A Little Bit of Honesty.

Very quiet on here today???
I'm staying with friends tonight so may not see the show and will be:D  coming to the party late by watching it tomorrow.
Looking forward to seeing some of the dances featured tonight - Abby's Charleston to 'Cabaret' and Sophie's AT - still think that they put the AT in the show too early, but there you are! I will most intrigued to see how Fiona and A nton's paso goes - to Song 2!!!!!! As a Blur fan I'm not sure what to think - it certainly has power and attack and no 'starship troopers' this week!!!! I think we have seen some weak pasos on the series so far so I hope she pull this one off but I think the combination of Song 2, Fiona Fullerton, A tnon du Beke and a paso doble somewhat bizarre but I am looking forward to it - however It doesn't alter my preference of having real paso music for the paso doble!!!!!!! Enjoy the show!

Too right mauve, though I have detected a lack of enthusiasm for this series. Or it could just be many are liked me and keep getting locked out!
I do think it is a lack of looking forward to the show. I know Natalie is a brilliant dancer, but I cannot get excited about her dances and more importantly none of them have given me goosebumps. Almost had them with Sophie's Charleston - still IMO the stand out of this season so far.
Well maybe tonight it might warm up. My hopes
Ben keeps his top on and doesn't kiss or otherwise handle the judges
Mark's rumba doesn't make me cringe
Ashley gets his head up
Abbey keeps control of those long limbs
Dave doesn't make me hide behind a cushion
Housewives choice's hair doesn't distract me in it floppiness

Breaking news......no Nathalie Gumhede tonight. Apparently she fainted twice in rehearsals and will not dance tonight. I hope it is npthing serious. What happens now? Does she get a bye through to next week?

CC - the BBC website says that she will dance next week so yes she does get a bye. Like you I'm hoping it's nothing serious - evidently she has been taken to hospital as a precaution.

Yes hopefully she is back for next week. I don't think it makes too much of a difference at this stage to be honest as she would not have been in contention for the dance-off. Sadly, means there is one less dance tonight.

Hadn't heard that. Hope she is ok. They gave Tina O'Brian one when she had chicken pox.

Well plenty of drama (Nat's fainting in rehearsals) and lots of great dancing. Ben put in a good dance (not the best on the night) but still a good way to start the show. Abbey bounced back with her Charleston, Susanna's Waltz was beautiful, Ashley continues to improve, Sophie danced well but needs to let it all hang out (like L.en says), Fiona was competent but no more than that and Patrick's American Smooth was really great and but for that last error may have got more tens. It was clear to me that the two weakest dancers now left in are Mark and Dave and really should be in the dance-off.

Such a shame about Natalie - I was so looking forward to her Proud Mary jive. Hope she's better soon.

Ben & Kristina - I was with the fabu-u-lus darling one. I think these two are utterly shameless in their using of silly tricks, lifts and costumes to hide a lack of content. I am bored of them now, and I fear he is going to go to the finals without ever having learnt to dance. he has actually ovetaken Dave for me in my wanting him out.

Fiona & Housewives choice
I thought she did a pretty good job and the fabu-u-lus darling one was overly harsh. She did need to be a bit more grounded through her feet and legs which would have helped her whole body shaping, but her timing was impeccable and there was some good musicality.

Abbey & Aljaz
Loved this. It did need more swivel, but I thought there was masses of content and well delivered.

Mark & Iveta
I wasn't sure about the theming and I think costume let him down because it hid his hips (which I think were quite a lot more fluid than the judges' comments implied). As usual I think the judges were a bit unfair and that had a young fit bloke done the same quality of rumba, they would have scored much higher.

Ashley & put a vest on you strumpet
His best dance, easily.

Dave & Karen
Well I didn't want to like it but I kind of did! I couldn't help finding it highly entertaining and thought her choreography was pretty amusing (laughing with her rather than at her). I did also think there was quite a lot of content in it and an improvement in his basic steps.

Susannah & Kevin
First time I have been able to relax and properly enjoy her dancing. She lost her topline towards the end though, which was a shame.

Sophie & Brendan - well there was quite a lot of good in it (nice footwork, good lifts). I don't know why the judges went on about the attitude so much as this is hardly the most important thing about AT (and contrary to what the judges say AT music and dancing covers the whole emotional range and not just anger and jealousy). The thing that was actually wrong was her embrace - she was far too upright and far away from Brendan. AT comes from the solar plexus. Both dancers should lead with their chests and the embrace should be close where possible. There should be lots of contact in the chest enabling the connection which makes the whole thing work. There was none of this - Brendan's fault I expect, as he should have taught this. 8 was about right though as in all other respects is seemed pretty neat so two points dropped for the lack of chest connection is about right.

Patrick - and Anya
A dance of two halves - the dancing was all absolutely lovely (he is hugely imrpoved). The lifts were a mess and I wish they had just not bothered with them, or made them simpler. I hate it when lifts detract from dancing. the dancing was fab but 9s and 10s for three fluffed lifts (all three were fluffed) is a bit ridiculous.

I would love to see a Ben/Dave DO but I fear it will be Mark/Fiona.

No total suprises in the order, so no surprise that we had some pretty mundane, some very decent and a couple of exeptional dances this week.

Ben and Kristina.....Jive.

I like Ben's enthusiasm and desire to learn to dance. It's beginning to really show in his work. His jive was a little heavy, well it would be in a man of sixteen stone, but the main problem for me was too much Kristina. She's a pro and we know she's very good both in dance and choreography. She isn't there to camoflague her partners though and Ben did well enough on his own efforts. C raig was just being ridiculous with his four mark.
Jive is far fro the easiest of dances to impress with.
4,7,8,7......26.
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Housewives choice and Fiona. Passable Doble.

Timing was iffy, music was absolute rubbish for a paso, being more suited to a rodeo and Fiona is managing to present reasonable if unspectacular dances. Whoeve chost the music should be put in with the bull. Fiona is third in line to go after Dave and Mark, for me. C raig being C raig again.
5,7,7,7...26
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Abby and Aljaz. Charlston.

Was this worth four nines? Was there a touch of panics caused by last week's dance off? It was good even if there was a tiny timing issue, but not as good as Sophie and Brendan's for the same scores and some weeks earlier. Maybe it's just me. Good effort despite all and should ensure safety for Blackpool.
9.9.9.9....36.
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Mark and Yveta..Dumba.

What exactly was this? Certainly not portraying yearning unless Mark ws yearning for a hamburger? A rubber bald wig and a stuffed cat yet not a comedy offering. Done for laughs it might just have got another week over Dave. As it was it was pretty awful and Mark should drop the gimmicks and just dance. More comment worthy were Yveta's gold catsuit and Claudia's mickey-take rubber headpiece.

5.6.7.5....23
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Susanna and Kevin. Waltz.

Susanna isn't short of support and this will have boosted her chances no end. Classic tie and tails Broadway glitter stuff and so well done. A real classy mix of single and double time footwork, rapid transition from one to the other and all done flawlessly and in perfect time to the music. This was ballroom dance. Really well done these two. I liked that a lot.

9.9.9.9.....36.
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Dave and Karen. Tango..(I think).

Biggest problem with Dave, likeable as he is, is the fact the doesn't seem to realise his dances aren't nearly on a par with the rest. "It was a tango" he claimed, dressed in bonnet and tartan kilt. Well, of course Dave (and Karen must share some blame here), Scotland is well known for tangos. Ridiculous music and a heavy-footed comic stomp of almost John Sargent proportions just had me asking.." Why?"

4.6.6.4...20
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Ashley and put a vest on you strumpet. Quickstep.

Classy rendition from these two with some really excellent quick footwork and well synchronised. Fast, flashy and acceptably so because it was so well done. C raig being C raig again almost caused a row in the comments, but it couldn't take away from a real lift after Dave's dirge. Entertaining and Ashley is still very much a contender.
8.9.9.9...35
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Sophie and Brendon. Argentine Tango.

Despite the judges comments about Sophie's expressions in this, I got the feeling she was undermarked. C raig is almost always a mark worse than the others and four eights looks almost pre-planned to me. The dance was perfect, the expressions quite in order for Argentine Tango and they made a dance that takes some doing look almost easy....in a week. Great choreography from Brendan, classy in its simplicity yet totally elegant in its execution. Justice wasn't done here. At least two points short.
8.8.8.8....32.
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Patrick and Anya....American Smooth.

Right till the very end when Anyas wayward dress cause a small hitch in a complicated lift, smooth it was. Danced to the classic "It had to be you" this was another pure ballroom tie and tails classic, almost Astaire/Rogers like in its choreography. I just loved it and am not ashamed to admit it. Well done Patick, a man who really looks the part as a dancer and looks like he's loving it... I am. Ended the show with a bang.
9.10.9.9......37.
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Natalie gets a bye to the Blackpool Tower visit (well deserved so no problems there) and the show had some really enjoyable moments tonight. Dave and Mark just have to be in the dance-off now (in a perfectly normal and sane world, that is) closely followed by Fiona. Might not happen that way...but it should. Looking forward to all the comments on tonight.

A pretty good night, but a real shame about Natalie, I hope they let her do the Tina Turner routine at some stage. Great reviews everyone, here’s a few thoughts………

Ben – I didn’t like the start (we’ve had proper gymnastics from Matt B and Louis S… if you need a trampoline and a crash mat for a backflip then probably best not to bother). Jive was OK but his kicks seemed a bit heavy at times. Moova wrote yesterday that she hoped he wouldn’t manhandle or kiss any of the judges…..no such luck!

Fiona – again, I didn’t like the start of this -if there’s one pro who’s not suited to a knee slide then it’s elegant A.nton. Bit of a bad night all round for A.nton, what with forgetting his steps. Thought the paso was OK, but what was going on with the twirly camera work, grrr.

Abbey – very good technique, enjoyed this though I doubt anyone will top Sophies Charleston.

Mark – I like Iveta, but I do think she overlooked Mark in this choreography. His main move seemed to be wafting his arms out to the side, there was very little else for him to showcase. I think he’s in a tricky position - someone (producers? Iveta?) seems determined for him to stay on the comedy character route, whereas I get the feeling he wants to be taken seriously. I felt the judges were a bit personal with the criticism – hope he can make it to Blackpool.

Susanna – lovely waltz, helped by the right music, spot-lighting and dress. Nice to see Kevin doing a toned down performance.

Dave – I found the routine very disjointed, and quite boring

Ashley – plenty of energy, nice routine – can’t think of anything else memorable about it

Sophie – Excellent choreography by Brendan, I think the judges were a little bit critical, probably a couple of 9s would’ve been fairer. The only thing I noticed was the lack of the A shape in hold, and I felt Sophie was a little clinical in places. But the lift was fabulous, and the routine packed with content.

Patrick – another eye-catching dance from him. Loved the energetic start to this American smooth, and also the creative use of the stairs. Thought the lifts looked a little messy due to Anya’s frilly dress, but overall a really good way to finish the show.

I get a bit worried when John Barrowman appears on ITT - Tess and Claud to a great double act so I hope he doesn’t have his eye on the job. No idea who’ll be in the DO – preferably Dave and Fiona.

jingle wrote: I get a bit worried when John Barrowman appears on ITT - Tess and Claud to a great double act so I hope he doesn’t have his eye on the job. No idea who’ll be in the DO – preferably Dave and Fiona.

Not Tess's greatest fan but she and Claudia are doing a fine job of handling the show and You can call me Sir from now on wasn't missed at all. No sorry jokes, no false horse laughs by the pros and judges, a quicker and more polished handling altogether and a seemingly amiable partnership between the two. Leave them in charge and let You can call me Sir from now on accept it's time to sit back and just enjoy the show. B.B.C and You can call me Sir from now on take note, here's your presenting team. Leave them to it.

Started off with a real B rucie bonus for me , id forgot B ruce was having a week off tonight , then whet straight to a , your best players not playing tonight , we,ll tell you more about it later , damp squib , from which it never recovered .
The scores , the judging , the sugarcoating to prevent a backlash , & the order in which people dance ( when was the last time a top of the leader board danced in the middle or other than either first or last ? ) its supposed to be a live show , but the obvious to me agenda is well outshining that

See you all in Brighton

Ben – Didn't Ben have a gymnastics session with Louis Smith in order to learn to backflip? Well I'm left wondering what was the point?! A whole afternoon's worth of training used up for 2 seconds at the start of the routine which was quickly forgotten and had nothing to do with Jive! But anyway I thought it was a cute routine but Ben is quite heavy-footed so the bounce and sharpness was missing. He has the most lovely smile though *melts*  6

Fiona – Fiona didn't seem to do an awful lot wrong as such  but I found the routine immemorable. And A.nton was not good! And the song choice was awful! 7

Abbey – I did enjoy this, although it didn't quite live up to the hype. I think when Abbey lost her hat it threw her a bit (as it would anyone) and then she didn't dance with as much assurance. Lack of swivel didn't bother me as much as the lift which I thought looked wobbly. But ever since the Foxtrot, the judges don't seem to offer Abbey much criticism? Especially C.raig. 8.5

Mark – Usually these two can make anything work. But not this time. The bond theme was just odd and the atmosphere felt flat. It didn't help that Mark was wearing that grey tent of a shirt so you couldn't see his hips moving (and they did seem to be in training). C.raig's right about the hands, they should be shaped and sorted by now. All that said, I did give these two a vote!  6

Susanna – This was my favourite Ballroom dance of the series so far. The way Susanna & Kevin swirled around the dancefloor and the emotional connection they conveyed was simply wonderful. And I did see the elegance and refinement from Susanna that I was looking for. 10

Dave – I want him gone asap but I wasn't as bored this week. I did see lots of recognisable Tango steps and I felt the timing and movement were slightly improved. Still the weakest person left mind. 5.5

Ashley – I can never think of much to say about Ashley. He's a likeable guy, I can't really fault the dancing but I'm not enthralled by anything he does. I don't think the music O.la chose (almost gave me a migraine) or her choreography helps. I feel like I've seen it all before. The routines feel recycled, unexciting, slightly stale. 8.5

Sophie – Now Sophie's the opposite. Even if she's not brilliant, I still find her incredibly watchable. She has a mesmeric quality about her. This AT was a good comeback dance for her I thought. I liked the way the routine was put together and Sophie created some beautiful lines. It looked clean. I saw some intensity but not enough and for me it's not a case of just painting a certain expression on your face. I don't want Sophie merely to 'act' the dances, I want her to 'feel' them and express them though her face and body and through her interplay with Brendan. I'd like a bit more raw emotion and power. But I'm pleased that this was a big improvement on the Cha Cha and Jive. Interesting points about the embrace/hold jingle & Lilbear, thanks 8

Patrick – Gosh he's really coming into his own now isn't he? So close to perfection, just a couple of 'moments' with the lifts which stopped this being a 10. Darcey got carried away. 9

So my leaderboard....

1. Susanna
2. Patrick
3. Abbey
= Ashley
5. Sophie
6. Fiona
7. Ben
= Mark
9. Dave

Such a shame about Nat. I feel so sorry for her. All those hours of training for nothing. I wonder if they'll let her perform what looked to be a sensational Jive later on? Maybe instead of one of her repeat dances? That's if she's well enough to come back next week and I sincerely hope she is.

The show itself did run more smoothly in Brucie's absence though. Tess fills his role better and Claudia fills Tess's role better (especially when she's wearing a giant condom on her head!!!).

TANGOLERO - spot on comments. Exactly my take on things. If we were to place contestants on rungs of a ladder then Dave would be on the bottom rung, Mark a couple or three rungs above him and Fiona a rung above Mark. They are clearly the weakest dancers left in now.

Great reviews and comments everyone.

Susanna was the stand out dance for me, I loved it, closely followed by Patrick. I need to watch it again, but were all the lifts messed up by her dress? I thought they were a bit iffy  even before the last one, wondered if it was due to his injury. I think Darcy was wrong to give it a 10

I think Mark is in big danger this week, the theme did him no favours - Sid you summed it up perfectly, and like you I still gave him a vote   I would still like Dave to go first

I actually did watch Dave this week, and although totally stompy a la JS I thought it could've been worse. But I'm soooo bored by the whole thing now  

I thought Sophie did a good job, slightly undermarked I felt, glad she bounced back, although it wasn't wow, such a difficult dance.

I felt this was a bit of a downbeat show generally- it was almost a transition between last weeks theme and next weeks trip- although they didn't even seem to make very much of that either!
Tra la la and so to Brighton ......nice one Darcey!

Moova 12 wrote:
My hopes
Ben keeps his top on and doesn't kiss or otherwise handle the judges
Mark's rumba doesn't make me cringe
Ashley gets his head up
Abbey keeps control of those long limbs
Dave doesn't make me hide behind a cushion
Housewives choice's hair doesn't distract me in it floppiness

OK he kept his top on, but can't keep his hands off the judges. I really like Ben. He has a lovely smile and so far has not made much of his hearing loss. The jive was never going to be his dance, but now Kristina needs to up the ante. That does not mean Ben standing around while she dances around him either!

Mark's rumba made me angry!!!!! I had warmed to Iveta but the whole dressing up thing is too far now. We know she can lift your leg higher than is normal but it is about Mark. As has been said the shirt did not help Mark. IF he survives and it has to be a big if after that dance, he needs to have a straightforward dance without all the dressing up etc etc. If this is BBC doing this shame!

Ashley did keep his head up and did look better.  

Abbey kept control of the limbs but not the hat!

Dave DID make me hide  

Housewives choice had a bad night. Not the first. Perhaps it was the sight of Tess doing the job he really wants!

It is not a coincidence that the dances which came across best were the straightforward ones - Susanna and Patrick. I want to know what dance they are dancing not have to guess is it?? Some of the clips from the early series show the dance not the acting.

Well actually liked the way An.ton held up his hands about his error and can laugh at himself. Refreshing. Can you imagine if that had been James Jordan.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Well actually liked the way An.ton held up his hands about his error and can laugh at himself. Refreshing. Can you imagine if that had been James Jordan.

Well I am no JJ fan but to be fair, it DID happen to him last year in DVO's salsa, and he did own up to it and allow them to tease him about it.

Ah yes I remember that apologies to James then.

TANGOLERO wrote:Not Tess's greatest fan but she and Claudia are doing a fine job of handling the show and You can call me Sir from now on wasn't missed at all. No sorry jokes, no false horse laughs by the pros and judges, a quicker and more polished handling altogether and a seemingly amiable partnership between the two. Leave them in charge and let You can call me Sir from now on accept it's time to sit back and just enjoy the show. B.B.C and You can call me Sir from now on take note, here's your presenting team. Leave them to it.  

Hear, hear! I'm not Tess's greatest fan either, but I like her a lot better when B ruce isn't around. B ruce is becoming more embarrassing week on week, he's beginning to lose track of things and if he gets much worse it's going to be very embarrassing. He's never been a favourite of mine, but no-one should be humiliated on national TV like that and it's going to happen if someone doesn't gently tell him soon that it's time to step down.

Well I have to confess I missed 'the dance of the night'.

I haven't been feeling 100% the last couple of days and nodded off at the end of Susanna and Kevin - so I missed the whole of DAVE!!!

Unfortunately I did see him in the recap at the end. From what I saw - have to say I'm glad I missed it!!!

I saw it.... sadly!

I won't do a blow by blow account because I don't think that I have anything new to add. For me the highlights were Patrick, which I loved and Susanna and Kevin from Grimsby, which I also thought was lovely. Honourable mentions to Ashley (dam good quickstep), Abby (thoroughly enjoyed it although I thought maybe a tad over-marked) and Sophie (who I felt the judges were a bit hard on).

Low points - Fiona and A nton, off time, mistakes, no flow....thought Fiona did OK though  and Dave. Putting on some tartan and dancing to The Proclaimers does not make for a Scottish tango.

Dave was a big disappointment. It looks as though Iveta is going for the comedy route rather than actually dancing which I think is a mistake. I think it's reaching the point where the viewing public are starting to tire of the comedy routines, whereas I think that there'll always be support for a big guy who's actually dancing.

Dance-off? Well, it should be Dave and Mark, with Dave going. However, it might be a week or two too soon for that. Could be Mark and Fiona or even Mark and Ben or (heaven forbid) Sophie. In any of those scenarios it will be Mark who goes home, which is not entirely fair, but probably not the worst case scenario.

Interesting views as ever.  Just to mix it up I'm going to split mine up into girls and boys sections!

Girls

Susanna - Loved this. It was the dance of the night for me.  No gimmicks, no props just good costumes and beautiful dancing.  Well done to Kevin for choreographing a great routine which proved that a good dance is great entertainment just on it's own.  

Sophie - My second favourite of the night - but then I like Sophie a lot.  Yes there were a few errors but good choreography well executed I thought.  Felt she was a little undermarked.

Abbey - enjoyed this as well.  It was a shame she lost her hat which I think threw her a bit.  And the lift was a little ungainly but I'm being picky here.

Fiona - very little to say.  She, along with most of the boys, is quite forgettable for me  

Boys

I find all of them, bar Mark, quite anonymous.  This may be because apart from Dave I didn't really know anything about any of them before this but by now I would expect someone to have made more of an impression.

That said, Patrick's Americain Smooth was classy.  However I did have to rewatch this having read all the comments because the problems with the final lift influenced my opinion too much last night.

Ashley - Enjoyed this.  He's listened to the judges and his topline had improved.  Needs to keep up the improvement.

Ben - Jive OK given his beefiness and partial hearing but as several have said the back flip was unnecessary and not very good.  And if he doesn't stop grabbing the judges after their comments I will be throwing something at the TV  .  He's like a small child that's got a reaction to wayward  behaviour so keeps repeating it.  Please grow up and stop it Ben.

Mark - why, just why?

Dave - well done for not playing the comedy card (apart from the kilt) but rubbish tango track and rubbish tango.  OK there were some tango steps but the steps alone don't make the dance.


Who will go - I have no idea.  But Sophie's position on the leader board did motivate me to vote for her.  Hope that's not the kiss of death

Tina the only fair scenario tonight is Dave going. If not then it has to be Mark.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Tina the only fair scenario tonight is Dave going. If not then it has to be Mark.

You're expecting it to be fair!!!