Dancing with the Stars week 2 power rankings: It’s a low roll for DeMarcus Ware

Top tier

4. Alexis Ren and Alan Bersten (25; 24)

Working on the small stage in the middle of the floor, Alexis Ren pulled out a club-style salsa where she dropped into a full split at the end (and also got to mime spanking Alan Bersten earlier in the routine). Her pre-dance video showed her having some issues getting into it — but then the music started, and she was in it to win it. Although Len had one call-out on the last lift (and Carrie Ann echoed it), Bruno had nothing but praises for her.

In her critique, Carrie Ann noted that this season is not easy, and it’s showing in how hard it is to place everyone. However, she didn’t meet her score of night one, so she’s at the top of the middle tier.

T2. Juan Pablo Di Pace and Cheryl Burke (26; 26)

Tonally, his Vegas foxtrot was much more … appropriate to the climate of Vegas … to say the least than the theater number from his New York quickstep. (He had an open shirt for this one.) However, the same fluidity that he put on display on night one was right there on night two. Len called him out on his frame again, but much less roughly this time.

He didn’t have much room to improve from night one to night two, and meeting last night’s scores, along with the general skill he showed with his first shot at ballroom is enough to keep him right in the top tier.

T2. Tinashe and Brandon Armstrong (26; 26)

Tinashe, as revealed in her pre-dance video, is a big Britney Spears enthusiast. It showed, but she still brought the cha cha flavor. It was clean and gorgeous, and she didn’t look out of place next to her partner when the music broke down. “It’s another knockout performance,” Len said simply, before challenging them to “shock me.” Here’s the thing: he disputed his own criticism by noting she hasn’t had a ballroom style yet.

So, she’s got a challenge with that, yes, but for now, she’s consistently high-scoring.

1. Milo Manheim and Witney Carson (26; 26)

With the blessing of Céline Dion herself, Milo Manheim put on his serious face for a tango. Did his frame perhaps need a touch of work? Yes, but he had some great choreography to work with (his rear was sticking out, as Len told him). However, more important was that was no faffing about, to borrow a Len-ism. “So focused, so powerful!” Bruno said.

In fact, he even got Bruno and Carrie Ann to go into mimicking the movements and Len to jokingly leave the table. As with Juan Pablo, he didn’t have room to really improve, but his challenge was to show that he could tone it down.

He hit that.

Got any strong opinions on our power rankings? Let us know in the comments below.