Trav's Thoughts

Well gang, it's the penultimate performance show. We have new pairings, two more couple dance routines, and six solos to get through in an hour. Then America votes for the dancers they want to see in the performance finale next week.

Yikes!

We lost one of our favorites last week, and we're pretty worried about Twitch this week.

Tonight's judges are Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy, and Adan Shankman.

And away we go...

Courtney and Mark dance Viennese Waltz by Jason Gilkinson. Woooooooo!! A little David Cook music! And this is an excellent pairing of dancers with style. I've been hard on Mark the last couple of weeks because I haven't connected with him and he's been taking places I thought should go to other dancers. But tonight I did connect with him, and with Courtney. That was a lovely waltz, elegant and classy and romantic. Say 9 for Courtney and 8 for Mark.

Chelsie shows off those fantastic legs in her solo. If was full of ballroom content, balanced near the end with a nice triple turn and split. She's not the strongest solo dancer, but she makes up for it by shining in the pairs dances.

Twitch gives us a ton of personality. That wasn't my favorite solo from him, but he's still my favorite dancer. I'll stick with him. But I think he's in trouble this week.

Katee and Joshua dance contemporary by Tyce Diorio. She is so amazing. This dance showed off his strength and her tremendous athleticism and fearlessness. The choreography suited them both and they brought the story to life. When we watch Joshua, we forget that his specialty is hip hop. He is versatile, and he excels at so many styles. Katee is just genius. That dance was a 10.

Chelsie and Twitch dance Mambo by Tony Meredith and Melanie. Chelsie was fantastic, as expected. This style fits right with her strongest talents. Unfortunately Twitch looks like a club dancer. He works the personality and did his best to hang in with her, and he certainly was there as a partner for Chelsie. It was really tough choreography. But that dance belonged to her. Say 10 for Chelsie and 7 for Twitch.

Katee...we love this girl! She dances with energy and joy and she makes us smile! I think the only time we've seen her make a mistake was in the Pas de Deux she danced with Will, when she wobbled just a bit on a turn.

Joshua reminds us of his hip hop skill. We didn't like his solo last week, but this week he hit it hard. We think he's the best guy on the floor this week.

Courtney and Mark dance jazz by Sonya. The choreography was perfect for Mark's quirky style. This pair really hit the jackpot this week, not only to dance with each other but also with the choreographers who made dances for them. They played the characters so well. Their musicality was outstanding. The interpretation of the theme was tremendous. Great chemistry between them. Excellent performance. That was a 10.

Katee and Joshua dance Paso Doble by Jason Gilikson. That had strength, power, and aggression. We're amazed again at how well Joshua picks up the ballroom styles. They had the character of the dance and it was outstanding. And Katee...again simply brilliant. Another 10.

Courtney shares her wonderful movement, technique, and joy in dance. That might have been her best solo so far.

Mark is just too weird for me as a solo dancer. But his unique style is connecting with voters.

Chelsie and Twitch dance hip hop by Tabitha & Napoleon. That was a really cool concept and it let Twitch get into his specialty. And Chelsie held her own. His personality is his strength. Say 9 for Chelsie and 10 for Twitch.

I thought at the beginning of the season that this could be the year a hip hop dancer could win. I thought that hip hop dancer was going to be Twitch. But now I don't know. Joshua has proven to be consistently more versatile.

But these are three strong ladies, and Katee or Courtney could easily win. I don't count out Chelsie either, although I give a slight edge to the other two gals.

And watch out for Mark...he's got the fanbase and he had a tremendous night, despite that odd solo.

I want to see Twitch dance more. I'm sticking with him.

Check out the results tonight...there's only three more shows to go!