DTWS S027, Week Two, New York Night: Reveling in the Big Apple

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s New York Night on Dancing with the Stars! It starts with this amazing set (and can I just give a shoutout to the incredible team of props and lighting and set design and costume people they have on this show?). New York Night was incredible, and really made you feel like you were in New York.

But it began with New Yorker Val Chmerkovskiy banging on the cab, like he’s Ratso Rizzo. “I’m walkin’ here!” he shouts (something you never hear in LA). As he hits it, our lovely judges (Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Toglieri ) get out, as “On Broadway” starts playing.

(Note our other judge, Len Goodman is driving... as he does.)

Course, it does make me wonder. Does NYC still have cabs? Haven’t Uber and Lyft taken over there like they have here? Ah, too late to wonder about that, it’s already onto the amazing Mandy Moore-choreographed dance.

Val is dancing. He pulls Alan into the frame. It’s four guys dancing. Then Sasha joins in. Now the lacy ladies come out. Some tap guys. The guys get into the cab that Len is driving. Then, they stop at a movie theatre, where a movie about ballet is playing (and the ballerina from the New York City Ballet is actually dancing). Then Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews get out of the cab.

Our lovely stars are lined up in the background. Now, that’s a number!

Erin, btw, is breathtaking in white. She asks Tom: “Are you carsick?” Tom: “A little bit, with Sasha bouncing on the back.”

DeMarcus and Lindsay have a foxtrot, on a NY stoop. They dance to “Boy from New York City.”

Len: “How long did it take you to master that footwork? You nailed that fantastically. You were good last week. You’re better tonight.” Bruno: “You make it look like a stroll in the park. Musicality. If you kick any higher, you’re gonna join the Rockettes.” Carrie Ann: “Style. Elegance and softness. I see a great future for you right here.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)

They just did “On Broadway.” How can they let that pass without mentioning one of the beloved DWTS alums, who is now on Broadway in Kinky Boots? So they Skype into Mark Ballas in NYC. A very nice segment. He tells the couples to take everything moment by moment, “cause it goes so fast.”

One of the best things about this New York Night is the amazing background sets. This one (though you can barely see it in this photo) had a beautiful Statue of Liberty, with fireworks going off in the background. Just lovely.

Artem guided her through this cha cha. But it’s very hard to watch her as an actual competitor. It’s a cool song, “Welcome to New York.”

Bruno: “Respect. You came down the slide. You went on the wrong foot, but you recovered.” Carrie Ann: “This radiance and confidence that came out of you. Artem, you are doing an amazing job.” Len: “Artem, great work. Very clever cha cha cha. A very competent performance.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 18 (out of 30)

A shoutout from the Good Morning, America hosts. Ginger says she misses everyone.

John and Emma are doing a Charleston, which could really be my favorite dance on this show. John, however, thinks it’s hard. In fact, he says it’s “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

He plays a conductor, like at Grand Central Station. There’s a big clock as the backdrop.

He does this crazy move at the end, where he puts Emma behind his head and swings her down. It’s wild. It’s a really fun dance.

Carrie Ann: “That was fantastic. It made me feel like I was watching a show on Broadway. You are the greatest showman.” Len: “You’re on the right track. (Get it? Yuck, yuck.) It was a great improvement over last week. I would’ve liked to see a bit more Charleston in there.” Bruno: “That was a Grand Central spectacular mini musical. That was a first-class ride.”

Tom tells us that tomorrow night is Las Vegas Night. Erin says she loved that dance. She tells Emma: “Amazing choreography.” John says he’s “getting a little more comfortable and closer to my dance partner.”

 JUDGES’ SCORES: 23 (out of 30)

Nancy and Val dance to “Uptown Girl.” He kisses her hand in the middle of the dance. I just love his choreography and his style. So great.

Len: “You looked confident. You did a Fan in a Hockey Stick, which is a step you don’t see very often. (Val smiles.) Full of verve.” Bruno: “My kind of girl. You had a misstep, but you didn’t let it stop the flow of the performance.” Carrie Ann: “As the dance progressed, you really opened up. I thought it was great.”

Nancy has a fractured foot, so Val carries her up to the skybox. (What a gentleman.) Val says he just wants Nancy to have a good time.

 JUDGES’ SCORES: 21 (out of 30)

Tom is sitting in an easy chair. He gives his mic to Jordan and Frankie (the new hosts of Dancing with the Stars: Juniors.) Oh Tom, no one could replace you.

Great Wall Street bumper from the troupe to bring us back.

Tyler Peck from the New York City Ballet (who was in the opening number) FaceTimes in to give Alexis some tips on the ballet part.

Alexis and Alan are actually dancing to Swan Lake. It starts out as a ballet, then becomes an Argentine tango. Quite inspired choreography, actually.

Bruno: “You were prima Argentina. Plus, you threw in a very hard lift. You’ve done a very good job.” Carrie Ann: “The lift and the wardrobe, not so great. Everything else? Perfect. There was so much tension, and that’s what the Argentine tango is all about.” Len: “It was a great mix of precision and passion. It was, without a doubt, for me, the best dance so far.”

 JUDGES’ SCORES: 25 (out of 30)

Alan thanks Ray Chew (music) and the costume department “who works so hard.”

Ryan and Kelly toss to Tom, who says: “Thank you, Regis! (beat) He’ll get me for that.”

“Grocery Store” Joe and Jenna do a “redemption foxtrot,” which basically means he was so bad last week, and couldn't get the steps so much that they had to do the same dance again. Here is the power of social media, though, as Jenna notes. There were six couples in the bottom last week. They were not one of them, even though Joe really struggled with his steps and the judges hated the dance.

However, this week, we have an incredible New York skyline backdrop. They are both in a beautiful shade of blue, and we are definitely in a “New York State of Mind.”



Carrie Ann: “I recognize that this is so challenging for you. Tonight, what I saw is transformation. You had elegance. Much improved.” Len: “You went straight into the dance. Last week, a caterpillar. This week, a butterfly.” Bruno: “Tonight, you started to move. You started to hit some very nice lines.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 17 (out of 30)

Tinashe and Brandon are all up in a New York club, dancing an Argentine tango.



Len: “The lifts were spectacular. You can’t go too far away from the heart of the dance. It lacked a little bit of Argentine tango flavor.” Bruno: “More than that. Futuristic, fantastic. It was like watching Barbarella, landing in the hippest NY club. The lifts were spectacular.” Carrie Ann: “It was a very different type of Argentine tango. It was so sharp and strong. Da bomb.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 (out of 30)

Jesse Tyler Ferguson is walking around, handing out pretzels to everyone. Tom makes the mistake of eating a bite. Ugh. (Prop pretzels.)

Milo and Witney are doing a Charleston in the subway. As you do. Hopping turnstiles (I think that’s a New York thing.) But this dance!

I loved it so much. It was to that song with the refrain: “I’m living in New York City...” (don’t know the title). Minimal sets, but it was so good!!!! I just loved this dance. (I really think I like Charleston the most out of all the dances.)

Bruno: “That was exhilarating. It was like New York itself. It never ceases to amaze me. Fantastic.” Carrie Ann: “What is going on? This is Week Two! This is so good. This week, you blew us out of the water. The choreography was so good, it’s going to be one of those we remember forever. It was amazing.” Len: “You’ve got a lot of Lindy hop in there, a lot of Charleston, both from the Twenties. So much energy there. I gotta say, Tom, the cast this year is fantastic. Great dancing, great personality, great entertainment.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 (out of 30)



A toss back to Good Morning, America, who love New York City Night.

A little Newsies break from the troupe.


Mary Lou and Sasha waltz to “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman” from the Broadway show about Carole King, “Beautiful.” Actual people from the Broadway show are singing it.  To my eyes, this dance seems to have a lot of Viennese waltz flavor to it (rather than waltz).

Carrie Ann: “Halfway through the number, something opened up in you. That is what this journey is about, about letting go. Cause you already can move, girl. You fill the space. But tonight, you filled it, and you opened up your heart even more. It was beautiful.” Len: “It was a lovely, natural performance. It was just a lovely waltz.” Bruno: “Beautiful and inspired. You just let yourself go with the flow. Embracing the music. Embracing the moment.”

Mary Lou describes how Sasha’s been telling her to access the emotion in a song. Erin asks her how it felt. “It was fun!’ she says. She notes that she “felt pretty.” Sasha says: “You are pretty.“ They hug.

JUDGES’ SCORES: 22 (out of 30)

Juan Pablo, in his package: “I went home and researched (Len’s comments from last week: ‘the hunk with the junk in the trunk.’).... I found out it means I have a really big... heart.”

Juan Pablo and Cheryl do a fun quickstep to “42nd Street.” He’s wearing the coolest white tux.

Tom: “I’m loving this night.”

Len: “It was a joyful performance, full of energy, fleet of foot. You’ve got to work on this frame.” Bruno: “This was satisfying. It was a smash hit on 42nd Street. That jump at the end was so Gene Kelly. I love you for that.” Carrie Ann: “One of my new favorite quicksteps. It was very good.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 26 (out of 30)

Evanna and Keo “recreate a fashion show with their samba.” Evanna is so awesome. She is one of my favorite competitors this season, even though Keo is one of my least favorite. She far outshines him. They even get in the hand movements of samba, which normally boggle the judges.

Bruno: “What’s going on there? You’ve got rhythm.” Carrie Ann: “Watch out, lady! The inner core strength. Everything was open, and it was fierce. I didn’t ever expect to call you fierce.” Len: “This is a proper samba. I thought it was terrific.”

Erin: “It was hot. It was fierce.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 24 (out of 30)

Tom: “I’ve been waiting the whole show for this one.”

Bobby Bones and Sharna are foxtrotting to “New York, New York,” because of course they are. It was quite beautiful. A proper foxtrot. Um, until the end, when he did this:

Gotta say. In 27 seasons, I’ve never seen a foxtrot with flossing at the end of it. Poor Sharna. (Although it was quite wonderful in the moment.)

Carrie Ann: “You’re still a little rough around the edges, but you’re so authentically joyous when you dance, and it’s contagious.” Len: “It was full of youthful exuberance. You give it all you’ve got. And you sell it.” Bruno: “It was so brilliantly bonkers. Everyone gave such fantastic performances.”

JUDGES’ SCORES: 20 (out of 30)

Who goes home on this night? No one.



Miche’s Favorites of New York Night
1. Milo and Witney (Charleston)
2. Alexis and Alan (Argentine tango)
3. Juan Pablo and Cheryl (quickstep)
4. Evanna and Keo (samba)
5. Nancy and Val (cha cha)
6. John and Emma (Charleston)
7. Bobby Bones and Sharna (foxtrot)
8. Mary Lou and Sasha (Viennese waltz)
9. Joe and Jenna (foxtrot)
10. Tinashe and Brandon (Argentine tango)
11. DeMarcus and Lindsay (foxtrot)

Who goes home tonight? No one.

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