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Dancing With the Stars Week 2 Recap: Nastia Liukin and Redfoo Win Over the Judges, But Who Went Home?

Dancing with the Stars Cast
Many couples who fell flat the first spin around the Dancing With the Stars ballroom moved up in the pack in week 2.

The second week of Dancing With the Stars season 20 celebrated “My Jam Monday,” which, in case you didn’t already guess, meant that the celebrities chose the songs for their performances.

But, like a good waltz, week two is always bittersweet because the very first couple gets sent home. This season, the first couple to be eliminated from the running for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy was LMFAO frontman Redfoo and his pro partner Emma Slater — and the studio audience was none too pleased with the result. 

Related: PHOTOS: Season 20 DWTS celebs and their pro partners

“I’m just happy that I got the chance to dance and I did my best,” a stunned Redfoo told Erin Andrews. “I think Emma is the best and I wanted to be there for her.”

The second night in the ballroom was largely about improvement from week one, with many couples who fell flat the first time around moving up in the pack. Drama brewed off the dance floor as well, however, and Us Weekly believes that too should be taken into account when assessing each celeb’s performance, which is why, in addition to the judges’ scores, each couple now gets a (very official) Us Weekly grade. 

So, you know who’s headed home, but who’s at the head of the class?

Chris Soules and Witney Carson

Dancing with the Stars - chris soules
Chris Soules performed a cha cha to Pitbull’s “Time of Our Lives” in Dancing With the Stars week two.
Dance: Cha Cha

Song: Pitbull’s “Time of Our Lives”

How they did: If his preview video was any indication, former Bachelor Soules has zero time to plan a wedding. The footage showed Carson hitting a wall with the reality star as he failed to master the moves. “That was some pretty intricate choreography for the second week,” Julianne noted to an obviously disappointed Soules. Bruno echoed Julianne’s critique explaining, “You got your feet stuck in a jam and your timing turned to Jello.”

After, the newly engaged farmer admitted he was “disappointed” in himself. While his genuine sadness tugged at the heartstrings, it’s safe to say a lot of others were disappointed too.

Score: 21 out of 40

Grade: C+

Suzanne Somers and Tony Dovolani

Dancing with the Stars - Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers performed a jive to Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Whole Lot of Shakin Goin On” in Dancing With the Stars week two.
Dance: Jive

Song: Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Whole Lot of Shakin Goin On”

How they did: Somers first rose to fame as the charmingly ditzy Chrissy Snow on Three’s Company (which, ICYMI children, was sort of like New Girl but with more psychedelic muumuus in the wardrobe department), but tonight she charmed with her dance moves. “What I loved was the spring in your step,” Carrie Ann exclaimed. “It was tease-y but never sleazy!” Bruno declared.

Somers got emotional during their post-dance debriefing, explaining, “We just worked so hard. I’m actually going to cry. I just want all the women out there who are my age to know it’s not about your age. It’s about your energy.”

Score: 28 out of 40

Grade: B+

Related: PHOTOS: Behind the scenes of DWTS

Robert Herjavec and Kym Johnson

Dancing with the Stars - Robert Herjavec
Robert Herjavec performed a foxtrot to Michael Buble’s “You Make Me Feel So Young” in Dancing With the Stars Week two.

Dance: Foxtrot

Song: Michael Buble’s “You Make Me Feel So Young”

How they did: On Shark Tank, Herjavec has a reputation for being, well, a shark, but on the dance floor he looks more like a kid in a candy store (though that may have more to do with his partner than the actual dancing). In the pre-dance video, Johnson joked repeatedly that she had to crack the whip a bit more and Herjavec didn’t seem to mind. When asked about the rumors swirling about their relationship, however, the mogul played dumb.

“I love hanging out with Kym. She’s a lot of fun to be with,” he conceded before quickly noting, “I’m not sure either of us really pay attention to any of that stuff” (i.e. the reports that they’re doing more than just dancing). Okay, Herjavec, whatever you say.

Whether they are or aren’t, however, one thing was clear: Their dance was a hit. “You guys are like a fairytale; you almost made me nauseous,” Carrie Ann gagged with a laugh.

Score: 28 out of 40

Grade: B (Just say whether you’re dating already!)

Charlotte McKinney and Keo Motsepe

Dancing with the Stars - Keo Motsepe
Charlotte McKinney performed a cha cha to Katy Perry’s “California Girls” in Dancing With the Stars week two.

Dance: Cha Cha

Song: Katy Perry’s “California Girls”

How they did: It’s hard to forget McKinney’s breast-centric Superbowl ad for Carl’s Jr., but it would be even harder to forget her pre-dance video tonight. Reading mean tweets off her phone, McKinney recounted how she left school at 17 because she was bullied about her body and lamented that after reading the comments on social media following her first dance last week, she felt like it was happening all over again. This week was a whole different story, however, with the judges jumping to praise the curvy model.

“I really want to see you in this competition because I feel like there is so much within you and so much potential that we haven’t quite seen yet. And I want to say to everybody on social media that it takes a lot of courage to come out here,” Julianne said. Bruno quickly added, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Don’t give a damn about what everybody says!”

Score: 26 out of 40

Grade: B- (You still gotta work on those feet, girl!)

Michael Sam and Peta Murgatroyd

Dancing with the Stars - Michael Sam
Michael Sam performed a foxtrot to The Spinners’s “Workin’ My Way Back to You Babe” in Dancing With the Stars week two.

Dance: Foxtrot

Song: The Spinners’s “Workin’ My Way Back to You Babe”

How they did: There’s no word yet on whether Michael Sam impressed the NFL scouts he practiced for over the weekend, but tonight, the first openly gay professional football player (who happens to be a free agent trying to get signed for the upcoming season) certainly impressed the judges in the ballroom.

Julianne compared the dance to a “Broadway performance” and Carrie Ann was blown away by the amount of improvement since the first time around. “I am truly impressed. What a transformation from last week,” Carrie Ann began. “Last week you were so uncomfortable… This week you are in the game!”

Score: 28 out of 40

Grade: A-

Rumer Willis and Valentin Chmerkovskiy

Dancing with the Stars - Rumer Willis
Rumer Willis performed a cha cha to Adele’s “Rumor Has It” in Dancing With the Stars week two.

Dance: Cha Cha

Song: Adele’s “Rumor Has It”

How they did: Actress-singer Willis repeatedly described herself as a “weirdo,” a “goofball,” and a “nerd,” but no one is buying that after seeing her moves. Everyone was struck by how much pressure she seems to put on herself, though. “Let’s go!” Willis declared at the end of her video package. “Top of the leader board!”

For the most part, Willis’s can-do attitude served her well. “I love the choreography. That was hot. When you step girl, you step hard. I loved it,” Carrie Ann gushed. Though Julianne praised Willis’s legs as “super sharp and super quick,” she noted that Willis needs “to breathe a little bit.” Len echoed Julianne’s praise for Willis’ overall style. “You have a pin-sharp sense of purpose,” he began. “You have the attack of a warrior on a mission and I tell you, mission accomplished.”

Score: 32 out of 40

Grade: B+ (Ease up on yourself, girl!)

Related: PHOTOS: Before they were on DWTS

Willow Shields and Mark Ballas

Dancing with the Stars - willow shields
Willow Shields performed an Argentine tango to Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” in Dancing With the Stars week two.

Dance: Argentine Tango

Song: Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”

How they did: Shields got her big break in Hollywood when she was cast as Jennifer Lawrence‘s younger sister, Primrose Everdeen, in The Hunger Games, and in week two, she killed it on the dance floor. The youngest contestant in the show’s history struggled last week, but came back splattered in paint and with a new fiery spirit that seemed to surprise even her. “This feels so good. I can’t believe I did that!” the 14-year-old actress declared. 

Len praised Shields’s “maturity,” while Carrie declared the performance to be “a brilliant concept” overall. “I’m loving the pop art Argentine tango,” Bruno noted. “Your lines and your shapes were incredible.”

Score: 32 out of 40

Grade: A-

Noah Galloway and Sharna Burgess

Dancing with the Stars - Noah Galloway
Noah Galloway performed a samba to Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey” in Dancing With the Stars week two.

Dance: Samba

Song: Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey”

How they did: Combat soldier Galloway was named Men’s Health Magazine’s “Ultimate Guy,” and after his performance of the samba it would be impossible to argue the title. Galloway chose a song that reminded him of his girlfriend, Jamie, who has been gone in basic training for six months. In the pre-dance video, Burgess encouraged Galloway to pretend she was Jamie for the dance, and it seemed like he took her advice.

“It was definitely hot, but beyond that what’s so impressive is the way you know how to manipulate energy and flow,” Carrie Ann mused. “You guys are a wonderful team and that was a great execution.”

After receiving his scores, Galloway was asked again about Jamie. “I pick her up in two days,” he said with a smile — just as Jamie appeared in the studio to surprise him. You’d need a heart of stone not to have been touched by their embrace.

Score: 27 out of 40

Grade: A

Nastia Liukin and Derek Hough

Dancing with the Stars - Nastia Liukin
Nastia Liukin performed a rumba to Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” in Dancing With the Stars week two.

Dance: Rumba

Song: Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”

How they did: Not surprisingly, Olympic gymnast Liukin proved to be an early favorite in week one, but in her pre-dance video this week she seemed uncomfortable expressing the emotion needed to succeed with the seductive rumba. “I can’t do this,” she said, but clearly she got over it.

Julianne, who had been one of the couple’s biggest critiques last week, praised the pair, saying, “That was beautifully executed. That was incredible for week two.” Carrie Ann agreed. “The quality of motion was spectacular. You’re good, but you just took yourself to a whole other level,” she explained before Liukin and Hough earned the first 9s of this season’s competition.

Score: 34 out of 40

Grade: A-

Riker Lynch and Allison Holker

Dancing with the Stars - RIKER LYNCH
Riker Lynch performed a foxtrot to Maroon 5’s “Sugar” in Dancing With the Stars week two.

Dance: Foxtrot

Song: Maroon 5’s “Sugar”

How they did: Lynch is a song and dance man who serves as a singer and bassist in the pop rock band R5, so it came as no surprise when he and Holker came out near the top last week. This week they continued their domination, tying for second place with Willis and Shields.

“What I love is that you are so presentational. You know how to move the space. Everything was so elegant,” Carrie mused. More impressive than that, however, was the fact that Holker got Lynch to let her restyle his hair.

Score: 32 out of 40

Grade: A

Patti LaBelle and Artem Chigvintsev

Dancing with the Stars - Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle performed a salsa to 50 Cent’s “In the Club” in week two.

Dance: Salsa

Song: 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”

How they did: Songstress extraordinaire LaBelle is a living legend, but in week two it was her fancy footwork that stole the entire show. LaBelle even pushed through a knee injury for a dance that had the studio audience (once again) on their feet. 

“You sing with soul and you dance with soul,” Len declared. “There is a baller in the ballroom!” Julianne laughed before announcing, “I want to go to the club with you too!” Bruno compared LaBelle’s breast-grabbing, booty-shaking performance to Cookie on Empire.

Score: 28 out of 40

Grade: A+ (Of all the songs in the world, she chose “In Da Club.” Enough said.)

Redfoo and Emma Slater

Dancing with the Stars - Redfoo
Despite a stellar jive to The Knack’s “My Sharona,” Redfoo was eliminated from Dancing With the Stars in week two.

Dance: Jive

Song: The Knack’s “My Sharona”

How they did: There’s no doubt Redfoo has mastered the “Juicy Wiggle,” but he still needs some work on the dance floor. Unfortunately, despite a great performance in week two, he won’t get a chance to come back and show the country what he’s made of.

“You went from running on empty to running on plenty!” Bruno said of the couple’s improvement while Carrie demanded a high-five from the star and declared he was “so in the zone.” And while that’s true, he won’t be dancing into a living room near you any time soon.

Score: 31 out of 40

Grade: B+

Tell Us: Did the right couple go home?

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