Trav's Thoughts

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, major hostilities in World War 1 ended with the signing of the Armistice.

Thank you to all of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and members of the US Coast Guard for their service and sacrifice. May you all be safe today, and in all the tomorrows of your service. And if you must make the ultimate sacrifice, may you go to your rest with the humble thanks of a grateful nation and her citizens.

Thank you for the freedom to engage in frivolity.



Now let's cue that theme music because it's live from Hollywood and we're only two weeks away from the finale! Last night we had our remaining five couples performing two dances each, with a bit of solo in the Latin round.

The ballroom round is first.

Cody and Edyta (still dancing for Julianne) dance Foxtrot. The problem we have with Cody is that he isn't smooth and graceful with his movement in the ballroom dances. And he was awkward again in that Foxtrot. His feet are heavy and he just falls short in his attempts to be elegant. Part of that is his age. We did not care for that dance and evidently our opinion is wildly different from the judges. Carrie Ann spotted a lift. We didn't see it. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. I hesitate to say the score is too high. He didn't miss any steps and the choreography was classic Foxtrot.

Brooke and Derek dance Tango. Is it possible that a dance can be very good, but not enjoyable? That dance was very good, but I didn't like it. Pam gave it a WOOOO, but I didn't care for it. I didn't like her body lines or posture. I thought there were problems with her footwork. I don't think it was "riddled with mistakes" like Mr Cranky Pants said, but I just didn't enjoy it. Judges say 10,8,10 for a total of 28. I'm sorry...that dance was not perfect. Even Pam agrees. She enjoyed it, but saw footwork trouble and some poor posture. She thought 9's across.

Maurice and Cheryl dance Quickstep. This must be technically precise with proper posture and footwork. He looks very elegant and he is much more relaxed than we've seen him in ballroom styles. That wasn't bad. He held his frame for the most part and he didn't miss any steps. The dance was classy and refined. He held his energy all the way through the dance, and that helped with his performance. The dance was complete and there really was very little to pick apart. Well done! Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. We think he earned at least one 9 for that performance.

Lance and Lacey dance Foxtrot. That was also a classic Foxtrot. We saw fewer issues with Lance's footwork. We saw no issues with his posture and frame. The dance was elegant with a dash of cheek. And since they've solved many of those issues with footwork and posture, they can work on entertaining. The dance was so well made. The performance was outstanding. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26. We've been frustrated with Len many times in the past, but he's taking it to a new level with Lance and Lacey. That dance should have been 9's across.

Warren and Kym dance Tango. Ahhhh. This is much better than last week. He is in character. He's got his feet right. His posture is good. And with all that squared away, the charm is back in the performance. That was fantastic! The big man got his mojo going on! Wow! He was a strong lead, in control of the dance throughout. Outstanding. And big props to Kym for helping Warren focus after a bad week and for making an excellent dance that showed off his skills. Judges say 10,9,9 for a total of 28. I don't know about the 10, but it was a great performance.

Here's our leader board after the ballroom round:

28 Warren and Kym
28 Brooke and Derek
26 Lance and Lacey
24 Maurice and Cheryl
24 Cody and Edyta

Next up, the Latin round. And each star has a 15 second solo.

Cody and Edyta dance Mambo. He's still having trouble connecting his feet to his legs to his hips. He just isn't smooth putting multiple steps together, and that gives the dances a jerky quality that just isn't appealing. But that Mambo was better than some of his earlier Latin efforts. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. Props to Edyta for stepping in for Julianne. She did a great job. If Cody returns next week, Julianne will be back to dance.

Brooke and Derek dance Mambo. Now that's Mambo! Extended and exaggerated hip swivels. Lots of turns and shimmies. We've got no complaints with this dance. Excellent job with classic Mambo, very difficult choreography. It was fun and sexy and totally HAWT. There were a few issues with posture, but they didn't detract much from the performance. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Maurice and Cheryl dance Paso Doble. Lousy music. He did well with the cape, which wasn't really dancing during the 15 second solo. He had the aggressive intensity of the dance, but he didn't hold his posture well enough in his upper body. He was great with his lower body and his footwork. It was a good performance, but it wasn't among the best dances. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24.

Lance and Lacey Samba. The solo was a bit weak without much Samba content, although he did pull the crowd onto the floor with him. That comes from playing huge arenas during his N'Sync days. But we loved the choreography in the rest of the dance. It had the bounce it needed and it was quite intricate with classic Samba elements. The music irritated us after awhile, but we really enjoyed that dance. Judges say 8,7,9 for a total of 24. We get that Lance is pidgeon-toed and bow-legged, but Len is simply determined not to like this pair if he can find the slightest thing to pick at.

Warren and Kym dance Jive. There's that 300lb defensive lineman bouncing around the floor. He didn't have the best technique, but we had the most fun watching him dance! And he had a great time too. That was way too much fun! The solo was right on the edge of being out of control. Kym made a great dance for him, although it really was not good technically. We did enjoy the performance though. Judges say 9,8,9 for a total of 26. There's your double standard. Warren entertained in a dance with poor technique, and was rewarded for performance over precision.

And our final leader board of the night looks like this:

55 Brooke and Derek
54 Warren and Kym
50 Lance and Lacey
48 Maurice and Cheryl
48 Cody and Edyta

I'm still with Lance and Lacey. They got all 5 of my votes. Pam stuck with Brooke and Derek.

Hurrah! Lacey's big brother Benji joins her tonight on the results show! Benji Schwimmer won season two of So You Think You Can Dance. If you've read this blog for awhile, you'll know he's one of my favorite performers across all seasons of all the dance shows I watch.

And check it out...John Legend will be in the ballroom.

We'll be down to the Final Four after results. Just two more weeks and we'll have a winner of the fabulous mirror ball trophy!