Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 1 (part 1)

I'm baaaaack! After going AWOL towards the end of the series last year (due to simply being extremely busy in the run up to Christmas), I'm making a (hopefully triumphant) return to blogging the show. I'm aiming to post the blog as soon as I can after the show has aired, but because I have work 3 days a week, it will be up on either Sundays, Mondays or Fridays.

So the live shows have now kicked off, with Tess & Claude at the helm. Tess looked quite nice last night in her jumpsuit (I think that's what it's called, I'm not really a follower of fashion) whilst Claudia, well, that pink dress did not suit her whatsoever and she needs to get her fringe back as she looked old.

It was Friday night and the first 6 couples kicked off the series - Caroline, Tim and Scott with the Cha Cha Cha, Pixie with the Jive, Jake with the Tango and Judy with the Waltz. I was most looking forward to seeing Jake and Scott after watching the training videos, but I was hoping that I'd warm to the other couples and that they would all produce decent if not great performances.


Caroline & Pasha - Cha Cha Cha - "Can You Feel It?"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Ray & Camilla in series 4*

So it was down to former Xtra Factor host and Harry Styles' ex Caroline Flack to open the show. She actually won a Strictly-style show called 'Dancing on Wheels' a few years ago, with Ola as one of the judges so I had a feeling that she'd be one of the better ones. It was a bit of a struggle to watch this back (via the Strictly website) as the camera work was quite blurry. I wasn't a fan of her dress, yes it allowed for movement but it disguised the hip action. As for the dance, she was great but I found it boring to watch. It might be down to the choreography, but it just didn't grab me and hold my interest in the way that the opening number should. Caroline went a bit wrong in the middle (I think she forgot a step or two), the 'clock' move was messy and not needed, and her arms were 'fly away' sometimes, but it was a very good first routine and I think she has real potential. 

Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 making a total of 27/40
My score: 6


Tim & Natalie - Cha Cha Cha - "Shop Around"

And so the 'make the song have a tenuous link to the celeb' theme has risen again. I love this pairing and I think they'll have fun, although maybe don't expect good dancing from them. The opening gambit was before the music so Len's customary 'faffing abaht' comment wasn't required. Okay, so not much was good in terms of technique, but there was a lot of Cha Cha content in there and you could tell he was trying. Once he gets a Ballroom out of the way then we can properly judge. I reckon a lot of viewers will fall in love with them, and Natalie will cement her status as the most popular female pro.

Judges' scores: 3, 5, 5, 5 making a total of 18/40
My score: 3.5


Jake & Janette - Tango - "Toxic"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Chris & Hanna in series 1, Gavin & Katya in series 8*

I was a bit worried about this dance due to the song choice, but I think they went for somewhere between the original and the Glee version. I've always liked Jake from seeing him in EastEnders (and he was also in a science video that I had to watch in school, back when he had hair. He hasn't changed much since then), and I'm wondering what his 'Arse Appreciation Society' on Digital Spy are going to make of him. I'm not a fan of Janette and thought her choreography last series was awful, so I'm crossing my fingers that she'll pull it back this year. She did a lot better with this dance, but I feel she put in a bit too much story, Jake could have handled more choreography in my opinion. As for the man himself, he was essentially Max Branning for the routine and it worked - his footwork and staccato were great and he really got into the performance. He wasn't as masculine as I was expecting though, he had such a strong hold that it looked a little robotic. I want to watch him do a Latin though to see if it's stiffness on his part or if it was just a really strong hold he had. I'm impressed and I'll definitely be watching out for them.

Judges' scores: all 7s making a total of 28/40
My score: 7


Judy & Anton - Waltz - "Mull of Kintyre"

I seriously can't stand this song, so I was focused on watching them during the routine. From what I'd seen of her, Judy seemed nice and I'm looking forward to watching how she'd get her personality across in a Latin. Scottish theme was afoot - this would have been so awkward had Scotland voted for independence wouldn't it? I wasn't too excited after watching it for the first time, but after viewing it again, it was actually a lot better than previously thought. I didn't like the beginning, but once they got into hold when the bagpipes started, it was much better. Judy seemed to have got the footwork, and although her frame could use some work, she was quite decent. She did go wrong a couple of times - I think she got caught off-balance and isn't quite used to being in high heels yet, so hopefully now she's got her first dance out of the way she can work on that. I think she might just get to the halfway point, there's some promise there.

Judges' scores: 3, 4, 6, 5 making a total of 18/40
My score: 4.5 (about the right score from the judges, but I would have had her higher than Tim)


Scott & Joanne - Cha Cha Cha - "Rock DJ"

This song brings back memories for me (I had to do a freestyle dance to this back when I was younger, good god the outfit!) and funnily enough, Scott's routine was similar in some ways to mine. Not much Cha Cha in there, it was mostly Freestyle if I'm honest, bit disappointed in Joanne in that respect. Still, it wasn't quite as camp as Tim's, and I never thought I would say that! Again he was trying, but it just didn't look good. I do wonder how he would fare with a Ballroom routine, he might be better there where it's more controlled and you don't have to do as many different steps with your legs. I felt the floor spin and the slide at the end weren't really needed, but the dance was really entertaining so props to them both there.

Judges' scores: 2, 4, 5, 5 making a total of 16/40
My score: 3 (as bad as Tim but less content)


Pixie & Trent - Jive - "Shake it Off"

Not a fan of Pixie or the song so I wasn't looking forward to this routine. A lot of people had Pixie as a favourite so I was waiting to see what she could produce. I was a bit underwhelmed actually. She had the technique down but she was lacking a bit of energy, and unlike Kevin (who was guilty of this a lot last year) I don't think Trent was over-dancing either. She went out of synch in the side-by-side kicks and flicks section and I think she got flustered by that a little and missed a couple of steps. She also seemed to mess up slightly during the armography section, just a bit of hesitation there. Compared to Susanna's and Patrick's Jives at this stage last year, which were full of dynamism and energy, this one just didn't wow. Hopefully with a Ballroom she'll look much better and Trent could create something great for her. 

Judges' scores: 7, 6, 7, 7 making a total of 27/40
My score: 6


Judges' Leaderboard:
1. Jake & Janettte - 28
=2. Caroline & Pasha - 27
=2. Pixie & Trent - 27
=4. Tim & Natalie - 18
=4. Judy & Anton - 18
6. Scott & Joanne - 16

My Leaderboard (marks multiplied by 4 for direct comparison):
1. Jake & Janette - 28
=2. Caroline & Pasha - 24
=2. Pixie & Trent - 24
4. Judy & Anton - 18
5. Tim & Natalie - 14
6. Scott & Joanne - 12


So onto Saturday night, and this is how the dancers line up:

Alison, Gregg, and Mark are doing the Cha Cha Cha, Simon and Jennifer are Jiving, Sunetra and Steve will be dancing the Tango, and Frankie and Thom will be Waltzing.

I'm looking forward to Alison as she's my local celeb and she looks to have a lot of rhythm. I'm also interested in seeing how Frankie gets on - she looked good and she's with one of my favourite pros in the lovely KFG.

I'll be back sometime tomorrow with the review of Saturday's proceedings, but until then:

KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP READING!