Benji Castro Voted Off in Episode 2

Week 2 of Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro began with 10 dancers left competing to join the cast of Dancing With the Stars Season 35. This week, Brandon Armstrong joined Shirley Ballas and Mark Ballas as a guest judge, and he tasked the contestants with showing off their storytelling skills with their performances.

Brandon split the dancers up in to male/female pairs. They had to pick one of their stories to tell with the routines that they choreographed themselves in the style of their choice.

See a full recap of the performances and judges’ comments below, and find out which dancer was eliminated at the end of the night.

Erik Linder and Natalie Jolley

Erik Linder and Natalie Jolley were up first with a Viennese waltz about how dance helped Natalie find her voice and confidence. After Shirley dubbed them both as “timid” last week, and Brandon feared they were struggling to “connect” in rehearsals, there was a lot riding on their performance.

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The hard work paid off, as Shirley said, “Let me tell you, young lady, from last week to this week, you found that confidence and it was absolutely divine to watch. And Erik, you come across as Prince Charming. Every movement that she did, you addressed her, you put her in the right place. Perfect partnering skills.”

Brandon noted the pair’s improvement from the studio to the ballroom and called the performance “top-notch,” while Mark said, “Natalie, from being in the bottom last week, I could tell you were coming for throats this week and I love to see that. Erik, as men on the show, our job is to just be the frame, and you were that tonight. I loved the choreo, I loved the storytelling.”

Benji Castro & Nina Mayster

Benji Castro and Nina Mayster dealt with some struggles in rehearsals as they tried to put together a rumba routine that told the story of her perseverance. He felt he wasn’t being listened to, while she felt he wasn’t giving her enough, and they aired their grievances out in front of the rest of the cast.

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Although Benji apologized to Nina for arguing with her in front of everyone and they started to come together, Brandon still felt like the story they were telling wasn’t clear. “It was disjointed a little bit,” he told them. “It’s hard to tell a story when we’re not extremely clear what story we’re telling.”

Mark pointed out that “part of the job” on DWTS is being able to communicate with the celebrity partner and work together. He urged Nina to “let go of the reigns a little bit” and told Benji to “speak up more.”

Shirley was the most harsh, adding, “It was Nina’s story, but it didn’t envelop anything this man is good at. His highlight was backflips, but does that belong in a rumba? Nina, I think you were the one not listening to when his body came in. It was a disservice to him. Benji, you’re a pretty good dancer, but watching this, it was taken away from you a little bit.”

Stephani Sosa and Tristen Sanders

Tristen Sanders and Stephani Sosa performed a rumba that told the story of how she embraced her roots after growing up in a predominantly white environment.

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Mark called the routine “beautiful” and said, “[Stephani], I loved the drama, throwing yourself into it full force. It’s so important in these styles. Tristen, you didn’t take your eyes off her once. You’re a good partner. Work on technique, but from a storytelling aspect, I loved watching you.”

Shirley added, “Tristen, I loved your attention to detail. Even though there were technical things that were not perfect, you moved from foot to foot. You did not stand there like a prop. The connection between the two of you, this working together, I felt that in the team. I think you did a good job. Well done.”

AJ Pritchard and Selena Hamilton

Selena Hamilton and AJ Pritchard performed a jive that told the story of the sacrifice it took him to win the British Open Dance Championship. Doing another jive was a risk for AJ, who performed the same style in Week 1, and during rehearsals, Selena was a bit overwhelmed by the technique in the dance, while Brandon was worried the story was not clear.

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The risk didn’t seem to pay off for AJ, as Shirley told him she was “confused” by the decision. She pointed out that he did all the same moves as the week before and urged, “You need to come here with some creativity. It will not work in the United States, the same choreography. Having said that, your partnering skills were outstanding. [Selena], I think you ate him for lunch. You are amazing. You don’t miss a beat, you’re on balance, you’re down the camera lens. I felt you did an amazing job.”

Brandon liked the upbeat nature of the dance, but noted that “very few people have reached the heights of winning the British Open Championship,” which also means not many will be able to relate to the performance. Mark added, “It felt like too many slows with this type of song. It comes down to choices. Technically, it was great, it just lacked a little oomph.”

Allen Genkin and Adele Zaikman

The final performance of the night was Allen Genkin and Adele Zaikman’s rumba dedicated to his late mother, who died when he was 15 and always wanted him to be on DWTS. The judges and fellow contestants were left in tears by the routine.

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“I’ll think about this until the day I’m no longer here,” Brandon admitted. “I thought it was amazing.” Mark said he was excited to possibly dance with Adele or next to Allen on DWTS. Shirley concluded, “I got your storytelling. The quality of movement from both of you was outstanding. For me, the best number of the night.”

Who was eliminated on The Next Pro Episode 2?

Benji and Nina were the couple in jeopardy. The judges once again pointed out their communication issues, with Shirley telling Nina to “listen a little bit more,” and Mark warning Benji to “be assertive and speak [his] truth” going forward.

In the end, though, it was Benji who was eliminated, which means Nina lives to dance another day.

Dancing With the Stars: The Next Pro, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC