‘Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro’ Season 1 Episode 2 Live Recap: Who Was Eliminated?

Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro is back for its second week tonight, July 20!

A spin-off of ABC’s hit dance competition, the new show premiered last Monday, July 13, introducing audiences at home to the impressive cast of 12 contestants vying for a spot on Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars. Following a daring show of dance skills, two aspiring pros went home. The field is set to narrow even more this week as the remaining 10 dancers break out their best moves on the ballroom floor. And of course, we’re here to recap everything live for you.

Who was eliminated last week?

Whether you missed last week’s premiere or are just hopping on the dance train now, allow us to catch you up on what you missed before getting into this week! The new competition series, which is hosted by Season 34 winner Robert Irwin, has a simple mission: to find the next pro dancer for Dancing With the Stars. As noted above, 12 contestants began the competition, all moving into one house for the duration of the program.

In the premiere—which was subtitled “The Journey Begins: Technique With Derek Hough”—the dancers were tasked with showcasing their samba and jive skills, with the women tackling the former style and the men assigned the latter. Performing for a panel of expert judges comprising three-time Len Goodman Mirror Ball trophy winner Mark Ballas, Strictly Come Dancing judge (and Mark’s mother) Shirley Ballas and guest judge, the aforementioned Hough, the contestants performed in pairs.

Derek mentored the dancers ahead of their performances, and there were several standouts early on. After all the numbers were completed, the judges convened to select one woman and one man who would be eliminated based on their notes. The bottom two women were Briar and Natalie, while the bottom two men were Tristen and Jake. Ultimately, Briar Nolet and Jake Monreal were the two contestants sent home on the premiere episode. The remaining contestants going into the second week were:

Adele Zaikman
AJ Pritchard
Allen Genkin
Benji Castro
Erik Linder
Natalie Jolley
Nina Mayster
Selena Hamilton
Stephani Sosa
Tristen Sanders

For more even information on the premiere episode, check out our full live recap here!

Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro week 2 live recap

The second episode of the season is subtitled “Stories Without Words: Storytelling With Brandon Armstrong.” After the samba and jive challenged the contestants on their proficiency last time, the second week of competition saw the contestants paired up to perform different styles across the board, including the rumba, Viennese waltz and jive.

To begin, both judges joined the show’s host to chat with the dancers. There, they let them know that to continue in the competition, they’d all need to make a seriously special impression on the panel. They then introduced the mentor and guest judge for the week: the aforementioned Brandon Armstrong, who challenged the contestants to choreograph a dance that represented a “meaningful” story from their life.

Natalie and Erik

Natalie and Erik were up first. They decided to go with Natalie’s story, which was all about finding her confidence through dance. “Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga was their song of choice, and they performed a classic Viennese waltz.

Shirley called the number “absolutely divine to watch” and referred to Erik as “Prince Charming.” Brandon agreed, saying the choreography was “amazing.” Mark concurred, adding that he loved both the choreography and the storytelling, as well as how Erik moved as Natalie’s “frame.”

Nina and Benji

Next up with Nina and Benji. Benji wanted to choreograph a dance he called “a homage to Miami,” while Nina’s goal was to show the judges her personal journey of “perseverance.” Benji agreed to choreograph Nina’s story, but the two butt heads behind the scenes because Benji felt Nina wasn’t listening to him; however, they quickly made up after they both apologized. After practice, the two hit the ballroom floor for a rumba set to “Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles.

Brandon felt that the dance was “disjointed,” while Mark outright asked if anything happened behind the scenes to cause the final number to feel that way. Shirley then commented that Nina’s choreography was a “disservice” to Benji’s strengths, and Mark added that it was a “learning moment” for them both.

Stephani and Tristan

Stephani and Tristan went third, and they aimed to tell similar stories, as both grew up feeling like they needed to conform to fit in while growing up. Tristan ultimately decided to lean more toward Stephani’s story, and they choreographed their number—a samba—to “Dreaming of You” by Selena.

Mark said he loved the “drama” of the routine, calling Tristan a “good partner.” Shirley agreed, applauding Tristan’s attention to detail with the choreography. Brandon loved how they both “showed up” for the number. Overall, they all loved their connection throughout the dance.

Selena and AJ

The penultimate pair for the evening decided to tell AJ’s story for their routine, which he described as being about “winning the British Open Dance Championship.” He chose the jive as a redemption from last week, when he had previously performed the style, and they choreographed the routine to “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars.

Shirley did not like that AJ decided to perform the same dance style a second week in a row, feeling it was repetitive, but applauded Selena’s performance overall. Both Mark and Brandon felt their choice of story was not relatable to viewers, with Mark calling the dance “technically great” but missing that certain something special.

Adele and Allen

Finishing off the sophomore episode of the season, Adele and Allen took to the ballroom floor. Adele wanted to dedicate her dance to her partner, whom she also dances with, while Allen wanted to do something special to represent his late mother’s support over the years. They opted to choreograph Allen’s story, dancing a rumba to “See You Again (Piano)” by Charlie Puth.

When the routine finished, all of the judges were clearly moved. Brandon said he’d think about the dance for as long as he lived, while Mark said he’d be honored to dance on the main show with either of them. Shirley finished judging by adding that the choreography was “one of the most beautiful things [she’d] ever witnessed.”

Who was eliminated this week?

After all of the contestants performed, the couple the judges put at the bottom were Nina and Benji. Ultimately, Benji was the contestant the panel decided to send home for Week 2.

When is the next episode of Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro?

The next episode of Dancing With the Stars: the Next Pro will air on ABC on Monday, July 27, at 8 p.m. ET, and we’ll be back in action with a live recap throughout the night!

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