Trav's Thoughts

I'm struggling with shoulder pain again...stoopid wonky weather! I got most of the post put together when I got home from work yesterday, but I needed to get my arm elevated.

Since the show must go on, Pam typed the recap for me so I could ice my shoulder.

So I say cue that theme music!



I must give you encores!

We were so pleased with Marissa and Tony Monday night. We've always thought of Tony as quite the diva...he's very talented and he knows it. When you retire as the undefeated American Rhythm Champion, I guess you really are all that and a sequined shirt. But this season he genuinely seems to be enjoying his work with Marissa. And there's no doubt that he has helped her to become a capable dancer. More than capable...on Monday she danced an outstanding Tango.


Mr Cranky-Pants Len seemed to have a burr in his fur about Kristi. Well, all the judges got a little picky with her Waltz, which Pam and I thought was beautiful and romantic. And we will give Len the benefit with his comments about the hip hop during the Cha Cha Cha...he's consistent with his disapproval. But there was no need to drop the score down to an 8 on what really could have been a perfect 30 dance. It had all the basic Cha Cha elements, contemporary choreography, side by side synchronized Cha Cha, and a bit of cheeky hip hop thrown in. Here it is...you be the judge.


The dance of the night was the Quick Step from Jason and Edyta. We can't rave enough about this dance! From the leap at the beginning, through the smooth fast pace, to the tossing of the judges' papers, to the handstand at the end...the dance had it all and should have been scored a perfect 30. Mr Cranky-Pants strikes again.


Hi! It's me Pam. Now let's get some results, shall we?

First, the judges have decided that the Quick Step from Jason and Edyta is deserving of the encore. And we agree!

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

55 Jason & Edyta
54 Kristi & Mark
52 Marissa & Tony
51 Mario & Karina
51 Shannon & Derek
46 Cristian & Cheryl

The judges say that the couples can do one lift next week, as long as it is in character with the dance. Excellent! This group is ready for it.

Oh! Who's safe? It's Kristi & Mark. Outstanding!

This is actually more difficult than it looks. I don't know how Travis does this so fast every week. I can hardly keep up!

Oh no! Dance Center is back with Kenny Mayne. We hate this feature.

Who would have ever thought that Def Leppard would perform on Dancing with the Stars. But here they are, with Pour Some Sugar On Me accompanied by Tony, Anna, Mark, Cheryl, Louis, and Karina. Geeez...it would have been nice if they'd performed it live instead of lip sync-ing.

It's half way through the show, and they still haven't reported on Cristian's injury. He's there on the stage with Cheryl.

Next Tuesday is the 100th celebration show at 8pm. No! It's opposite the show that shall remain nameless. We'll have to channel flip so we don't miss David Cook. The judges will count down the top 100 dances in the history of the show. Then at 9pm, the remaining couples will dance. Tom rattled off a bunch of special guests, but I couldn't listen and type fast enough! So you'll have to be surprised next week right along with us!

No more Kenny Mayne! Why can't we have more ballroom kids????

Ooops! I almost missed the announcement that Mario and Karina are safe. Slow down!

Def Leppard returns with Nine Lives from their new CD, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. OH! They are accompanied by Jose DeCamps and Joanna Zacharewicz, the reigning American Rhythm champions. They are so good! Too bad again that DL used pre-taped music. This clip is from America's Ballroom Challenge.


Now they are finally talking to Cristian about the injury and it turns out to be pretty serious...he ruptured a tendon in his bicep. He'll have to have surgery, but the doctors said they can postpone it. If he has been saved by the voters, Cristian says he wants to try and continue.

Here's the rest of the results now. Cristian and Cheryl will get a chance to try that injury as they have been saved. But Marissa and Tony are in the bottom two. Jason and Edyta are safe, putting Shannon and Derek in the bottom two.

Marissa & Tony are safe, so Shannon & Derek are out.



This blogging thing is tougher than it looks. Thanks for putting up with me!

David Cook update...We were hoping he would make it to Top 5 and he has. And he was outstanding again this week, taking two lesser known Neil Diamond songs and making them sound as though they were written this year. The first one is good, the second one is great.






The premier is May 22! YAY!

Special thanks to my Lady for typing the DWTS recap part of this post. She did good!

Thank you Babe!