Trav's Thoughts

I'm such a dance geek!

It's semi-finals night on Dancing with the Stars! So cue that theme music babies!



In the last two seasons, the dancers have been so closely matched that the judges have found a way to make the scores very close so that the fans have as much chance to influence the outcome as possible. One wonders if such will be the case tonight.

Let's face it, Marie is not dancing as well as Helio or Mel or Jennie. I'm pleased that she has made it this far, but at this point I must make a commitment to vote for the best dances.

Don't I?

We shall see.

It's pairs' choice tonight. Each couple has an opportunity to select a dance from an earlier round to repeat. They can either select something they didn't do well and try to improve it. Or they may choose a dance they did well and hope to do it as well or better.

First up, it's the Ballroom round.


Marie and Jonathan choose Quickstep. They really worked on technique and it shows. This dance really suits her. The music allows her to be cheeky with her performance and get away with it. The choreography was spunky and more difficult than they've had in a few weeks. We really enjoyed that. That was probably her best dance of the season. Y'all know I'm looking for a reason to vote for Marie, dontcha? Len says he thought it was perfect. Bruno praised the content. Carrie Ann says Marie upped her game. Judges say 10,10,9 for a total of 29. Dang that Bruno!


Mel and Maks choose Viennes Waltz. We are waltzing to Queen. I must say...Maks is a brilliant choreographer. We were mesmerized by the dance he made. That was fantastic. The music didn't matter because the dance was so well put together and so exquisitely performed. And the split walks they did...amazing! Bruno called it the Ferrari of Viennese Waltzes. Carrie Ann got chills. Len said it was absolutely fabulous. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Yup.


Jennie and Derek choose Tango. We don't like this music. We prefer the first time she danced Tango. We didn't like the choreography this time and we had to mute the music. That's really an unfortunate thing to happen in the semi-finals. We expected better music. Carrie Ann called her focused, but said chemistry was missing. Len said there was chemistry and vibrance, passion, and energy. Bruno called her Jennie the Red Menace and praised the choreography. Judges say 9,10,9 for a total of 28. The 10 was too high.


Helio and Julianne choose Foxtrot. The last man standing. Perfect music. That was so charming and so well performed. Ooops. We thought we saw a mis-step. The dance showed off everything we like about Helio. But we also thought it started better than it finished. We don't think it was perfect. Len said it was fantastic and beautiful. Bruno called him a wizard. Carrie Ann said he has put polish on his technique. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. We loved the dance, but we still thought we saw a mis-step and do not believe that dance was perfect.

But I've been watching this show since the first season and I understand the scoring.

Next up is Latin round, with master class from Len Goodman. He works with Marie on her hips, Helio on his feet, Jennie on her arms, and Mel on not looking down.


Marie and Jonathan choose Mambo. More cheeky performance. But she's also dancing complicated choreography and tricks and doing them well. She's got the hips going too. And the great big finish is a dive into the Osmond clan! Hehehehehehehehe. Say what you want...we loved it! Bruno called it dizzingly madcap and frenetic. Carrie Ann called it fantastic and full of content. Len praised the hip action and loved watching her perform. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. Yup. She's not the best dancer but she's a great entertainer.


Mel and Maks choose Paso Doble. Now we're doing Paso to the Stones. We didn't enjoy that as well as the first one. They were late getting on the floor so it started a little frenetic. It was certainly powerful and dramatic. They fell over on the final pose. Carrie Ann said they topped perfection. Len said they repeated perfection. Bruno said the precision and sharpness makes her a star. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. We don't think it was perfect...it can't be perfect when you fall on your ass at the end of it.


Jennie and Derek choose Cha Cha Cha. We're doing the Cha Cha Cha to Mustang Sally. It worked well with that music thanks to Derek's choreography. The performance was sexy and engaging. She had the energy and the steps and the technique. Most outstanding. She really looked like she enjoyed it. Len said she was fantastic. Bruno said she got the star power. Carrie Ann raved over it. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Dang Bruno cheated Marie out of her perfect 30 but gave it to Jennie. I'm not saying she didn't deserve it, but dammit!


Helio and Julianne choose Cha Cha Cha. More odd music. Have I said that enough tonight? But we really enjoyed it because of his charm and energy. The performance was really good, from technique to difficult choreography to great chemistry between the two of them. Bruno called it eye-popping and vibrant. Carrie Ann called him a star. Len said they were the stand out couple for the night. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Yup.

Here's the leader board:

60 Mel
60 Helio
58 Jennie
56 Marie

Yes, we have complained about the music for the last several weeks. Sorry about that. But as my friend Julie said earlier during chat, she's not a technical expert. She relies on the music to help her enjoy the dance. So do we.

But we really did enjoy this show. We always love the semi-finals because the judges are much less harsh and rarely criticize. Sure, they over-inflate the scores. But they have graded the couples close enough so that the fans will decide who advances.

OK. Let's get down to cases. What do you think I did? Did I vote for the celebrity with the best performances? Well? What do you think?

I can tell you that Pam voted for Helio. She has liked him since the beginning. She enjoyed Mel and really does want a Lady to win this time. But she went with the dances she enjoyed most.

I could have voted for Helio too, because I thought he was fantastic despite the little mis-step I saw during his Foxtrot. I could have voted for Mel, because she and Maks were incredible despite some really atrocious music. I certainly could have voted for Jennie, because she's come such a long way and had a great night.

Nah! I voted for Marie! Not just for spite either. I voted for her because she made me smile and I enjoyed her energy and performance. She had fun dancing and I had fun watching her.

Vote for some encores y'all! And check out results tonight!