Trav's Thoughts

It's live from Hollywood!

This week our 5 remaining couples must master two dances, one ballroom and one Latin.

Oh! Something unusual. The show begins with a pro demonstration featuring Dmitry, Kym, Louis, Lacey, Jonathan, and Anna Trebunskaya. Outstanding!

Here we go with the ballrooom round.

Shawn and Mark dance Quickstep. Her incredible body control really helped her in this dance. Mark made a lively dance with lots of Broadway type performance elements. There were a couple of places where Shawn still seemed to be holding back a bit in terms of embracing the joy of the dance and really extending through movements. We thought Mark was over-dancing through some of the choreography to compensate, but then Shawn seemed to relax a bit. Still as fun as the choreography was, Mark broke hold too much. Quickstep should be in hold during the meat of the dance. You can dance separately at the beginning and end only. Dang. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. She might have gotten a 10 based on the judges' comments if they had danced in hold during the middle portion of the dance.

Ty and Chelsie dance Argentine Tango. We enjoyed that. It was strong and passionate. One thing Ty has learned is how to control the dances. He has developed into a strong lead. He really takes care of his partner. And that was a difficult lift in the middle of that dance. He's come a long way. Chelsie makes dances for him that play to his strengths, and those are all about power. Maybe he did step through the choreography instead of gliding, but his frame and posture were solid. It was a good performance. Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25.

Kim and Derek dance Waltz. I've said it before...I want a fairy tale in my Waltz. Part of telling that fairy tale is beautiful arms, and Kim just didn't have them. She looked unsure of herself and very awkward. The dance wasn't smooth or elegant or beautiful. That was really disappointing. She gave it a good try, but it just didn't do the things a Waltz should do. It just wasn't sophisticated. I think she can do that dance in a single dance week. But with two dances, it sure looked like they just did the basics in this one and expected to wow it up in the Latin round. Judges say 8,9,8 for a total of 25.

Gilles and Cheryl dance Foxtrot. We like to see the smooth deep knee bend in a standard Foxtrot and then the extension to full height. It enhances the elegance of the dance by emphasizing the rise and fall. This dance had some of that classic Foxtrot. It also told a little story. The performance was fantastic. There was some disagreement among the judges about the technique...Len wanted more rise and fall with bent knee to straight leg. The other two felt that the performance over-rode any deficiencies in technique. We saw enough rise and fall and loved the performance. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29.

Melissa and Tony dance Viennese Waltz. Melissa must overcome her rib injury and step things up this week. She certainly had the beautiful arm extensions we want to see in a Waltz. Her lines were elegant and simply gorgeous. Stunning. Carrie Ann complained about the lack of torque in Melissa's body, but come on! With bad ribs of course she's going to dance a bit more straight in her upper body, and that's where Tony's choreography comes in to hide it with spins in place of turns. The dance was romantic and as with Gilles, any technical deficiencies were over-shadowed by the performance which was outstanding. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Here's our leader board after ballroom round:

29 Gilles and Cheryl
27 Melissa and Tony
27 Shawn and Mark
25 Ty and Chelsie
25 Kim and Derek

Genya was eliminated last week in the new pro competition. The three remaining dancers will pair with three celebrities from past seasons. Afton will dance with Cody Linley, Anna will dance with Maurice Green, and Mayo will dance with Lisa Rinna.

The pros return with a Latin demonstration. Fantastic!

Now let's get those tiny costumes and dance us some Latin! And each celebrity has a 15 second solo.

Shawn and Mark dance Paso Doble. The aggression of Paso brought out the competitive athlete in Shawn. She was right on this dance. Mark's choreography was innovative and played to her strenths. She was powerful and sharp. That was really impressive. It was dramatic and precise, and technically solid. The movements were crisp. We loved the lines and shapes she made. She had her eye on the prize during that dance. Judges say 10,9,10 for a total of 29.

Ty and Chelsie dance Rumba. Regrettably, Rumba just isn't that ole cowboy's dance. He was still a strong lead for Chelsie, but the hi-light was the little solo at the end where he got to shake it for Jewell. He did his best. He was charming, but the dance just wasn't good enough. He'll need every bit of his fanbase to make it through to the Final Four. Chelsie did a wonderful job this season getting Ty this far in the competition. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21.

Kim and Derek dance Salsa. Her personality is so much fun. This dance was right in her wheelhouse. But you know what? Her musicality seemed off. She enjoyed herself and the performance was terrific. The tricks were amazing. But we thought we saw some flaws in a couple of spots. She can definitely shake it. Still, the steps were off and they didn't dance together as well as they have in previous Latin styles. This wasn't her best night. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Gilles and Cheryl dance Rumba. I've got drool towels and cold water for Pam. Good grief! She's a puddle of goo. They had no need to emphasize what this dance was about with the musical selection of Sexual Healing. Hokey smokes Bulwinkle! The judges didn't seem to like it. But we thought the choreography was terrific and very well performed. It was a dancing Rumba rather than a posing one, which we appreciated. And Cheryl was hot, which was good for me! Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Melissa and Tony dance Samba. Can't complain about a lack of torque in her body with this dance. She had the Samba roll going and the upper body shimmies working. And ooops! She threw in a bit of a wardrobe malfunction at the end. Tony did a great job with the choreography. It was full of content and it was extremely well performed. It was fun and sexy. They definitely captured the flavor of the party dance. I'll go out on a limb and say it was pretty near perfect. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Yup yup!

And the combined leader board looks like this:

57 Melissa and Tony
56 Gilles and Cheryl
56 Shawn and Mark
52 Kim and Derek
46 Ty and Chelsie

Had to commit this week. As much as I enjoy Shawn, all my votes went to Melissa. Pam's votes belong to Gilles.

I have to say that the right Final Four would be Melissa, Gilles, Shawn, and Kim. But I'm not going to count out Ty's fans.

Tune in tonight when we see the next phase of the new pro competition. And we get down to the Final Four.

On a somber note, I voted for David Cook, the 2008 winner of American Idol. This past weekend, his brother Adam died after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 37 years old and leaves behind his wife and two kids.

I know many of my readers have first hand knowledge of this damn disease, either through their own struggles with it or through those of a family member.

Please, if it is within your means, I ask you once more to donate to the various organizations that support cancer research. My personal foundations are the Jimmy V Foundation and the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

I cannot express to you how much I hate cancer.