With a new interesting opening sequence, Dancing with the Stars went into Latin night forcing all the dancers to learn either the Samba, Jive, Paso Doble, or Rumba. All the dances needed to have emotion, whether it is a free-spirited party or a passionate love scene. With the elimination at the end of the show, it caused the celebrities to have a bit more tension than they would in previous seasons which I also think is bringing out the best in their dances.

Elizabeth & Val - Samba - Elizabeth is smart enough to consider different characters in her dances and Val seems like he's teaching her the correct way. I thought the performance was a strong opening to the week though it lacked enough bounce for my taste. There's a degree of reserve on Elizabeth's face during the performance that doesn't match the samba's spirit. She was technically there the whole time and she can spin with the best of them. I'd love to see her try another samba or get the mambo later on in the season when she's more polished. Val was also man enough to admit that he slipped on a few passes and whether or not it was his fault. Score: 25 (8,9,8)

Christina & Mark – Paso Doble – Mark created another interesting routine set to Lady Gaga, but there are times where he forgot to focus on Christina. That being said, I thought the dance was filled with content and Christina's arms were expressive and the extensions were gorgeous. I wished the lighting was less dramatic so we could focus on the dance which looked good when I could see it. Score: 25 (9,8,8)

Bill Engvall & Emma – Jive - Bill was deflated by his scores last week and looked exhausted during practice. Bill started off rusty when he was going down the stairs, but I love the fact that he commits to the performance, even when his technique was poor. A lot of filler moments were in the dance including the handshake, their twist, and the chicken movements. His footwork was awful and Emma didn’t give him many kicks or flicks to emphasize the jive and accuracy. Bill would have been more of a contender in the past few seasons but up against dancers with more musicality, he's going to struggle. Score: 21 (7,7,7)

Jack & Cheryl – Rumba – Jack worried a lot about getting feeling and emotion in his dance, to make it more awkward his mother showed up during practice. How are you supposed to think romance when your mom is staring you down? I thought that the fog helped cover up mistakes but I liked the strength in his arms. Cheryl danced around Jack a lot and usually her partners could frame her better where it doesn't look like she's doing all the work. If Jack could find more expression in his movement where he understands why each movement is placed there, I'd like him better. Carrie Ann noted “nobility” and I'm not sure if it's because Jack's family has British lineage or it's because of his frame but I agree; in ballroom weeks, that will be his trump card. Score: 24 (8,8,8)

Keyshawn & Sharna – Samba - Keyshawn seemed excited about dancing this week which is all I can hope for a celebrity to be enthusiastic about the show. The problem is mostly that Keyshawn is behind in experience by a week. If he had an extra week to survive, he could have become part of the successful footballer line. I don't think the dance had the best of samba content and Keyshawn depended on staring at Sharna the whole time, but his smile covered up his several missteps. Score: 18 (6,6,6)

Nicole “Snooki” & Sasha – Rumba – The relationship between Snooki and Sasha is funny to watch and even though she’s nervous about Jionni's opinions and crossing the line. It definitely helped that she had the cha-cha last week because she had the right hip motion for a rumba. She has an occasional disconnect between her face and her body, but she's clearly not an actress and Elizabeth also had issues with acting. She needs to flow better between moves, but she's pretty accurate when she does them. Like Jack, she needs to understand why movements happen. Carrie Ann should be forgiving about being the lift police because of Snooki's height. It's hard for someone who is about 5'7 with heels, lifting someone who is 4'11 with heels. Score: 20 (6,7,7)

Leah & Tony – Samba – Leah's been dealing with personal issues from the negative Scientology crowd, but I think not only is Tony the best support for her, but he can teach Leah well. I was afraid that Leah was going to be much more reserved than she needed to be in the samba but I was happily impressed by her commitment. She shuffled around the floor much better than I expected, but she still lacked bounce. The dress helped cover the lack of bounce and Tony was smart to integrate more floor drops. Score: 24 (8,8,8)

Bill Nye & Tyne – Paso Doble – Bill joked around about how much he sucked and must hurt to be wailed on by Len and not have any other celebrity be as harshly critiqued. The performance did seem a bit like a joke instead of a solid performance, which I can only blame Tyne for. I still can’t tell the difference between if Bill is “acting” or “awkward” because he's been characters and not a dancer. He was horribly pigeon-toed as he moved around and I wished that his neck wouldn't crane as forward as it does, which I think is from years of both staring at a beaker and a computer. I wished there was more content, just so Len could up his score a bit more. Score: 17 (6,5,6)

Corbin & Karina – Jive – Corbin continued to refer to High School Musical as if it was the only thing on his resume. It doesn't help the way the costumes were, though Karina was insanely sexy in her outfit. Corbin's moves are all there and were accurate and I appreciated the hip-hop undertones that didn't detract from the sharp high kicks of their side by side dancing. They felt behind when they did the passes near the middle of the routine and from there they seemed off by a second. Score: 26 (9,8,9)

Valerie & Tristan - Paso Doble - I appreciated the Flamenco undertones of the performance and that Valerie covered an insane amount of dance floor during the beginning of the routine. I think Tristan was smart to give Valerie movements that weren't in hold, but I thought the swimming stroke near the end looked awful. The dance was filled with emotion and content, which is something I appreciate that Tristan is trying to put in for the couple. Valerie wobbles here and there but it's just age getting to her. In comparison to a lot of other older female celebrities that have been on this show, she's been amazing. Score: 19 (6,6,7)

Brant & Peta – Rumba – The whole showmance idea is the stupidest thing and I hope Peta stops. I hate seeing her as a drooling schoolgirl and she should focus on teaching Brant to dance, because he has a lot of potential. The two definitely had the sexual chemistry that’s needed for a rumba, but the stripping was a waste of time because the chemistry was already there. Let’s consider Peta normally wore nothing anyway. Brant did frame Peta well, but Peta loved to show off that she could lift her leg really well. Score: 23 (8,7,8)

Amber & Derek – Jive – Amber was worried about the high expectations, but she knew she was worried about the Jive and the bouncing of her breasts. Derek would never choreograph anything that would have a boob punch him in the face so I doubt that Amber would be that worried. Her costuming team also chose clothes that supported her top. I liked the classic style of the Jive that Derek choreographs. I'm surprised by Amber's strong kick sequences and she flicked through high amounts of jive content. I liked that Derek slipped Amber's cartwheel near the end. Amber is obviously going to get critiques about looking flat-footed when she's wearing flat shoes. Obviously Karina and Emma will look better because of their heels. Score: 24 (8,8,8)

Week 2 Standings

High
Corbin & Karina - 26
Elizabeth & Val - 25
Christina & Mark - 25
Jack & Cheryl - 24
Leah & Tony - 24
Amber & Derek - 24

Middle
Brant & Peta - 23
Bill E. & Emma - 21
Nicole & Sasha - 20

Low
Valerie & Tristan - 19
Bill N. & Tyne - 18

Eliminated
Keyshawn & Sharna