Trav's Thoughts

Yes, I am a Dancing With the Stars addict. My lady and I are simply hooked on this show. You can call it cheesy and I won't argue with you. But we love it!!

Can you say sexy mambo hip swivels?? Heehee!! My favorite ballroom style dance is the slow waltz - it's an elegant and incredibly romantic dance. My favorite Latin style is mambo and I'd like to learn to dance it at the right tempo. I also love to swing dance, but I'm finding I have to be careful with that one because of my knees.

And the show begins!!

The guys start with Cha Cha Cha...


...while the gals begin with Foxtrot.


Ian Ziering, actor, is paired with Cheryl Burke, World Champion Latin dancer. She's a 2-time champ of this show with partners Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith. Well, if you have any rhythm whatsoever you're gonna dance well with Cheryl. Ian is an excellent partner and for the first dance he did terrific. The judges threw 7's for a total of 21. I'll agree with that.

Paulina Porizkova, model, is paired with Alec Mazo, teacher, choreographer, and season one champion. She's really tall! That was very basic foxtrot - very smooth and more graceful than I expected. She has a long way to go. For ballroom style, her length will work in her favor. The judges threw 6,6,7 for a total of 19. I'll agree with that too.

Billy Ray Cyrus, singer/actor, is paired with Karina Smirnoff, World Champion and 5 time US National Champion. Well, cha cha to country music is interesting. And it wasn't much of a cha cha. Not a total train wreck, but not very good dancing. Judges say 5,4,4 for a total of 13, which might be generous because there was no cha cha in that cha cha.

Leeza Gibbons, talk show host, is paired with Tony Dovolani, World Rhythm Champion. Foxtrot should be smooth and this wasn't. They had all the steps, but Leeza was tight and wooden. Dangit - we like Leeza too. But this wasn't quite up to par. The judges say 5's across for 15. The right score.

Joey Fatone, singer/actor, is paired with Kym Johnson, Australian Dancesport Champion and Survivor Vanuatu castaway. Hip Hop dancing is not ballroom dancing, but he is a performer and he knows how to move. He's also a terrific entertainer. This was a disco cha cha with lots of energy. It had all the elements, it was fun, and they pulled the crowd right in with them. Excellent! The judges gave it 8's across for a total of 24. Yup.

Laila Ali, boxer, is paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, teacher and choreographer. OK...Laila is HAWT y'all!!! She's also paired with a professional who has really pulled the most out of each one of his celebrity partners on the show. This foxtrot was a little more upbeat and sexy. It was fluid and smooth and she's so powerful. Uhm...uhm...uhm...WOW...THUMP! The judges say 7,8,8 for a total of 23. Now that's not quite right after the praise they gave to the dance. I thought it should have been all 8's or maybe two 8's and a 9.

John Ratzenberger, actor/author, is paired with Edyta Sliwinska, Amateur Latin Champion and professional dancer. Cliffy doing the cha cha cha!! Hey, you know what? John replaced another celebrity who had to leave the show, and for only working on that for 2 weeks when all the other celebrities have been training for a month, it was really good! He really sold it and had fun with it. The judges threw 6,5,6 for a total of 17. That's a good score and I'd like to see John stick around for awhile.

Brief interlude - I didn't know there would be a trailer for Pirates 3. Too bad the cast in these films is better than the scripts.

Shanndi Finnessey, Miss USA 2004, is paired with Brian Fortuna, professional dancer. This was another wacky music choice. Who does the foxtrot to The Power of Love? I'm talking Huey Lewis, not Celine. This is a hot, young, and sexy pairing. They had to dance to that music so there were some problems with it, but it was a decent effort. The judges gave it 6,6,7 for a total of 19.

Clyde Drexler, NBA Hall of Fame basketball player, is paired with Elena Grinenko, American Rhythm Champion. Clyde can move but he seemed just to be doing the steps. He seemed a little hunched and kind of apologizing for being so tall. He looked a little embarrassed, which Pam thought was charming. The judges gave it 6,5,5 for a total of 16.

Heather Mills, activist, is paired with Jonathan Roberts, teacher and professional dancer. Whatever you think of her, that took some guts and she danced well. The judges say 6's across for a total of 18.

Apollo Anton Ohno, speed skater, is paired with Julianne Hough, under 21 Latin champion. He's a natural and if he can make enough time to train during his competitive season, he could do very well. He needs to work on technique and posture. Speed skaters are habitually bent over. The judges gave it 7's across for a total of 21.

This is a good group of celebrities. It should be an enjoyable season. Each celebrity gets one more dance next Monday, with the first elimination next Tuesday.

Mambo for the ladies and Quick Step for the fellas next week. Oooooh - mambo!!

Let's dance babies!!