Cue that theme music!

Posted: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 by Travis Cody in
16



It's the final performance show and it's live from Hollywood!!

Each pair gets to pick their favorite Latin and ballroom dances from the entire season. Click on the names of the dances for links to each performance.

Brooke and Derek select Quickstep as their best ballroom, and Paso Doble as their best Latin.

Lance and Lacey select Tango as their best ballroom, and Mambo as their best Latin.

Warren and Kym select Viennese Waltz as their best ballroom, and the Paso Doble as their best Latin.

We have junior champions now! And the fabulous mini mirror ball trophy goes to Craig and Samantha.


And poor kitty did not have to choose.



Now the competition is on with a group Samba. Brooke and Derek lead off with ambitious choreography - it was a bit too much for us and there's still something off about Brooke that we can't quite put our finger on. Lance and Lacey follow high energy and solid tricks - Lance has improved so much, and the two of them together are clicking at just the right time. Warren and Kym keep the momentum going with one of his best performances of the season - he cleaned up his sloppy footwork and really danced well. And as a group they finish off strong.

That was outstanding!

Judges scores are:

9,9,10 for 28 Brooke and Derek
9,8,9 for 26 Lance and Lacey
9,7,9 for 25 Warren and Kym

Next up is the freestyle round. Anything goes, including lifts and tricks. My favorite freestyles are the ones that incorporate something of the actual ballroom or Latin styles into the choreography, and then push the boundaries in those styles.

Brooke and Derek are up first. The music is from Grease, You're the One that I Want. The choreography is basically Jive and Jitterbug. There were fantastic tricks and great dance steps. They had a terrific mix of actual dance with lifts and throws. I didn't see any missed steps and the lifts looked so effortless. The judges went nutty over it and called it the best freestyle they have seen. It's up there. It was really good. And one of the best things about it was that Brooke didn't sacrifice her technique at all. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30.

Lance and Lacey are next, wearing their Lancey T-shirts. They both should absolutely shine in this freestyle format. They chose a hip hop style, but I don't know the music. We loved the whole thing. It was modern and creative and upbeat. It was accessible hip hop with fun choreography that engaged the crowd. We liked that they threw in a bit of Cha Cha Cha toward the end. That was a good style choice for them, consistent with what they've brought to the ballroom all season. And the performance was solid. Judges say 9's a cross for a total of 27.

Warren and Kym close out the night. Great choice of music...it's Proud Mary, the Ike and Tina version. They went for a show dance full of lots of different ballroom and Latin styles. It was heavy with amazing tricks. They threw in the Tina Turner shimmy several times. The dance was so entertaining and fun, and Kym's choreography really showed off Warren's strengths. It's a shame that the judges have the double standard about technique, but it is what it is. We've got no complaints about that dance...not a one. It was terrific. Judges say 9,10,9 for a total of 28.

Here's the leader board:

58 Brooke and Derek
53 Lance and Lacey
53 Warren and Kym

One pair will be eliminated on the results show, and then the final two will have one more dance for judges' scores, but the voting is now done. My votes went to Lance and Lacey. And in a stunning development, Pam has defected from Brooke and Derek! She also voted for Lance and Lacey.

HA!

We can't predict the winner. We want Lance and Lacey to win. Brooke and Derek have been the most consistent, and are likely to win. But the voters have 50% say in who wins. With that, could Warren and Kym charm and entertain their way to that fabulous mirror ball trophy?

We shall see.

Our plane leaves at 6:04am Tuesday morning, headed south for a Turkey Day celebration with my family. We're very excited, but it does mean that we won't be able to post a recap of the final results show.

We'll be watching though!

We'll be back late Sunday. I'll put together a full and proper recap post sometime next week.

I've got a few posts scheduled for the next several days. We wish you all a grand holiday! We're outta here!

16 comments:

  1. Jan says:

    I always enjoy your recaps for the show! You are right on again. My favs are Brooke and Derek. But like I said before, they are all winners! They have all come such a long way. This has been the most pleasurable season yet for me!
    Have a safe flight and Happy Thanksgiving to you both! Look forward to your final recap! :)

  1. Dianne says:

    You're on the plane right now!! LOL

    Happy Happy Thanksgiving.

    I'll be thinking of you guys as I watch the results tonight.

    I voted for Warren - what can I say, it's just the way I roll.

  1. DrillerAA says:

    Brooke is the best dancer this year. I did like Lance and Lacey's free style, but I gotta go with Brooke and Derek for the mirrored ball.

  1. Cheesy says:
    This comment has been removed by the author.
  1. Thank you for your dedicated dancing reports. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

  1. Cheesy says:

    Safe trip you two! Trav,,I wish many turkey day cupcakes to you!
    [Spelling is not my forte this time of morn]

  1. As you know already the Lancey shirts KILLED me!!

    Give Pam a hug for me and tell her Team Lancey appreciates her support =) And you two enjoy the holiday!

  1. Kanani says:

    Doesn't Lacey remind you of a young Ann-Margret?

  1. Ivanhoe says:

    Cannot wait to see who won :o)
    Have a wonderful Turkey Day and enjoy your time off :o)

  1. Anonymous says:

    Traveling mercies, Travis.~hope

  1. Cherie says:

    I managed to get all my electronic devises coordinated to tape the show last night. Yay! And what a show to see!

    I was really impressed with Warren's Samba. Lance looked too much like he was skipping to me. I have to agree that there was something not quite right with Brooke's, but I can't put my finger on it. I'll have to look at it again.

    But I was completely blown away with Brooke & Derek's freestyle. Just Wow! I thought that the other two were very good too, but they did not affect me in the same way.

    I didn't get to watch it until long after voting closed, but I'm sure that it's anybody's game. They all did so well.

    Hope you have a wonderful trip, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. :)

  1. Linda says:

    Ah good, I wasn't the only one at an airport very early this morning! I hope you and Pam have a fantastic trip and a terrific Thanksgiving full of good food and good memories!

    A very happy Thanksgiving to you!

  1. Akelamalu says:

    Have a safe trip and I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving. x

  1. Had to stop by and read your take. OK, so Lance has improved tremendously and Brooke has been this wunderkind all season...but there is something about Warren and Kym that i just look forward to each week.

    Have a most wonderful holiday my friend.

  1. Julie says:

    Awwww another season done. I made a couple pumpkin CAKE rolls with cream cheese filling while watching the finale. I felt it only right to stay busy so I wouldn't bite my fingernails!

    **sniff**

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