DWTS: The Next Pro Week 2 Recap
Some Notes
Well, well, well. Another week in the books. I apologize for getting this post out so late; a mix of procrastination and injuring my back has delayed it. I will try to publish these recaps the day after they are available on Hulu in the coming weeks.
Some general notes on this week’s episode:
-my wife and I have officially reinstated our tradition of getting Wingstop each week to eat while we watch (mainly my insistance)
-I have started to take notes during the episode so that I don’t have as much to rewatch when I write these weekly recaps.
-I noticed that there was a lot more drama this episode. No doubt due to the “high stakes” aspect of this spinoff and the young age of the dancers, but this was a very welcome addition to me. I have been told that “Old DWTS” used to have drama like this between the celebrities and the pros, but this is not really seen nowadays. Everyone wants to be sweet and supportive.
-I like how they showed more conversations at the house that they stay at. Some of the editing was giving reality beats and that is a fun thing to add that is not really offered in DWTS.
-The dancers seem to have complete freedom in their dances, as Brandon was not shown to be very hands on during their rehearsals.
-It is nice seeing growing dynamics between our dancers as they get more comfortable with each other and more comfortable expressing what they do or don’t like about their partners.
The Dances
Erik Linder and Natalie Jolley’s Viennese Waltz - 7/10
Boringggg. Maybe that is the point of a Viennese Waltz, but nothing really stuck out to me. It could just be me, since the judges loved her performance but I had a hard time seeing exactly what her story was through this number. Nevertheless, Natalie danced way better than last week, presumably now in a style that she is more comfortable with, and Erik looks as professional and sharp as before. The notes that I took during this episode were “no idea what this is about”. It seemed textbook, safe, and uninteresting. Natalie had very good expression and is much more confident than they show her being in rehearsals.
Nina Mayster and Benjamin Castro’s Rumba - 2/10
I mean what can I say that the judges didn’t already say this episode? There was an intense lack of chemistry between these two. The synergy was just not there. We knew that they had some issues during the development of this dance. I think it’s funny that they stole Brandon’s move that he showed them during rehearsals. I would have liked them use that as inspiration to come up with something good on their own instead of just throwing that in there randomly to “add” something. It just seemed disjointed. Both can be good dancers and Benji was one of my favorites however he didn’t get to showcase his talent here and eventually that led to…
HIS ELIMINATION! I mean this made no sense to me at all. I think that everyone was surprised because we assumed Nina was easily leaving this week, at least I did. It seemed pretty obvious that she didn’t let Benji dance to his full potential and made the process difficult to form the choreo. However, there are two sides to every story and maybe he was just as much at fault for a lack of proper communication with his partner Nina and an unwillingness to voice his opinion when he disagreed.
Stephani Sosa and Tristen Sander’s Rumba - 8/10
Now this is dance! I loved this number from start to end. The outfits, the laser sharp connection between the two, the visible amount of trust- it was just so good! The song…
I’m so glad because Tristen really needed to prove his capabilities to the judges after the first week and he is one of my favorites so this was nice to see. The thing that stuck out to me technically speaking was that Tristen was so dynamic as a “frame” for the woman in the dance that he deserved just as much attention and appreciation. Well done.
AJ Pritchard and Selena Hamilton’s Jive - 4/10
Bro do something else! I mean with all of this talk about him being a British dancing champion you would think that he would have a more dynamic move set. Not only was this dance boring and standard compared to everything else this season, it just wasn’t a compelling story. This week was about picking a meaningful story to express through dance and I wasn’t really interested in how this jive represented his journey to champion status in British dance competition. A little stiff. I don’t want to write AJ off completely because all he has done so far is this vanilla jive so he could very well be capable of something a little more captivating. Also, it is becoming more apparent that Selena was more of a commercial dancer rather than a classically trained one. She seemed to adapt well, though, to this dance number and continues to kill it with the expressiveness. I think she just might need to tighten up on the footwork, but what do I know.
Adele Zaikman and Allen Genkin’s Rumba - 9/10
I mean I could have told you that this would be the “winning” dance this week before I even watched them all. Allen already did such a smashing job last week with his story telling through dance and so a number dedicated to such a style could only let him shine even more. Adele is a professional and did a really good job supporting him this week. Allen is not only a good dancer but is a vulnerable one too and you couldn’t help but see how much this connection to his mother meant to him. Top notch and fun to watch. He also seems very direct on what he wants in the rehearsal room which is a good sign for a potential future pro!
Overall I am having a blast watching this show and I can’t wait to see what challenges these dancers will face and overcome next week!
Disclaimer
I am no expert! I simply love watching this show and voicing my opinions and personal ratings, however these ratings are arbitrary and are not an official ruling! I wish the best for all contestants and do not mean anything against them personally. They all dance better than I ever could (especially considering that I know nothing about dance) and I am just grateful that we get to watch them each week!
