Dancing with the Stars: Premiere Night Two

Premiere Night Two has come and gone, and our ladies of the season have made their debut. The partnerships that took to the dance floor tonight reflected the fun dynamics we have ahead of us this season.

I will say, I do not like a two-night premiere for one particular reason: the second night has an inherent disadvantage. These women are following a whole night of watching their competition perform, receive relatively high praise, and see a star get eliminated! I would be shaking in my boots too!

Tatyana & Jan

Jive to "Knock on Wood" by Amii Stewart

Tatyana might have been the biggest victim of first night jitters. I applaud her for performing through the mishaps, but they were hard to look past. I can see she has really good performance quality, but she seemed caught up in the moves and let the Jive get away from her. I want to see her really open up to this experience; she seems excited for it and just needs to step into her confidence during performances.

I appreciate Jan making attempts to direct and help her through the performance while maintaining professionalism. I think the choreography was clean and appropriate for a first night dance. Jan got some fan critiques last season, but they did not seem to have any effect on how he is approaching this season. I think that really opens the door for him to impress us as a pro this season.

Tatyana has an element of grace to her that I think would shine beautifully in a Foxtrot or a Viennese Waltz. Whatever they have next week, I hope it's free of the nerves that seemed to make her hold back tonight.

Judges Score: 4 4 4                                      My Score: 4

Amber &  Pasha

Cha-Cha to "Smooth" by Santana Ft. Rob Thomas

What a stunner! Amber absolutely lived up to my expectations going into tonight. I can see her being really strong when it comes to stepping into and embracing different characters in the coming weeks. In terms of her movement quality, I feel like we lose some of her power when she extends. She gets a little loosey-goosey at the joints, and I think if she channels more sharpness and power into those movements, she will blow us away. The note about her nerves around partner work really was seen in the fact that her solo moments are what I found to be her strongest elements.

Pasha has such a sparkle about him this season in his performances. I think he really knows what a gem he has in Amber, and with that, I can see his choreography going to new levels than what we have seen from him in previous seasons.

Amber has such a presence that I want to see it on the floor as pure power, as we see in an Argentine Tango. Her intensity is so palpable that I think it would suit her so well.

Judges Score: 6 6 6                                      My Score: 6

Ciara & Brandon

Foxtrot to "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston

I think we're seeing another victim of nerves here in Ciara. For a dance that demanded a lot of grace and fluidity, I think she got in her own head, which created tension throughout the number. She seemed to be holding in so much that she made herself seem small out there on the floor. Her partner work is where she was able to show her gracefulness.  I believe she is putting in the work; she just needs to adjust to preforming. She appears to be holding in emotion that could benefit her overall performance.

Brandon does a beautiful job highlighting his stars with quality content in his dances. Seeing him teach with an almost fun firmness is such a breath of fresh air. I really hope that, behind the scenes, he can help her embody her confidence and open up on the dance floor.

I really want to see Ciara have fun out there. Give her a fun Cha Cha to hopefully help her break through any hesitations she may have with performing. She needs to shake out those nerves and really show us what a competitor she can be this season.

Judges Score: 5 5 5                                      My Score: 5

Giada & Alan

Tango to "Venus" by Shocking Blue

This was a happy surprise for me. Giada came out with some clean movements and hit the steps she needed to. The dance was a little stop-and-go for me, and I would have loved some more fluidity as they transitioned throughout the dance. She seems a little too aware of what she is doing each step of the way and could benefit from relaxing, trusting herself, and counting what she can do. Let's not gloss over the fact that this woman is 56, the eldest on the cast! I'm catching hints of an Elaine-and-Andy situation from last season, where older female stars are expected to do much more while older male stars get adored by default.

For week one, I think Alan delivered a good balance of content and cutesy moments. I expect he will challenge what Giada can do over the next few weeks. He showed what a creative mind he had last season (y'all remember the alien Quickstep?), and I hope he keeps pushing that envelope this year and doesn't hold back.

Giada needs to let go and have a bit more fun with her moves, and I think an upbeat  Jive could really bring that out of her. Similar to Jackson and the banana situation, I do not want to see cooking references from them every week.

Judges Score: 6 5 5                                      My Score: 5

For a period of time, the troupe seemed to take a backseat in terms of being performers within the Dancing with the Stars universe. Let me say, these last few years have been some of the most stunning troupe performances we have ever seen. I think Jaxon and Carter are two of the most captivating dancers I have ever seen, and I find it legitimately hard to take my eyes off of them. Onye absolutely shines with a commanding fierceness we have only seen from the best of the best of female pros. Seeing Kamri's story come full circle from her performing on DWTS Juniors is truly so heartwarming, and I cannot wait to see her meld into the culture of the show.

Producers if you are listening, keep highlighting these dancers! I love a good bumper dance to showcase not just different dance styles, but the individuality of these performers who do so much behind the scenes to keep this show going.

Julia & Ezra

Quickstep to "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton

Julia really came out just oozing fun and joy into her dance! I found her performance really shone tonight while still bringing a lot of content to the table. With a dance like the Quickstep being so reliant on footwork, I wish we could have felt her connect with the floor more. A lot of the dance felt as if she was gliding along when I wanted more intention and sharpness from her. If she can ground those movements while maintaining smoothness, I think she's going to wow us in the coming weeks.

Ezra's pure radiance continues to grow throughout his time as a pro. He comes out so strong and clearly does not go easy on his pros with what he wants, performance-wise. He expertly adapts his choreography and style each week to help his pro shine and deliver dances that keep us interested.

Julia has shown she can perform, so I want to see her strip it back a bit to display her natural elegance. I would love to see her tackle the fluidity and emotion demanded by a Rumba.

Judges Score: 6 6 6                                      My Score: 6

Maura & Mark

Foxtrot to "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles

Maura came out with intensity that legitimately took me back when the dance began. The power she brought to the dance floor did not match the antsy woman we saw in her package. I think she let her head wobble away from her for brief moments, but overall looked incredibly solid. She maintained energy throughout the dance that kept her grounded and captivating the entire time.

We could pair Mark with a wheelbarrow and he could put together something beautiful. He is so intentional with every ounce of production put into his performances. Don't worry, Mark, no one saw you looking in the wrong direction at one point…but if you did happen to do that, the recovery was flawless. He is letting us know he has no intention of going easy on Maura, and I think that indicates some incredible numbers in the future.

I want to see more of Maura's leg and footwork capabilities. Not to be too on the nose, these jabs at her stamina make me curious how she'll keep up with a Quickstep or an upbeat Jive.

Judges Score: 7 7 7                                      My Score: 7

Sara Jane & Hailey

Jive to “Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne

This number just ended up being unfortunate for this underdog couple. Sara Jane came out of sync and couldn't seem to find her way back throughout the rest of the dance. Her energy was there, and I think she could have hit a lot of the key moves if her timing was just more accurate.

For her first performance as a pro, Hailey brought some fun choreography. In my opinion, this song was an odd pick and seemed awkward to dance in this kind of style, but I think she did the best she could with it. She really leaned into the fun, rocker vibe with some interesting moves. Still, I personally prefer a more straightforward dance for week one. I see her going far as a professional and hope next season we get to see more from her.

I think this is an important time to note that I was disgusted by Carrie Ann's 'besties without boundaries' comment during the judges' critiques. If we look back to Tuesday night and comments regarding Harry and Jenna's chemistry, it does not come off in an 'oh my gosh that's hot' kind of way. They respectfully acknowledge that two happily married, mature adults connect well to convey intimacy on the dance floor. Directing that energy toward a young partnership already under a critical eye was gross to me. I would feel the same way if they made a similar comment towards Conner and Rylee; it just did not sit right.

Judges Score: 5 4 5                                      My Score: 4

Jenna & Val

Tango to Call Me by Blondie

Jenna lived up to the fan hype with this debut dance. She really showed off what a performer she is and that she is more than willing to tackle high levels of content. My only critique is I wish she maintained more core strength with her moves. I do not want to see her go stiff by any means, but I believe she could benefit from grounding her movements and making them more intentional. Similar to Harry, her bar is set high coming into this season, and tonight she showed she has every intention of living up to it.

As far as Val is concerned, I'm disappointed. He has such reputation for high level choreography and performance. Why are we deliberately adding a lift to a style that does not allow it? In my opinion, it reads as being cocky in the sense that he thought they would either get away with it, or they would not need whatever judges' points they may lose. Is there some legitimacy to these possible outcomes? Yes. That didn't stop this big swing from turning me off to the performance and their presentation.

I think it would be very interesting to see Jenna step into a very serious role within either a Paso Doble or Argentina. Next to a dancer like Val, it's hard to seem in control on the dance floor, but I see her having what it takes to command the number.

Judges Score: 6 6 7                                      My Score: 6

The Elimination

There are a few key elements of this elimination I want to address. First of all, no one should have been surprised. Sara Jane came in with arguably one of the smallest fan bases, having to follow her sister's reputation, and having to dance in essentially direct comparison next to Hailey. This girl had cards stacked against her before she even stepped onto the dance floor, and when she did, she delivered a pretty poor performance.

I believe that with time we would have gotten to not just see her improvement, but what sort of creative dynamics Hailey would be able to bring to their dances. While other couples may have had comparably weak dances, someone has to go home, and I think this one can be ultimately chalked up to fan votes not keeping them around.

The biggest thing I want to highlight here is I see a lot of fans pinning this elimination of the fact that they were a same sex partnership and accusing the fanbase or ABC for being generally homophobic. If you agree with this idea, let me remind you: the previous two same sex partnerships, one of which had a performer in full drag, mind you, both made it to the finale of their respective seasons. No one behind the scenes is rigging the show; factors outside of their genders caused this elimination.

Favorite dance of the night was a little bit of a battle for me tonight. For me, it really has to be Amber & Pasha. I think the two of them are so electric and glow while performing together. I am on the edge of my seat to see how they utilize her capabilities as an ice skater throughout the rest of the season.

Overall, I feel for these women tonight. As I mentioned at the top, I do not think a two-night finale was a fair idea and contributed to a lot of the nerve-induced mishaps we saw during this episode. I love that it allows us to really get in-depth packages of each couple before their performance, but I would rather sit and watch a four-hour premiere if it meant it didn't get split up.

For my thoughts on the premiere afterparty, keep an eye on other social platforms for my review. Come back next week for my thoughts on Week Two: Viral Hits Night!