Dancing With The Stars Recap: Did The Right Couple Go Home In Season 35's Second Week?

The second week of a fresh "Dancing With the Stars" season might be the most fascinating week of them all. Immediate frontrunners take a dip in their scores! Dark horses begin to emerge! And in the case of Guillermo Rodriguez, you follow up a brutally low Week 1 score with a standing ovation from Derek Hough.

See? Anything can happen in Week 2, and the second week of Season 35 was no exception. During Tuesday's live broadcast, which featured songs that have gone viral in recent months, early favorites like "Glee" alum Harry Shum Jr. suffered setbacks, while contestants who faded into the background of last week's premiere ("Summer House" star Ciara Miller, for example) proved they shouldn't be counted out just yet. And Week 1 standout Ezra Frech? Well, he only got better, and he should think about clearing some shelf space at home.

Keep scrolling for our full breakdown of the episode's dances and results, then hit the comments with your thoughts on Viral Hits Night!

DANCE STYLE: Jive

We're only two weeks into this stacked season, but Jenna and Val already feel like an odd case to me. They're obviously terrific! Look at Jenna go! And yet... I feel nothing? It could be because we just don't know Jenna well enough yet, or perhaps it feels like she's trying to convince the home audience that she's just as much an amateur as anyone else here, even though she has substantial prior dance experience. Regardless, it's early, and the jive certainly isn't the most emotionally intimate style of the bunch, anyway. But there's a curious disconnect going on here, and I'll be interested to see if Jenna and Val can rectify that.

JUDGES' SCORES: 21 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Tango

Aw, this was fun! Ciara was visibly more relaxed than she was at this time last week, and that newfound ease extended into her performance. She could afford to go even deeper into the movements, though; she probably doesn't realize it, but she's stopping herself right before she gets into the meat of each step. If Ciara finds herself in the finale — and it's very possible she will! — I suspect the flashbacks to her Week 2 performance will look stunningly small in comparison to what she'll be capable of two months from now.

JUDGES' SCORES: 18 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Salsa

Sharna packed this routine with lotsa wild tricks and lotsa shirtless Tyler, which was smart — but only to a point. Once we'd arrived at Tyler's solo "Magic Mike" moment with the crowd, it was clear we weren't going back to traditional salsa content, and that's a shame. Tyler does have the potential to be smooth and sultry in his footwork, but he can only capitalize on that opportunity if it's presented to him. Here's hoping Sharna goes the James Hinchcliffe route with Tyler in future weeks, rather than the Bonner Bolton route. (Remember Bonner Bolton?!)

JUDGES' SCORES: 16 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Tango

Oof, I worry Julia's being a little too hard on herself in this competition thus far, and it's showing in her execution. This tango had a lot of appropriately intense moments for Julia, but at other times, it veered into wooden and super-serious territory. Plus, Julia was visibly frustrated by her and Ezra's scores — which, yes, were a dip from last week's 18, but were still perfectly respectable for a Week 2 showing from a relative novice. Here's hoping Julia's perfectionism becomes an asset rather than an obstacle.

JUDGES' SCORES: 16 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot

Carrie Ann Inaba had almost the exact same reaction as I did to this foxtrot: "Whoa. Improvement!" Given Jackson's slightly frenetic start to the season last week, it was both a massive relief and a pleasant surprise to see him settle so elegantly into this new style. The rounded arms? Those full, deep extensions of the legs? I'd like to see more, please!

JUDGES' SCORES: 18 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Tango

Man, there's nothing I love more on "Dancing With the Stars" than when an offstage goofball takes the onstage moments really seriously, and that's what Connor is doing here. Yes, there was a flurry of footwork mistakes, and that's a bummer. Mere enthusiasm can only take him so far. But did you see the commitment on Connor's face the entire time? Or how he stayed in character for several full seconds after the tango was over, only breaking once Rylee did? The guy seems to have sincere respect for what he's learning each week, and I'm hopeful he'll be given the time to work out those choreography kinks.

JUDGES' SCORES: 15 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Cha-cha

We've found it, folks: the first dance of Season 35 that demands to be watched over and over and over again. It's easy to be awestruck by what Ezra is capable of on his running blade, but it also feels patronizing (to this recapper, anyway) to point it out repeatedly. Instead, I'm going to marvel at Ezra's incredible stank face, his surprising swagger in those hip-hop sequences, and those perfectly synchronized floor spins from him and Daniella at the end of the number. What a blast.

JUDGES' SCORES: 21 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot

Tatyana is so easy to root for, from her upbeat attitude to her marked week-over-week improvement with the choreography. She and Jan seem to have a lovely partnership, too. And all of that, unfortunately, seems ripe for a middle-of-the-pack finish this season. I don't want that! She could be so excellent, if given the chance! But in a cast as massive and talented as this one, I suspect Tatyana will need to deliver more capital-M moments in the coming weeks if she wants to have the longevity she deserves. 

JUDGES' SCORES: 18 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Tango

Hoo boy, this was divine. Divine! Pasha stuffed legitimate content into every second of this tango, and when Amber wasn't in frame, she was whipping through some bonkers twirls and leaps. If she can maintain this momentum in the coming weeks, there's a spot in the finale with her name on it.

JUDGES' SCORES: 21 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Paso doble

You know what? This was kinda great! We're obviously grading on an Andy Richter curve — no disrespect to the People's Princess, of course — but Guillermo pulled off actual paso doble choreography here, and he never cracked a smile or acted like the performance was a joke. That's unironically a massive step up from last week, and more than some previous contestants have managed when faced with a dramatic style like the paso doble. It may have come as a shock that Guillermo stayed in the competition last week after scoring a 10, but this time around, his safety didn't surprise me one bit. (And in case you missed it: Witney Carson walked me through an average week in the life of a "Dancing" pro — and it'll make your head spin.)

JUDGES' SCORES: 12 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Cha-cha

If we're looking at week-over-week improvement, Taylor felt, to me, like the contestant who changed the least. And that's not a bad thing; his premiere routine was pretty darn impressive. But this week, Taylor's performance had almost the exact same ratio of excellent moments to "meh" moments as last week's performance did, and he needed to tip the scales in the excellent direction just a hair. Speaking of hair: Someone, anyone, slick Taylor's back for the live shows!

JUDGES' SCORES: 15 out of 30 (a dip from last week's 16)

DANCE STYLE: Viennese waltz

Two parts of this Viennese waltz felt a little odd: first, that Harry often seemed to be looking up to the ceiling at pivotal moments when he could have been looking at his partner; and second, the cathartic scream that Harry let out halfway through the number, which was powerful, but perhaps misplaced in this particular dance. The rest was lovely, though, and I'm glad to hear Harry welcome even the tough feedback from Carrie Ann.

JUDGES' SCORES: 18 out of 30 (a dip from last week's 21)

DANCE STYLE: Cha-cha

Poor Maura was a nervous wreck ahead of last week's debut performance, but then she crushed it... so of course, she was then handed the closing spot on Tuesday's lineup. No pressure! Maura didn't have any full-blown mistakes in her cha-cha execution, but she was noticeably more timid this time around, and she could have gone a lot bigger with a style this sassy. Much like with Julia Stiles, I sincerely hope Maura can get out of her own way; she's so, so good, but she'll need to believe that herself in order to go the distance.

JUDGES' SCORES: 19 out of 30

DANCE STYLE: Salsa

I'll repeat my sentiment from Premiere Week that I don't think Alan was necessarily helping Giada with some of his hokier choreography flourishes; this time, it was the chef's-kiss gestures on "bella ciao" (pictured above) that we could have done without. But even without those questionable additions, this salsa was rocky, particularly when Giada came out of her lifts and got confused about which foot should start the next sequence.

Plus, it's always tough for the home audience when a post-dance interview is mostly silent and frustrated, as Giada's seemed to be on Tuesday. (Her reaction to Carrie Ann's criticism? "I don't think I have a reaction." C'mon, don't leave Julianne Hough hanging out to dry like that!) I commend Giada's willingness to do something that terrified her, especially at the urging of her daughter, but this ouster was probably the right call.

JUDGES' SCORES: 12 out of 30

Your turn, "Dancing" fans! How do you feel about Giada's elimination? And who most impressed you in Week 2? Tell us below!