Did The Right Couple Go Home on ‘DWTS’? Our Recap of the First Elimination Show
ABC Reading Time: 5 minutes
Last night we saw the 12 Dancing With the Stars Season 28 couples try new styles of dance before one of them became the first to be eliminated from the show. Who ended up going home tonight?
The First Elimination Episode On DWTS
The Dances on Dancing With The Stars
James & Emma
James and Emma started the show with a cha-cha to “Dancing on the Ceiling”. I was initially concerned for James’s prospects as a Latin dancer but this week he proved he has plenty of potential in that department. The dance was pretty good except for a misstep (which James fully owned up to) though Len wasn’t a fan of all the gimmicks. To be fair, there were a lot…the trampoline was fun, but the balloons falling while the routine was still going on were a bit much.
Carrie Ann: 7
Len: 6
Bruno: 7
Total Score: 20/30
2-Week Total: 41/60
Sailor & Val
Sailor also tried her hand at a Latin style for the first time this week with a rumba to “Senorita”. She went in and out of the romantic, sexual character she was supposed to portray during the dance, but whenever she was “in” it, her dancing became stiffer and less polished. She’ll need to find a way to dance and “act” a routine simultaneously in the future.
Carrie Ann: 6
Len: 6
Bruno: 6
Total Score: 18/30
2-Week Total: 36/60
Ray & Cheryl
For Ray’s first ballroom dance of the season he had a foxtrot to “September”. He was flat-footed and occasionally off-time, which was a shame since Cheryl came up with some really good choreography for the number.
Carrie Ann: 5
Len: 5
Bruno: 5
Total: Score 15/30
2-Week Total: 30/60
Ally & Sasha
This week Ally danced a Viennese waltz to “Iris”. It was a very emotional and, as Carrie Ann put it after she went to give Ally, Sasha, and even Tom hugs, “transformative” performance. However, Len pointed out there were some technique issues. When she got her scores, Ally told anyone watching to believe in themselves and that they could do anything they were struggling with, like she always did with dancing.
Carrie Ann: 7
Len: 6
Bruno: 7
Total Score: 20/30
2-Week Total: 36/60
Mary & Brandon
Mary made her Latin dance debut with a cha-cha to “Think”. This was a step down from last week with lots of mistakes, but she always got back on time very quickly and Brandon did a great job choreographing the piece so that there were sections she would really thrive in.
Carrie Ann: 5
Len: 5
Bruno: 5
Total Score: 15/30
2-Week Total: 32/60
Lauren & Gleb
Lauren had a Paso Doble to “Confident” which forced her to show her tough, strong, and sexy sides. Her posture was off and she had shaping issues, but there were also moments she was absolutely on fire! Afterwards, Bruno said “nasty” suited her, and Lauren jokingly apologized to her father watching at home in Alabama.
Carrie Ann: 6
Len: 6
Bruno: 7
Total Score: 19/30
2-Week Total: 38/60
Sean & Lindsay
Sean and Lindsay performed a tango to “Shut Up And Dance”. He basically just walked around the ballroom floor, but there were no noticeable errors and the judges said it was better than last week.
Carrie Ann: 6
Len: 5
Bruno: 5
Total Score: 16/30
2-Week Total: 28/60
Karamo & Jenna
Karamo and Jenna danced a quickstep to “Let’s Go Crazy” and took some big risks by including a lot of sections out of hold. Carrie and and Bruno loved the stylistic choices but Len criticized them for lack of technique and said it was too “hectic”.
Carrie Ann: 7
Len: 5
Bruno: 7
Total Score: 19/30
2-Week Total: 36/60
Kate & Pasha
Kate danced an elegant foxtrot to “Fly Me to The Moon” and received great praise from the judges. Even Len, who had been very critical all night, was quite pleased by it! Kate is definitely the surprise of the season so far!
Carrie Ann: 7
Len: 7
Bruno: 7
Total Score: 21/30
2-Week Total: 36/60
Kel & Witney
Kel and Witney had a samba to “Every Little Step”. Samba is the notoriously hardest dance in the Latin syllabus, but Kel did a respectable job and it will probably prove to be an advantage for him to have gotten it out of the way early. The judges pointed out mistakes but all agreed it was an improvement over last week.
Carrie Ann: 7
Len: 6
Bruno: 7
Total Score: 20/30
2-Week Total: 36/60
Lamar & Peta
This week Lamar and Peta danced a salsa to “Con Calma”. There were plenty of issues but it was a slight improvement over his first dance and it does seem like he may actually have wanted to be there this week.
Carrie Ann: 4
Len: 4
Bruno: 4
Total Score: 12/30
2-Week Total: 23/60
Hannah & Alan
Hannah finished off the evening with a Viennese waltz to “Lover”. The judges were very impressed and complimented her on her musicality. (I’m just relieved she managed to not slip on those flower petals!)
Carrie Ann: 8
Len: 8
Bruno: 8
Total Score: 24/30
2-Week Total: 44/60
Elimination On DWTS
This season, the judges will choose to save one couple from the bottom two each week. Said bottom two is determined by the combined total of judges’s scores and viewer votes via texting and the show’s website. This week’s couples in danger were Mary & Brandon and Ray & Cheryl.
Carrie Ann’s Vote to Save: Mary & Brandon
Bruno’s Vote to Save: Ray & Cheryl
Len’s Tiebreaking Decision to Save: Ray & Cheryl
That meant Mary & Brandon became the first couple eliminated from Season 28, finishing in 12th place.
Do you agree with the judges’s decision? Let us know in the comments below!
