Dancing with the Stars Season 23 Episode 2 Part 2

Babyface and Allison
Argentine Tango
A bit of a letdown for me from last week. The Argentine Tango is a very sexy dance, but I felt very little passion from him. He seemed very stiff and uncomfortable. The music was strange for the style of dance as well. It just didn't work for me. But I still see his potential. The lingering "almost kiss" was nice, but that was about it. The judges liked the performance better than I did. They saw more chemistry than I did. I saw chemistry last week. I saw leading man status last week. Not so much this week, but almost. The judges gave him two "8's" and two "7's."

Laurie Hernandez and Val
Jive
She is definitely a contender. She is the frontrunner so far. Val created a very difficult routine, and she more than held her own. Laurie is the whole package: personality, energy, youth, vitality, sparkle, and great technique. Val could very well have another winning partner. The judges were very enthusiastic. Laurie earned all "8's", the highest score of the night so far. Well deserved!

James Henchcliffe and Sharna
Paso Doble
Okay, I understand why there had to be dancers; it was "The Walking Dead" theme. But they distracted from the dance more than they enhanced it in my opinion. The routine was too hectic at times. But for me, James didn't look under prepared. I thought he did very well. And I felt like Sharna held back a little in her performance so James could shine. Overall, I was impressed. The judges were too. They gave James three "7's" and one "8," but with positive comments.

Marilu Henner and Derek
Foxtrot
It took them awhile to start the routine, but I thought Marilu gave a very solid performance. She is a good dancer and Derek is an outstanding partner. I thought she had good form and good flow of movement across the stage. I'm very happy with that performance. I think Derek was able to make that song work for them. The judges were happy too. They loved her lines and her emotion in the routine. Marilu got three "7's" and an "8" from Len!

Ryan Lochte and Cheryl
Quickstep
So we got to see what happened when the innocence of the ballroom was shattered. But now its time to move on. And I am only here to judge his dancing. Which was quite good tonight! Of course I hated the extra dancers. I really disliked them in this performance, because in the beginning it was like Ryan was an extra instead of the contestant. Ugh! But once they exited, Ryan performed a solid quickstep: good speed, good technique, and good personality. Much better than last week. Julianne did not agree with me. She saw a lot of mistakes. Carrie Ann and Bruno did too. Ryan earned all "6's." I guess I didn't watch very closely. Maybe it's because I haven't had dinner yet. My growling stomach may have distracted me.

Dinner time for me dance fans!

librarianintx