Sullivan back in contention

Eamon Sullivan showed a little skin for his second Dancing with the Stars performance and it seems to have paid off.

The former Olympic swimmer finished around the middle of the leaderboard on Channel 7 show's premiere last week but came back fighting in last night's episode.

Sullivan exploded on to the stage in a rock 'n' roll-themed Paso Doble routine with his Kalamunda-raised professional partner Ash-Leigh Hunter, wearing just a leather waistcoat and dress pants.

After making comments on the WA athlete's shirtless physique, the judges all agreed it was an "impressive" performance.

Helen Richey said Sullivan was now a serious contender in the competition, while Kym Johnson said she could see his competitive spirit coming through.

"It was powerful, it was passionate and it had a purpose," she said, before an overall score of 32 out of 40 was revealed.

Coming out on top of the week two leaderboard was Olympic snowboarder Torah Bright - a dramatic change from her debut dance that saw her finish in last place.

The 27-year-old won 35 points for a moving routine that she said channelled her marriage breakdown to US sportsman Jake Welch last year.

Model Ashley Hart recovered from a rehearsal accident at the weekend that left her with a black eye but still failed to conquer the famous Dirty Dancing lift during her performance and she became the first to be booted off the show.