Trav's Thoughts

Before we get to the good stuff, let me just say this...the new Round Table commercials are disturbing.

But that's not why we're here. Cue that theme music bay-bee!

Tonight our remaining 11 couples dance either Rumba and Paso Doble. They only had 4 days to learn the dances because of the extra performance days last week. That's going to put pressure on the celebrities to really focus and polish up technique and footwork.

Rumba has been called the vertical expression of a horizontal desire, characterized by slow and sensual body shapes. Rumba is sexy and theatrical and dramatic. This is Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis.


Paso Doble is the aggressive dance of the bull fight, characterized by a strong male presence and marching type steps. Paso is fluid with strong three-dimensional shapes, aggressive and intense but controlled. Here is Jonathan Roberts and Anna Trebunskaya.

Let's see how our celebrities do.

Toni and Alec dance Rumba. She danced very well, but her face wasn't very expressive. All the moves were there, but we didn't really feel how sexy that should have been. Alec's choreography was very sensual, but they didn't really convey a desire for each other. She didn't miss a step, but we didn't really feel enough of the dance. And there were two lifts...we didn't think they were that big a deal, but her feet did come off the floor twice and that's a no no. The dance was good, but not the connection between the two of them. Judges say 7,8,8 for a total of 23. I guess we disagree with the judges on the overall performance.

Brooke and Derek dance Paso Doble. That had all the classic Paso elements. She was controlled, almost a bit too controlled because we didn't see the fire and aggression of the dance from her. Derek's choreography was outstanding, and she hung in there with it. But we didn't see the passion. We enjoyed the performance, but we thought there could have been more. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. That's a good score. We did find the dance to be entertaining. Maybe we were just expecting more based on how well she did last week.

Rocco and Karina dance Rumba. We don't like the cooking gimmick at the beginning. Although Pam did say that it's incredibly romantic when a man cooks for a woman. (I made a note, **grin**) But this dance wasn't very sexy or romantic. He was much too stiff. He lost the hip action he had last week in the Mambo. His musicality was non-existant and there wasn't any connection between him and the gorgeous Karina. That wasn't a good effort. Judges say 5,6,5 for a total of 16. I don't know if it was that bad. Rocco has such a positive attitude though. Pam still finds him charming.

Lance and Lacey dance Paso Doble. Len may want them to present traditional styles, but they aren't getting traditional music. Once again they had plenty of competition content. But the one glaring flaw we saw was that Lance wasn't leading with his mid-section. His steps were a bit awkward. Lacey was fantastic. She threw the modern content in combination with the traditional steps, but it was hard to see because of the music. We didn't like that one as much as we enjoyed last week. Lance didn't hold the character of the dance throughout and that's what made the dance suffer a bit. They are still our favorite, but that dance had some problems. Carrie Ann suggested that they chose the music, which is not true. The pairs are given the music each week. Judges say 7,6,7 for a total of 20. Len needs to acknowledge that Lacey is putting proper content in the dances because she is.

Kim and Mark dance Rumba. She looks very innocent when she dances. She's still coming across as nervous and unsure. Mark is doing a good job of dancing around her and trying to hide her issues, but she's just not feeling it. The chemistry between them is non-existent. We think she really can do this, but she's not believing herself. There was nothing sexy about that dance. She does not present this persona that I've been hearing about at all. She's beautiful, but she's not appealing or sexy...at least not from a dancing perspective. Judges say 6,6,5 for a total of 17. That might be generous.

Misty May and Maks dance Paso Doble. The costuming and music only emphasized how physical she is, and we did not find it flattering in a feminine way at all. We like Misty; we think she's pretty and sexy in such a strong way. But this dance was completely unappealing to us. We will say that she was aggressive and dynamic, which is in the character of Paso. The dance was incredibly powerful, but they didn't seem to have much chemistry between them. The choreography was so strong and difficult. But we just didn't find that dance entertaining at all. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Maurice and Cheryl dance Rumba. We love this Rumba choreography. He's much less stiff this week. He had the character of the dance very well. There were some awkward steps, and it did get a bit sloppy. It was better than last week, but he's still got a long way to go. He has all kinds of potential and he's really embracing the styles. But he's just missing a bit. We think he needs to dial it down just a little, pay more attention to Cheryl, and focus on the technique to smooth things out. What he's doing is fine for clubbing, but it's not getting it done for the competition. Judges say 7,6,6 for a total of 19.

Cloris and Corky dance Paso Doble. Cloris is still having fun, but she's focusing on technique as well this time around. Ahhhh...Bolero. Now that's some nice Paso music and she's dancing a true Paso. She's doing a fine job too. That was pretty good. We were worried for her a couple of times because it looked like she was losing her balance in the turns. But Corky was right there and she earned that standing ovation. It was an excellent attempt at a very difficult dance. It was dramatic and she held the character of the dance. We enjoyed the performance. Judges say 5's across for a total of 15. Blucher!

Susan and Tony dance Rumba. Yeah. She was much more comfortable. That was sexy and romantic and elegant. Very classy. They told a story together and she really used her acting skill. She had the technique and the steps, and the performance. This is one of Tony's specialties...his Rumba choreography is almost always excellent. He did a great job of finding his partner's strengths and teaching to them. He did that very well for Susan this week. There was a wonderful mix of the Rumba posing, which we don't care for that much, and real Rumba movement, which we do enjoy. We really appreciated that performance. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. We would have liked to see an 8 in there.

Warren and Kym dance Paso Doble. More pleather, but it looked much more feminine on Kym than it did on Misty. Warren was powerful and strong, but also controlled. He did a good job of leading Kym through it, despite the wardrobe trouble at the end of the dance. That's a big man and he continues to amaze us at how light he is on his feet. The choreography had the aggression and intensity of a true Paso. Bruno said it...big and bold. Kym is doing a fantastic job with Warren. And he is so focused on the footwork. His technique was much better this week. Excellent performance. And he's so proud of those sequins! Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. Maybe there could have been a 9, but that's a good score.

Cody and Julianne dance Rumba. They do have a strong chemistry together. His movements are a little too rough and jerky at times. Rumba is a dance the requires smoothness. He missed a bit of that, but he was a surprisingly strong partner. The dance lacked the sexy hotness of a traditional Rumba, but Carrie Ann was right to point out that the dance was age appropriate. Any parent of a teenager wouldn't have a problem letting their tween girl watch that dance. We enjoyed the performance. There is something endearing about the kid. And of course we love Julianne. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Here's our leader board:

24 Warren and Kym
24 Brooke and Derek
23 Tony and Alec
21 Susan and Tony
21 Cody and Julianne
21 Misty and Maks
20 Lance and Lacey
19 Maurice and Cheryl
17 Kim and Mark
16 Rocco and Karina
15 Cloris and Corky

I voted for Warren & Kym because I really liked that Paso. And I voted for Lance & Lacey because I think they are really struggling to bring a modern flair to the dances, but they are just missing. I love what they are trying, but I'm actually hoping for a ballrooom style next week that they can really hit on all the traditional points.

Pam voted for Warren & Kym and Misty & Maks. She's worried about Lance & Lacey, but we're down to 11 votes this week and she favors Misty over Lance.

Tune in tonight for results.

Later!