Trav's Thoughts

Are you ready? There's a lot. Pace yourself.

Here we go.

In comments, Katherine said "...basically I think you've been in love with Marie for twenty years...and you are not the only one..."

Who knew? I certainly did not expect to become so nostalgic that I would pretty much ignore superior dancing skill in favor of the entertainment value of a cheesy vaudeville performer who makes me smile.

By the way...my infatuation with Marie goes back thirty years!

I was actually a little distressed when I read Katherine's comment. I know that wasn't her intent...she was making an observation that should have been clear to anyone reading these reviews over the last several weeks.

But then Pam said, "Babe, people call this a dance competition. And it is. But there are no careers at stake here. There's no huge money prize going to someone who has been training at dance since they were three years old and looking for their big break in the business. It's a bunch of celebrities getting the chance to take dance class from master professionals. And then they dance for our entertainment every week. It's fun and if Marie makes you happy, then dial that number."

Well there you go! Permission!

But then I read that Maks said that he would stake his reputation, and so would any other pro, that “there’s no way Marie can win this show.” He goes on to say...

"People are going to vote for their favorite whether the favorite [can] barely move or their favorite is an amazing dancer,” Chmerkovskiy said. “I love what Marie is about, I love what she represents. She is an amazing woman, amazing family, amazing story and she keeps adding to that story but this is a dance show.”

What a whiny baby.

OK gang...encores. Pam and I picked the dances from Monday's performance finale that we thought were best for each pair.

For Mel and Maks, we thought their Cha Cha Cha was technically outstanding. As we said in our recap post, we think they are the best couple and that she is the best dancer of all the celebrities. Maks is a fantastic teacher and he usually brings out the best in his partner. We thought he let Mel down just a little bit as he out-danced her, but over the course of the season they were the best pair.



For Marie and Jonathan, we thought their Samba was entertaining and charming. That is what the two of them have been all season. She danced for her fans. She had some great moments with her Foxtrot, Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, and Paso Doble. I couldn't find a short clip of Monday's Samba, so scroll through to about 2:09 for the dance.



For Helio and Julianne, we thought they took some tremendous risks and did some really amazing lifts in their freestyle. Although none of the lifts was perfectly executed and the entire dance seemed a little disjointed, it still had all kinds of energy. Helio's strength all season has been his charm. It was in full force during this dance.



Alrighty then. Let's cue up that theme music and find out who gets the dazzling mirror ball trophy this season. Settle in now...it's two hours.



Here's the leader board after Monday's performances:

55 Mel
54 Helio
46 Marie

It's Celine Dion in the ballroom singing My Heart Will Go On, which could be the sappiest movie theme song of all time. Don't get me wrong...we like the song. But you must admit that you can actually get cavities just by listening to it.

Hey Matt! Cheryl had this gorgeous green backless number. And Vinny! Did you see the shoes???

The pros, as ever, beautiful dancing. In fact, let's have an encore with some of those pros shall we?



Yeah! Woooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Ruh roh. It's time for the first elimination. The third place finishers are...Marie and Jonathan. So now Maks' reputation is intact. And this is the right thing. We enjoyed her so much this season. Here is her wonderful Paso Doble.



Josie and Alec return with their only dance before being eliminated.

Now we're having giggle fits to the silly videos of the three final couples.

And now it's the return of Albert and Anna.

Wayne and Cheryl return, but Wayne will be unable to dance due to a health issue. Matty, this is for you...two time winning pro Cheryl Burke.



Floyd and Karina also won't be dancing. He's preparing for his fight on Dec 8 so he needs to stay focused and healthy for that.

Mark and Kym perform their Foxtrot. We actually enjoyed this when they performed it the first time, and we liked it again this time.

Pam and I are doing a lot of smiling, remembering how much we enjoyed this season.

Sabrina and Mark perform the Cha Cha Cha from the first week. This dance blew us away and we really thought she would make the final. But, as we discovered with Marie, it takes a combination of dancing and fans to get all the way through. But they really were fantastic. The best dance they had together was on the results show last week, dancing to Avril Lavigne.



Oh oh oh oh!! It's Ms Jane and Tony with their Viennese Waltz! Hehehehehehehe. Tony really did lift her that time on the spin. Bite me Carrie Ann!



We're loving the recap videos. But Cameron and Edyta are back to do the ridiculous Superman Paso Doble. This was our least favorite dance of the season. Oh for Pete's sake! Cameron just took off his shirt and gave it to Samantha. Sheesh. Pam needs a moment because now Cam is sitting there with a tuxedo jacket and vest but no shirt.



The photo is from Google Images and I posted it because Pam told me to.

Let's just settle down now!

Is everyone ok to continue? I mean really! Pull yourselves together. First it's Cheryl in a backless dress, then it's the shoes, now it's Cameron with no shirt.

Alright...let's move on.

Jennie and Derek are back performing their Mambo. Some have said she should have advanced to the finale instead of Marie. Maybe so. Jennie was certainly the most improved dancer this season.

Pam and I are hoping both Derek Hough and Mark Ballas Jr return next season. Both of them bring energy and outstanding youthful choreography to the ballroom.

Oh that's right! Dancing with the Stars has been nominated for a People's Choice Award.

Celine Dion is back now. I read today that she is very interested in dancing on the show. I was chatting with Julie earlier and she asked me what celebrities I'd like to see next season. I drew a blank, but then I thought of something. Pam and I will be going through some withdrawals from the show, so maybe we'll pose the question in a future post. Name the celebrities you'd like to see dance next season.

Vinny...I'm telling ya...the shoes. Did you see Celine's shoes??? Oh. My. THUMP!

Mel and Helio both get to perform their favorite dance of the season for judges' scores, and then we'll finally know who gets the dazzling mirror ball trophy. And this time they get to do lifts if they want and throw in all the tricks that will fit in 90 seconds.


First up, Mel and Maks dancing Mambo. Yeeeowsa! They chose to do the same dance as the did during competition, but they did it with more energy and fire and passion. It was hot and fast and outstanding, and they didn't bother mucking it up with any new tricks. Her technique has continued to improve all season. She is truly the best dancer of the celebrities, and with Maks they make the best team. Now the question is, did they get enough of the fans? Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Of course it was perfect! And we really thought it was.


Now it's Helio and Julianne dancing Quickstep. We loved that dance the first time, and we loved it again. They decided not to change up with lifts or tricks either. Why mess with perfection? That was so much fun! The footwork was precise and fast and the choreography was so difficult. He is just so charming and he has learned so much. Plus he has learned how to entertain. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. What? You didn't think the judges would rock the boat at this stage, did you????

Here is the final judges' leader board after 15 dances for our two finalists:

85 Mel
84 Helio

It might as well be tied.

Well gang. The moment of truth is upon us. Thank you for indulging me every Tuesday and Wednesday for the last couple of months. I would have done this even if nobody was reading. But I do appreciate everyone who has commented and shared the fun with me.

And now we get ready to finish off our final post for this season.

The dazzling mirror ball trophy goes to...Helio and Julianne!!


The photo is from ABC Television.

Julianne joins Cheryl as a back to back champion! We do feel bad for Mel and Maks.

We are so keyed up!

Thanks again for hanging with us and our silly obsession.

Later babies!