Dust yourself off and get back in the ballroom for the second week of competition on Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro!
The new series ran its contestants through the ringer right out of the gate in Episode 1, in which six-time Mirrorball champion Derek Hough tested their technique in two difficult dance styles: jive for the men and samba for the women. Briar Nolet visibly slipped during her performance in front of the judges, and her posture and foot placement were faulty, so she was sent home at the end of the episode. So was Jake Monreal, who had clear stamina issues evidenced by weak flicks and kicks. That left 10 dancers vying for a spot as a pro in Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars this fall.
Episode 2 demanded something quite different — and something altogether more emotional — from the competitors. “Remember, every challenge tests a new set of skills, so wipe the slate clean and attack with a vengeance,” judge Mark Ballas told them. That means a chance at redemption for Tristen Sanders and Natalie Jolley, who were in jeopardy last week and narrowly escaped elimination, and an opportunity for early judges’ favorites like Adele Zaikman and Selena Hamilton to cement their frontrunner status.
Read on for our recap of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro Season 1, Episode 2, titled “Stories Without Words: Storytelling With Brandon Armstrong,” which aired July 20 on ABC, with episodes available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
“Story is the essential skill as a pro. We’re going to be looking for a clearly expressed narrative that sparks a strong emotional reaction.” — Brandon Armstrong
As the title indicates, this episode was all about telling stories through movement, which Brandon demonstrated with a very personal routine inspired by his experience being adopted into a white family. “I wanted to share that story and the peaks and valleys that it has, but most importantly, I really wanted to share how I view adoption, as something that’s extremely positive to me,” he said. The choreography accordingly began heavy, but ended lighter to reflect his positive growth through his upbringing.
The challenge for the pro hopefuls was to split into teams of two and tell a story from their own lives through dance. Those teams were Erik Linder and Natalie, Benji Castro and Nina Mayster, Tristen and Stephani Sosa, AJ Pritchard and Selena, and Allen Genkin and Adele. AJ and Allen were naturally happy to be paired with the dancers who received the most praise last week, though it also meant the boys would have to step up their own game.
Tristen and Stephani decided to tell Stephani’s story of learning self-acceptance as a Latina who grew up in a predominantly white community. Benji was won over by Nina to tell her story of perseverance: dancing a competition in the wake of her father’s death. Adele agreed to tell Allen’s story of his mother, who was the driver of his dance ambition but died when he was just 15. Erik and Natalie chose her story of how dancing helped her find her voice when her upbringing taught her to be shy and quiet. And AJ and Selena selected his story about winning the British Open Dance Championship in 2013, though he seemed to approach their rehearsals like he was teaching one of his celebs on Strictly Come Dancing instead of as an equal choreographic partnership.
The biggest conflict right out of the gate was between Benji and Nina, who voiced their concerns with each other in front of the other dancers at the house. Nina thought Benji was going along with whatever she wanted and wasn’t contributing enough, but he felt as though his contributions were unwelcome. Either way, Brandon warned them to get on the same page in order for their partnership and their story to work. Brandon also struggled to find the storytelling in AJ and Selena’s routine, and Natalie and Erik had difficulty connecting to each other. Allen and Adele were on the right track, though, making them a team to watch, but the emotions were getting to Allen, so host Robert Irwin came to him for a heart-to-heart about the emotional dance Robert dedicated to his own mom on DWTS.
“They say time heals all wounds, but it really doesn’t, and the only way I can really do it justice is to showcase it through art.” — Allen Genkin
When show night came, it was time for the contestants to leave their hearts on the dance floor.
Erik and Natalie (Viennese Waltz): Judge Shirley Ballas saw in Natalie the confidence she was missing in the premiere episode, while Erik came across as “Prince Charming.” Both dancers improved from week to week. Brandon thought their performances were “top-notch.” And Mark loved to see Natalie’s attack after landing in the bottom two last week, and Erik framed her beautifully.
Benji and Nina (Rumba): Brandon thought it was “disjointed,” and the story was unclear. Mark wondered how the partnership was during rehearsals because of how disconnected the dancers were; Benji needed to speak up more during the choreography process, while Nina needed to loosen the reins. Shirley didn’t see any of Benji’s strengths reflected in the routine apart from his back flips, which don’t belong in a rumba anyway.
Tristen and Stephani (Rumba): Mark loved Stephani’s emotions and physical stretch; Tristen never took his eyes off of her, showing connection to his partner in spite of some technique issues. Shirley praised Tristen’s attention to detail even with the technical problems. Brandon felt the strength of their partnership came through, which is half the battle in Latin and ballroom dance.
“It was, by far, one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed.” — Shirley Ballas
AJ and Selena (Jive): Shirley was a little confused by AJ’s decision to repeat the jive after he did it last week, but their partnering skills were outstanding. Selena “ate him for lunch,” though. Brandon liked that they danced the only upbeat routine of the night, but not many people would be able to relate to his story of winning a British dance competition. Mark thought it was technically great, but “lacked a little ‘oomph.'”
Adele and Allen (Rumba): Allen and Adele both broke down in tears at the end of the routine. Shirley and Brandon were visibly emotional at the judges’ table, too. Brandon said he would think about their routine until the day he dies. Mark would be happy to dance with Adele and beside Allen. Shirley understood the storytelling, and the quality of movement was outstanding. It was her favorite performance of the night.
After all the performances were done, Mark announced which couple was in jeopardy. Unsurprisingly, it was Benji and Nina. But who ultimately would take the blame for their failure to communicate? Shirley announced, “Tonight was the last dance for Benji.”
On his way out, Benji said: “Looking back on my journey, I’m most proud that I was able to represent the entire Latino community, and that I stayed genuine and true to myself. I always put my best forward, so I truly believe no matter who I was partnered with, I think it was my time.”
