‘DWTS’ Week 2: Ezra Frech’s Striking Cha-Cha Revives Shaky Viral Hits Night

Viral Hits Night of “Dancing With the Stars” saw the celebrities a little shakier after just one week of preparation for the night of competition. Before the premiere episode, the stars have several weeks of rehearsals to prepare their dances, but for Week 2 the pressure was on. Several stars stumbled over their steps and faltered compared to their first week routines. The second year of Viral Hits Night saw a routine from each of the 14 stars to a popular hit of their choice, including “Heated Rivalry” breakout “All the Things She Said,” “Girls” from the “Off Campus” soundtrack and “Animal” by Katseye. The couple with the least amount of combined votes and judges’ scores was sent home at the end of the night. Giada De Laurentiis and her partner Alan Bersten were sent home in the Week Two elimination. Hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough revealed halfway through the show that they had already surpassed the amount of votes from both nights last week. With thirty minutes left in the broadcast, they said they had passed 50 million votes. Jenna Dewan opened the show with high energy kicks and flicks with her jive to “Animal” by Katseye. She and her partner Val Chmerkovskiy took the feedback from Carrie Ann Inaba that their partnership was lacking in Week One and brought the heat for Viral Hits Night. Bruno Tonioli called the performance a “scorcher” and said she did not miss a beat. Inaba commended the actress for her “connected resistance” before giving “The Rookie” star some of the highest scores of the night. “Summer House” star Ciara Miller came back strong after her vulnerable Week One performance. The reality star shared that she knew if she started crying at the judges panel she wouldn’t be able to contain it. This week she performed a tango to “No Broke Boys” by Disco Lines & Tinashe with Brandon Armstrong. Inaba exclaimed that the reality star had “entered the building” this week, and Hough said that overall it was a job well done. Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy in “Dancing With the Stars.” (Disney) Tyler Cameron went back to his “Bachelorette” roots with his sultry salsa to “Girls” by The Kid LAROI. The routine paid homage to Belmont Cameli’s viral dance to the song from “Off Campus.” The routine included one-handed lifts and death-defying drops, but the judges wanted more technique. Derek Hough said it felt more like a cabaret routine than a salsa. Julia Stiles and her partner Ezra Sosa performed an emotional tango to “The Door” by Teddy Swims. Hough wanted to see the movie star take her foot off the brakes with this week’s routine. The “Save the Last Dance” star said he wanted to stay open and vulnerable. Inaba said that Stiles seemed a little stiff in her routine and wanted to see more from the movie star. Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson performed a foxtrot to “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams. Inaba said that the routine was an immense improvement from the baseball player’s routine last week. Olson kicked off the night of competition in Week One and said that he wanted to make Banana Nation proud as the competition went on. Giada De Laurentiis struggled a little bit with her salsa routine with her partner Alan Bersten. Her package showed that she and her partner got overwhelmed in rehearsal this week and both needed patience. Hough wanted more power and commitment from the Food Network personality in her salsa to “Bella Ciao” by Becky G. Inaba said the routine was shaky. Witney Carson and Guillermo Rodriguez in “Dancing With the Stars.” (Disney) More to come… LEADERBOARD: Week 2 Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy: 21 Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach: 21 Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov: 21 Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas: 19 Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong: 18 Jackson Olson & Emma Slater: 18 Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik: 18 Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson: 18 Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess: 16 Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa: 16 Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold: 15 Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart: 15 Giada De Laurentiis & Brandon Armstrong: 12 Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson: 12