Highs & Lows 2016

Weeks 1 & 2
Highs
The Judge
Both Charlestons
Pro dances

Lows
Wills ankle-biter trousers
Anastasia's injury
VT clips too long & boring

Highs:

- Ballsy's Charleston was everything.

- Oti, I can't keep my eyes off this woman.

- Daisy, I like surprises.

- Corrrrrka

Lows:

- Backlash against Anastacia in what was a tricky situation. I mean, she's taking part in a dancing prog to raise money for a cancer charity - from the reaction on Twitter / Facebook you'd think she'd drowned 20 kittens.

- Too many 7s, 8s, 9s that should've been 6s, 7s, 8s.

Week One Highs:
* Surprisingly a lot of celebs with great potential, two dirty ringers notwithstanding...
* No obvious duffers, even Melvin's iron-board char-char was quite musical and rhythmic.
* No elimination.
* the fabu-u-lus darling one not scoring anyone below 5 (see below).
* Love new pros Katya (didn't let Ed cruise but worked hard on him) and Gorka (Vincent Simone's distant nephew).
* That cha-cha from Danny and Oti!

Week One Lows:
* the fabu-u-lus darling one's 8s! I mean...! (see above)
* AJ's choreography is a little ropey and too gimmicky.
* Daisy was good, but not a 'nine' good.

Week Two Highs:
* Really enjoyed Tameka's and Ed's Charlestons. The former tie highest score of 8 from me, with Laura (see below).
* Laura's Waltz was surprisingly good, after a slightly messy week one cha-cha. The Chemistry between her and Giovanni is palpable I am sure they are bonking each other soon, if not already...
* The Judge's gurning faces still endears (but not sure how long that will last).

Week Two Lows:
* C.raig overcompensated with his generous eights by going the opposite way, marking Ed's Charleston's three is absolutely untenable!
* C.raig claiming that Claudia over-extends in her waltz while Laura did the exact same throwaway oversway with that extension and he didn't complain. In other words, he's talking out of his arse again.
* The injury and the DO fiasco.

Highs

It's back

Ed staying in

Dresses so far better 5han last year

Lows

Erratic marking
Tess and laughing at her own jokes
do fiasco


I'd like to say I have said my feelings re do fiasco.... for me imo if not able to compete in do you forfeit sorry... I've not felt I've had an adverse ott reaction against Anastacia just advised my opinion.
its crazy elsewhere and I'm aware Sid isn't happy re idiot neanderthal for brains now James Jordan..

I just felt I'd explain my view

saxonsiren wrote:I'd like to say I have said my feelings re do fiasco.... for me imo if not able to compete in do you forfeit sorry... I've not felt I've had an adverse ott reaction against Anastacia just advised my opinion.
its crazy elsewhere and I'm aware Sid isn't happy re idiot neanderthal for brains now James Jordan..

I just felt I'd explain my view

Oh I've no problem with people questioning the way the elimination was done sax (I queried it in my own mind!) and I totally get where you're coming from and don't wish to stifle opinion on this at all. My comments were aimed only at those sending Anastacia abusive messages and posting stuff like "she should've bowed out gracefully - typical American, no manners" (which got loads of 'likes' on FB).

Fb has a lot to answer for sometimes.....

Highs

Ore and Joanne's AS, this boy will go far

Nothing is guaranteed, nobody is safe

Lesley, what an inspiration


Lows

I genuinely thougt Tameka was better in the DO

Distorted result cause by ties in the judges' scores

Claud's messing about, this isn't tiswas!

*Highs*

* That SITR AS, charming.
* Claudia's amazingly fast Charleston.
* Ed bitten by the Strictly bug and giving his ALL.


*Lows*

* Naga putting me to sleep with a potentially high impact music to a Tango (and Pasha making it really difficult to dance THAT tango).
* Tameka and Gorka, Laura and Giovanni at the bottom two.
* Tameka and Gorka stumbled mid dance during the D.O.

Highs

Ed Balls resplendent in green and yellow, giving me 90 seconds of pure joy.

Lesley's spirit.

Greg's progress (dare I start to hope for Nat...)

Not remembering a Strictly night quite as enjoyable or uplifting as this one.


Lows

Adiós Gorka.

Salsaless Salsas. Ditch it and leave that stuff for Showdances.

Tameka being a little childish at the end giving her injured knee a lap of the dancefloor.

The thing where couples talk over the closing credits. Spoils the moment. Preferred it when they didn't.

HIGHS
*The whole show - one of the best 'SCD' episodes ever!
*Ore and Joanne (haven't rated them much up until now but I really loved this one)
*Ed - bizarre but wonderful - it was a challenging brave routine that worked. Never seen anything like this on SCD before.
*Anastacia still in
*Greg's improvement
*Song from 'West Side Story' and Joanne and A nton's dance on Sunday night.

LOWS
*C laudes slapstick bits - doesn't suit her and isn't funny
*Usual judges inconsistencies with comments and marks - C raig erratic this week.
*Don't make dances too freestyle - even on theme weeks (can't help thinking of that Zorba the Greek Argentine Tango) Will and Karen did a great Bollywood routine but wasn't related very well to the salsa and would have actually looked silly if it had been done as a latin salsa.

A general 'High' so far for me has been the music and also the fact that we have such a varied and potential group of dancers and it will be hard to second guess how it is going to go.......... although I think we might have to get used to saying goodbye to some good ones before their time as the weeks go on..............

Week 3 for me:

Highs
The movie costumes and make-up in general.
Props being lowish key at the moment
Both American Smooths especially Ore's
Greg's leather jacket
Danny & Oti's Paso
Band playing Mission Impossible

Lows
Another year (so far) of wasted Samba & Salsa dances
Singers strangling the top notes in some of the songs
Laura's dance (whatever it was)
L en & Br uno's constant 6 or 7 scores not helping the leaderboard ties.
Steady cam man just as I'm enjoying a V Waltz

Highs
Joanne's yellow swirly skirt
Joanne's choreography
Claudia-the-gymnast's Charleston outfit
Claudia-the-gymnast's Charleston
Greg as Robin Hood
Natalie as Maid Marion
Most of the music choices (The Twilight sacherine-fest excepted and Jai Ho being used for a Salsa)

Lows
Gorka and Gio up against each other in the dance off
Losing Gorka
Losing Gorka
Losing Tameka
Losing Gorka
The fact that everyone here thinks Ed Balls is a warm, cuddly human being who tries hard, rather than the try-hard, humourless politician with an agenda that I see, and so I have no-one to moan to him about
Losing Gorka

diamondsandpearls wrote:Highs
Losing Gorka
Losing Gorka
...
Losing Gorka
Losing Gorka

Losing Gorka is your low, is it? Just want to make sure!

cellar-door wrote:

Losing Gorka is your low, is it? Just want to make sure!

Really sorry C-D - I didn't really make it very clear did I? So just to clarify: My biggest low was losing Gorka. I do hope that clears that up for everyone ;-)

diamondsandpearls wrote:

Really sorry C-D - I didn't really make it very clear did I?  So just to clarify: My biggest low was losing Gorka.  I do hope that clears that up for everyone ;-)

I was very sad too. He's the cross between V.incent Simone and Tristan McMannus. Cute and classically handsome...

Really hoping Gorka back next year. Sorry diamonds but the thousand years a very personal poignant tune/memory for me.

saxonsiren wrote:Really hoping Gorka back next year. Sorry diamonds but the thousand years a very personal poignant tune/memory for me.

Don;t be sorry Sax - I should be sorry for dissing out of hand a song that has memories for you (and possibly others)

diamondsandpearls wrote:

Don;t be sorry Sax - I should be sorry for dissing out of hand a song that has memories for you (and possibly others)

Sorry, but if I want to diss the Bay City Rollers and Barry Manilow, I reserve the right to do so....................

HIGHS
* The James Brown tribute n umber last night
* Ore and Joanne's Jive
* Oti and Danny's QS
* 'Ballroom Blitz' played on SCD along with Laura's lovely costume (not 100% sold on the routine though)
* G regs improvement and those lifts -greatly enjoying his 'J' - true SCD
* Leslie Joseph - inspiring


LOWS
* The Fox Trots - both of them. I felt that there just wasn't enough Fox Trot in either routine - a lot of out of hold stuff at the beginning and the end and just a Fox Trot section in the middle - more like American Smooth - hope it is not a sign of things to come.
* '10' given out too early in the series - it can be difficult for a couple to live up to it when they get the high scores so early.
* Judge Rinders theme - belonged on a theme week not an ordinary week.
*Will Young not being there - he would have provided some more competition at the top of the leaderboard

Highs

* Ore and Jo's Jive
* Danny and Oti's QS
* Lesley and A.nton's Charleston
* A.nton's not-dad-dancing in the pro number (result show)


Lows

* Naga's so stoic I find her bum-crushingly dull
* THAT cutesy Foxtrot with THAT song for Claudia and AJ (enough, we know you are YOUNG!!!)
* Tess' terrible 'comic' timing

Highs

Ore's Jive, obviously (and naughtily enjoying L.en's slight diss of Jay's - no offence to Jay, I thought his Jive was superb but some of his fanbase are a bit cultish in their adulation and refuse to believe anyone can or will ever match him and needed reminding he's not invincible).

Jo's choreography. After a dodgy start, she's excelling.

Lesley. I can't praise her enough.

Oti and Laura's dresses.

Lows

Ed forgetting a huge chunk of his routine. That's his lifeline used up. If he does that again I can't vote for him.

Daisy's Rumba. I felt like it had been built up quite a bit and I was left wanting.

Echoing mauve's point about being out-of-hold too much. I was more annoyed about this re: Rinder's VW though. What makes a VW for me is the continuous spinning. I don't mind one break at some point but Rinder was out of hold more than he was in.

Highs

Ore's Jive

Lesley's stamina full credit


Lows

The Rhumba's please let it be dropped from next year

Ed sorry bit disappointing

Stop faffing with the judge and props and I'm gay therefore camp me up approach

10 too early

The audience baying

Week Five Highs and Lows

Highs

** The Results Show Pro Number about a Department Store (A.nton and Kevin doing Tap)
** Gorka dancing again, albeit only for a week, with Anastacia, and she's clearly enjoying the eye-candy!


Lows
** Dreadful VTs, and it's not even Halloween yet!
** Laura injured, B.rendan sick
** The near-mishap with Ed's lift, why are they given that dreadful song to dance an AS to?!
** So much potential for Claudia's Samba, but music is too speedy-gonzalas (Matt Baker's Samba danced to a slower tempo could have helped Claudia greatly).
** Louise's Rumba is nice and nothing else, please be naughty now or I'll die from sugar overdose...

Highs

- Anastacia (best dance) and the return of the Gorka *heart eyes*

- Liftgate

- Oti. Aways Oti.

Lows

- All a bit uninspiring this week

- Liftgate

Highs

Anastacia's dance
Pro n umber on Sunday evening
Greg and Nat getting another week

Lows

Not being able to find many 'Highs' this week!
Missing people - particularly B rendan (and Laura and Will)
'Road to Amarillo'
Enjoyed A nton and Lesley's partnership so sad to see them go