Dancing With the Stars recap: Who scored the first 8s and who got the boot

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Goodness if season 30 isn't already drama-filled, my fellow sequin steadies! We're only on week 2, and the fully vaccinated pro Cheryl Burke has tested positive for COVID-19. But considering that this is the second season of the show produced during the pandemic and no one else (at least that we know of) has come down with COVID so far, it's not hard to imagine things being worse. I blame this on the amount of travel that poor Cheryl has to endure to rehearse with her partner, Cody Rigsby. I guess there are no Peloton studios in Los Angeles for him to work from, so the stationary bike instructor can only do it from New York City. Hardship, all around!

Get well soon, Cheryl! The ballroom is never the same without you. Speaking of life under the Mirror Ball… look who got the first 8s of the season!

Martin Kove and Britt Stewart. The Karate Kid star knew he looked "dreadful" last week, so he focused on bringing more "joie de vivre" so he could get a little redemption. Did his cha cha achieve that? "More content and more steps, not always in the right order and in the right time," said Bruno Tonioli. "We are moving in the right direction." "This week, you look like you had fun, let loose," added Carrie Ann Inaba. "That's what people attach to." Score: 15 out of 40

Matt James and Lindsay Arnold. The former Bachelor has a job to do: get those hips in action! After a visit from his beloved Rachel at rehearsal, the couple opened the show with a space-age samba that came with dangling, mirror ball Saturns and a brief striptease that thrilled the heck out of Tonioli. "Totally unnecessary," Len Goodman said to the shirtless — but excessively ripped — James. "Work on your hips!" Added Derek Hough, "In the samba, we need balance, which gets the rhythm going." Score: 22 out of 40

Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess. We got a little more detail on how long the Beverly Hills, 90210 star has been dating the pro. It's been 11 months of storybook affection! It definitely showed in their rumba. "Sometimes you do a dance that's kind of just for you," Hough said. "It was very honest. It was a pure affection of what you feel," added Tonioli. "It felt like a contemporary dance, not a rumba. Was it effective? Yes. Not quite right, but great performance." Score: 23 out of 40

Kenya Moore and Brandon Armstrong. Fearing she lost her "it" factor after becoming a divorced mom, Moore was quite happy to learn she would be doing the cha cha to "Hot Stuff." And she looked pretty smoking, too, except for the one piece of kinesiology tape running down her back thigh. But hey, dancing hurts. "You are simply irresistible," said Tonioli. "The second half, when you got it right, it came out of you naturally." "You were amazing," added Inaba. "You have so much going for you." Score: 24 out of 40

Christine Chiu and Pasha Pashkov. The Bling Empire celebrity admits she's been a huge fan of the show and that, as a former civilian, she used to wait outside for tickets to see it. Now she's the "star" of the ballroom! It may be a little premature to declare such a superior status, but the judges didn't hate on her salsa. "Seventy-five percent of that was awesome," said Inaba. "Tonight, someone is gonna go home. On your two weeks of dancing, I don't think it's gonna be you." Score: 24 out of 40

Cody Rigsby and Cheryl Burke. Freakin' COVID, man! But just because Burke and the Peloton guy (who isn't sick... yet) are home and in quarantine doesn't mean they are out of the competition. The duo's salsa was judged on their performance during rehearsal. The rehearsal video featured Burke and Rigsby in their workout gear, dancing the salsa. "I wish you a really speedy recovery!" said Goodman. "That was full of razzle-dazzle, lots of salsa content. It was crafted well, and it was danced well. Well done." Score: 24 out of 40

Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach. The rumba is certainly better for the baller; it slows down the action, so it's easier to hide his lack of mad skills. But he's not long for the ballroom. "I really appreciate the work you put into this," said Tonioli. "You still have to work on your feet." "I liked it. I didn't like it that much, but I liked it," added Goodman. "It's a great improvement from last week." Score: 25 out of 40

The Miz and Witney Carson. The WWE wrestler is and always was a "ball of energy," so he was super giddy about dancing the tango to Poison's "Nothing but a Good Time." "This week, I got just what I expected, plenty of attack, very little finesse," admits Goodman. "However, on a positive, your footwork was very good." "That control was awesome," added Hough. Score: 26 out of 40

Olivia Jade and Val Chmerkovskiy. The influencer, who started her YouTube channel at the tender age of 14, reminds us that she has more than 2 million followers and can teach anyone, including her partner, how to put on makeup. Is that the best prep for a Viennese waltz, judges? Apparently so. "There's a purity in your performance," said Hough. "It's gorgeous. Well done." "There's this trust and this vulnerability with your dancing," adds Carrie Ann Inaba. Score: 27 out of 40

Jimmie Allen and Emma Slater. The country singer teared up remembering his life growing up, which helped to inspire his music and rumba. "Great song, Jimmy. Couldn't you feel the undercurrent of passion?" said Tonioli. "That was the first time this season that I felt my heart attach to what you were doing," added Inaba. "You have so much respect for the art form." Score: 27 out of 40

Melora Hardin and Artem Chigvintsev. The gorgeous actress (with a great set of wheels) is suffering from empty nest syndrome, so she was giddy to learn she'd be dancing the rumba to Celine Dion's "All By Myself." "That was very dramatic, sister. I loved it," said Inaba. "You have such a knack for storytelling through your body. It was so well balanced." "Melora, I adora ya," added a cheesy Hough. Score: 27 out of 40

Melanie C and Gleb Savchenko. Sporty Spice grew up just outside of Liverpool, where the Beatles became a thing, so she was loving the idea of dancing the foxtrot to "Here Comes the Sun." And don't look now, but Ringo Starr is wishing her luck! "Don't look down; it shows me you're thinking a little bit," said Hough. "You've never looked lovelier. I really wasn't expecting this," added Tonioli. Score: 30 out of 40

Jojo Siwa and Jenna Johnson. The pro got to see Siwa's sparkle museum and massive candy collection before teaching her the cha cha. So much energy, Jojo! Now tone it down. "More isn't more; you have to contain the energy a little bit," said Hough. Added Goodman, "I just saw my favorite Latin dance of the season." Score: 31 out of 40

Amanda Kloots and Alan Bersten. The co-host from The Talk was angelic in her foxtrot and danced to "It Had to be You" — the song that played at her wedding. (Tear!) "You are a star; that was like watching a Broadway musical all around you," said Inaba. Added Goodman, "I liked it so much; I wanted it to go on longer." Score: 32 out of 40

Suni Lee and Sasha Farber. The gymnast isn't great about showing emotion and teared up when her partner told her not to put too much pressure on herself. But something is working: her cha cha was scheduled last of the night for a reason. "Suni, when you smile, you shine!" said Tonioli. "Imagine yourself being a character. Slinky Suni. Make up a character and play a character. Become someone else in each dance." Score: 28 out of 40

Kove and Chiu were in the bottom two. The judges were unanimous in wanting to save the Bling Empire celeb, so Kove was the first celebrity eliminated by DWTS. "I'm good," he said, simply, to Banks.

Next week is Britney Spears night!

Related content: