has some things to spill about the future. Read on, see the link for more, and bring it on, Sharna and Nick!
“I’m hoping that in Halloween Week, we might be able to do a little bit of a ‘Backstreet’s Back’ tribute again,” she said, referencing the classic monster-themed music video. “And I think Nick will probably choose something from his Backstreet Boys journey that he’s going to use.”
Though she was initially scared of the Backstreet Army of diehard fans, Burgess said the response has been encouraging.
“I have had not one mean thing said,” she revealed. “Not one girl that has been angry. Everybody feels like we’re a great team. We have a great bunch of people behind us, that’s for sure.”
As for some details that the biggest BSB fangirls might want to know: “He smells good. I don’t know what he uses — what his cologne is — but he definitely smells good. Even when he sweats, he doesn’t smell bad!”
But Carter isn’t perfect. His partner admitted that the former teen star has several challenges to overcome.
“Nick has a lot of bad habits actually,” she said. “His posture can be really bad. His feet can curve in a little bit and he shuffles them around. I certainly don’t need to help him with performance quality. When he gets on the stage, he just lights up, and it’s wonderful to have that, but at the same time, you can throw out too much energy and go a little bit crazy, and I need him to reign it in and concentrate on the technique.”
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Julianne Hough talked with People at New York fashion Week about Dancing With The Stars. Here are two celebrities she’s excited to see more from….
“I was shocked with Alek, I think he was even shocked by his ability, too!” said Hough, 27. “I don’t think anybody had any idea what to expect from him, and he was really graceful. He’s really charming, and I said it when I was judging him the other night, but I feel like he is the everyman, the everywoman, America’s representative. … And then Bindi was fantastic, her whole energy, her spirit is infectious.”
The Emmy-winning choreographer is also inspired by Bindi’s conduct outside competition.
“I just feel like she’s a really great role model for young girls because she looks like she is so comfortable in her own skin, where therefore makes everybody else feel comfortable in their skin,” Hough said. “So I just think she’s a great person to be on the show, to represent that she’s 17 and she likes herself, you know? It’s pretty awesome.”
You can read more at People.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Allison Holker has written a new blog on her and Andy Grammer’s second week on Dancing With The Stars at Just Jared Jr. I think these dances could not be more fitting for each of them. What do you think….
This week, because of having 2 dances, I wanted the dynamic to be very different between the two. So, our first dance is a Jive based on Andy [Grammer] growing up in New York and our second routine is a contemporary that I am dedicating to my husband tWitch, daughter Weslie, and my entire family.
They mean the world to me and have been supportive of my dreams and lifestyle every step of the way. It wasn’t an easy choice for me, being a single mother and moving to LA to pursue my dancing dreams, but my mother Nikki assured me that LOS ANGELES NEEDED ME, and I can never thank her enough for those words.
My mother has inspired me and encouraged me my whole life to do what I love, and now I hope to be an example to my daughter that she can truly live her dreams. So to my family, none of this would be possible without you. I love you guys with all my heart and I’m so grateful for your endless support! This one is dedicated to you!
More at Just Jared Jr including photos.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
Thanks to DWTSGossip for this fun find. Karina Smirnoff talks to TV Insider about Dancing With The Stars, Len Goodman, and more.
How are you going to handle the height difference between you and Victor?
I’m going to put the heels on the shelf! They are almost four inches, and I’m 5’5″, so they would make me nearly 5’9″. I’d be almost eight inches over him! I don’t know if we’ll do lifts. Maybe I’ll do the lifts. We’ll have to be creative.Are you upset that Len Goodman won’t be around as head judge?
Definitely. Len was the grandfather that everyone loved—and disagreed with when he was mean!What did you miss most being away last season?
Pulling my hair out the first few days, trying to figure out how to turn my partner into a dancer if he’s not—which, in my case, they’re usually not.
More at TV Insider.
ETA: Karina has posted her blog at People. She writes on her and Victor’s dances and more. Let’s hope they don’t go home tonight!
Now that we have the first show under our belt, it is time to start peeling back the layers and showing different sides of him. This week is Hometown Glory Week, so these are very special dances. On Monday, the dances will focus on the celebrities’ stories, and on Tuesday the audience will get to learn more about the pro dancers’ lives.
For Victor’s dance, we are doing the jive. The dance and the music will really just be there to support the story because it is such an important week. We are focusing on where Victor is from and what kind of life he’s had and how he has been shaped into the man he is today.
For Tuesday, you’ll get to see pictures of the pro dancers from when we were little. I immigrated to America from the former Soviet Union so we didn’t have video cameras when I was growing up, but you’ll also see some dancers’ home movies.
That night, we’ll be dancing the dance of love, the rumba. We are still working on the romance part. I’ll tell Victor, “Grab me by the waist. Look me in the eyes.” And he does and he starts giggling. I’m like, “You don’t giggle when you’re in love!” I’m grateful he giggles instead of cries when he looks at me, but still!
With two pairs going home this week, I think the part that sucks the most is that one pair will have worked all week on learning their dance for Tuesday for nothing.
For us, I’m prioritizing the Monday dance because if we don’t do well on Monday, we wont even get to perform Tuesday. But by tonight both dances need to be on-point, regardless. We’ll probably have to go back to the studio after the show tonight to refresh our minds with everything we have to do on Tuesday. That’s a lot of pressure, but I’m confident we can do what we need to do.
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul" ~ Martha Graham. That's what DWTS makes me think of every Monday night. To read more about me and my other interests, see Lisa Kay Photography. You can also follow me at Voguerista Twitter & Voguerista Soundcloud.
