Trav's Thoughts

It's the Final Four live from Hollywood!



Only one week left! Our Final Four must master three dances this week in the semifinal round. There will be two new dances, and then the mysterious "knock out" dance that the pairs have been working on for several weeks.

Also, the celebrities must dance a short solo in each of their Latin dances.

Donny and Kym dance Tango. May I just say this about Kym's gown...YEEEOWZA! Now that's cleavage. Donny had a lot of mistakes in that routine. Unfortunately it was not a WOW performance...well, the cleavage was WOW, but that wasn't really the point of the dance. The dance had potential, but it just didn't work from the beginning. It was completely flat. It started with a wardrobe malfunction and went downhill from there. Pam is very sad. There were no squees, just groans and a little bit of pouting. And then she reached for her phone. Judges say 7's across for a total of 21. Those scores are very generous. I will say that they pushed through the problems, but that had to be so disappointing for them.

Joanna and Derek dance Viennese Waltz. I have said this before, but Derek's choreography impresses me so much. He has made another gorgeous piece here. Joanna overcame most of the things in her dancing that bug me, except for some wonky arms in a couple of spins. And she still doesn't understand how to reach from her arms out through her fingers. Carrie Ann said it...she doesn't seem to know why she is reaching, she just reaches because Derek gives her that move. Other than that, the dance was romantic and beautiful. That's the kind of dance a gentleman should have with his Lady at least once. It was elegant and sophisticated. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Kelly and Louis dance Rumba. Awwwww...one of those precious puppies Kelly had on the show last week, died this week. Wow. The dance was terrific. She didn't have any of those tentative moments. She did exactly what she said she was going to do...she owned that Rumba. She came into her own with that dance. She tells her story with every single performance. She certainly isn't the most technically proficient dancer, and she didn't have the erotic hip action that a truly sensual Rumba has. But she danced confidently and the performance was one of her best even if the technical parts of the dance weren't. Judges say 8's across for a total of 24. As Kelly said herself, it was more of a spiritual Rumba rather than an erotic one...a dance representing the deep friendship that she and Louis have established. What? Of course I'm a romantic like that! Didn't you know?

Mya and Dmitry dance Waltz. Now those are the beautiful arms and complete extensions I love to see. The dance had wonderful rise and fall. It had romance. It had a story. And it was danced so well. I couldn't find anything to complain about. The choreography was artistic and classic. Dmitry's work rivaled Derek's that time. Simply stunning. I have no idea what Carrie Ann was talking about, other than for whatever reason she just has a different standard for Mya. Judges say 9,9,10 for a total of 28. Perhaps a better eye than mine could spot what was less than perfect about the performance. I thought the dance was exquisite and deserving of 10's across.

Here's our leader board after the first dances:

28 Mya and Dmitry
27 Joanna and Derek
24 Kelly and Louis
21 Donny and Kym

Here we go with our next round.

Donny and Kym dance Samba. He's going to have to step it up and get his judges' score a bit closer to the other pairs if that Osmond fanbase is going to have a chance to get him to the finale. Hehehehe...we're dancing Samba to One Bad Apple and he's having a great time. It was an entertaining performance, and I intend to forgive the fact that the Samba elements were a little sloppy. Pam doesn't care either. She had a smile on her face during the whole dance. Samba is a party dance, and that performance was fun. The judges forgave the technical issues too, and that's kind. Judges say 8,9,9 for a total of 26.

Joanna and Derek dance Cha Cha Cha. Wise move to cover up those rubbery legsses with the frilly pants. She's definitely come a long way, but there's still something I don't like in her Latin dancing. She just doesn't finish certain moves. I don't think she made any mistakes in the choreography, and she performed very well. But even so, she leaves me a little cold. I don't know why. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Kelly and Louis dance Quickstep. This one is tough...she needs to carry her confidence through it. Whoa! She's doing it. She's got her feet under her and she's hitting every step, keeping her tempo up. Woops...she did have a little mis-step. But unlike earlier in the season, she recovered and kept going. But even with that small mistake, the performance was outstanding. Wait...I'm having another fatherly moment...way to go baby girl! Judges say 9's across for a total of 27.

Mya and Dmitry dance Salsa. This is a professional dance. There are times when the pros pull my focus, but this time it was Mya who held my eye. Wow. That's one of the best performances I've ever seen on this show. Can we give that 11's across? Dang! It was HAWT y'all! Dmitry outdid himself with that choreography. That was a winning dance right there. Judges say 10's across for a total of 30. Yup yup yup!

And our leader board after the second round:

58 Mya and Dmitry
54 Joanna and Derek
51 Kelly and Louis
47 Donny and Kym

Now the mysterious third round. Each couple selected the music and style for this knock out dance, which is basically the dance they prepared for the dance off weeks just in case they were in the bottom and had to dance to stay in the competition.

Donny and Kym dance Jitterbug. This hasn't really been Donny's night. If he doesn't make the final three, you should all know that this season has been extra special for me because I've been able to watch Pam have so much fun. Jitterbug was a great choice. They finished really strong. The dance was fast and fun and had everything you want in a 45 second performance. This was what he needed to leave the fans with. It allowed him to entertain and show off his personality, and make you forget about the first disappointing dance of the night. That's how a pro leaves 'em wanting more. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. But if I'm being honest, I don't know that he did enough to make the finale.

Joanna and Derek dance Salsa. I didn't like the first Salso they did earlier in the season. I thought she relied too much on wiggling around the stage then. This time she danced for the most part. Unfortunately it looked like she lost the choreography about half way through it, due to another wardrobe malfunction. You'd think the costume folks could fit these dresses a little better. They had some problems with the steps. I didn't enjoy this routine as much as the other two they performed. But again being honest, overall I'd say she had a great night and did more than enough to make the finale. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. I think that's high, but there's a tradition of holding the scores fairly steady in this kind of round in order to let the fans have the greater say in who advances.

Kelly and Louis dance Cha Cha Cha. This was a dance she struggled with earlier in the season. But she has overcome all of the trepidation she started the show with. She didn't have the hip action she needed to really take the dance to another level. But she was perky and fun. Her musicality was excellent. Her technique was terrific. Her footwork was squared away. She made some great lines. Just outstanding. She had a fantastic night and deserves a spot in the finale, as does Louis. He deserves that reward for bringing Kelly so far. Judges say 9's across for a total of 27. Notice the pattern? Everybody is getting the same score to this point...someone would have to fall on their face to score lower than anyone else, or tower above the rest to score higher.

Mya and Dmitry dance Cha Cha Cha. Damn that girl can dance. She's technically excellent and she knows how to perform. My only issue was that I wanted more Cha Cha Cha and a little less gimmick. I can't believe I said that. But it's true! Still, the dancing they did was so good. I've run out of adjectives for Mya's work. She started the season with her focus on footwork and technique, and sometimes her performance with and connection to Dmitry suffered. But with these three dances she put technique and performance together in a fantastic night. Judges say 9,10,10 for a total of 29. Yup...they are on a slightly different level than the rest of the couples. I would be completely shocked if they didn't make the finale.


Here's our final leader board after all three rounds:

87 Mya and Dmitry
81 Joanna and Derek
78 Kelly and Louis
74 Donny and Kym

If we look at the dancing alone, the finals should come down to Mya and Joanna. In fact, that leader board is probably the order they should finish. But you just never know how the fans are going to go.

I supported my gal and cast my 5 votes for Donny. Do you want to know what my girl did? Promise me you won't hold it against her? Promise?

She voted 5 times for Donny on her cell phone. Then she got her work cell and voted 5 times on that too. Then she got my work cell and voted 5 times on it.

Don't tell anybody, k? After all, she's really just that little tween girl at heart, voting for her Teen Beat cover boy. You remember your teenage crushes, don't you? I know I do.

Tune in tonight when we find out the three couples who will advance to next week's finale.