Dancing With The Stars Recap: Did The Right Couple Go Home On Elvis Night?

Dancing With the Stars' remaining 15 couples slipped on their blue suede dancin' shoes for Monday's episode, which honored the songs of Elvis Presley.

The competition series' tribute to the King of Rock and Roll was divided into three acts, chronicling his early music career, his Hollywood era and, finally, his Vegas years. The homage came about three months after the Austin Butler-led biopic Elvis was first released, and one might think this would give Disney+ the opportunity to plug a film that's now streaming on its platform... but alas, Elvis is instead streaming on HBO Max, which made Monday's theme a bit more curious.

Meanwhile, Joseph Baena and Daniella Karagach's partnership got all shook up this week after Daniella tested positive for COVID ahead of the show. In her absence, newbie troupe member — and reigning So You Think You Can Dance champion — Alexis Warr filled in for Joseph's Viennese waltz, successfully avoiding a live-TV catastrophe.

How did Joseph fare with his new partner? Who improved their week-over-week score by double digits? And which celebrity followed Jason Lewis out of the competition?

Keep scrolling for a recap of the Week 2 performances and results, then drop a comment with your thoughts on the episode!

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to "Trouble")

Jessie's pre-performance package was all about whether she could properly straighten her legs to fit foxtrot form... only for the country singer's legs to be largely hidden by her skirt throughout the number. The irony! On the whole, though, Jessie was much more calm and controlled this time around, and she only seemed to visibly be counting her steps aloud for one short portion of the dance.

JUDGES' SCORE: 25 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to "Hound Dog")

Jordin and Brandon mostly earned raves for their quickstep, but the American Idol winner appeared (to your recapper, at least) to be much more in her head this week than during the premiere. Her missteps were, fortunately, small and fleeting; I only wish Jordin seemed to enjoy those 90 seconds a little more.

JUDGES' SCORE: 27 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Viennese Waltz (to "Heartbreak Hotel")

It's tough to evaluate the male contestants in styles like a Viennese waltz or rumba, which often involve twirling the woman around and making her dress look divine. But even though Sam wasn't able to showcase as much content this week, he brought a lovely grace — and, I'll say it, surprising sex appeal — to this piece.

JUDGES' SCORE: 26 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to "Shake, Rattle and Roll")

Placing a whole car in the middle of the ballroom floor didn't seem to do Shangela and Gleb a ton of favors: Some of their routine felt smaller and more penned-in than it should have, and the pair's timing got a little out of sync about halfway through the routine. All told, though, Shangela is so joyful to watch, and she understands the nuances of how to work a stage and a crowd.

JUDGES' SCORE: 28 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to "King Creole")

Man, I'm excited to see what Daniel can do throughout the season, especially after navigating this intricate and lengthy jive. He brought character and charisma; his side-by-side sections with Britt were largely in sync; and his reliable, sturdy partnering skills were quite remarkable.

JUDGES' SCORE: 29 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Viennese Waltz (to "Can't Help Falling in Love")

The Viennese waltz's many, many twirls led Gabby to feel like she was "lost in space" during rehearsal — but the actual performance was heavenly. I'm hoping, as the season continues, that Gabby gets a bit more comfortable embodying a character; for now, her performance mode is "smile" — and that's cool! But there's room for seriousness and sensuality, too, if Gabby's willing to embrace it.

JUDGES' SCORE: 32 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to "Viva Las Vegas")

This week's award for Most Improved absolutely goes to Vinny, who shook off last week's dismal salsa to deliver a fun, confident quickstep. A 10-point jump in score between weeks? Unheard of!

JUDGES' SCORE: 27 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Quickstep (to "Bossa Nova Baby")

Having covered Dancing With the Stars for several years now, I sense we're in the part of Charli's journey where everything she does dazzles — though as a frontrunner, it's inevitable that the judges will start to hold her to a particularly high standard in the weeks to come. For now, though, it's hard not to be gobsmacked by Charli's talent, especially the ease and elasticity with which she attacks Mark's quirky choreography.

JUDGES' SCORE: 32 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to "Jailhouse Rock")

Selma's willingness to challenge herself in performances — for example, with this week's cartwheel and full freakin' split — remains a joy to observe. When the second chorus of "Jailhouse Rock" hit, Selma lost her timing a smidge, but she maintained the attitude of the piece even as her footwork faltered just a bit.

JUDGES' SCORE: 28 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Viennese Waltz (to "If I Can Dream")

Joseph's last-minute change in dance partner didn't rattle him nearly as much as I would have expected for a Week 2 switcheroo. It's true the footwork wasn't flawless, and Joseph's required face mask took away some of his ability to emote. But the most important parts of this Viennese waltz — namely Joseph's elegance and lyricism — were most certainly there, KN95 or no KN95.

JUDGES' SCORE: 24 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Foxtrot (to "Suspicious Minds")

Heidi looked much, much more at ease with this foxtrot than she did in last week's cha-cha, and she showcased some beautiful lines and extensions. On the heels of some other vastly improved performers, though, I fear Heidi may be falling into the "lovely but forgettable" category of the season — one of the toughest places to be as the stakes get continuously raised.

JUDGES' SCORE: 28 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Rumba (to "Always on My Mind")

I have one word for this rumba, and that word is daaaaayum. The crucial aspect here is the chemistry, and hoo boy, did Trevor and Emma have it. Their connection was magnetic from start to finish — and Trevor's hip rotation! The arms! The willingness to be sexy! I'm so here for it, but not in the creepy way that Bruno seems to be. (Also, Emma and real-life husband Sasha Farber recently split and now have to share the ballroom on Monday nights; I beg Alfonso Ribeiro to spare us the cringe of ever asking about Trevor and Emma's romantic connection again.)

JUDGES' SCORE: 30 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to "Burning Love")

Wayne had warned in his rehearsal package that his knees weren't great; come performance time, there did seem to be some timidness in his kicks and flicks, but Wayne and Witney's jive was one of the only Week 2 routines to include such traditional (and well-executed) jive choreography. The energy was high, Wayne was committed to the character, and they were undeniably the right pair to close the show.

JUDGES' SCORE: 32 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Tango (to "A Little Less Conversation")

Unfortunately, while Vinny Guadagnino became the show's most improved performer, Cheryl became... the opposite. Louis did challenge his partner with more complex choreography this time around, but from the start, Cheryl seemed totally at sea. Her energy was so low that Louis was practically dragging her through some portions, and Cheryl's confusion about the steps, sadly, permeated through the whole number.

JUDGES' SCORE: 21 out of 40

DANCE STYLE: Jive (to "All Shook Up")

This jive was particularly packed with content, and yet Teresa's energy didn't seem to flag much. Objectively, the footwork was messy, especially in her and Pasha's side-by-side sections — but her smile and bounce throughout the number was actually quite delightful to behold. Surprisingly bummed to see her go so soon! (But with Teresa's ouster, my early predictions for Season 31's eliminations remain intact.)

JUDGES' SCORE: 23 out of 40