Strictly 17 A little bit of Honesty

B4p wrote:Tango - Erin's doing choreography corner on ITT tomorrow

Ah, thanks for that B4p, I'll tune in to that.

fab B4p! Loved E,rin on SCD

Sid wrote:

I felt like when Charlotte was saved tonight, her lips were mouthing "Thank you" but her eyes were screaming "I hate you, voters!"

And now you've made me howl!!!

HAving looked at it again, I think my first reaction was right - all skirt and hair but no stability.  And she looks SO scared - one can't enjoy her experience with her because she seems to enjoy it as much as root canal treatment with no pain relief.

And I agree with the comparison with Ruth and A.nton and how they handled their critiscism.  Ruth has lost her frozen rabbit look and one can enjoy her dancing with her (even though she has a long way to go technically).  And they both joked about the criticism, even though I'm sure Ruth has probably taken at least some of it to heart. A.nton came over as protective but kept it light and un-awkward.  Brenda its a bit OVER protective if you ask me - Charlotte isn't a recently-bereaved Bambi, she is a very strong and sucessful woman who just needs to work on her core and balance. And that is how it should be presented to her by Brenda- it's no biggy; nothing that can't be addressed.  As it is, it's blown out of all proportion and now it's 'the judges are really mean to poor little Bambi...' and it's become a thing.  But it's not.  It's really not.

TANGOLERO wrote:

I'd love him to improve C.C, because I feel he's genuine, but somehow I doubt he has the grace factor to do that. His dancing is a bit "lumpy", more Captain Hook than Peter Pan if you will. Running at the camera he looked almost like somebody trying to catch the last train to San Fenando....sort of...Mind you, that purple turnip outfit they gave him didn't exactly do him any favours. I hope he gets a couple of weeks, but ....

We might see the start of a dance- off 'bounce'  vote this week - depending on how he copes with his next routine?

Really looking forward to E rin on ITT tonight - but I guess that Choreography Corner has been squeezed back into one night already

I'm thinking (hoping) we'll see some dance improvement that will make a clearer picture by the time this week's over. They must all at least be thinking dance, dance timing and dance music by now (surely?). If they treat it just a s weekly lessons to be learned and a new hurdle to clear, then no real dancers will step up. Aston and co from Ringers Anonymus, will obviously have realised this, but oh for another Tom Chambers, Austin Healey or Mark Ramprakash ( or female equivalents) to stride forth and look like it's the music motivating them and not the audience (did I really just say that?). Ah, well, we shall soon see.

TANGOLERO wrote:I'm thinking (hoping) we'll see some dance improvement that will make a clearer picture by the time this week's over. They must all at least be thinking dance, dance timing and dance music by now (surely?). If they treat it just a s weekly lessons to be learned and a new hurdle to clear, then no real dancers will step up. Aston and co from Ringers Anonymus, will obviously have realised this, but oh for another Tom Chambers, Austin Healey or Mark Ramprakash ( or female equivalents) to stride forth and look like it's the music motivating them and not the audience (did I really just say that?). Ah, well, we shall soon see.  

Joe McFadden perhaps???

I agree - now that the first few weeks are over - let's see who's stepping up to the plate.................

As my opinion affects nothing, I reserve the right to disagree with the judges occasionally, well, perhaps a bit more than that.

Debbie and Gio. Cha cha. Clean and tidy, dance class stuff and nothing startling. I felt Debbie strolled he way though it. Maybe it was those two vampire bats perched on her eyelashes? Marks pretty much what I expected she'd get. 6,6,7,8..27.

Brian and Amy. I thought he really tried and was good entertainment whilst showing improvement in his dancing and his enjoyment. C raig's 4 showing who he's shepherding towards the exit. Not right or fair. Judge people on the night, not on personal like or dislike (as if) .4,6,6,5..21.

Mollie and A.J. "Salsa"  it said on the tin, and salsa they did. Lively and rythmic (helped by the music of course) with good and impressive lifts. More that anything else, they danced a salsa and looked like they were enjoying it, not just going through the motions. 6,7,7,7. 27.

Davood and Nadia. Dramatic and enjoyable V.W. Surprised me with the good dramatic choreograpy and good dancing. C'raig 2 marks less than 2 other judges makes him appear more a comedien than a shrewd judge. Get a grip C raig. 6,7,8,8. 29

Charlotte and Brendan, Jive. Oh dear Brendan.Not really giving Charlotte much chance with that silly choreography. She started out okay, but faded somewhat. 4,5,5,5. 19.

Joe and Katiya. Decent routine,, well danced but a bit spoiled by Joe looking all over the place, camera and audience aware.
5,7,6,6..24.

Ruth and A nton and a big rant coming up. The marking on this seemed almost pre-arranged. They had a great piece of music in the "Bond" ( group, not James) instrumental for an atmospheric Tango, danced it really well and got four sixes. 24 total and four less than they deserved. Where were the faults ? Darcy claimed they won't get good music like that every week so need to improve generally? What exactly does that mean? Are they being marked on that tango or a group examination for popularity, or a good music score...or what? I won't repeat what I remarked at the end. It wasn't judge complimentary, believe me. 6,6,6,6. 24. C raig, who always marks low gave then 6.....so did everyone else. Not liking this.

Aston and Jannette. 7.8.8.9...32. As expected, very good, very professional quickstep, very predictable.

Simon and Karen. Samba. Copacabana. I've supported Simon as best I could, but he looked like Karen had just grabbed him up out of the audience for a bit of fun. Real dad dancing. As Silver tongued Italian Stallion said, "More Benidorm than Brazil" Poor. 4,5,5,5 19. Only five marks less than Ruth and A nton for an awful effort. Sorry Simon, but that has "exit" all over it.

Gemma and Aljaz. Burn the sand Paso. I hate what they do to Paso music, but the dancing was brilliant. Not for nothing do I think Aljaz the best male pro. Well done Gemma, And C raig loved it.....8,9,9,9..35. Well earned.

Alexandra and Gorka. What can you say? Tina Turner lives. Frantic Jive to Proud Mary and the marks tell the tale. Bit early for 10,s bu if they're earned they have to be given. Well done. 9,10,10,10...39.

Joni and Oti. A really likeable couple in an enjoyable A.S. with some great lifts. How can you not like this guy? 7,8,8,8.31.

Susan and Kevin. Crazy energetic Bring me Sunshine Foxtrot. Don't know who's going home this week, but Susan deserves not to be. Tremendous energy and really neat movement and agility. A well eaned 30.

There you have it as I saw it. You may disagree at random.  

Hi all -

Re-reading this there seems to be a lot of negative comment in it, but in fact I really enjoyed quite a lot of this week’s programme.

Debbie and Giovanni
This was a little steady and very precise. Perhaps the judges were right, it needed to be a little more loose, however I enjoyed it.
Brian and Amy
This wasn't very consistent I didn’t think. It kept dropping in and out of style. Lots of commitment though.
Mollie and  AJ
I thought this was quite good, better than the judges did I think, and the lifts were definitely adventurous, though the penultimate one looked a little iffy.
Davood and Nadiya
Didn’t really like this. He seems very clumsy to me, not a smooth dancer, though I suspect I’m alone in this opinion. Too much out of hold, probably to keep him from having to turn too much.  After all the fuss last week about Debbie and Giovanni this shouldn’t have happened.
Charlotte and Brendan
Sadly she’s not very elegant. And seemed incapable of pointing her toes. The whole routine didn’t have much substance. It was something and nothing. The scores were about right.
Joe and Katya
Mmmm – nearly very good but just sometimes it became a bit stunted. Didn’t flow as much as it should’ve.
Ruth and A.nton
A fair effort I suppose, but she’s just not that good. Her head turns didn’t seem to be sharp enough in fact quite a lot of it didn’t seem sharp enough. At least the judges were pleased with her.
Aston and Janette
Very quick and nimble but I agreed that he seemed less elegant than I had hoped for. He still doesn’t do it for me I’m afraid.
Simon and Karen
Well – not bad at all. I thought it was a really good effort and an improvement. I didn’t spot the mistakes.
Gemma and Aljaz
She looked fabulous! I really enjoyed this. There was lots of commitment, lots of conviction and lots of great dancing. She’s really getting better and better. They deserved their marks. Best dance of the night for me. Ole!!!
Alexandra and Gorka
Very good, very good. She’s one of my favourites but it didn’t blow me away in the way it did the judges. I didn’t think it was as good as last week’s dance. I thought she stumbled a little from time to time and wasn’t really in control. Tens? No way! Only an 8 from me.
Jonnie and Oti
Don’t care how good or bad he was, I loved the choreography. Oti’s such a clever girl! He was good though and they definitely deserved their marks.
Susan and Kevin
She’s worked really hard and gave a really good performance! She’s much improved. Not always right I don’t think and certainly not always elegant but loads and loads of energy and commitment. I don’t begrudge her her marks at all.

Finally -  the BEEB writers really do need to improve the material they give Tess and Claudia. The banana skin thing was simply awful.

Evening folks! So, my thoughts....

Debbie - So she didn't crash and burn Cherie Lunghi style but I think there's still a bit of a question mark over Debbie's party Latin. She seemed to have the same issues Helen George (also trained in ballet) did of overly straight legs which killed the hip action. She got a vote from me just in case.

Brian - To B.runo: "I was pretending to be you". Brian Conley made me laugh. This is a first.

Mollie - How many Salsas have I seen now that were no more mediocre than Abbey Clancey's but score less? (one day I'll let it go but not JUST yet )

Davood - Completely forgettable. He's dull and YASB is a poor choreographer. They can go soon.

Charlotte - Blimey, who picked Brendan's outfit? Shirley?! This is was sooooo bad that the audience could barely be arsed to clap let alone stand at the end lol As much as I've been enjoying the Shirley vs Brendan subplot, put them out their misery.

Joe - Oh dear. Ian's warm-up led me to believe this'd be heaps better but it wasn't good. I fear Joe may just be too inconsistent to get as deep into the competition as I'd like. I did give him 2 of my votes tho.

Ruth - better but not great.

Aston - Nope, not taking to him.

Simon - The best thing about Simon is that he makes me feel better about my own dancing abilities

<at this point I was feeling completely underwhelmed by everything having been so excited by the song list earlier in the week>

Gemma - FINALLY. SOMETHING. This was a belter of a Paso. The (controlled) power and drive, the shaping and artistry, the commitment. What a great team this is turning out to be.

Alex - WOWZERS. This properly woke me up. A Tina Turner Jive of even greater epic proportions than I imagine Natalie and Artem's would have been. Just a tiny moment when Gorka pulled her through his legs but otherwise phenomenal. There don't appear to be any chinks in Alex's armour but I get the feeling her slightly over-dramatic reactions might polarise viewers and she won't have the popular vote in the end.

Jonnie - Yes, more pleasing stuff from him and Oti.

Susan - My new motto is approach life like a Susan Calman Quickstep. And it didn't just have "aww" factor, she was GOOD. I hardly saw any gapping and she wasn't being dragged around. Held her own.

The last third of the show most definitely made up for the lacklustre start and middle.

Thought this was an interesting show with some really good routines which for the most part I enjoyed. Sorry Shirley gets 'Nil point ' from me again - inconsistent scoring -  she is so 'male centric' and these are Mr Mauve's words not mine!!!!  She actually got C harlotte's name wrong, calling her Mollie - (and I did play this back to check) and I know that giving  a'10' to a woman, kind of balanced things out but whilst dozey D arcey does have a tendency to get the '10' paddle out early - I don't expect it of a Head Judge.

I thought some people stepped up their game tonight - Gemma, Susan, Jonnie.  Others broadly stayed where they were but felt that Joe and Debbie were a tad undermarked and Mollie and AJ were a tad overmarked as were Davood and Nadya (particularly from Shirley).  Thinking about it as a whole - I think Brian and Simon were the weakest dancers - along with C harlotte but I don't think really that Brian was worth two marks more than Simon and Charlotte.

Debbie and Gio
I thought this was a pretty good cha cha. Straight legs where needed and in perfect time.  Still can't believe how well she is doing for her age.  I did see where the judges were coming from however when they said they wanted to see a more 'earthy' dance  -  I felt that she needed to put more soul into it and perhaps 'let go' more. Definitely worth more than a '6' however.

Amy and Brian
Less a paso and more rock disco circa 1990.  He made a good effort however and has improved.  His timing is good but couldn't find much more to redeem it.

Mollie and AJ
I know I'm going to be in the minority here but to me there was something radically wrong with this whole routine in terms of the timing.  The choreography was really good but they were really really off beat and it felt more like a samba rhythm than a salsa.  I thought it was far too loose, She is definitely a ballroom girl.

Davood and Nadiya
Thank goodness for CRH - what he said summed it all up for me.  Far too much out of hold  (where was the 10 second rule???)  pointless floor sweep which does not belong in a VW and it was faff central for me.  What little they did do in hold was actually ok - they just should have done a lot more rotation in hold, Don't know why Shirley was so gushy about it???? Grossly overmarked in my opinion.

Charlotte and B rendan
Felt that it was the music that was all wrong with this one -I felt C harlotte made a good effort - as good as several others tonight, but she still did not seem to get much praise - and it is so obvious now even when b rendan kept his mouth shut tonight.

Joe and Katya
I actually enjoyed this - I felt that the judges were very picky with him tonight - it is not an easy dance for the male pro and I felt he gave it a good go (with straight legs). I liked the choice of track I just felt it was a big aggressive and jerky.  I felt he deserved a few points more  (so did Mr Mauve)

Ruth and Housewives choice
Loved the music - yes proper Tango - and loved the routine.  They covered the whole floor and she can certainly do all the steps - but as per last week I feel if she acted a bit more and more conviction into the moves then she would be really rather good.

[bAston and Janette[/b]
I actually enjoyed this - great music. Judges were rightly picky with him on technique but I think he made a good job of it.

Simon and Karen
Thought it started off ok and he did get some good hip action throughout - but he stood still far too much and I'm not sure why Shirley congratulated him on a good basic samba for this reason -  yes he did attempt a running promenade and he really tried - but there wasn't enough dance content in this for me.

Gemma and Alijaz
I really enjoyed the routine - Gemma is great. Alijaz is great.  Lots done in hold - perhaps more than what we normally see in a paso? Personally, I missed seeing more flamenco arms and shapes from Gemma.

Alex and Gorka
It was a pretty darn good routine - you can't argue with that - personally I found it quite loose in parts and without the tightness that characterizes a great Jive.  Very good but not iconic to me and therefore not worth the '10s'.

Oti and Jonnie
There was something about this routine that really appealed to me - I felt it was unusual and different. His timing was good and I felt he showed more skills in terms of steps than he was given credit for. Liked all the bits in hold and the lifts.

Kevin and Susan
What a great routine to close the show - one of my favourite dances of the night - it was well choreographed and a really good quickstep which I sort of didn't expect. Susan has definitely improved and as long as Kevin keeps on putting together these 'feel good' sweet and quirky routines, then I think Susan will stay around.[/b]

Tonight's  show was definitely a slow burner, but wow what a second half! I think a few of the celeb's Achilles heels were exposed tonight, it's becoming clearer who can chase the ringahs and who will have a big J word if they are to come close

Debbie and Gio
as I suspected Debbie didn't really cut the mustard in Latin, not a bad effort by any means, but forgettable- if we are to get a   DO it could be her as I think she might get a bit lost. I made a mental note to give her a vote and then forgot. I rest my case.

Amy and Brian
Played to his strengths- I'll allow him another week

Mollie and AJ
I like this partnership but I don't think this was her dance

Davood and Nadiya
didn't really float my boat. I'm not taking to these two as a couple

Charlotte and B rendan
Can someone please put her out of her misery, she gamely tries to pretend she's loving it, but she is very uncomfortable to watch. VERY noticeable how Brendan kept his mouth shut even when Shirl called her Mollie-  

Joe and Katya
I feel Joe was one of those whose weakness was exposed, albeit it's only week four and there's loads of time to improve. He's still my dark horse and I love their partnership

Ruth and Housewives choice
well the fab music definitely helped- production take note- and I was surprised at how much I actually got drawn in to the dance. I have to agree with MrT here- undermarked, miles better than the others propping up the bottom but not reflected in the score

Aston and Janette
I thought he was another one who did a good job despite not being his best- I like watching them

Simon and Karen
difficult to comment as I spent most of it with my hands over my eyes! (Even mr Alls agreed it would be like watching him dance it   ) But unlike Charlotte at least he throws himself into it - if the DO is as it should be between him and her I actually hope he gets saved.

Gemma and Alijaz
my favourite couple- he is such a great teacher and pro. Want these two to go all the way to the final. She's getting better each week

Alex and Gorka
It was very good - but I said to Mr Alls that I thought she had a couple of little mishaps notably when she was doing the pull through his legs, worthy of a 9 but not a 10. Bless her getting all emotional i hope people don't get nasty about it

Oti and Jonnie
I think these two are well paired and she has definitely choreographed to his strengths.good job.

Kevin and Susan
What a joy to watch, bravo Susan for doing the  proper dance with all the moves, she's surprisingly nimble on her feet and boy did she cover some floor there! A yay from me! Great job Kevin.

I have not read all of your comments but will comment only on those dances that stood out for me

Davood and Nadiya
I DID NOT like this, where was the VW? Lovely dance but not what they were tasked to do. Made me very grumpy!

Ruth and A.nton
Loved this, she has found her mojo at last.

Simon and Karen
Early doors for these two, can't watch any more thank you.

Oti and Jonnie
Stunning choreography even if not perfectly executed.

Susan and Kevin
My favourite of the night by far.

My votes went to Ruth (because I think she might need saving) and Susan (because I loved it).

The rest were as I would expect. Alexandra and Aston good but meh. Gemma and Aljaz are still my favourites.

Now I will read your comments and see if anyone agrees with me.

Hi Alls we share the same darkhorse in Joe.

Well my few comments

Loved,loved Susan & Kevin they have chemistry and joire de vivre

Tens no not worthy of 10's.... If we have 10 now where do they go? No need to improve... Hunching in the routine. My marmite celeb similar to DVO....

Joe maybe suffering from being inconsistent between weeks. Good/mediocre to great...

Davood expected so much but the combo leaves me cold.

Debbie simply Doris Day wholesome and good but I wish more.... bit predictable now re poised arms etc. I need to see some fire in her belly. Do girls next door have that!

Simon not sure if it's the choreography or Karen but I'm a bit scared for them.

Charlotte it's the confidence & nerves with the I'm hating this get me out of here surely heading out this week. If in DO Shirley hold no quaters with them, off


Mollie/Aston/Gemma good dances wanted more from Jonnie....


Ruth I have to say improvement not my favourite....

Brian I actually felt tiny improvements another week I feel....


So I feel Charlotte in DO not sure who with yet... fickle middle board and fickle viewer here

Well I enjoyed it and did actually put my knitting down for a few which is my measure of mesmorisation !!It was put down for Alexandra and though not a huge fan of hers I loved it .I love them dancing together and will watch later and just keep my eye on Gorka . I have decided that Alexandra has a very expressive face and it could be seen as fake and this will put many off I think .But her tears brought me to tears and it was a genuine bolt out of the blue and sudden overwhelming grief .It happened to me about 4 months after my dad died in the Ketchup aisle in a supermarket .

Ken and Barbie leave me stone cold , In my opinion Nadyia tries too hard and she reminds me of Khristina all touchy feely OTT sexy dances .And if Davood was chocolate he would gobble himself up in seconds and is believing his own hype .

I pit my knitting down for Susan too and she really and truely is loving it and really trying so hard and enjoying it and that makes me enjoy it .

Charlotte ,oh dear , very beautiful to look at and very elegant when standing still but as soon as she moves her core folds and she looks like a rag doll on the floor .She is like a rag doll who you can arrange beautifully on a chair and sits proud and strong and as soon as you tip off her she folds in two and collapses


Jonnie , Gemma , Mollie , all caught my attention and i still love to see them learn and improve and really try .Joe really tried too but it just got the better of him

If I drop a stitch I wait until Brian is on as I have no interest in him at all or can really be bothered with his forced humour .


I though Debbie was fine but looked like she could run out of steam one of these days and it worries me a bit when she dances .

Aston can move and Aston can dance and Aston has rhythm but boy does he know it .

Simon , I have no idea what he danced or how it just wont come to me !! I must have been checking my pattern or something !

But I loved it , the dresses , the music, the excitement , Claudia ( banana skin aside ) The lights , the hair and glitter and Shirley .I love Shirley but dont know enough about dance to know if she is right or wrong so that helps


If I could pick a final I would choose Gemma , Mollie and Jonnie now

My thoughts on last night's dances:-

Debbie's Cha Cha - Faffing at start (briefly) but I thought she expressed herself and the dance well but seemed to lose her balance on a spin. Not her best dance though. 7.5

Brian's Paso Doble - Not sure about the use of the microphone stand and was a bit stompy at times and was smiling at times. Not his best. 6

Mollie's Salsa - Enjoyed this. She caught flavour of the dance well but I would have liked more floor coverage. 7.5

Davood's Viennese Waltz - Although there were one or two errors it was overall perhaps his best dance so far. Nice. 7.5

Charlotte's Jive - After faffing at the start I thought she did well with the dance content and seemed a little more relaxed and confident. Her best dance yet. 6.5

Joe's Cha Cha - Good in parts but less so in other parts. Not his best dance but still looks a potential contender. 6.5

Ruth's Tango - Not that keen on the start but once it got underway it was pretty decent. Her best dance yet. 7

Aston's Quickstep - I liked the routine but judges picked up on lots of errors so why was it so highly marked with 7's through to 9s? Confused. 7.5

Simon's Samba - Faffing again at the start. Sadly, no real hip action although at times there was some good. Improved on last week but still in danger. 6

Gemma's Paso Doble - Danced it quite well. Not sure if it was her type of dance but I enjoyed it and this is a great partnership. 8

Alexandra's Jive - Early on one or two kicks weren't the snappiest. That aside it was excellent. Dance of the night and perhaps of the series so far. The ringer shines again. 8.5

Jonnie's American Smooth - As judges said the footwork was good but posture less so. Great routine with some great lifts. 7

Susan's Quickstep - What a fun routine and she danced it very well. Enjoyed the feel of this. Her best dance yet. 8

In danger of the chop this week are Simon, Brian and Charlotte.

On the subject of 10s, I've no problem when they come out (we've had ones early in the series before) so long as the dance feels like a 10. And Alex and Gorka's really did, to me (despite not doing the neatest under-the-leg move but is any dance ever absolutely perfect?). I get it's a subjective thing though and some performances move some and not others but in theory I've no objection to a 10 on Week 4.


I think all your reviews should be knitting-themed, Tapping

mauveangel09 wrote:She actually got C harlotte's name wrong, calling her Mollie - (and I did play this back to check)

She did mauve and later apologised on Twitter - but it was a very unfortunately timed faux pas! Mind you, Zoe introduced Shirley as "Shirley Bassey" by accident on ITT so it happens. On this occasion I wouldn't have minded Brendan saying something but (this series) I feel he's made a fuss about the wrong things so when he might have a valid point it's lost.

Been reflecting a little on last night (always dangerous)

It's approaching the quicksands, sink or swim time. Out of the 13 left, three or four are on the Blackpool coach already, but so obviously so that only a major shock can make us sit up. Of the rest, it's more a case of who can swim and who can't. The G.B.P
can choose who to throw the lifebelts to, to a degree, but the judges are still steering the boat. For that reason alone it seems pretty obvious that C raig has already identified the next to drown last night as (possibly) Brian, Simon and Charlotte, as C.C. states.

I'm not 100% certain of Debbie, and Ruth and A nton will have to raise their general game, but that's how it looks. Is an early shock on the cards....or not? .......but, just like us all,  specualtion is all I have right now. Dance on.....( Hey, a few Shadows track migh sharpen things up music wise???? Guitar Tango.....yeah....

TANGOLERO wrote:Been reflecting a little on last night (always dangerous)

It's approaching the quicksands, sink or swim time. Out of the 13 left, three or four are on the Blackpool coach already, but so obviously so that only a major shock can make us sit up. Of the rest, it's more a case of who can swim and who can't. The G.B.P
can choose who to throw the lifebelts to, to a degree, but the judges are still steering the boat. For that reason alone it seems pretty obvious that C raig has already identified the next to drown last night as (possibly) Brian, Simon and Charlotte, as C.C. states.

I'm not 100% certain of Debbie, and Ruth and A nton will have to raise their general game, but that's how it looks. Is an early shock on the cards....or not? .......but, just like us all,  specualtion is all I have right now. Dance on.....( Hey, a few Shadows track migh sharpen things up music wise???? Guitar Tango.....yeah....

Well Simon has form - as in already been in the dance-off so his popularity (or lack of) I don't think will rescue him from a dance-off. Brian also has been in a dance-off so he is another not stacked with public supporters. That points to a dance-off between them both tonight. Charlotte has not been in the dance off as yet and that is what has saved her so far. This week (at least) I don't see any shock exits as the poorest dancers are also lacking in support from Joe Public. A dance-off between Simon and Brian could go either way. I say this as Shirley evidently has a soft spot for her fellow Scouse competitor so all he'd need is a vote from any of the other three judges and he would go through.

saxonsiren wrote:Debbie simply Doris Day wholesome and good but I wish more.... bit predictable now re poised arms etc. I need to see some fire in her belly. Do girls next door have that!  

Oh I'm sure they do!

Tappingfeet wrote:
If I could pick a final I would choose Gemma , Mollie and Jonnie  now

I'd choose Gemma too Taps, and maybe Mollie but I don't think Jonnie will make it past the quarter or semi finals. Whatever, if any of them come up against Alexandra or Aston in a DO, they're going to go out. I think the judges will always keep these two in.

I'm afraid I don't get the anti-Darcy thing going on at the moment. For me, she and C.raig are the only ones giving decent responses to the couples.

Great to read everyone’s comments here, there isn’t much more I can think to add. Overall I really enjoyed the show, think it was the best so far.  I’ve been worried this year that the scriptwriters have been aiming at a kiddies audience, but it felt more like a ‘grown up’ show last night (excepting the rubbish banana-skin joke,  and half of the VTs).  I also think the middle group are narrowing the gap, very slowly, to the top two, which makes it all the more interesting.  A few thoughts…

Debbie – I felt the leg extension was added just to show she can do it, it didn’t seem to fit with the dance. Very neat and tidy routine but a bit dull. CRH said she was like a stiff Barbie doll, which I thought was very apt. Did I hear wrong, or did B.runo say ‘no f…ing about’.

Brian –  I agreed with CRH, this looked like dancing by n.umbers, you can almost see his thought process where he goes from one snippet to the next. I thought Amy over-exaggerated her paso moves, which made Brian look all the weaker.

Mollie – not sure what height Mollie is, but it struck me that she’s very leggy…there were a couple of bambi wobbles in this.  I re-watched and liked it better second time round - however on that final drop-roll lift I'm pretty sure she crashed her arm onto the floor (AJs mistake)

Davood – I know he’s an actor, but I felt his face was frozen throughout this routine.  Felt it was jerky, didn’t like the choreography much, thought it overmarked

Charlotte – was Brendan being punished by having to wear a pastel pink outfit which was a size too small?  Charlotte made so many mistakes, I think she’s the weakest dancer

Joe – after last weeks gorgeous VW, I was so disappointed in this. I know the aggressive tone was meant to reflect the song, but I didn’t like the rough, stompy feel to it. Once again, I felt the choreography and teacher is more at fault than the learner.

Ruth – an unexpected wow – I really enjoyed this. ..felt it was a bit undermarked at 24.

Aston – yet again I’m warming to Aston. Watching his face it struck me that he’s actually a good actor as well as dancer.  I also like that he takes the judges criticism very well.  

Simon – rubbish dance to rubbish choreography.  He did mess up badly at the end, but I thought Karen was very unsupportive  - she basically blanked him between the end of the dance and the Clauditorium.  

Gemma – I loved that there was no faffing about whatsoever, it was a full 90 second dance. Really good choreography, the paso suited her. I disagreed with CRH, I felt she was equally strong looking out of hold.

Alexandra –  I felt this deserved the 10s, but it also reinforced the ‘she’s too good’ feeling for me.

Jonnie – great choreography from Oti. Just like Aljaz, she gave us a full 90 second routine, and I thought the opening lift was really dramatic. In fact, there were a few lifts I don’t think we’ve seen before on Strictly.  Jonnie's frame is letting him down a bit, but I really enjoyed this.  

Susan – this was the only comedy VT which I did find very funny, maybe because that’s Susan’s thing. Loved the choreography and the energy, deserved the 30. I’m impressed by Kevin this year, he does seem to be adapting the dance to best suit his partner, and not trying to hog the limelight. Good performance to end the show.

Sid wrote:






She did mauve and later apologised on Twitter - but it was a very unfortunately timed faux pas! Mind you, Zoe introduced Shirley as "Shirley Bassey" by accident on ITT so it happens. On this occasion I wouldn't have minded Brendan saying something but (this series) I feel he's made a fuss about the wrong things so when he might have a valid point it's lost.

Fair enuff S id  but I'm really starting to think that Shirley and B rendan have 'form' from before the contest.........she positively squirms when she does her critiques of them and seemed flustered last night - enough to make a mistake on the name.  I'm sure it isn't just about the spat  because I'm sure she's got broader shoulders than that, but there just seems to be something underlying there...............

Unfortunately Shirley just 'gets on my wick' at times - very definite favourites early on -  (Davood, Simon etc). Throwing '10s' around (always a way to get my back up!) She can always find something positive and constructive to say about the weaker male dancers but it all seems a bit more restrained for the females and definitely C harlotte.    I thought she looked like Cruella de Vil last night.   I do really want to like her as I greatly respect her dance pedigree and I was very keen that a more 'technical' judge was going to brought in -  but so far she seems as inconsistent as the rest of them..........................   I know I'm in the minority and hopefully I'll get my 'Nathalie' moment with her soon.....................................

Gregory Porter has such a gorgeous voice! His rendition of "Smile" was one of the best things I've heard on any Results Show. It's up there with Nat King Cole's version as far as I'm concerned.

I so agree Twirlie - it was sublime and I really enjoyed the dance routine too.

Twirlie wrote:Gregory Porter has such a gorgeous voice! His rendition of "Smile" was one of the best things I've heard on any Results Show. It's up there with Nat King Cole's version as far as I'm concerned.

Absolutely gorgeous .But what is with the hat ?

Charlotte looked even more ragdollish in the dance off .And you could have served tea on Brendans sticky out bum