Trav's Thoughts

Cue that theme music! Live from Hollywood...



We're a little subdued tonight. Earlier today, we saw the news that Misty May Treanor had injured her ankle in rehearsals this week. Although reports denied that she had broken any bones, she did rupture her Achilles tendon and will have to withdraw from the competition.

Dangit! Best of luck to Misty May for a full recovery so she can get back on the beach volleyball tour as soon as possible!



And now the show must go on with our remaining 9 couples.

Tonight our pairs dance either Jive or Waltz.

Jive is rooted in the rhythmic beats of boogie, rock & roll, and swing, characterized by quick flick kicks and ball change movements. Jive is comes from the beats of New York's Harlem. I've got two clips from Maxim Kozhevnikov and Yulia Zagoruychenko. The first one is a short clip to really show you what a proper Jive looks like. The second is a brilliant show Jive from 2006.




Viennese Waltz is my all time favorite ballroom dance. This is an elegant and classic dance characterized by rise and fall, stylish walking and side steps, and smooth body sway. When done properly, Viennese Waltz is the most beautiful and romantic of dances. Please enjoy this charming fairy tale created by Marcus and Karen Hilton.


And for my friend Julie, who will miss Maks, here is a wonderful dance with Mel B. And dear, catch the wardrobe. **wink**


Let's see how our stars do.

Susan and Tony dance Jive. She's approaching the dance so daintily. This is a delightful dance. She's got the flicks down just fine, but she was just so unsure of some of the other steps when she was out of hold. In hold with Tony she was fine. Although she was cute and enjoyable, she was much too tentative. Jive requires energy and bounce throughout. She was missing some of that energy. But that could have had something to do with twisting her ankle just a bit in dress rehearsal. She had the steps. Carrie Ann had the word...Susan was a bit bashful about really letting go with the performance. Tony's choreography was charming for her though. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. We'll agree with that score.

Lance and Lacey dance Viennese Waltz. Apparently 9 out of 10 senior citizens approved this waltz. And so did we! It was strictly traditional, well choreographed, and beautifully danced. We were hoping they would get either the Waltz or Jive so they could go straight traditional or thump it up. This dance was elegant and classy. Len still picked at them for technique issues. It's true that Lance had some problems with the rise and fall...he wasn't as smooth as he could have been. But it was romantic and sweet, and we enjoyed it. Judges say 8,7,7 for a total of 22. Again, we did not like that Len was still picky.

Maurice and Cheryl dance Jive. Loved the energy. This is a great dance for him. He's got such an infectious personality and that really suits this dance. His footwork looks quick and controlled. They still have a bit of trouble with exchanges from move to move, but this was the best we've seen him dance. This had the potential to be wild and frenetic, but it wasn't. It was precise and fun. Cheryl did a great job with the choreography, and Maurice really attacked the dance without losing control. Excellent job. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. He earned that score.

Rocco and Karina dance Viennese Waltz. That was very awkward. What's New Pussycat actually does have a Waltz beat and rhythm to it, so we were fine with the musical choice. But we didn't care for Karina's choices with choreography. The dance was much too cutesy. It wasn't smooth and elegant as we expect a Viennese Waltz to be. Pam hated the costume too...what's up with that silly shirt? There wasn't anything classy about the dance. We have to agree that the musicality wasn't very good. Everybody say "awwwwwww" for Pam because she was a bit disappointed that Rocco didn't do better. There was no squee for that dance. Judges say 7,7,6 for a total of 20. That might be a bit high.

Warren and Kym dance Viennese Waltz. We're amazed every week at how light on his feet Warren is. That's a 300lb defensive tackle skimming across the dance floor. His rise and fall had some trouble early, but he pulled it together and by the end he really had it. That dance was romantic, classy, elegant and we loved it. He is engaging and pulls everyone into the dance with him. They told a romantic story together and we bought it. Judges say 9,8,8 for a total of 25. We actually expected a couple of 9's.

Cody and Julianne dance Jive. And we're jiving to Call Me the Breeze. Uhm...could we have the singers NOT do that again please? That was some tough choreography. Part of my problem with this dance is that the music actually wasn't fast enough. The steps were intricate, but they seemed to want to get ahead of the music in places. We enjoyed the dance and we thought they hit everything pretty well. We would have liked to see more flicks and kicks. It kind of devloved into a country & western dance instead of a Jive. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. The first half of the dance was better than the latter half.

Toni and Alec dance Viennese Waltz. Oh we love the music! The contrast is terrific. And they did the same basic lift as they did last week in the Rumba, but this week she kept her foot on the floor. That was so well choreographed. Well done Alec. The whole story was outstanding. But unfortunately, Len put on his cranky pants and loaned a pair to Bruno. We didn't think that was gimmicky at all. We thought the risk paid off. All of the classic Waltz elements were there and well performed. We definitely appreciated that dance. It was dramatic and elegant in a modern way that really worked. Judges say 8,7,7 for a total of 22. That should have been 8's across. I could see the lower scores if they hadn't danced well, but they did.

Cloris and Corky dance Jive. Oh boy. The judges told her they missed the funny. We have no words because we can't stop laughing. We just can't critique that dance. It's wrong to make an 82 year old woman dance the Jive. She did her best and made it so silly. And then she took a little victory walk around the ballroom, and told the judges that she wanted 1's for her score. Bruno called it beyond comprehension. It was totally hilarious. Judges say 6,5,5 for a total of 16. We've enjoyed Ms Leachman, but that was just too much to ask her to do that dance. I would have loved to see her Waltz with Corky.

Brooke and Derek dance Viennese Waltz. They got into a bit of a spat in rehearsals this week. But at the end of the day, Derek is an expert at choregoraphing this style of dance. His Waltzes are routinely excellent. This was no exception. Brooke was beautiful and elegant and romantic. Best dance of the night. Simply stunning. Her lines were so good. They told a story between them and that's what a good Viennese Waltz should always do. Bruno had the words I was looking for...lyrical and dazzling. Yup. Judges say 9,10,9 for a total of 28. There's the first 10 of the season from Len, and it was well deserved.

Misty is in the ballroom with crutches and a cast on her leg. They showed the injury and it was gruesome. You could hear the pop of the Achilles rupturing. GAH. She's had a PCL reconstruction in the past...that's the posterior cruciate ligament in the knee. So she's no stranger to injury. She's having surgery on the Achilles today, and she says that she had planned to take some time off from the beach volleyball tour this winter and doesn't expect the injury to impact her continued career on the beach. She's a tremendous athlete and she knows how to rehab. Good for her! She says when she gets healthy, she and Maks will come back and do the Jive.

Here's our leader board:

28 Brooke and Derek
25 Warren and Kym
24 Maurice and Cheryl
22 Toni and Alec
22 Lance and Lacey
21 Susan and Tony
21 Cody and Julianne
20 Rocco and Karina
16 Cloris and Corky

Well gang, it's such a shame about Misty's injury. But now I'm wondering if they'll pull a sneaky and not elminate anyone tonight on the results show. Hmmmmm...we wonders, yes precious we does.

Pam chose to split votes once more this week. She voted 5 times for Brooke & Derek and 4 times for Warren & Kym. I also split, with 5 votes to Warren & Kym and 4 votes to Lance & Lacey.

Tune into the results tonight. On the east coast, the show will air prior to the second Presidential debate so be sure to check your local listings. On the west coast, results will air at the usual time of 9pm.

Later gang!