2021 Tango's 'Little bit of Honesty'

Evening all (well, maybe 75% of us. The ones who who aren't forsaking Strictly for Footie).

Not bothering with my usual glamorising this week as none of them are bothering. Week 3 is my second least favourite week of Strictly and I am distinctly lacklustre.

Have painted myself bright orange, donned a fuschia wig with bunches and a rag tag collection of brightly coloured clothes from the charity shop. Iwill be dancing the jive to a song that appeared in the background of a film from about 2015 which I have never seen and never will.

I'll meet you back here after the proceedings havw ended and we've all had a chance to recover. xx

I think you totally outshine all the costumes from tonight, Diamonds. Wardrobe has had either a massive budget cut or struck a deal with the Rejects R Us bargain basement.

Im craving for shimmery black chiffon shirts for the Guys, Gemstones,clear and coloured added, sequinns aling slleves and down the sides of trousersLoads and loads of frothy net skirts, beautiful shoes, Dazzling jumpsuits.
Hairstlyed up with beautiful haircombs, fascinators, glitter too.
Im thinking its pop a box in middle of the room and its who gets it open first gets the best choice of a bad box!?

I have to go to bed in a minute so that I can serve breakfast to 140 students fro Florida State University from 7 onwards...

But I just wanted to say that amongst thhe expected dross where some really incredible routines and performances.

My favourites were the macho Pirate Paso from JoJo and the the swoony, sublime Foxtrot from RoGio, but not far behind were the great and very accomplished American Smooth from AJ and Kai and the the fantastically traditional jumping jive from Tom and Amy.

I cowerd behind the sofa during the Avatar Rumba, rolled my eys at the judges scoring fo Rhy's CC nonsense, looked askance at Oti and Ugo's Moana CC - what was that?(though props to Ugo for looking pretty darn hot in that long wig) and whimpered during the muppet quickstep.

Gorka in a dalmation suit should have been an abomination but was cuter than anyone has a right to be (ditto Ugo's kids who has just scuppered anyone else's chances in Cute Toddler Warz), Sara in a Shrek Samba was much better than I could have imagined - actual Samba content shocker! - and Judi and Tilly gave great characterisation to their dances even if they didn't manage the technicalites much.

Disappointed for Daniel...

That's it. Will comment more when I have read your detailed analyses taken from your copious notes that you make throughout!

Night night xx

saxonsiren wrote: Wardrobe has had either a massive budget cut or struck a deal with the Rejects R Us bargain basement.

Im craving for shimmery black chiffon shirts for the Guys, Gemstones,clear and coloured added, sequinns aling slleves and down the sides of trousersLoads and loads of frothy net skirts, beautiful shoes, Dazzling jumpsuits.
Hairstlyed up with beautiful haircombs, fascinators, glitter too.
Im thinking its pop a box in middle of the room and its who gets it open first gets the best choice of a bad box!?

I was specifically referring to Movie Week where it is out with the glamour and on with the paint, masks and wigs.

But generally speaking I do agree that the cotume department isn't what it used to be and I suspect a combo of cuts and lack of staff.

Strictly Week Three

I thought there was some amazing danced but some outrageous over-marking as well. I thought Robert and Dianne’s quickstep was messy and only deserved a 4. Same with Dan and Nadiya. She was doing all the work so only a 4 there too

Greg and Karen and Tilly and Nikita weren’t great. Pretty middling in fact Greg was stompy and again Karen did all the work. Tilly made mistakes and can’t stop being pigeon toed. They were worth a 5.

I gave 6s to Judi and Graziano, and Katie and Gorka both of them were moderately good. Judi’s always fun and Katie improved on last week but I didn’t rate them more than a 6.

Sarah and Aljaz were good although I hated the outfits and the green stockings did nothing for Sarah’s legs. They just showed up every tiny thing that didn’t go right. I still gave them a 7 though.

Next comes Ugo and Oti, and Tom and Amy. Both pairs provided us with tremendous verve and fun. It was especially nice to see Tom and Amy back and they made the most of the McFly connection. They all got 8s.

I couldn’t make up my mind about AJ and Kai and Rhys and Nancy. Were they 8s or 9s? I wouldn’t have given Rhys a 10 in any case. Rhys and Nancy may have been good – I didn’t see it, but I loved AJ and Kai’s number. These two are my favourite pair at the moment (followed closely by Rose and Giovanni). They’re both such good dancers and seem really down to earth. Very likeable indeed.

As to the rest, nobody gets a 10 in Week 3 in my opinion no matter how good they are.  

Rose and Giovanni were utterly glorious in their foxtrot. They were so beautiful. It just shows, you don’t need to stomp about and throw yourself in the air to impress the judges or the audience at home. She’s a dear and Giovanni is doing great things for her. John and Johannes were also excellent. Strong, powerful, and very masculine. They just didn’t deserve 10s in my opinion.

Katya made a big mistake going fot he Rumba this week I reckon. I gave Adam and her my online votes, but I can see them and Dan and Nadiya being in the Dance Off, and they’re very much at risk of being voted off by the judges. (I just noticed that I forgot to give them my own vote. 5.)

There you are. All I have time for this week. Good night.

And the prize for the best sport of the year goes to……

Actually, it’s a tie between Diane (who steadfastly kept that pig nose on her face all evening) and Sara who not only had the ugly nose but the bum padding and green tights too. What good sports they both were.

Seriously though, how can you compare a dancing frog with two pirates?

Or Mr and Mrs Ogre with a beautiful foxtrot or American smooth?

Some fantastic dancing last night but also some ridiculous costumes and don’t even get me started on that rumba

Morning all
Typical theme week really - some win and some lose out with the themes. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the opening n umber - I love seeing the Viennese Waltz danced in a group and I found the whole thing very evocative.  A refreshing change from the usual Pro routines that we've seen of late.  Thought both T ess and C laud looked lovely - T ess's dress colour being one of my favourites!!

My main issue last night was with the scoring - some couples IMO were grossly overmarked - Greg and Karen and Tilly and Nikita being the main cases in point.  TBH I would have had them on the bottom of the leaderboard. Felt that Robert and Dianne despite making some mistakes did not deserve to be two points below Tilly and Nikita or one mark below Robert and Dianne.  I got to the end of the show and didn't quite feel that Judi and Graziano deserved to be right down at the bottom either -there were weaker routines I felt - curse of going first I suppose.       I would have put AJ and Kai one place above Rose and Giovanni but that is a purely personally choice.  Even though it is hard to believe it is only week 3 with the high standard,    like Twirlie says - No-one deserves a '10' in week 3 no matter how good there are - I'm right with you on that one Twirlie.

Judi and  Graziano -  6 - I thought they did well with the choreography for her and I enjoyed it. I felt they had a lot of Charleston steps in there and it worked well. Unfortunately her lack of stamina showed which was alluded to by CRH and which will be their main problem with these sort of dances going forward.

Nadiya and Dan - 5 - What a shame as it was all going well up to the point that he went wrong. It looked elegant with some nice lines and he was saying all week that he was looking forward to dancing the Foxtrot.  Although he picked it up he didn't seem the same for the rest of the routine. For those without the dance background I think it is so difficult to pick straight up from mistakes this early in the season. Hope he is ok with the votes. Felt he was a bit lambasted when later couples also made mistakes.

Sara and Alijaz - 7 - A nice surprise again.  Bags of Samba content danced with bounce and I think she has got very good natural rhythm. I was so distracted by the green trainers though!  Couldn't they have given her some better shoes!!  Or at least put some faux buckles over the trainers.  Great sport though to dress up like this, as someone else has said.

AJ and Kai - 9 - one of my dances of the night. It is hard enough to learn the Viennese Waltz at this stage let alone incorporate it into an American Smooth.  I did wonder how they were going to do the AS as they only just did the Foxtrot last week.   I felt this routine was beautiful and with no frills. A good balance between capturing the theme but doing a proper dance, and they really covered the floor well. The lifts also were seamless. A beautiful routine.

Robert and Dianne - 6 - I actually quite enjoyed this one but I was distracted by Robert's costume which didn't really seem right to me - I'm not sure in what way though.  I think the mistakes were minor and I felt it was quite a complex routine which he mainly coped with and where the timing was mostly bang on.  I also enjoyed the Charleston and side-to-side bits.

Karen and Greg - 4
Liked Karen's dress.  Felt that all the judges, particularly CRH and A nton got across the point that he needs to dance more! It was the James Bond music that carried it - stripped down to a Paso he was just mainly walking around and it was another placed n umber.

Tilly and Nikita - 4
I must have been watching a different dance to the judges as I thought this was a bit of a dance dis-ahster.
I found it curious because she coped well on the stamina front with the Charleston last week and I thought she would do the same with the jive but it looked very stompy and flat footed to me. Sadly they got out of sync several times and the moves just were not finished. Perhaps more simpler choreography would have been in order.  I think the judges were kind to her.

Rose and Giovanni - 8
A lovely graceful  Foxtrot which was so enjoyable to watch. They looked good and Rose continues to show that she is an all rounder and one to watch.

Ugo and Oti - not sure maybe 7?
Wouldn't know how to mark this one.  I liked parts of it and parts of it I found strange although I must say he has improved in general since the first week and he looked good. He gave it a good shot,

Adam and Katya - 5
What to say? Drew the short straw and once you stripped away all the quite wonderful make-up and special effects it was a not very good rumba the like of which you would get from any male celeb on week 3!   However,  I did think there were some nice lines.   I don't feel that Adam is feeling the music yet.  He reminds me a bit of the gymnast Louis Smith who took weeks  to warm up and to really dance with any feeling but then took off like a rocket and won!

Katie and Gorka - 6
The bits done out of hold were good and overall it was an entertaining routine but the Foxtrot bits in hold were ropey I thought.

Rhys and Nancy - Not 10!
It was worth a 9 for the sheer professionalism and it was such a tight routine which was performed well for what it was.  However, what was it exactly?  He was dancing within his own comfort zone I thought.

John and Johannes - 9
The other dance of the night for me. Fantastic routine which really covered the floor well and they did do more in hold this week.  I usually only like traditional pasos but I really enjoyed this interpretation which I have watched over and I think we are seeing such new things from these two which is very exciting.

I forgot about Tom and Amy!! Jive - 8
How could I forget them when they did what for me was another one of the most enjoyable dances of the night!! A sublime Jive which I really enjoyed.

fiftynotout wrote:And the prize for the best sport of the year goes to……

Actually, it’s a tie between Diane (who steadfastly kept that pig nose on her face all evening) and Sara who not only had the ugly nose but the bum padding and green tights too.  What good sports they both were.

Seriously though, how can you compare a dancing frog with two pirates?  

Or Mr and Mrs Ogre with a beautiful foxtrot or American smooth?

Some fantastic dancing last night but also some ridiculous costumes and don’t even get me started on that rumba

Totally agree Fifty. Some of the costumes really hampered the dancing last night. The best that could be said of the Rumba costume was that it was a pretty shade of blue when the lights were on them. Not up with Claudia though, the costumes colours looked absolutely vile there, especially Katya's.

Okay I have just watched last night's show which I recorded. Here are my thoughts and they may irk some....

Judi and Graziano (Charleston): It was a dance-style that suited her down to the ground. Great personality and enthusiasm. I would have maybe liked more energy and steps. Agreed with C.raig's comments. A 6 from me..

Dan and Nadia (Foxtrot): Not sure about his lines at the start. Hesitation when the error came and he looked uncomfortable and ponderous which stopped the dance from flowing. A shame as it was a nice routine (potentially). A 5 from me and he is in danger.

Sara and Alijaz (Samba): It wasn't bad but I felt it lacked the energy and fluidity needed for a Samba for me. A fun dance but not her best. The judges were a little too kind for me and this was overmarked. A 5.5 from me.

A J and Kai (American Smooth): Not too keen on the start but once dancing and in hold this was a lovely routine that she danced beautifully. She dances very expressively. An 8 from me.

Robert and Diane (Quickstep): I liked this for a couple of reasons even though there were mistakes. Liked the choreography and wow what a job the singers did with the song. Epic performance and great voice characterisations. Robert's facial expressions still off-putting. A 6.5 from me.

Greg and Karen (Paso Doble): Faffing at the start and the dance was a mixed bag. I really liked what he did with his hands but his steps were a little weak and stompy. An.ton and C.raig with good comments. A 5.5 from me. Overmarked by judges.

Tilly and Nikita (Jive): Faffing at the start but once underway it wasn't bad. There was the odd error though. Thought her kicks were generally sound. A 6 from me.

Rose and Giovanni (Foxtrot): Oh I loved this - it was beautiful. Simple but elegant and Rose moved divinely. A magical dance and my favourite of the series so far. A 9 from me.

Ugo and Oti (Couples' Choice): I wasn't sure about this. As in what style was it? That is the problem with these couples' choice. His lifts and jumps ended in a pose and although no real mistakes I think C.raig hit the nail on the head about it lacking musicality. A 6 from me. Overmarked by the judges.

Tom and Amy (Jive): I did not like the use of the guitar early in the dance. Once that was ditched it improved immensely. Great kicks and kept up the tempo through until the end. An 8 from me.

Adam and Katya (Rumba): This was not Adam's dance. Liked his hip movement and the power portrayed throughout but it is meant to be a dance of love but it was too aggressive. C.raig again spot on though think scores were a bit harsh. A 5.5 from me.

Katie and Gorka (American Smooth): Pretty good in places. A spot of gapping but no real errors on footwork and an improvement on last week for Katie. Loved filthy beast C.raig's remark of seeing Gorka on all fours in front of him - a real laugh out loud moment for me. A 6.5 from me.

Rhys and Nancy (Couples' Choice): Not my kind of dance I am afraid. Obviously, the judges were always going to love it. For me it was all jerky with leaps and tricks and no rhythm. Way overmarked and frustratingly so. A 6.5 from me.

John and Johannes (Paso Doble): This was very good . Great pace and the choreography showcased both dancers equally. Really enjoyed this - the best Paso of the series so far. Not sure it merited three 10's though and Johannes tears are getting tedious. An 8.5 from me.

Shout out to the band and singers this week. They were outstanding. Dan's popularity with the public will be severely tested if he is to avoid the dance-off. Adam and maybe Katie again could be sweating.

Just finished watching the show (missed last night because of the football). In the main I agree with most so I won't list all the knives and forks and just say what stood out for me.



Bad: (and probably immaterial) Daft costumes giving the Miss Piggies, Shreks and the like  no chance against the Bonds and Prince Charming etc. This applies also to a comment I made earlier (and also echoed by Fifty) about like  for unlike comparison in the choice of dance. Utterly ludicrous to put Couples Choice against Foxtrot, and Charlston against Samba etc. Where's the common denominator for judging?

(Motsi's classic : after Judi's Charlston .."Do some steps we can recognise." Not sure anything else even resembles Charlston steps Motsi, but hey....

I'll go with D & P on Week 3 and Movie week. In general, a downer.

Robert..A bit of a downer after last week. Expected better.

Greg and Karen. As someone said earlier, all about Karen. As an actor Greg wasn't acting like James Bond or Fred Astaire, not even Fred Cordobes.. Disappointing. I'd hoped for better.
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Good

First off, the pros period ballroom sequence style opener, dazzling, delightful and charming Music and costumes Just loved it.


A.J and Kai's AMERICAN SMOOTH.  LOVELY.

Rose and Gio's foxtrot. Classy. Dance of the night for me despite Gio's Army and Navy stores pants and braces.

Tom's return. Still think he'll be one to watch.

Two J's Paso to " Voyage of the Black Pearl from "Pirate's of the Caribbean". Great music even if far from a bullring, but  they danced it really well.

Not a bad show, but better that Week three is over. Dance on... Greg's in some danger I think...

Well Dan and Adam dodged a bullet tonight to avoid even being in the dance-off.

Judi can count herself unlucky to be in there and it opens up question marks over her popularity with Joe Public. Katie clearly in the bottom two because of that lack of public support.

I always felt Judi would be saved and indeed she was. Well done to An.ton for being the only judge to spot theiristake and vote for Katie. Sad to see Katie go and she can count herself unlucky to go so soon.

What a damned high standard already this year.

Well I was shocked that Judi ended up in the DO Only because I made the dangerous assumption that she was popular with GBP and was safe for a good few weeks longer.  But on paper she was down at the bottom of the leaderboard and went on first so on paper maybe not such a surprise.    There were a few couples for whom I was worried this week and Katie was amongst them -  It didn't dawn on me until it was nearly time for it to be called that she was very obviously in the DO because having been in it last week if she was going to escape this week then they wouldn't be so cruel as to leave her until nearly last!    However, Ironically I thought she actually danced her routine much better in the DO in terms of quality and I wasn't surprised that A nton saved her.   I was surprised that CRH saved Judi after giving her a low mark last night but there you go- Judi lives to see another day.  

I'm not convinced that Katie was enjoying it that much - although she did obviously like the Cruella de Vil routine.  I think it was possibly harder than what she thought in terms of the time needed to practice if you are not a natural dancer and have a day job with a demanding schedule - so even if she'd have been saved tonight I don't think she would have lasted too long - but still a shame.    I would have preferred Mr Thompson to have exited personally.

Dan and Adam got saved by the power of the voting - so I am hoping for greater things from them next week, however I nearly choked when I found out the dances for both of them.   Dan doing MC Hammer?? Really Nadiya??    And Adam doing an Argentine Tango?? On week 4 and one week after a rumba - what's going on?   I have a theory that a calculated and dangerous risk is being taken with him on the basis that as an Olympian GBP will keep on voting him through in the early stages so they can afford to get some difficult dances out of the way now by showboating a bit and then concentrate on learning more and doing the 'nicer' ones later on when he has had time to improve a bit.  Probably rubbish on my part but as one of the weaker dancers I just can't fathom the combination that he is getting.

Late to the party but here are my thoughts on Saturday night's dances:

Judi - Charleston Loved the character. A very pedestrian Charleston that needed a bit more content. I liked it but didn't love it.
Dan - Foxtrot. He certainly has a good upright posture. For me it was wooden. Once he made the first mistake, his confidence seemed to disappear. I felt a bit sorry for him.
Sara - Samba. I liked this. Recognisable steps but seemed heavy footed. She had a good samba rhythm and flow. Lots of content and she kept on time.
AJ - A.Smooth. I really liked this. Good performance. Fearless through the lifts. A lovely VW A.Smooth.
Robert - Quickstep. I thought he went wrong a few times. Difficult to recover even on a slower QS. I'm not really gelling with Robert. I don't know why.
Greg - Paso. Annoying choreography from Karen who admitted she was going more for 'Bond' than a Paso. I find it interesting that the more he trys to concentrate on his dance moves, his characterisation and acting skills seem to disappear. Very posed and fairly static. Seen more menace on a burnt rice pudding.
Tilly - Jive. Heavy, flat footed with sickle toes again. Shirley raving about kickball changes but come on - most young kids in a playground can do those whilst eating a bag of crisps. I don't see her going much further on present performance. Nikita's shoes were far more spell binding.
Rose - Foxtrot. I loved this. It was gentle and beautifully done. Her technique and timing was much better than some of the other contestants.
Ugo - CC. Don't know the character or the type of dance so can't really comment. Nice wigs. Looked over marked to me.
Tom - Jive. Loved this. He's so understated, light and neat on his feet. No mistakes. Energy levels stayed up despite recent illness. I thought he did a decent job.
Adam - Rumba. Stitched up like a blue smoked kipper. Another one that strikes some nice lines, but the transitions between moves are very pedestrian. He has got rhythm, and some good hip movement, but he doesn't seem to be getting into the dance yet. Untapped potential.
Katie - Foxtrot. She doesn't seem to be able to relax into character (a bit like Greg). She seems on edge and so busy concentrating on her steps that her acting skills seem to be blocked. She's nervous, so I'm nervous watching her.
Rhys - CC. A very agile Spiderman. I didn't understand the high marks. I'm guessing he's hoping for some stage work after Strictly finishes. How can you mark someone leaping about?
John - Paso. For a shy guy he's really giving it a go. I love his commitment and the way he mirrors Johannes. Refreshing, masculine with a good theme and some great choreography. The problem is Johannes is so mesmerising to watch, John's got big shoes to shadow. I loved it.

I felt sorry for Kate, but glad she's been put out of her misery.

I think Judi has a fan in Cr aig. My theory is he's studying her moves and mannerisms for his next Panto role.

Dan must have a massive following. If Nadiya had danced with a cardboard cutout I wouldn't have noticed the difference (although the cutout wouldn't have made so many mistakes). If he's wearing 'poo-pants' next week for his MC Hammer track, at least they'll have plenty of movement.

I'm not sure Tilly will stay in for much longer unless she also has a large following aided by the Head Chef's fanbase.

Adam doing an A.Tango - what???????????? Another stitch-up.

What struck me this week was a definite division forming within the group. Week 1 started off with many strong candidates. The actors with the exception of Rose) now seem to be struggling, whereas the non-dancers are like John and AJ are doing well.

To re-inforce my belief that Greg is the producer's pet he has landed another plum piece of music for hisSamba next week.

CaledonianCraig wrote:To re-inforce my belief that Greg is the producer's pet he has landed another plum piece of music for hisSamba next week.

With a supporting wife as famous and popular as Emma Thompson, the producers aren't going to let go of a gold-plated vote-attracter like "What's his name, you know, Emma's husband". I'll freely confess, not being a film buff I only know Greg  Wise from the movie of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility". He'll still have to do something good on the dance floor to stay alive though. Somehow, I can't see him being a Mark Ramprakash out there. We'll no doubt see..

Poor Adam, an Argentine Tango, like you said B4p, a real stitch-up.

B4p wrote:

Adam doing an A.Tango - what???????????? Another stitch-up.

.

Or a calculated risk?

So Movie Week is gone for another year. The format feels tired - the theme nights need a shake up so that they are not regurgitating what has already been done - sometimes several times over. As I think you have said on another thread B4P - they could combine Movie and Musicals week as they are so similar and then think of something else for another theme night........ Ideally 'Couples Choice' night and also have it as the later theme night of the series when all the couples that are left in at that point get a chance to do it - I'm sure that we would see some much more accomplished performances than what we are seeing at this early stage. Doing Couples Choice so early is either unfair on a celeb with a non-dance background or gives too much of an advantage to those that have had some training.

Interesting to see how things are starting to shake out. I am pleasantly surprised that most couples have done both some ballroom and latin so far and for me, people like AJ, Rose and Sara are showing already that they can cope very well with both styles. I'm loving J and J and everything they do but it would be nice to see some more light and shade in their next dance. Amy and Tom haven't had a chance to show us any ballroom yet but I think he is doing the Foxtrot this week so that will be interesting. I think Judi now needs to produce something a bit different from the fun n umbers. I need to see Rhys doing something with more of a strict tempo and need to see some actual dancing from Mr Thompson.........

It is such a high standard at the moment that I feel sorry for anyone this year who hasn't got the time to do hours and hours of training. However, we could reach a point where people burn out or reach their ceiling....anything is possible.

Hi Mauve. I may be about to get pan-fried here (that's actually a bit daft as it would be hard to fry anything without a pan.
but I'm, ultra tired of hearing about how "hard" everybody claims they work. Come on, days practising dance with a top professional is hard work? Try telling that to a nurse, heavy-goods driver or supermarket shelf stacker. What did they expect?

Ah well, on with it. Truth is, it's all a magical mystery tour with guess-work the main factor and the G.B.P the executioners. Greg may be a decent actor, but you can't act dance and, in fairness he's trailing the field a bit right now. He might be able to trot a gavotte on film, but his actions are all a bit wooden, and Latin will hardly do him any favours. I also feel Tom will shine in most things. He's a real dark horse due to absence, but watch out for him. Rose has won a lot of support and it isn't from sympathy with her hearing, she has style; another to watch.. I am actually delighted Adam has really taken to dance, and he does know what hard work is. If he has the support.....well, he might add the mirror of a million selfies to his medal collection.

Lastly, for now... There are still a few "aeroplane arms" on show. I'm actually amazed none of the judges mention it. When you reach out to switch a light on (for instance), stop with your finger on the switch and look at your arm. It has a lovely natural curve, not an imitation of Stavros Flatley. Why then, do dancers always do the "We are about to die" gladiator salute? Be natural, better still, watch a few Fred Astaire films. Shirley might not like it, but hey ...

Just catching up on the weekend show now so I'm too late with my feedback, but find myself nodding my head when reading everybodys' thoughts.  Just a few random comments from me....

I'm so relieved that Adam was saved from the dance off - personally I didn't think the rumba was really that bad at all.  He's my favourite by far, so I'm ready to have a big hissy fit if he gets pushed out early.

There were some fabulous dances. AJ's american smooth was gorgeous, John's paso was near perfect, but my favourite of the night was Rose's foxtrot which was spine-tingling. On the other hand, the two Couples Choices left me cold, and I can't abide the x-factor style VTs for them.

Both Dan and Tilly got very clearly wrong-footed, so I was bemused by Shirleys comment that she wasn't going to deduct points for their mistakes. I felt there was a lot of overmarking, and in particular for Tilly and Greg. As others have suggested, it does feel like a bit of an attempt to retain their famous connections.

A.nton continues to impress me as a fair and helpful judge, I hope he stays like this throughout.  

Did anyone else notice...any time CRH was boo-ed for making a negative comment, it was always the same male in the audience who started the boo-ing. If the BBC are going to put plants in the audience they should make it a bit less obvious.

Anyhow, I enjoyed movie week more than I'd expected to, and at the end of the day I think the right person left. Didn't see much improvement by Katie over the weeks and it sounded like she couldn't commit the time to training.

Tango - I really agree with your comment about aeroplane arms, which I think have been particularly noticeable in Greg and Robert. Not sure why the judges don't comment on them

Hello everyone!

I'm a bit behind because it's been a very tiring week at work (physically) with shifts all over the place so I don't really know which way is up.

First of all - Tango, what's a Gladiator salute? Genuinely no idea and I'm trying to picture what you mean.

And now to the Dance off. Which I didn't watch because i forgot it was on. Cousin spoilered the result becuase she assumed I was watching and everyone said there I hadn't missed anything of note in the rest of the show, so I didn't bother i-playering it

As I didnt see it, I can't really comment on the dancing in the dance off but I magine it must have been a difficult call Their strengths and weaknesses are very opposite to each other. In the end, I was more sad for Gorka than Katie that they were out as I imagine Katie felt some element of relief as it looks like she bit off more than she was epecting with filming AND training for Strictly.

just a note about Tilly... She has her very own following and league of fans. She is on CBBC as a chef (admittedly appearing with other members of her family and admittedly she got this gig from hanging on her Dad's coat tails) and she also, inevitably has a youtube channel and is an 'influencer'. The producers want her younger fans to see the show (as they did with Joe and Saffron) NOT her Dad's ancient followers! I shouldn't think his fans have ever seen her before this and won't be especially cheering her on or voting for her. She doesn't need her Dad's fans, she has her own (and probably vastly more of them!)

Also, I think Adam has drawn a very long straw with the AT. He just has to stand there looking strong and brooding, whilst Karen leans on him and gets twizzled around and flung about a bit A little bit of foot flicking, but apart from that stand like a sturdy oak (ok, slightly unfair to those chaps like Simon Webbe who performed a terrific AT but I think you know where I am coming from).

I am agin Adam. (in case anyone has missed that memo.)


And no, as (i think) Mauve and B4p said, they are not going to let Greg go - probably not before Halloween - so that they can get some mileage out of Dame Emma. Sigh.

Not sure I can add any more at the moment.

Off to try flicking a switch to see what shape my arm makes... xx

From the BBC page

Robert Webb said: “I’m extremely sorry to have to announce that I’m withdrawing from Strictly Come Dancing due to ill health. Two years ago I had open heart surgery and although I believed I was fit enough to take on Strictly and its demanding schedule, it became clear that I had bitten off way more than I could chew for this stage in my recovery. I had begun to feel symptoms that led me to seek an urgent consultation with my heart specialist, and it was her view that it would be better for the sake of my health to step back from the show.

I’m proud of the three dances that Dianne Buswell and I managed to perform and deeply regret having to let her down like this. I couldn’t have wished for a more talented partner or more patient teacher, and it’s a measure of Dianne’s professionalism and kindness that I was able to get as far as I did. Thanks too to everyone at home who voted for us. It was always going to be a difficult mountain to climb (for one thing it’s made of glitter so it’s very skiddy) and I’ve been especially touched by the support from fellow heart patients. I think perhaps I was too eager to impress them. They will know that recovery doesn’t always go in a straight line, and I hope they’re not too disappointed that I ran into the limits of my resilience much sooner than I’d hoped.

I leave knowing that Strictly viewers are in very safe hands and I’ll be cheering for my brother and sister contestants all the way to Christmas. Despite this sad ending, it has been a genuine honour to be part of this huge, joyful and barking mad TV show. Long may it continue.”

Dianne Buswell said: “As a massive fan of Robert’s, I was delighted to find out that he was joining the Strictly family. On top of this, to find out he was my partner was the icing on the lingerie. We made a great team, worked hard and had a good laugh along the way. I am so proud of the three amazing dances we produced. I know Robert had a lot more to give to the competition but his health of course comes first and I wish him a speedy recovery. I feel lucky to have danced with him and to call him a friend.”

So sorry for Robert and his partner, but sensibly, health must always come first. I did enjoy Robert's tango and felt he had some potential, at least, but that's a closed book now and we can only wish him all the best.

For D&P, the Gladiator salute was where the combatants faced the Emperor's seat and raised a straight right arm (usually) whilst intoning, "We who are about to die, salute you".( Despite what some people claim, I wasn't there at the time, so a little artistic licence may be allowed?) The salute isn't used since World War II because it was likened to a gestapo/Adolf one. It was also highlighted (badly) by two black-gloved, black power devotees on the podium at the 1968 Olympic games causing a huge storm. I was probably wrong in referring to it.

The light switch reference is totally my own way of making a point. I have never known anyone else ever use it. Maybe I should patent it..? It's almost a repetition of the way the arms are in hold, so why try to imitate a spitfire in flight?

Ref Adam and the Argentine Tango, standing there and looking arrogant is fine in Paso Doble, but won't work in A.T. I still maintain the producers have dealt him a joker, but we'll no doubt soon see. I reckon Katya will give him a slowed down version and be glad he won't be wearing gaucho spurs.

Here endeth today's rant...Amen...

Unfortunate for Robert Webb but obviously his health must come first.

I am not sure how far he would have gone and I feel perhaps around the halfway mark. He was a mixed bag. I found his facial expressions very off-putting in his dances but he always gave it 100% in effort.

I keep checking the BBC site for this weeks music, but so far it's not been posted. Just to update you in case you thought I might be Strictly Snoozing!

Just noticed on the Dark Side, that Ugo may not dance this week due to hurting his back. Nothing mentioned on the BBC site as yet.

Copied from the Dark Side this morning:
Dancing4life wrote: »
On Oti's IG Stories, she's facetiming Ugo in his hospital gown with a caption that includes "In hospital about to go under" and "can't walk properly".

It sounds like a serious problem. I can't see him recovering within a week, and would guess he'll retire. I wish him a steady recovery.