Dancing's Derek Hough: It's Been a Rocky Week

Hey everyone,
Thanks for your votes!
Semifinals! I can't believe the season is almost over. We have the samba and contemporary this week, and I'll be honest, it's been kind of rocky so far. I had a creative block. It's not just a creative block because I am thinking of things, but it's a point where I'm just not satisfied. I want to do something different. I'm not happy with certain things. On Wednesday, I stayed late and I literally tortured myself until we had this breakthrough and ideas started flowing. This tends to happen at least once a season where I hit a creative wall. Any idea I thought of, I didn't like it. It could've been a fantastic idea, but I hated it. I was in this weird place and I kind had to work it out in my mind myself. It was rough start, but it's been worth it because of what we've been through.
Part of what made it tough was our song, "I Want You Back." The original is a great song, but it's also such an overdone song. You're not leaving much to imagination as far as the story, so I felt nailed down to the story. Once I got over that, it's been good. The samba will be more playful with the usual elements. The contemporary is going to be about seeing a picture of your ex or someone you used to be with and reminiscing on that time because now you're out of the picture. I'm really looking forward to that. I think it's going to be great.
Bethany's been great and dealing with my issues really well! I can't stress enough how impressed I've been with her the past few weeks. She totally killed the Viennese waltz and Argentine tango. The luck of the draw gave us two completely different dances, so I was happy everyone got to see how versatile she is in one night.
It may be the semifinals, but I have to start thinking about the finals if we make it. Production needs to clear music, so I have to think about the freestyle. I was like, "Um..." That's made it tough too because I don't like looking ahead like that. I was actually thinking about it the other day, but I literally haven't stopped in 15 months. I've just been doing one thing after another. I had a one-day vacation in the summer. Why is my brain so fried right now? That's probably why! I'm not complaining because I chose to do this and I love it, but I want to make sure that Bethany has the best possible routines and the best possible chance at winning.
I'm not sure how it played on TV, but everyone's reaction to Tommy being safe was amazing. The roar in the ballroom was deafening. I'm not sure if Tommy was like, "Oh, my God! I'm still here!" or "Oh, my God! I have to learn another routine!" He's just an awesome dude. I was fortunate enough to sit in on an interview of his and he's just so fascinating. It's impossible to hate him. He has so much life and energy and joy. It would be so cool if he won it all. He's already said that if he wins, he'll turn the trophy into a bong. Surprise, surprise!
Thanks for reading!
Derek