A Little Bit of Honesty.

I was at a wedding yesterday so have had to watch on catch-up today. What did I think? Here goes.

(Since I wrote this I've read quite a few of your reviews and can see I'm at odds with most of you. We enjoyed different things. Oh well - too bad. At least we all enjoyed some of it! )

Katie and A.nton – Charleston and Waltz
Firstly I felt so sorry for Katie and A.nton. They really didn't get it together at all and in all likelihood will be leaving tonight.
The Charleston was pretty clumsy and not very inventive. The lifts were a bit forced. Katie's not a big girl but she's no lightweight either. I don't think A.nton's as strong as he once was.  The judges were perhaps a bit harsh in their comments but then again it is the semi finals. 7 from me.
In the Waltz, Katie seemed to lose her balance quite a lot which is such a shame. It was a surprise to me as I hoped this would also be one of her best dances, but as much as I love her, it was pretty ordinary. I felt sorry for the singer having to perform O mio babbino caro. It's not easy at all. 7 again, 8 if I'm feeling generous.


Jay and Aliona – Viennese Waltz and Charleston
Poor Katie and A.nton having to go just before these two. Jay's Waltz was beautiful and very romantic as Darcy said. I have no idea what L en was saying as I have no technical knowledge of the dance really and didn't spot what he was talking about. Crai.g was talking bollocks about the facial expression. I expected no more or less than Jay gave us. 9.
A terrific Charleston. One of the best ever I think.  They were so slick together, so in synch and exciting. Lots and lots of fun. I say it every week. Aliona really is one of the best choreographers on the show.I didn't think he dropped her unintentionally (watched it three times) and I'd have given it a 10.


Georgia and Giovanni – Cha Cha Cha and Viennese Waltz
She looked just gorgeous for the Cha  Cha Cha. A very sexy girl. The judges were right about the hip action perhaps, but it was still vital and exciting. I would have loved to have seen it with more rehearsal time. Many people said at the beginning of the competition that she was too child-like and wasn't sexy at all. Things have changed. They deserved their 8s. Same from me.
Then came a gorgeous Viennese Waltz. Snow White and Prince Charming! Delightful, fluid, utterly graceful. No sign of the lack of rehearsal here. Just brilliant. 10.


Anita and Gleb – Foxtrot and Salsa
Gleb's a pain in the neck. He needs to get out of Anita's way. She was OK in the Foxtrot and danced beautifully I suppose, but there was a bit of drive and charisma missing for me. I didn't notice them go from Foxtrot to American Smooth, but what do I know. 8
I thought this Salsa was too ugly for words. Energetic perhaps, but there didn't seem to be much Salsa about the dance. Didn't do it for me. 7.


Kellie and Kevin - Rumba and American Smooth
Meh! I'll confess I really don't care about this couple so their Rumba didn't really do it for me either. Jay and Katie's Rumbas were much more enjoyable as far as I was concerned. I thought Silver tongued Italian Stallion was on the money when he said it was like a brother and sister dancing. There was no spark of sexiness here. 8.
I have to be picky about their American Smooth as well. The Fred and Ginger steps were very obvious in this number, but they were almost too exaggerated for me. Fan lifts (is that right?) too high and the side sweeping steps too wide for elegance. Not very smooth. And the dress should have been just a touch longer to be a proper Ginger dress! OK I'm being too grouchy for words. 8 or 9. Certainly not a 10.

So, an evening of highs and lows without doubt. If Katie is in the dance off, she'll be out without question. Frankly, much though I love her and A.nton, it's about their time. Georgia, and Jay deserve to be in the final. Kellie too I suppose though I'd never vote for her. Anita's the only one I'd say is borderline, but even she danced much better than Katie tonight. If neither Anita nor Katie are in the DO tonight, then there's no justice!

Grr grr and triple GRRRRRR......      

I had just composed a very erudite and witty (what do you mean you don't believe me?) post but the computer crashed as I was on the last sentence, and it is now all lost.

I really can't do it all again so the synopsis was, poor Katie, scary Anita, clinical Kellie (but wearing Helen's dresses- yay!!), springy Jay (but don't believe Aliona that the scuffled ending was deliberate) and gorgeous, joyous Georgie.

Georgie to win please.

I had composed my epic without reading anybody else's posts so I wasn't influenced... So I'm off to read those now. Will comment on your comments soon. Mwah.

OK - I think my original post pretty much agreed with Twirlie...

I also agree with Mauve about Anita's horrible shoes. I deducted a couple of marks. And special point-losing (in the Diamond's judging book) mention for Narcisuss's cropped, buttonless jacket. They dropped quite a lot of marks for that unforgiveable costume aberration. Their salsa scared the fudge brownie out of me.

I am in a minority, because I think Katie is the better dancer, out of her and Anita. She has more finesse, finish and overall technique. It was a bad week for her -destroyed by the judges for her not-that-bad Charleston, she wouldn't have had much confidence going into the Waltz, so probably wobblier than she would otherwise have been. And Katie's frocks -esp the second one -were on form, so more marks picked up there.

I would have marked Katie's Charleston a 7 and her Waltz an 8.5

Anita would have got a 7.5 for the foxtrot and a 7 for the salsa. (BTW - C.raig practically yelled Narcissus for putting in stuff that Anita couldn't do but his mark didn't reflect this..... If he was being consistent with his marking for Katie, then he should have given Anita a 5,based on his comments).

So Katie wins... And if you look back at the series, she is the more accomplished. I don't think tonight she was on form and I disagree that she has gone as far as she can. I think she got knocked back, didn't perform her best in the waltz, and, I believe, still has the capacity to improve. She is not a winner, and she is not (yet) in the same catergory as Jay, Georgia and Kellie. But she is more worthy than Anita of going to the final.

On that note, my ideal final would go:

Katie knocked out first, then Kellie, Jay runner up, Georgie gets the glitter ball.

It's going to be Jay, isn't it

Wow - didn't see that coming! Thought Katie was sure to go out. Her dance certainly was much improved but I didn't realise the judges would go with it as well. I'm glad Katie and A.nton got to the final for emotional reasons I suppose, but they won't win, which is fair. Terrific for Housewives choice to get through. I'm sure Katie realises that she's only got through because of him though.

Who would have thunked it? I'm quite delighted, because some time back I plumped for Katie and Housewives choice to reach the final. I really didn't hold out too much hope after last night, but thankfully they pulled it off. Commiserations to Anita who I thought in the main better than Kellie, but Kellie produced a wonder dance just when needed last night and it was enough. C raig Bevelled Ballcocks got a punch in the nose by going against the others (no surprise there then) . Well done to A nton who finally got there. He's been the show's model professional for so long that I bet he's thrilled to bits. One thing that must be admitted, Helen should have reached the final instead of Kellie, or maybe even Katie. She's a very good dancer and went too soon. History now though.

Anyway, best of luck to them all now and may the winner be the one that hits the bull'seye on final night.

I'm sure the press will scream Fix!" By L.en for saving A.non and Katie. I think the semi final dance off should go to the public votes figures and that decides their fate. I am pleased A.non reached the final bit suprise his fan base didn't keep him out the DO!
I had Anita as my dark horse entry and thought Gleb threw their chance away with his me,me,me routine again that and those god awful shoes wardrobe gave her....

Twirlie - I think they both got through because of each other!  A nton for his choreography and popularity and Katie for providing him a decent canvas to work with!

Well, what a surprising turn of events - I am delighted for K atie and A nton who at one point I couldn't see even making Blackpool, but I feel really feel sorry for Anita - talk about the wrong choice of dance for the dance off!!!! A & G  had tied scores for both their dances and had a choice of what they did - very bad choice  as it was K atie and A nton's beautiful waltz, which they very much improved on the second outing - up against the salsa- that- wasn't - and there is one thing the judges don't like and that is an attempt at a showdance the week before the final!    I know many will be shouting 'fix' but I avidly watched the feet and K and A did not make any mistakes whereas there were some timing issues in parts of G leb and A nita's routine - at the end of the day it must have been so difficult to judge two different dances that were so poles apart in terms of genre and style - and let's face it, CRH was never going to save K atie and A nton in a million years, but the others went for the recognisable classic ballroom dance and hooray for that!  However,  the results would surely had to have been different if  K atie and A nton had to repeat their Charleston?

I have really admired Anita, coming from a non performing arts background  I felt she was turning into a good all round dancer - I loved the Hallowe'en waltz and she produced what for me will go down as one of the most iconic routines ever seen on SCD with the Paso at Blackpool, but unfortunately it seemed to go down hill from there, with G leb seemingly unwilling or incapable of moving her forward and masking lack of technique with ever increasing showy dances and not listening to the judges.  In a way I think that if the judges had made a real marks deduction for the rumba lift instead of just bleating about it, then it would have sent a stronger message to G leb, but as it was I felt he seemed to be turning his nose up at everything and tonight it felt like it was a bit about him getting his come uppence, with the judges choosing a ballroom purist over the young pretender.    To me he has looked very uncomfortable in all the traditional ballroom dances   (in fact wasn't A nton helping him with his quickstep???).  I also remember his very first interview when he reeled off all the dance genres in which he was prolific but failed to mention either ballroom or latin American!!!           I think a serious rethink is needed if he is to return to SCD in the future - in the meantime I feel sorry for Anita - she has been a great sport and a talent and has only danced what she has been given by her pro.........but that said, they should have gone last week really!!

I would really love to see K atie and A nton do their rumba in the final   (one of the best ever seen on SCD IMO)  and even their jive from the first week which was pretty darn good.

Squeak squeak SQUEEEEEEAAAAK!!!!

Oh, what the hell, let's make that a full on Kellie SCREEEEEEAAAAAMMMM!!!

The Final Four are the ones I thought it should be!

Unbelievable. That NEVER happens!

Don't care now who wins, though I would like it to be Georgia....

(...It's going to be Jay isn't it?)

Well, let's be honest, Anita had a very lucky escape last week so maybe Gleb guessed they wouldn't make the final and decided to give us his show dance last night instead

fiftynotout wrote:Well, let's be honest, Anita had a very lucky escape last week so maybe Gleb guessed they wouldn't make the final and decided to give us his show dance last night instead

Ooh! I Like that theory

TANGOLERO wrote:
Anyway, best of luck to them all now and may the winner be the one that hits the bull'seye  on final night.

Hear, hear!

TANGOLERO wrote:.

Anyway, best of luck to them all now and may the winner be the one that hits the bull'seye  on final night.

It's going to be Jay, isn't it?

TANGOLERO wrote: One thing that must be admitted, Helen should have reached the final instead of Kellie, or maybe even Katie. She's a very good dancer and went too soon. History now though.

Anyway, best of luck to them all now and may the winner be the one that hits the bull'seye  on final night.

What you say is so true Mr T - in a way I think Helen going out has enabled K atie and A nton to be in the final.

Agree - best of luck to all of them - Showdances at dawn!!!!!

I feel a little deflated. I wanted Anita in the final, but then I wanted Katie there too. So it was a lose-lose tonight. I can't argue with the judge's decision, just wish it wasn't the one they'd been faced with.

I think this is the least excited I've been about a final ever. Jay and Georgia, good as they might be, both bore the tits off me I'm afraid! So it's up to Katie with her maturity and class, or Kellie with her semi-final sparkle, to cause an upset. But I shan't hold my breath!

Fewer trained ones next year please. I don't mind 1-2 but I've felt too many were too good from the beginning and it pushes the likes of Anita out of contention - even though she, to me, encapsulates what Strictly's about.

I whole-heartedly concur with Sid's last point about next year.

I am delighted Katie and An.ton got through a lovely couple. Sad to see Anita miss out but as others have said G.leb's self-importance was nauseous. I would hazard a guess there were fewer weeks when he wore a shirt than he didn't and then he was always sliding on his knees or showcasing himself with cocky moves. Anita would have been better off being paired with Brendan Cole and G.leg getting Kirsty.

And sorry to harp on but have to disagree Twirlie with regards to Jay's Charleston. It was clearly a drop. Look at his reaction at the end he had his hands on his head as he lined up for the comments - the sign of someone who had messed up. Then we had his sheepish grin when C.raig asked him if it was intended and he smirked and said it was. That said it all for me. Besides you don't choreograph such a thing into a dance.

At the end of the day Jay was going through even if he fell on his backside last night so there was no need for the judges to so blatantly overlook his error especially when L.en had earlier said he had to be tough on everyone as it was the semi stage.

Well it's all academic now but I wonder what would have happened if Anita had done her ballroom or Katie had done her Charleston? After a few minutes of ranting we accepted that although we wanted Anita in the final, whoever won the DO was really only the extra for the final. Little Miss Alls was most cross as she has a great dislike of Katie, but even she can see the bigger picture.
That said, it's all down to the GBP now, so who knows what might happen? I just hope that we get wowed by some amazing dances and either Georgia or Jay lift the trophy- Georgia's my preference but I'll see on who wows me on the night.
Can anyone remind me- do they do a new dance in the final or is it just repeats and showdance? I so wanted to see GG doing an AT? I really should know this after all these years

allsewnonbyhand wrote:Well it's all academic now but I wonder what would have happened if Anita had done her ballroom or Katie had done her Charleston? After a few minutes of ranting we accepted that although we wanted Anita in the final, whoever won the DO was really only the extra for the final. Little Miss Alls  was most cross as she has a great dislike of Katie, but even she can see the bigger picture.
That said, it's all down to the GBP now, so who knows what might happen? I just hope that we get wowed by some amazing dances and either Georgia or Jay lift the trophy- Georgia's my preference but I'll see on who wows me on the night.
Can anyone remind me- do they do a new dance in the final or is it just repeats and showdance? I so wanted to see GG doing an AT? I really should know this after all these years  

I am sure it is two of their favourite/best dances of the series and then a showdance. For me it is sure to be between Georgia and Jay but Kellie is a dark horse but feel she has not won the public over like the other two. For Katie and An.ton I hope they enjoy the night but they are ranked outsiders. As for who will win well just for the chemistry this couple have together I would have to go for Georgia and Giovanni.

We were away at the weekend, so watched the recordings of both shows last night (until 1am). I think it's all been said really. It was always going to be either Anita or Katie going out and I suspect that the judges tossed a coin to decide who - although if they'd done it on the basis that they were finding Gleb irritating beyond belief I honestly couldn't blame them (and I suspect that this was the case for The Love God that is Leonard The Lion Goodman). I for one, will not be disappointed if Gleb isn't invited back next year.

More bizarre music choices, whoever decided that you can waltz to Puccini....you can't. You just can't and you shouldn't even try. Not even A nton. I can't help thinking that Katie would have done better with "proper" waltz music. I always find that beginner dancers find it much easier if the music has a clear and appropriate beat - and so much of the music used this season just hasn't.

Best dance of the night has to be Kellie and Kevin with the American Smooth which was gorgeous. I enjoyed their Rumba - their was a lot of technical content which Kellie handled very well - but I agree that there didn't seem to be much of a connection between them. Weird. I wonder if perhaps this is why I find it difficult to warm to them as a couple.

So first choice for an early exit in the final has to be Katie (although I wouldn't be totally surprised if there's a surprise there). My choice to win today is Georgia, but I think that jay could easily win and that wouldn't upset me - I might well change my mind on the night anyway.

Re the dances - I think that for the last few years the couple have chosen a dance they want to do again and the judges have chosen a dance for the couple that they want to see them do again. BTW - I think it's a great shame that we won't get to see Joe Varney and Georgia's AT. I suppose that they could use it in the show dance but that seems unlikely. Does anyone know why was changed to Cha Cha - was it to do with Georgia being ill?

If ever there was a case for everybody doing the same dances, the final is surely it. No obvious advantages, all judged on the same things and best dances win. What's so hard?

Just read an article in, let's say, a well known national daily that isn't a red top rag, about this weekend's show. Do the muppets who write these things actually know what they're talking about, or indeed anything about dance, or do these just look for sensation by babbling along with what Faceache and Twitter are calling the voice of the public? What a load of mindless wombling. Katie won a dance-off by producing the best dance in it. What transpired before is immaterial and it was always going to be Anita or Kellie in there with her. In the end she turned in the better dance and won the judges over. Some wanted her to win, she did. Some wanted Anita to win, she didn't.
No good or bad reflections on either, except from muppetvile . If Katie should win by public vote, how many times has that same vote knocked out better dancers in lieu of "favourites": Deal with it you impartial "reporters" (I use that term in its loosest possible sense) evil:

TANGOLERO wrote:Deal with it you impartial "reporters" (I use that term in its loosest possible sense) evil:

So we have the final four!  I must admit I was a bit shell shocked last night because in my heart I did not feel that either of Katie and A nton's dances as done in the first show were really going to take them into the final - but they upped their game when it mattered and to be honest I felt that it was  Gleb's turn to go, more than it was Anitas!

The latter part of the contest has been interesting to say the least and has made up a bit for the somewhat underwhelming first part.  I definitely enjoyed last year better I think - I agree with S id about there just being too many people this year with the dance background and who were good from week 1.

For the final, in my head at this moment I see K atie and A nton bowing out gracefully half way through at the elimination stage, then Jay, Georgia and Kellie fighting it out in the second half. Kellie won't win - the Stage School  'ringer' (as S id puts it!) never does - reference Denise Van Outen, Nathalie Gumede etc.  On a personal level I would prefer Georgia to lift the trophy but the evidence is all there to suggest that Jay has a big vote share and the only one left who has never been in a DO - coupled with the beeb's desire to have a male winner this year - and bingo!   As Diamonds keeps saying - 'it's probably going to be Jay isn't it'!!!

But.............this could all be complete rubbish - I am never any good at picking the winner - last year at this time I had Frankie Bridge down to win but was hoping it would actually be Simon - and how many times on SCD finals have we seen things not go quite to the expected plan...... So it really will be down to those Showdances this year!!!!!  Mind you what will Kevin do as he has already done his trademark American Smooth Showdance!!!!!

^^

With Team Cola in mind, just about anything can happen. Am I wrong in thinking it, did I imagine it, that Katie is showing signs of thinking ambitious thoughts that she might actually win the bathroom tile ball? There seems to be a new confidence about her. That said, pure anything, ballroom, Latin etc...won't be enough without the "S" Factor. Something special is needed and I can't help thinking Aliona and Gio's skills in that department might just upstage A nton's. There is one consolation there: I never remember Fred Astaire ever doing the splits, a cartwheel or a Dirty Dancing lift. Bring it on Maestro.....

I am not ageist (and I'm a couple of years older than Katie) but I think her age will go against her in the final. She simply doesn't have the stamina and fitness of the three younger finalists. It showed in the semi-final (probably her tiredness accounted for the few stumbles) and will show even more in the final when she has three dances to do. Of course the adrenaline will keep them going but I can't see her making it into the final three.

I'm also hoping for some wow factor show dances this year. In recent years the show dances have been quite meh, even from the winners. In fact, we haven't had a knock out one since Tom Chambers. Come on pros, we're counting on you.....