'Dancing With the Stars' Couples Bring Sexiness and Class to New York City Night in Week 2

For being the second week of competition, we saw some truly amazing performances tonight, and almost universal improvement from everyone who took the stage.

Going into the second night of Week 2, here's where the stars stand on the leader board.

Tinashe & Brandon -- 26

Milo & Witney -- 26

Juan Pablo and Cheryl -- 26

Alexis & Alan -- 25

DeMarcus & Lindsay -- 24

Evanna & Keo -- 24

John & Emma -- 23

May Lou & Sasha -- 22

Nancy & Val -- 21

Bobby & Sharna -- 20

Danelle & Artem -- 18

Joe & Jenna -- 17

Setting aside the random introduction by Ryan Seacrest and Kelly Ripa (which felt weirdly out of place), Bobby and Sharna hit the stage for the second time -- this time channeling the class and charm of Frank Sinatra (instead of the madness of an insane cat hopped up on caffeine like the first night).

They did an elegant foxtrot set to Sinatra's "New York New York" that was all the timelessness and grace. Until the end, when Bobby decided to randomly just do the floss like a maniac, much to Sharna's embarrassment.

The bizarre dance at the end confused the hell out of the judges, and it seemingly may have impacted their scores. Especially with Len giving them a paltry '6'. The pair ended up with a 20 out of 30.

The Harry Potter star isn't content to just turn to the popular well of magic for her routine, and she clearly wants to challenge herself in ways she's never done before.

For their steamy Samba, set to "Can’t Touch It" by Ricki-Lee, Evanna brought some real sexiness in a short, white retro-futuristic dress and, as Carrie Ann phrased it best, she was just "fierce."

Len praised Keo for letting Evanna's skills speak for themselves, and Keo had nothing but love for her when they joined Erin on the balcony, telling her how proud he is of her dedication.

It should be mentioned how much Keo also shined in a white-and-black ensemble that allowed him to show off his impressive abs. Not a bad way to kick up the heat for their second dance.

Their fancy footwork earned them a score of 24 out of 30 -- not the highest of the night but definitely up there and a massive improvement over their first outing.

Juan Pablo in a white tux and tails? This dance started off great and just got better.

There's a definite chemistry between Juan Pablo and Cheryl, but it's hard to tell if it's a contentious relationship or one in which they just challenge each other, but either way it worked wonders for their routine.

Moving with speed and style while dancing the quickstep, set to "42nd Street" by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Juan Pablo showed that, even when doing a dance with more structure and rules, he knows how to move.

Bruno even compared Juan Pablo's style to Gene Kelly's and Carrie Ann said it was one of her favorite quicksteps in recent memory.

The pair earned a 26 out of 30 for their impressive routine, making it a three-way tie for the top spot. 

Mary Lou's dance with Sasha was set to a very special performance by Sarah Bockel -- star of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical -- singing "A Natural Woman."

While Mary Lou and Sasha's waltz was beautiful -- and she looked stunning in a dark red gown -- the live performance stole the spotlight.

However, the anthemic classic tune seemed to inspire the former Olympic gymnast to up her game during their routine, and the judges felt that shift in confidence and loved it.

The pair earned a score of 22 out of 30, which places them toward the middle of the pack tonight.

Did you guys know Milo starred in Disney's Zombies? They really want to make sure people know.

But luckily, their Charleston, set to "Living in New York City" by Robin Thicke, didn't have anything to do with that. They danced in a subway set and set the rails on fire with their incredible set.

Carrie Ann couldn't believe that this was a Week 2 performance, and she could hardly contain herself as she showered the pair with effusive praise.

The pair joined Erin (and the other contestants) on the balcony, where the 17-year-old star (some might argue ringer) was energetic beyond belief.

And his enthusiasm just got crazier when the judges awarded them a 26 out of 30 -- tying them with Tinashe and Brandon.

I get having to incorporate advertisements for other ABC shows, but having Jesse Tyler Ferguson come on to give out pretzels to promote the return of Modern Family was just incredibly confusing.

At least Tom made it funny when he took a bite of the prop pretzel and admitted it was terrible. Sort of a metaphor for the entire bit, really.

When Tinashe and her partner Brandon -- a first-time pro -- hit the stage, it was clear they were trying to up the sexy factor, but their dance also felt the farthest from the New York City theme of any couple this season.

The pair's Argentine Tango, set to "New Dorp. New York" by SBTRKT feat. Ezra Koenig, was supposed to evoke the feeling of being in a nightclub in the Big Apple. Bruno described the routine best as "Barbarella landing in the hippest, coolest, New York high-tech club."

However, for Len, the dance didn't have enough Argentina in its tango, even though Carrie Ann liked it (despite the lifts, and she hates lifts like nobody's business).

The couple earned the highest score of the night so far with a 26 out of 30, with the only '8' coming from Len.

Last week, Joe -- who somehow survived elimination due to his enormous Bachelor following -- kicked their dance off by meeting in a grocery store.

This week, for their Foxtrot set to "New York State of Mind" by Matt Beilis, they toned things down and made things classier by taking things slower (intentionally) and gave it a grace that was lacking the first time around.

However, just because there was an improvement doesn't improve Joe's chances at taking home the Mirrorball trophy, but he might just make it much farther than even he expected.

The pair earned a disappointing 17 out of 30 which, while low, is still a four-point improvement over their premiere performance.

Alexis took to the stage with Alan for a stunning Black Swan-inspired Argentine tango set to "Swan Lake," performed by Ray Chew Live.

Alexis brought some of her brilliant ballet background and incorporated it into a beautiful performance that allowed her to rock a tutu on stage.

Despite the fact that the tutu got a little stuck in the moment when Alan was supposed to rip it off, there was no denying that Alexis has incredible stage presence and knows how to move.

The couple earned the first '9' of the season from Len Goodman (of all people!?) and earned a score of 25 out of 30, putting them at the top of the leader board.

Jordan, a former DWTS champ, and Frankie, who came in third during the same season of the show, are serving as hosts of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors when it kicks off next week.

So, to get some practice in, Tom Bergeron kicked back in a leather chair and gave the young pair a chance to get some hosting practice in by throwing the show to a commercial.

Not sure if it proved anything, but their charming energy just keeps making DWTS: Juniors seem like it's going to be a real fun time.

Last week, the Facts of Life star was in the bottom two, so she had a lot riding on her dance this week, and her injured feet aren't helping.

In the pre-taped package, it was revealed that Nancy's foot is fractured from an old injury, however she didn't let that keep her from taking the stage for a fun, charming Cha Cha set to Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" that oozed a Breakfast at Tiffany's charm.

Nancy was clearly in pain as walked over to the judges' table, but she had a broad smile on her face as the panel of judges praised her confidence and improved footwork.

The pair earned a score of 21 out of 30 for their efforts.

It will be interesting to see how Nancy's foot injury impacts her ability to compete as the season gets more challenging and the schedule gets more grueling. 

Also, just a quick note about Val: Let's get him in an awesome leather jacket every week. He just looks too cool.

The Dukes of Hazzard star get in the big city spirit for his second dance of the season. John and Emma busted out an impressive and technically competent Charleston set to "New York’s My Home" by Sammy Davis Jr.

With a big clock projected on the back wall and John rocking a train conductor's uniform, they recreated Grand Central Terminal through the lens of Broadway grandeur, and the judges all agreed that it was a big improvement over his previous offering.

The judges had nothing but praise for their routine -- especially for John's impressive high-kicking ability, and awarded the pair a 23 out of 30.

The score is an enormous improvement over the meager 18 they got last time, and puts them one step below DeMarcus, who absolutely slayed the first dance of the night.
 

Danelle and Artem took to the stage with a graceful, elegant style for their beautiful Cha Cha set to Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York," and the paralympian shinned in a shimmering patina green gown that evoked Lady Libery herself, making it a wonderfully New York dance.

Danelle -- who was also super sick all week to the point of needed to get an IV -- did mess up one of the first big steps, but recovered beautifully and finished up with class and confidence.

The pair earned a lackluster score of 18 out of 30, but that's certainly nothing to scoff at considering the hurdles both she and Artem had to overcome just getting the dance on it's feet.

"Take it step by step, take it week by week," the former DWTS pro told the couples as he Skyped in from New York, where he's starring in Kinky Boots on Broadway.

You've got to admit, without Ballas, there's been a serious lack of terrifying costumes in recent weeks, and that's a real shame.

After their amazing foxtrot, DeMarcus and Lindsay spoke with co-host Erin Andrews on the DWTS balcony, and he revealed that, between his commitments and his coaching requirements, DeMarcus managed to learn that whole dance in just about two days!?

That's insane, and feels like the mark of a real frontrunner, for sure.

After shining in their debut performance -- so much so that they were asked to repeat their dance during the second night of the premiere -- DeMarcus and Lindsay were the first to hit the dance floor tonight, and they set the bar pretty high.

The pair hit the dance floor for their foxtrot set to "Boy From New York City" by The Manhattan Transfer, and it had all the retro '50s NYC charm you could hope for from a fun opening routine.

The slower, more graceful performance was a far cry from the wild, larger-than-life number DeMarcus pulled off during the premiere, but it proved that the graceful former footballer definitely has range when it comes to his ballroom skills.

Len was the first judge to give feedback and he was effusive with his praise for DeMarcus' footwork, while Bruno compared his stylish kicking to the Rockettes.

Needless to say, the pair earned an impressive score of 24 out of 30 -- which is a real high bar to clear for the rest of the couples.

Tonight's show is all about the beauty, the history and the regal elegance of the Big Apple, and the pros kicked things off just right with a classy, over-the-top musical group number set to "On Broadway."

The routine was choreographed by the show's own Emmy-winning Mandy Moore and featured Tiler Peck, a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet.

At the end of last week's two-night season premiere, five couples found themselves on the chopping block, and the bottom two pairs were Nikki Glaser and Gleb Savchenko alongside Nancy McKeon and Val Chmerkovskiy.

Ultimately, Nikki and Gleb got the axe, narrowing the field of competition down to the 12 stars dancing tonight.

From the first-week first-looks, it would seem that Tinashe and first-time pro Brandon Armstrong are the season's frontrunners, neck and neck with former NFL star DeMarcus Ware and 12-season pro Lindsay Arnold.