Olympic Champion Evan Lysacek impressed the judges in his second week of competition on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Performing a jive set to Avril Lavigne’s “Best Damn Thing,” Lysacek and partner Anna Trebunskaya scored an eight from each of the three judges, bringing his two week total to 47 points of 60.

With the first elimination taking place tonight, Lysacek looks to have his spot secured.

Here is how three figure skating bloggers called the action:

Aaron Harris,
Axels, Loops, and Spins

“Tonight, I thought Evan’s Jive was fantastic. In the first dance of the season, I thought he was a bit reserved and disconnected but tonight he looked energized and full of spunk.  Evan is so tall and you would think he would have posture issues doing this dance but he didn’t at all which was nice to see.  I also loved how he played with the audience and really brought them into he and Anna’s dance. ”

Score: I give Evan a 9 out of 10.”

Best: “As great as Evan was, I still think he’s being slightly outshined by Nicole Scherzinger who was clearly the best on the night.”

Worst: “For me, the biggest disappointment was Chad Ochocinco who is not living up to his potential.”

Dave Lease,
Aunt Joyce’s Ice Cream Stand

“From Evan’s skating, we knew that he likes to use his limbs to full advantage. The Jive is the dance to put them to use and boy did Evan ever. There are times when it is still a bit awkward, but Anna gets natural emotion out of Evan that would make Lori Nichol jealous. Fiery Russian diva choreographers are working for Evan, but the pink socks are not. In terms of the real contestants, Evan is the best. Evan is actually improving every week, able to use as much hair gel as he wishes, and is actually showing some impressive moves. Unfortunately, we will likely have to wait until he is flying back and forth with Stars On Ice to hear about his superior work ethic.

Score: “Evan earns a legitimate 8 for last night. Like the International Judges’ PCS scores, the DWTS judges like to keep the marks in a three point range, but most of the contestants deserve 3s and 4s.”

Best: “Nicole Scherzinger gets a 10 for her dance, but she is a dancer who ‘sings’ like the Spice Girls were manufactured media personalities who ‘sang’.”

Worst: “Kate Gosselin may have given a performance that made Monica Seles look like Kristi Yamaguchi. Score: 1.”

Peter Murray,
Blazing Blades

“Week two of Dancing With The Stars once again showcased a wide range of potential from a most diverse cast of stars. Olympic Champion Evan Lysacek is most pleasant surprise for me. His showmanship and rhythm is far more adaptable to the dance floor than I originally imagined it would. He and Anna are jelling quickly and he should be around for many weeks. I agree with the show’s judges that his feet are clunky (but suspect that comes from how he performs in skating boots). Point your toes Champ.

Score: “I feel 8′s to be the correct scores for his efforts with the Jive. He is not going to dominate like the other Olympic Champions before him – his competition is much stiffer.”

Best: “The best of the night for me was Nicole Scherzinger with her amazing Jive. My favorite however was, forgive me for my age, Pamela Anderson’s recreation of the glitz and glamor of Marilyn Monroe. She nailed it and brought back a flood of memories for me.”

Worst: “The worst his week hands down was Edward (Buzz) Aldrin. Gotta give this 80 year old much credit for hoofing it in front of the nation. Kudos Buzz! Who is likely to be voted off? Buzz.  Who may be voted off? Chad Ochocinco. Who would I like to see voted off? Kate ‘I just don’t get it’ Gosselin. Kate you can’t skate and you sure as hell can’t dance. On top of that you’re no damn celebrity! You’re no damn celebrity.”

Also weighing in on the action were some guest judges who follow Figure Skaters Online on Twitter:

Maria (aka_special_k)

“Evan Lysacek’s performance tonight was sure footed, sharp, bouncy and fun.  However it seemed to lack a spark, that ‘je ne sais quoi’.  Without that “spark” it will be hard to beat the sex appeal of Nicole Scherzinger and Pam Anderson and even the charm and humor of Niecy Nash.  Evan seems like the Rachel Flatt of DWTS this season, as he is a steady and reliable competitor but is just missing something ‘special’.  This can change of course as Evan improves and if Anna can bring more interesting and creative choreography ala Derek Hough.  My score: 9.”

Heather (hmcdorman)

“Evan and Anna took on the jive for their second dance of the season posing as the “greaser” and his chick. In contrast to last week’s waltz where Evan’s height was an elegant asset, in the frenetic jive it seemed to be a little more of a distraction. On the plus side, he is completely comfortable on stage and truly looked like he was having a great time. Overall, it was performed with high energy, good connections, and a great deal of confidence. Once he gets those feet under control he will give Nicole a real run for the mirror-ball trophy! Week Two Score: 8.”

Tara

“Week two is in the books and boy did the stars come out tonight! For Evan and Anna, it was the Jive. Evan’s “greased lightning” look brought back memories of his far-too-short-lived Grease long program from 2005. I won’t lie, I was a bit nervous about this dance. The jive is a dance I either love or hate because if it’s not done well, it’s just a mess. Fortunately for Team Evanna, it was fantastic! Evan surpassed my expectations, once again using his long limbs to his advantage by creating lines like no one else in the competition. Plus, their energy was the best of the night by far. Great choreography from Anna and hard work from Evan, and it was (in my totally unbiased opinion…) the best of the night. I say 10s on week two is jumping the gun, so I give Team Evanna’s jive a 9.”

Katrina (wagrobanite)

“Evan’s performance to night was good and he showed improvement from last week. He had good extension, good kicks, flicks, and flacks. He had a good connection with Anna, which the judges criticized him for last week. I don’t think the Jive his dance though either, but compared to last week it did fit him better. The judges praised him on improvement and the only major thing that needed to work on was learning to point his feet, which as a figure skater is hard to do. Also, he needed to lay off the spray tan just a bit this week. I give him an 8.”

Jana

“In a tweet Monday, Evan Lysacek described his character for the jive as a punk greaser and the description was spot on right down to his bright pink socks. He was fully in character and had a lot of energy for the up-tempo dance. Evan had great musicality, as judge Carrie Ann Inaba would say, keeping perfectly in time with the music throughout. There was a great connection with the audience, both in the crowd and at home. The judges rewarded Evan and Anna with a 24 out of 30 which was a one point improvement from the week prior putting them close to them top of the leaderboard. It was a really fun, light-hearted dance that I think let viewers see more of Evan’s personality more than they usually could from a skating program. I’d give him an 8 out of 10 overall for the performance. It will be a joy to keep watching him grow as a dancer as the competition continues; so keep voting!”

Natasha (Tashsparkles)

“Evan was wonderful last night. I give him a nine! Often the jive looks silly, but Evan and Anna looked tres cool! I’m also impressed with Evan’s ability to handle both styles of dance, smooth and rhythm. I can’t wait to see what he brings next week.”

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