Re: Strictly 17 A little bit of Honesty

Tappingfeet Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:23 am

Isnt Gorka just gorgeous ! . I watched Alexandra because she mesmorised me , but re watched and just concentrated on Gorka and he was amazing . The dance blew me away and I am not a fan of Alexandras

I really enjoyed last night , I though they were all very nervous , some used it to their advantage like Alexandra and some caved like Charlotte ! I cant see her really improving much , she reminds me of Victoria Pembleton , all legs and a poor core.

I would be happy to loose Ruth , or Brian or Chizzy at this stage and then the Rev and Susan soon too .

I am rooting now for Mollie and Jonnie and enjoying see them progress .Aston leaves me stone cold .He dances well with no emotion at all .Davood the same , all smiles and winks and nothing behind the eyes .

Go Debbie , she makes me smile I know she is a bit of a ringer but she keeps me awake when the going it tough !

I really like Shirley and loves her on ITT and I would give my eye teeth to be able to wear the dress she wore on ITT

mauveangel09 Sun Oct 01, 2017 11:51 am

Enjoying reading everyone's posts this morning - love your comments Twirlie.

On reflection I felt that last night was something of a leveller - even for those that we have pegged as 'ringers' and I found that reassuring. For me there was a lot to pick fault with last night, but much of it was nothing to do with the celebs - it was music choices, costumes and choreography. None of the tracks really moved me and that affects any last impressions that I am left with as well as the dance itself.

On the first week the standard seemed high, but having a full two weeks to learn one routine makes a big difference than having 5 days (minus any time out for silly promotions - what the hell was the 'festival' thing about with Aston and Janettes Salsa??? Probably the last sort of dance you would see at any UK music festival lol!

) I felt that the judges were mainly fair with the scores which were suitably tempered for the second week which I like. Even A ston got some constructive comments from Shirl and I thought that Davood wasn't half as good this week as I thought he was going to be but again suffered a bit from the choreography as did Joe I think.

On standard alone for me the two flawless performances were definitely Debbie and Alexandra but on a personal level I just can't yet warm to Gorka and Alexandra. She has done two great performances but there is a coldness for me and their paso was fast and lacking a lot of breaks and smoulder (sorry). At this early point I just can't feel the warmth that I feel for Debbie and her partnership with Gio.

I feel that everyone in the contest has somewhere to go now in terms of their progression at their respective levels. I think that the 'ringers' have a different sort of pressure on them as the contest goes on , in terms of keeping GBP on side and keeping their place, ie having to maintain a consistently high standard week after week - also, a ringer rarely actually lifts the glitterball - which levels it for me Very Happy

Sid Sun Oct 01, 2017 2:20 pm

A few thoughts:

- Alexandra was so captivating, I actually took my eyes off Gorka for 3 whole seconds.

- I'm 10 x more into Jonnie and Oti than I was Danny and Oti. There's not that same pressure for perfection and and we've no idea how Jonnie will do at any given dance which is much more interesting from a viewer's perspective. Turns out he can Jive tho!

- I'm intrigued to see how Debbie handles the Latin party dances, whether she can embody those as effortlessly as she does the others.

- Good on Shirley for calling out the faffing (first 'poor' routine I've seen from Katya and Nadiya needs to up her game too). I do think Shirls was slightly inconsistent with her marks (giving Susan and Mollie - and possibly Simon - too many).

- Fraid Aston bores me to tears and that's partly down to him and partly down to Janette's choreography. That Salsa just seemed to be Jake's recycled. Didn't do anything for me.

- Surprise of the night was Gemma. Aljaz sure knows how to get a gorgeous Waltz out of his partners. Loved the colouring of her dress too. Floor spins in Ballroom should be A CRIMINAL OFFENCE tho. So unnecessary.

diamondsandpearls Sun Oct 01, 2017 4:34 pm

Tappingfeet wrote:Isnt Gorka just gorgeous ! . I watched Alexandra because she mesmorised me , but re watched and just concentrated on Gorka and he was amazing . The dance blew me away and I am not a fan of Alexandras

I really enjoyed last night , I though they were all very nervous , some used it to their advantage like Alexandra and some caved like Charlotte ! I cant see her really improving much , she reminds me of Victoria Pembleton , all legs and a poor core.

I would be happy to loose Ruth , or Brian or Chizzy at this stage and then the Rev and Susan soon too .

I am rooting now for Mollie and Jonnie and enjoying see them progress .Aston leaves me stone cold .He dances well with no emotion at all .Davood the same , all smiles and winks and nothing behind the eyes .

Go Debbie , she makes me smile I know she is a bit of a ringer but she keeps me awake when the going it tough !

I really like Shirley and loves her on ITT and I would give my eye teeth to be able to wear the dress she wore on ITT

Yes, yes and yes to all those points I've highlighted! I couldn't agree more Tapping Feet :-) And Sid, I managed a whole 5 seconds - and that was only because of Alexandra's dress, which was pretty much the best of the night, though Charlotte's was quite nice too (but she has the figure to carry off anything).

Actually, I've had my moan about the music, I've announced that though I'm not bothered by ringers per se (it keeps me entertained during the first weeks when the others are a bit stumbly and nervous and ropey) but want them to keep some of their light hidden under a bushel for a few weeks so we can believe in some dance growth/ J word... BUT - I haven't had my say on dresses, hair and make up... (Maybe we need a new thread for that - I think I might even have started one up last year? Can't remember!)

So.... Very disappointing this week.

Both Susan and Alex appeared to have glittery eye masks attached to their hair-dos. (I thnk someone else had one too, either last week or this week, but I can't remember who...) Vicky must have got a job lot in various colours and is keen to make use of them. Have a masked ball theme is what I suggest - just don't use them as hair decoration. Doesn't work - looks silly. If you didn't look too closely at Alex's it almost looked ok, but Susan just looked as if her sleep had been disturbed and she'd shoved her mask up onto her head somewhat askew. And yes, the short dressing gown look was weird - not in keeping with a charleston at all. Not sure what the thinking was behind that...

Katya's Foxtrot dress was quite nice, even though it was a nasty shade of brown. The pink insert jazzed it up nicely and complimented the colour (even though I don't like turd brown) but the blue detracted and distracted.

The festival look? Eh? Salsa at a festival? Where? When? Criminal.

Australian sheep rancher look for a jive was also wronger than wrong, though I do approve of Jonni letting his hair down... Very Happy

Alex's dress v nice - though not v paso (but then, neither was the dance) - and, as mentioned above, Charlotte's was nice too

Debbie's dress was revolting - a net curtain gathered at the neck. She could have had something so much more elegant and in keeping with the dance. (On a side note - I too echo the concern that she might not pull off the latin dances like cha cha and Samba with the same aplomb).

Gemma's was alright, but didn't wow me.

Mollie's was a nice colour but also underwhelmed me.

Yet Another Slinky Blonde (from now on known as YASB) had a nice pink skirty bit - didn't like the checked upper though - and then ruined it all by ripping it off to reveal a rahter meh cha cha cha skirt thing. Not good.

I feel a bit let down this week on the glam front - and as we all know, the styling is as improtant to my enjoyment as the music and choreography. Please Vicky, can you get back to being fabulous - I'll make it worth your while!

diamondsandpearls Sun Oct 01, 2017 4:39 pm

I just saw this on the BBC Strictly page - it made me smile and I thought the one about Aston was particularly apt (and the one about Debbie a bit harsh...):

"So now I've got the loonytoad quack thing in my head so I have been wondering what loonytoad quack/ deserts the contestants would be. So here is my take, although everyone has different tastes
Alexandra - battenburg, looks pretty but take away the food colouring and cream and it's just a sponge. Ultimately I don't like marzipan
Ruth - strawberry jam, nice but something to put in between sponges
Davood - Apple pie, might be nice but can't tell as every one is looking at the custard
Joe - Lemon meringue pie, everyone one likes a nice LMP can't decide if I want that or something fancier. It will all depend on if the meringue is crisp or soggy
Gemma- cold blackberry and apple crumble, still nice but would taste better if it was heated up as the top goes soft and would be better with a bit of cream
Charlotte - Lemon soufle, not sure how it's going to come out of the oven. Tends to sink if your not careful
Chizzy - date and walnut loonytoad quack , bit fruity and nuts. Not my favourite loonytoad quack though
Simon - chocolate Swiss roll, tries hard to be a proper loonytoad quack but a long way to go to become a roulade
Rev - gingerbread man - bit rigid but makes you smile
Brian - rock lc.ake, bit dry and old fashioned and not really a loonytoad quack. Tastes better washed down with a cup of tea
Susan - pecan tart , small nutty and sweet
Mollie - strawberry tart , looks like it's going to taste great but when it boils down to it it's strawberry custard and pastry so a bit of a let down
Aston - Black forest gateau, swears it's not a black forest gateau as it wasn't baked in Germany but is ultimately, a black forest gateau
Jonnie - home made Victoria sponge, my favourite! Doesn't look perfect yet but add some fresh cream and strawberries and it could become a gateau with time
Debbie, Sainsbury's coffee and walnut sponge, brought in the yellow peril aisle, looks perfect but it should do as it was made in a factory. Bit past it's sell by date so a bit dry and tastes totally artificial"

Tappingfeet Sun Oct 01, 2017 5:10 pm

diamondsandpearls wrote:I just saw this on the BBC Strictly page - it made me smile and I thought the one about Aston was particularly apt (and the one about Debbie a bit harsh...):

"So now I've got the loonytoad quack thing in my head so I have been wondering what loonytoad quack/ deserts the contestants would be. So here is my take, although everyone has different tastes
Alexandra - battenburg, looks pretty but take away the food colouring and cream and it's just a sponge. Ultimately I don't like marzipan
Ruth - strawberry jam, nice but something to put in between sponges
Davood - Apple pie, might be nice but can't tell as every one is looking at the custard
Joe - Lemon meringue pie, everyone one likes a nice LMP can't decide if I want that or something fancier. It will all depend on if the meringue is crisp or soggy
Gemma- cold blackberry and apple crumble, still nice but would taste better if it was heated up as the top goes soft and would be better with a bit of cream
Charlotte - Lemon soufle, not sure how it's going to come out of the oven. Tends to sink if your not careful
Chizzy - date and walnut loonytoad quack , bit fruity and nuts. Not my favourite loonytoad quack though
Simon - chocolate Swiss roll, tries hard to be a proper loonytoad quack but a long way to go to become a roulade
Rev - gingerbread man - bit rigid but makes you smile
Brian - rock lc.ake, bit dry and old fashioned and not really a loonytoad quack. Tastes better washed down with a cup of tea
Susan - pecan tart , small nutty and sweet
Mollie - strawberry tart , looks like it's going to taste great but when it boils down to it it's strawberry custard and pastry so a bit of a let down
Aston - Black forest gateau, swears it's not a black forest gateau as it wasn't baked in Germany but is ultimately, a black forest gateau
Jonnie - home made Victoria sponge, my favourite! Doesn't look perfect yet but add some fresh cream and strawberries and it could become a gateau with time
Debbie, Sainsbury's coffee and walnut sponge, brought in the yellow peril aisle, looks perfect but it should do as it was made in a factory. Bit past it's sell by date so a bit dry and tastes totally artificial"

Brilliant .!! I wish I was witty and quick !!
I might think of some as I sit and knit . Very Happy

Sid Sun Oct 01, 2017 5:14 pm

diamondsandpearls wrote:I do approve of Jonni letting his hair down...

Oh YES. Jonnie with loose hair has made me reassess my opinion of men with long hair. There'd better not be a "Jonnie gets his hair chopped off transformation a la Jay" pencilled in for week 6 or anything.

mauveangel09 Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:50 pm

Sid wrote:

Oh YES. Jonnie with loose hair has made me reassess my opinion of men with long hair.

Good

And I agree about the Jay thing - totally spoiled him for me for the rest of the contest!!!

Although as a connoisseur of male tresses - I have to say that there comes a point in life where it does all have to come off (as Mr Mauve will testify) and they know when the time is right! lol!

but Jonnie is a long way from that....................... (as was Jay)

Twirlie Sun Oct 01, 2017 7:46 pm

mauveangel09 wrote:Although as a connoisseur of male tresses - I have to say that there comes a point in life where it does all have to come off

Sadly there comes a time when you can't stop it coming off! Very Happy

(Though since I've retired, I've grown too lazy to shave and have grown a beard!! Does that count as Male Tresses?)

CaledonianCraig Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:36 pm

First Eliminated Couple Revealed:

mauveangel09 Sun Oct 01, 2017 8:51 pm

I do have an issue with the choice of couple to eliminate Mad

I thought I detected errors in Brian's routine during the DO and I also thought that Chizzy was actually more a victim of an unsuitable track for Foxtrot and unsuitable choreography........... she could only dance the content that she was given!!!! First time that I have thought this during a 'first elimination'.

It also debunked my view that you only have to be in a soap opera to get through the first round!!!! Rolling Eyes

Were they a bit 'lost' through going first last night? However, I can think of one or two others who I would have had in the DO over Chizzy - Simon, Susan and the Rev (watching back the Rev's routine I was cringing). Still, there you go...........the unpredictability of the first elimination..................

but..............soooooo glad that Charlotte survived - I'm sure she has got more potential and B rendan needs to tune into her a bit more. I think that had she done her dances in a different order - ie got the dodgy cha cha out of the way last week, everyone would have been left with the impression of the beautiful dance that she did on the first show.

Shirl looked very nervous tonight, but that is understandable. I like the fact that she seems to stay true to herself.

Enjoyed Neil and Katya's samba themed dance to Emily Sende. Very Happy

CaledonianCraig Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:20 pm

Yes there were those that you mentioned could also have been in the dance-off but I knew Richard would have been one to be safe. The annual court jester figure always gets to around the halfway mark - it is ordained. Viewers love a laugh and he gives them that so he will be around for a few more weeks.

diamondsandpearls Sun Oct 01, 2017 9:35 pm

Honestly?

Honestly!!!! Evil or Very Mad

*flounces off in a huff of high dudgeon*

TANGOLERO Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:15 pm

Never been a fan of "sudden death" elimination so soon. Seems very unfair to train, get psyched up and then get the midnight train to Georgia first one or two weeks. They all get paid regardless, but the camaraderie and group togetherness seems very real and I'm sure it would be better for all if they got say, four marked rounds before old stoneface rings for a taxi for them. Like Brian ( and Silver tongued Italian Stallion) remarked, somebody has to go. (It's not all sweetness and light behind the scenes mind( I've been there) but it's all a bit musical trapdoors however good you may be till your number comes up. No predicting what the G.BP will astound us with from week to week. I had Chizzy, Susan and Richard in the frame before Brian,( not Simon, his was error, not bad dance and I think he deserves another chance) but like C.C remarked, the crowd need a court jester, and have one they will.

Sid Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:23 pm

Okay so Chizzy wasn't a great Foxtrotter but she had bags more danceability than Brian who's gonna be rubbish at everything. And I feel he'd have minded going less than her.

Tbh I thought it was a slightly odd decision putting Chizzy on first in a week with 15 couples when her dance wasn't strong enough to be remembered (but not so bad that she deserved to go first).

Oh well I'll have to soldier on for the rest of the series without Pasha AGAIN.

I think Charlotte deserved to be saved based on her lovely Foxtrot last week. But I don't hold out much hope for her Latin dances.

Twirlie wrote:

Sadly there comes a time when you can't stop it coming off!

B4p Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:28 pm

Is it CC's birthday today? If so, many happy returns cheers

allsewnonbyhand Sun Oct 01, 2017 10:48 pm

B4p wrote:Is it CC's birthday today? If so, many happy returns

Well spotted B4.....if so many happy returns CC! drunken

PS Chizzy wus robbed Evil or Very Mad

CaledonianCraig Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:29 am

Thanks B4p and allsewnonbyhand. It was, indeed, my birthday. I had a quiet one at my sister's house being spoilt.

saxonsiren Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:40 am

Happy belated birthday CC...

saxonsiren Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:44 am

I'll eventually get to Saturday and watch an entire show..... Loved all your comments especially the lingerie... c,a,K, e comparison

Sid Mon Oct 02, 2017 1:22 pm

A happy belated birthday CC - sounds like you had a nice time celebrating with sis Smile

diamondsandpearls Mon Oct 02, 2017 8:42 pm

Sid wrote:Okay so Chizzy wasn't a great Foxtrotter but she had bags more danceability than Brian who's gonna be rubbish at everything. And I feel he'd have minded going less than her.

Tbh I thought it was a slightly odd decision putting Chizzy on first in a week with 15 couples when her dance wasn't strong enough to be remembered (but not so bad that she deserved to go first).

Oh well I'll have to soldier on for the rest of the series without Pasha AGAIN.

As ever Sid, you speak for me...

Tango - I totally, 100 per cent-ly agree about chucking people of the bench so early on after all the training, bonding and partnership-building. I say it practically every series, so it wouldn't be the same if I didn't state it again, but when I'm queen everybody will dance every week until the last two weeks, ie semi-final and final. The semi finalists are the top five(?) couples after all the accumulated marks from the judges and us plebs are combined. That way you can see people come on who might be a bit slow to get in their stride to begin with. I would be prepared to negotiate that down to quarter finals, or if pushed, to Blackpool Week. But nobody, absolutely NOBODY deserves to, or should, go before then.

But this scenario is not that popular with fellow plebs, never mind the judges or the peeps in Strictly Towers. There is something of the public hanging/be-headinging aura which people love. For some reason.

As I said, I am not a fan...

I am going to be sulking for a little while - I'm definitely not over it yet (BRIAN! Over Chizzy...???!!!). Just give me time.... pale

mauveangel09 Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:15 pm

Before we put the whole Chizzy/Brian business to bed - I watched it back and Brian made at least two errors in the DO whereas Chizzy did not make any discernible errors.

When giving her final verdict Shirley mentioned that part of the reason she was voting for Brian was to do with the routine having 'more dance content' - if the judges are going to be basing decisions on this, then really they are judging the pro not the celeb. Each celeb only delivers what they are given. We all said in our critiques (and so did the judges admittedly) that we felt the dance lacked Foxtrot content and that the track was not a good choice for this dance - however, Chizzy and P asha could hardly go away and conjure up more content in the short time between finding out they were in the DO and the DO itself. In short, she had to deliver the routine as it was, and I think she did a good job and had good natural rhythm and timing. What would have improved it? Well, more Foxtrot steps in hold and less 'faffing about' or 'musical theatre' as CRH called it - but that was P asha's department and not Chizzys. I have logged my feelings with the beeb - just for the record of course - as I don't believe in moaning without following it up even though comments go into the ether.

I think that perhaps this needs to be a salutory lesson to all the pros that the tide seems to have turned this year (take note the Janettes and Karens) and that the judges will actually want to see some technique, and not purely a performance routine in the style of the dance that they have been given...............or will they??? Question

Must say I just lost a teeny weeny bit of respect for Shirl last night, having liked her up until now. Shocked

mauveangel09 Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:53 pm

I meant to say that I wonder if the beeb will do a Melvin Odoom and feel so bad about it that Chizzy will be asked back for the Xmas Special? There is a lot of flak flying about apparently.

Sid Mon Oct 02, 2017 10:14 pm

mauveangel09 wrote: Chizzy and P asha could hardly go away and conjure up more content in the short time between finding out they were in the DO and the DO itself

And this is the crux of it. I don't object to lack of content affecting a couple's scores (it's a team effort after all) but it's unfair to use it as a deciding factor in a DO because it's unchangeable. I mean what even was the point of them repeating the dances if the reason for saving Brian was decided beforehand?

One other point - in terms of progress, "lack of content" (Chizzy) is fixable whereas "lack of natural rhythm" (Brian) isn't. Chizzy clearly had more potential and that would have been a more justified reason to save someone.

I don't necessarily blame Shirley because the judges are supposed to form a decision based on what they see there and then (as opposed to potential) but the goal posts keep shifting and it so often leaves a bad taste.

*does annual CANCEL THE DANCE OFF scream into the abyss*

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Strictly 17 A little bit of Honesty