ABC "Dancing With the Stars" season 30 continued on September 27, 2021.
Season 30 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” continued on September 27, 2021, with an all-new live episode featuring dances from the couples as well as the first elimination of the season.
Before the episode even aired, it was announced that professional dancer Cheryl Burke had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and would be unable to compete, leaving fans eager to know what will happen with her partner, Cody Rigsby.
If you’d just like to know which couples made it through and which were sent home, scroll to the bottom of the post.
SPOILER ALERT: There will be spoilers for the second episode of season 30, including the first elimination, in this post.
‘Dancing With the Stars’ Episode 2 Live Recap
The show started with a comedic bit from all of the celebrities watching “A Star’s Guide to Not Get Eliminated.”
Host Tyra Banks explained that Cody Rigsby will not be in the ballroom out of an “abundance of caution,” but that he will still compete but she’d tell the audience how later.
Then, Lindsay Arnold and “Bachelor” Matt James were up with their Samba to “Levitating” by Dua Lipa. Len Goodman told them that “instead of worrying about taking off your shirt” that Matt would have been better served if he worked on his hips, which are “allergic to music.”
Derek Hough added that he should have worked on his bounce and that his footwork needed to be worked on, though he liked the performance. They earned a 5 from Carrie Ann and Len Goodman, and a 6 from Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli for a total of 22 out of 40. They’re sitting at a total of 46 out of 80 for the two-week block.
Next up was Val Chmerkovskiy and Olivia Jade doing the Viennese Waltz to “Better Days” by Ant Clemons and Justin Timberlake. Derek told them that their routine has “purity” and that it’s a “breath of fresh air.” Bruno told them that it was “seamless” for a beginner. Carrie Ann agreed with both of the other judges.
They received a 7 from Carrie Ann, 6 from Len Goodman, 7 from Derek Hough and a 7 from Bruno Tonioli, putting them at 27 out of 40. In total for two weeks, they were at 52 out of 80.
Next up were Brandon Armstrong and Kenya Moore dancing the Cha Cha to “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer. Bruno told her that once she got the dance right it “came out of you naturally” and that she has something “exceptional.” Carrie Ann loved the dance even though there was a bit of a rough start.
For their scores, they received a 6 from Carrie Ann, Len, Derek and Bruno, leaving them with a 24 out of 40 for the week. For both weeks, they were at 50 out of 80.
Third up were The Miz and Witney Carson dancing the Tango to “Nothing But a Good Time” by Poison. The judges loved the performance from the couple, especially Carrie Ann, who called the performance “amazing.” Len Goodman said that he got “just what I expected” and said the dance lacked finesse.
When it came to scores, they received a 7 from Carrie Ann Inaba, a 5 from Len Goodman, and a 7 from both Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli. That put them at 26 for week two a total of 50 for both weeks.
Following a short break, Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green took their place in the ballroom to perform a rumba to their song “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur. Their performance was romantic, but the judges didn’t like it. At one point, “It was just a load of posing, running around, another pose,” Len Goodman said. Hough said the dance was just for the couple but they needed to work harder to activate their whole bodies.
They got a 6 from Carrie Ann, Derek and Bruno and a 5 from Len. That put them at 23 out of 40 for the week and a 47 out of 80 overall.
Christine Chiu and Pasha Pashkov were the next dancers up, performing their Salsa to “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. Derek Hough loved it, saying that Christine really had an “awareness” of her body. Bruno also said that he liked it, though he was worried on the lift because it needed consistency. Len told them that he didn’t think they’d be the ones being sent home.
For the week, they received scores of 6 from Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli, putting them at 24 out of 40. For both weeks, they were at 49 out of 80.
Jimmie Allen and Emma Slater were set to dance a Rumba to “Make You Want To” by Jimmie Allen. Bruno said that he liked the song choice and that it helped with the dance, especially how Jimmie used his arms. Carrie Ann said that it was “amazing” and was the “first time this season that I actually felt my heart attach to what you were doing.” Len said that the footwork was hit or miss but the upper body was great, and Derek Hough agreed.
Their scores came out at 7 from Carrie Ann, 6 from Len Goodman, 7 from Derek Hough, and a 7 from Bruno Tonioli, putting them at 27 out of 40 for the week and 49 out of 80 for the two weeks.
For Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten’s performance, Kloots dedicated the performance to her late husband Nick Cordero. They were dancing the Foxtrot to “It Had To Be You” by Ray Chew Live, which was her first dance from her wedding. The judges really liked the performance, even Len Goodman, who said he wanted it to go on longer and it was “like butter on a hot muffin.”
They received an 8 from all four judges, putting them at a 32 out of 40 for the week, the highest score of the season. Their total for both weeks was 60 out of 80.
The next dance came from JoJo Siwa and Jenna Johnson with a Cha Cha to “Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. They delivered a high-energy performance that the judges seemed to like. Len told them that was his favorite Latin dance of the season, and Derek agreed, though he thought that sometimes they lost the “quality of movement.” Carrie Ann said that it was “like watching a dance-off” and she loved it.
The scores reflected the comments. The scores came in at an 8 from Carrie Ann, Len and Bruno and a 7 from Derek. They got a 31 out of 40 for the week and 60 out of 80 for the two weeks.
Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach were up with their Rumba to “You Know What’s Up” by Donell Jones. Derek told them it was “smooth and effortless” and that they did a great job. Bruno said that he could see that they put in a lot of work and he appreciated that. Carrie Ann also said that “you have something special” and that “that was magic.” Even Len was smiling, saying that he liked the performance and it was a “great improvement.”
The couple earned the scores of 7 from Carrie Ann Inaba, 6 from Derek Hough, 6 from Bruno Tonioli and a 6 from Len Goodman, putting them at a 25 out of 40. For both weeks, they were at 46 out of 80.
Britt Stewart and Martin Kove then danced the Cha Cha to “Twist and Shout,” which brought Martin back to his wedding, he said. The judges liked it more than the previous performance but they didn’t love it. Bruno said they were “moving in the right direction,” and Carrie Ann was happy that they had fun.
Carrie Ann gave them a 4, Len gave them a 3, and Derek and Bruno both scored them a 4, putting them at 14 out of 40. The total for both weeks was 28.
Following that performance were Melora Hardin and Artem Chigvintsev with a Rumba to Celine Dion’s “All By Myself.” The judges said that it was dramatic and they seemed to really like it. Their scores came in at 7 from Carrie Ann, 6 from Len Goodman, 7 from Derek, and 7 from Bruno, putting them at 27 for the week. For two weeks, they were at 53 out of 80.
Then, Tyra explained that Cheryl Burke and Cody Rigsby couldn’t be in the ballroom because of Cheryl’s positive COVID diagnosis.
“The rules state that the judges can base their scores on their taped performance from rehearsals,” Tyra explained before the dance package played. The judges wished Cheryl a speedy recovery and said that the performance was good even if it was just rehearsal footage.
The scores came in at a 6 from Carrie Ann, 6 from Len Goodman, 6 from Derek Hough and a 6 from Bruno Tonioli, putting them at 24 out of 40 and a 48 out of 80 overall for two weeks.
Mel C and Gleb Savchenko were next up with a Foxtrot to “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles. Derek told Mel C that she was a beautiful dancer but needed to make sure not to look down. Bruno shared that he “was not expecting this” when it came to the cleanliness of the dance.
They got a 7 from Carrie Ann and Len and 8s from both Bruno and Derek, leaving them with 30 out of 40 for the week and a 57 out of 80 overall.
The last dance of the night came from Suni Lee and Sasha Farber, who danced the Cha Cha to “I Like It” by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin. Bruno told them that he loved the dance and that when she smiles, she shines. Carrie Ann said she felt like Suni was “embracing” herself and the dance was bigger and better. Even Len told them that they did a good job.
They earned a 7 from all four of the judges, putting them at a 28 out of 40 for the week and a 56 out of 80 for both weeks.
Who Was Eliminated & Who Made it Through?
This post will be updated as the episode airs.
Here are the couples that were safe:
- Iman and Daniella
- Amanda and Alan
- Suni and Sasha
- Cody and Cheryl
- Matt and Lindsay
- JoJo and Jenna
- Melora and Artem
- Jimmie and Emma
- Mel C and Gleb
- Olivia and Val
- The Miz and Witney
- Bryan and Sharna
- Kenya and Brandon
The bottom two couples were: Pasha and Christine as well as Martin and Britt.
Derek voted to save Pasha and Christine, Bruno chose to save Pasha and Christine as well. Then, Carrie Ann cast her vote the same way.
That meant that Martin Kove and Britt Stewart were the eliminated couple for the first week of “Dancing With the Stars.”
READ NEXT: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Jenna Johnson Injured During Premiere