'Dancing With the Stars' week 2 recap: Ballroom with a view

SPOILER ALERT: This recap of Week 2 of Dancing with the Stars contains spoilers.

There’s nothing like a proper ballroom dance to a Taylor Swift song. Twenty-five seasons in, no one does Ballroom Night like Dancing with the Stars — at least no one on primetime TV — and Week 2 was nothing short of a ballroom blitz as the 13 couples danced their little hearts out ahead of the first elimination of the show’s landmark season.

Unfortunately, the ballroom party ended before it ever really started for Barbara Corcoran and Keo Motsepe. The Shark Tank cougar danced what Bruno Tonioli described as a “proper, regular” tango this week, but it was too little, too late. Babs’ biggest bummer? Realizing it’s also the end of her imaginary love affair with her completely mortified pro partner. “How am I going to live without him?” Corcoran said of Keo when her elimination was announced, before getting serious and saying being on Dancing With the Stars was an honor and “the most exciting thing” she’s ever done in her life.

Here’s how the rest of the Dancing With the Stars couples fared this week.

Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold: 24/30

Last week’s leaderboard toppers had one goal: To top their premiere night score of 22 and perform the best dance of the night. The score part was easily done with their Viennese waltz to “Count on Me” by Judah Kelly. But the couple still found themselves tied for first place (see below… and below that). Bruno called the dance “a total ballroom sparkler,” while Carrie Ann Inaba warned the couple to deliver more ballroom nuances in their ballroom routines.

Vanessa Lachey and Maksim Chmerkovskiy: 24/30

TV host/ Nick Lachey’s baby mama was back with Maks to dance a solid gold foxtrot that had Bruno going into an Ava Gardner/Jessica Rabbit comparison. “As a foxtrot, it couldn’t have been foxier,” he said. While the dance was good, Carrie Ann may have gone overboard when she called Mrs. Lachey a “superstar.” Second week in a row Vanessa reminded us she gets to go home with that, meaning Nick.

Victoria Arlen and Val Chmerkovskiy: 24/30

Look what Val made her do! Swifties recognized the song, the judges recognized the tango. Carrie Ann said every movement was polished, then remarked to the Paralympic medalist, “I don’t know how you do it.” (Remember, this powerhouse performer can’t feel her legs.) And it doesn’t get better than Len Goodman calling your dance “super duper.”

Sasha Pieterse and Gleb Savchenko: 23/30

The Pretty Little Liars alum’s pro dancer parents flew in to give her pointers, but it seemed to overwhelm her ahead of her Viennese waltz. Len wasted his critique time lecturing Gleb on his “boring” slow dance choreography, but Carrie Ann said the actress “shone brightly.” “You are a star,” she said.

Frankie Muniz and Witney Carson: 23/30

Cryogenic treatments be damned, a little (big) back injury didn’t stop the Malcolm in the Middle star from performing an intense tango. Bruno told him he didn’t miss a step, but Len put a damper on the positive vibe by saying this dance was “over-aggressive.” Cue the boos.

Lindsey Stirling and Mark Ballas: 21/30

Who’s ready for a caterpillar quickstep? No doubt about it, this butterfly blossomed in what had to be the Most. Colorful. Dance. Ever. Ah, we’ve missed Mark Ballas, but he was back in the ballroom, breaking hold rules while still dazzling the judges with his creative and colorful choreography. Can we just give these two an E-ZPass to the finals?

Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev: 21/30

One week after she body slammed her pro partner, WWE star Nikki Bella was in fairy princess mode for a “soft, lyrical” waltz dedicated to her Nana. All three judges approved of this softer side of John Cena’s fiancé, with Carrie Ann praising the star for already learning to trust her partner so early in the competition.

Debbie Gibson and Alan Bersten: 20 /30

The ‘80s pop singer says she’s done using her health issues as a crutch, so she put all of her energy into quicksteppin’ and it paid off. Even Len loved Miss Debbie’s high-octane dance, although Bruno told her she needed more “exactitude” in her placement.

Drew Scott and Emma Slater: 20/30

The Week of the Injured continued with Drew Scott’s hamstring injury. But leg pain didn’t stop the Property Brothers star from delivering a show-stopping quickstep with last season’s mirrorball champ. You gotta love Carrie Ann telling the guy with the long limbs that his movements are lanky. Len went one better–he called them gangly. Only Bruno called this a “luxury performance.” But we got Mark Ballas face as a bonus.

Terrell Owens and Cheryl Burke: 20/30

Terrell and Cheryl decided to bring sexy back with a foxtrot that Bruno described as a “sextrot right to the bedroom.” Oops! Way too raunchy for Len, but Carrie Ann liked the steamy dance and told the duo they managed their foot-long height difference very well.

Derek Fisher and Sharna Burgess: 19/30

DWTS superfan Derek Fisher’s mom was in the house to advise her basketball playing son on his foxtrot, and Mama definitely knows best. While Len liked the fun of the dance, he said Fisher needs to work on his finesse and technique. Carrie Ann told the NBA player he still dances “a little small.” “This is your court now and you have to own the whole thing,” she said.

Nick Lachey and Peta Murgatroyd: 19/30

First, can we address this karaoke version of “Mandy?” Blasphemous! Where’s the real Manilow when you need him? Of course, nothing could help the fact that Peta’s long dress got stuck mid-dance and threw these two off kilter. Len said this foxtrot was “too fragile,” while Carrie Ann noted Nick’s improvement over last week. Mixed bag here, Fanilows.

The next episode of Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of DWTS for free on Yahoo View.

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