Couples take a bite out of Big Apple on 'Dancing With the Stars' New York City Night

ByCari Skillman WLS logo
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
The celebrities and pro dancers of "Dancing With the Stars" came together for the opening number of the show in week two of the season.
The celebrities and pro dancers of "Dancing With the Stars" came together for the opening number of the show in week two of the season.
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LOS ANGELES -- In a tribute to the city that never sleeps, New York City Night came to life in the ballroom on "Dancing With the Stars."

The couples performed to iconic songs relating to the Big Apple. They just danced for scores and audience votes; no one is being eliminated in this round.

Here's a recap of the judges scores, from highest to lowest:

Juan Pablo Di Pace- 26 out of 30

Pro dancer and mirror ball winner Cheryl Burke had to be a task master this week with J.P. Week one, he had a Latin dance and the Salsa came pretty darn naturally to him. But with a "42nd Street" inspired Quickstep this week, learning true ballroom form was a whole other ballgame. Head judge Len Goodman did tell J.P. to continue working on his frame but the routine had a joyful energy. Carrie Ann Inaba agreed and called the dance charming and old school (in a good way).

Milo Manheim- 26 out of 30

Oh to be 17! Milo has so much energy and personality that he lights up the room. He was over the moon that he made it through to week two. Witney Carson's challenge was to harness that energy and focus Milo on learning the Charleston. Mission accomplished! Bruno Tonioli thought the routine was bright and bursting with excitement. Len also said it was a well-done dance, with loads of energy from both.

Tinashe- 26 out of 30

Like Milo, Tinashe was thrilled with the reaction she received after week one. Brandon Armstrong had to choreograph an Argentine Tango for her this week and he went all out in the lifts and tricks department. Things got a little shaky during rehearsal but they polished the dance by Monday night's performance. All the judges agreed the lifts were spectacular. But Len and Carrie Ann disagreed on the amount of pure Argentine Tango in the routine: Len wanted more, Carrie Ann thought it was "the bomb."

Alexis Ren- 25 out of 30

The famous New York City ballet served as inspiration for Alexis' Argentine Tango. Alan Bersten choreographed a routine to "Swan Lake." It took Alexis back to when she was a little girl, taking ballet classes like millions of other girls did. Bruno and Len both liked the way Alan was able to blend the styles into one cohesive dance. Carrie Ann said the lifts and a minor wardrobe malfunction weren't so great (nothing salacious, just a tutu with a mind of its own), but everything else was fine.

Evanna Lynch- 24 out of 30

Evanna was very disappointed in the "5" she got from Len in week one. She and Keo Motsepe took it as a challenge to please Len this week. Keo also prodded her to bring the fun Evanna he's gotten to know in rehearsals onto the dance floor during their "fashion week" inspired Samba performance. It worked! They got 8's across the board, with Len saying she used a little Harry Potter magic this week. Carrie Ann called Evanna fierce and powerful. And Bruno told her he saw a little devil inside of her...and he liked it.

DeMarcus Ware- 24 out of 30

The NFL great wanted to show he was not a one-hit wonder after last week's high score. He wanted to prove to America that the big guy has some big moves! And I'm sure we'll be hearing this over and over again this season... he called himself a "big chocolate piece of steel." Lindsay Arnold choreographed a fun and flowing Foxtrot. Len praised Ware's footwork, and it is just week two! Bruno said it looks like DeMarcus has been dancing all of his life. Carrie Ann thought the dance had style, sass and sophistication.

John Schneider- 23 out of 30

Although people think he's a Southerner because of his "Dukes of Hazzard" days, John was actually born in New York and wanted to make his home state proud. Emma Slater choreographed a Broadway inspired Charleston routine. John's game, and has performed on Broadway, but said he only had to sing, not dance. Bruno thought it looked like a mini-musical and he was ready to buy a ticket! Carrie Ann said the dance was polished and offered great showmanship. And Len called John "most improved."

Mary Lou Retton- 22 out of 30

Her song is "Natural Woman" from the Broadway musical "Beautiful" and Mary Lou felt immediately connected to it. She interprets the song as being about not feeling "good enough," and reveals she's always struggled with that. Sasha Farber's routine, plus the song, has Mary Lou saying she actually felt pretty. Carrie Ann told Mary Lou she is trusting herself more and that's a good thing. She also told the Olympian that she filled the space on the dance floor and opened her heart.

Nancy McKeon- 21 out of 30

Both Nancy and Val Chmerkovskiy are New Yorkers and love paying tribute to their city. They run into a bit of a roadblock during rehearsals, however, as Nancy's foot has been hurting and she has been dancing through the pain. But it just hurts too much so she heads to the doctor and yes, she has a small fracture! She can still dance, but it's taped up pretty good. Len thought she looked more relaxed and confident this week. Bruno praised Nancy's good attitude and self-assurance.

Bobby Bones- 20 out of 30

Sharna Burgess told Bobby he'd have to reign in that exuberance he showed during week one. Their Foxtrot needed to be much more controlled and elegant. She told him to channel Frank Sinatra. You can tell Bobby had the time of his life and while he did listen to his coach and showed more control, he couldn't help it at the end of the routine and he ad-libbed a little "flossing" dance move. Carrie Ann called Bobby authentically joyous. Bruno said he was brilliantly bonkers. And Len said while the dance wasn't elegant, it had a youthful exuberance.

Danelle Emstead- 18 out of 30

The Paralympian's head spun with all that's been thrown at her. To help calm her down a little, Artem Chigvintsev added Danelle's cane to the choreography. Just that little tweak helped her embrace learning the Cha-Cha and she was happy. Well, except for the fact that they were both sick with something! Bruno gave her nothing but respect and praised her for recovering after a minor error. Carrie Ann loved her confidence.

Joe Amabile- 17 out of 30

Joe admited his nerves got the best of him last week, and he's happy for a second chance. He called this Foxtrot his redemption dance. His girlfriend from the Bachelor Nation, Kendall, came to rehearsal to grab a video of Joe learning the dance with Jenna Johnson. They practiced at home together. Kendall said the first week was rough but she can see there is a dancer inside him. Joe simply wanted to prove that he deserves to be here. Carrie Ann said she saw a big transformation, week to week. Len called Joe a caterpillar who is turning into a butterfly.

Our theme heads west for night two of "Dancing with the Stars" this week. On Tuesday, it's all about Las Vegas! At the end of that round of the competition, another couple will be sent home.