Brooke, Warren and Lance are in the finals. And the least surprising semi finals on Dancing with the Stars ended with Cody leaving the ballroom.

 

Watching Cody go home was sad but expected. He had the lowest scores. He was the worst dancer left. He deserved to go home. It’s hard to say that after watching him grow these last months. His paso doble was strong and assured but he was trying too hard. There was a stiffness that took away his usual freedom of movement – the thing that makes his dancing so charming. Cody’s salsa was lacking on technique as he made some obvious missteps. He did manage to make it funny while still being manly. It was a nice way to end his time on the show. We got to see him grow up and this dance was a culmination of the skills he’s learned, both in dance and in life.

 

Scoring almost as low as Cody was Brooke. Her first number was sloppy. Her arms were loose. She looked like she was flailing all over the place. Being Brooke, redemption came with her second round salsa. The fringe on that outfit was flying. The hips, legs, arms all worked in unison. She is a terrific dancer. That one bad dance isn’t going to keep her from winning. In fact, it might help. She’s not perfect all the time and that’s got to count for something in the votes department.

 

Warren could still pull it out but that would be a big upset. Sure, he’s entertaining. Brooke is the real deal.

And he doesn’t have those yummy mummy abs of steel. He did give us an excellent jitterbug in the semis. While he careened across the floor through part of it, he embodied the swing spirit. He managed to get all the steps in with that crazy energy that masquerades all of his technical flaws. Warren’s mambo, though, was boring. It attempted to dazzle but there were few steps. Partner Kym choreographed a piece that showed off Warren’s personality but he barely danced. The fact that he scored so highly (24) speaks to his clowning skills. Not to say he doesn’t deserve his spot in the finals. I almost want him to win because he has truly entertained me every week.

 

Lance is the third place guy going into next week despite the fact that he’s in first place on the leader board. Yes, he got his first ten of the season for his mambo. No, he shouldn’t have. He didn’t have the rhythm going in his hips which means his feet weren’t moving properly. The dance seemed so safe and polite, even the bit with Lacey grabbing his behind. He should have gotten three ‘10’s for his jitterbug though! That’s an impossible dance, made even harder by the fact that he lost a shoe. I’m not sure how he stayed on his feet. It was an impressive before the added degree of difficulty. Still, Lance is not going to win unless ‘Nsync fans care more about voting than I give them credit for.

 

Watching the finals will certainly be a treat. All three celebs earned their spots. That will make for a good night of dancing.

 

Who will win: Brooke

Who should win: Brooke