Let's see how long it takes me to review 10 dances, plus the dance-off and elimination, all in one sitting! (starting at 7.40pm, so by the time I've finished writing this the results show will have gone off - I do already know the result though).
Last time, we saw Scott & Joanne click their fingers and wave goodbye after they lost out in the dance-off to Alison & Aljaz. Can Alison get a bounce (ooher) this week and avoid the bottom 2? Let's find out!
Tess and Zoe looked great again, I probably preferred Zoe's dress overall though. I saw one forumite wonder why there were loads of plasters stuck to Tess' dress! I can sort of see what they mean....... (btw, loved both of their dresses on the results show too, but again, think Zoe's just had the edge)
Simon & Kristina - Quickstep - "I Got Rhythm"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Emma & Darren in series 4*
I so called it on his dance! Kristina is pretty good at choreographing a Quickstep, so I was intrigued to see how Simon would do with this one. First thing: bravo Kristina! Apart from the beginning, I thoroughly loved that routine. I can see what she was trying to do, but that sort of thing worked better with Jason Donovan. Simon had a pretty good handle on it overall, but there were a fair few errors: there was quite a bit of gapping between him and Kristina, his right arm was loose and could probably have done with being straighter to help his hold, he went out of time with Kristina in the side-by-side section and he also seemed to miss a hand grab just after that (although they both covered it up well). I wouldn't say this was as good as his Charleston, so I do feel the judges overmarked him slightly - 30-31 was what I reckoned. Simon's been confirmed as doing the first Argentine Tango of the series next week, cue more gusset-flashing from Kristina most likely.
Judges' scores: 7, 9, 9, 8 for a total of 33/40
My score: 7.5
Caroline & Pasha - Waltz - "Three Times a Lady"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Jason & Kylie in series 1, Anita & Robin in series 9*
On ITT on Friday, Eamonn Holmes thought this was an unlucky song for Caroline, he called it an 'exit song' in fact. Turns out he was sort of right, but let's head back to Ms Flack. Awful dress again, the waistline made her look a lot bigger than she is. Caroline was worried about the Waltz as elegance doesn't come naturally to her (although I thought her Rumba was brilliant), so this would be an interesting week for her. I wasn't a fan of the start, bit more Contemporary than Ballroom, but it was much better once she got into hold. Keeping the judges' comments about Caroline's footwork in mind, I did look out for her feet, and I couldn't see any heel leads so I agreed with them there. I also noticed that Caroline had to correct her hand positioning on a few occasions - you could see her left hand moving towards being flat on Pasha's back. She did stumble at the end, but I think it was a case of 'heel caught in dress'. She's been confirmed to be doing the Jive, so avoids the dances with lifts yet again! That being said, it should be a good dance for her as she's suited to the faster dances more. Pasha can choreograph a good Jive, as we saw with Chelsee and Kimberley, so this dance should be one to watch.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.25
Jake & Janette - Rumba - "Strangers in the Night"
After his 'disappointing' Paso Doble last week, Jake needed a good dance tonight to get his confidence back up. And yet, he ends up joint 8th with Alison, only being above Judy. It's difficult to say why he's doing so badly in comparison with the other early frontrunners - did he peak with his Salsa? Is Janette's choreography hindering him? Is there something going on behind the scenes that we don't know about? All I know is, he needs a stand-out dance soon, otherwise there's a real possibility that he won't be in the final (I can see Mark getting there over him now). Onto the dance itself - he did have some hip action at the beginning, but there wasn't enough of it and I do feel the choreography was a little to blame here. Jake was mostly just standing still, or moving in the same spot, or walking - it was all about Janette, and whilst the Rumba is a dance where the lady does more and the man presents, she could have given him a LOT more to do. Compare this with Simon's - now whilst Simon's wasn't great, he did have a fair amount of movement, and this was what was lacking with Jake.
There's been some debate about whether Janette is doing the right thing, teaching Jake the steps first and then technique later; I'm a bit on the fence with that one if I'm honest. If Jake was more of an Alison or a Scott, someone who can do the steps but not necessarily the technique, then I would agree with Janette's approach. But, as Jake is a better dancer than that, and he's expressed concerns over the technique before (with Janette replying 'Steps first') it might do Janette good to try it the other way next week and see if he's better for it. Now that Aljaz has gone, I hope Janette asks him for help, whether that's with choreography or to help Jake see what he needs to do and how to do it. He should be back to Ballroom this week, and I feel the Viennese Waltz would be a good fit for him considering the steps vs technique question - not much variety in terms of steps, which means that he can concentrate on the technique.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.75
Judy & Anton - Paso Doble - "I Fought the Law"
Firstly, I LOVED Judge Judy at the start, she has just the right voice for that role. Sadly, it all went downhill from there. No real attempt at teaching Judy any technique from Anton, just lots of walking, and moving her about, and getting her off of the floor when possible. I know Judy isn't the best dancer (she was certainly the worst after Scott left), but Anton could have done so much more with her. If all else fails, go for the performance! Judy can do the performance but there wasn't anything within the routine to give her that. Sorry Anton, but I'm going to toss you into the Enigma Strictly Jail for crimes against choreography (as much as I occasionally dislike Janette's and Kristina's choreography, nothing they've produced has ever been as bad as this). She should have a Latin next week, and for my sake, please let it be the Salsa.
Judges' scores: 3, 5, 5, 5 for a total of 18/40
My score: 2.5
Sunetra & Brendan - Foxtrot - "All of Me"
I am sick of hearing this song (it's nice but so overplayed now), but Tommy did a fantastic job with the vocal, props to him (although was it just me, or did he sing 'curves' a bit weirdly in the chorus? It sounded like 'kierves' to me). Brendan is an exceptional Ballroom choreographer, and he nailed it again here. Apart from that end position which was a little weird. Back to Sunetra, she was doing such a good job - lovely hand position, good footwork and posture, but then she went on the wrong foot which meant she went wrong for a while afterwards. Watching it back, you can see where this happens - she goes wrong at the start of the second part of the chorus, but manages to get back on the right track at the end of that chorus. It's a shame as she could have got 9s easily if it wasn't for that. She should be on Latin next week, and she struggles with fast dances so I'd like to see her do the Paso Doble; she has good arms, she can pull off the performance, and I feel she can get the shaping.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.75
Alison & Aljaz - Charleston - "Friend Like Me"
Oh I do love these two and I was sorry to see them go; these guys have such a lovely partnership, and judging by the 'Goodbye Alison' video, she's going to be really missed by everyone else. At least she went out on one of her better dances (and having got a kiss off of Aljaz at the end of the routine, twice). Onto the dance itself, and it made me smile. The choreography was pretty suited to her, apart from the 'running man' bit at the end where you could see her running with turned-out feet. She gave a good performance as always but I would have liked to see a little more from her in that respect, the Charleston is known for being a bit of a 'goofy' kind of dance and I think she could have given it more welly, as our Len would say. Still, nice to see her go for the swivel at the beginning, she kind of got it. And that lift, I was just laughing! I hope she keeps dancing after this, she loved the whole series and she was great to watch.
Judges' scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5.5
Mark & Karen - Waltz - "Weekend in New England"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Jill & Darren in series 2, Jade & Ian in series 7, Rory & Erin in series 9*
It's been a while since his last slow Ballroom (week 2 to be precise), so I was intrigued to watch this and see how much Mark had improved. In all honesty, I think the judges undermarked this. Or at least, he should have been scored higher than Caroline. He had the heel leads, his footwork was good, just some polishing needed really. All he needs to do now is straighten up a little as he looks slightly hunched sometimes, and to lower that holding arm a tad. That will make his topline look better and he can start getting the higher marks in Ballroom that he's been getting in his Latin for the last couple of weeks. Lovely choreography from Karen I must say, very moving and beautiful; although the head on chest moment was a bit odd! As for Blackpool, I'd like to see him stay in Ballroom and do a Tango, otherwise if it's a Latin, then maybe a Rumba. Either way, he is improving and he needs to be tested on that improvement.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.5
Frankie & Kevin - Samba - "La Bamba"
*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Dennis & Izabella in series 3 (possibly Louis & Flavia in series 10 too)*
Frankie's been worried about this dance all week - she's had limited rehearsal time due to having to be in Spain with The Saturdays (despite Kevin meeting her there to rehearse), and the party Latin seems to be a weakness of hers. She got a bit upset afterwards, and I felt for her because in a way, Craig was right that it was her worst dance. You could see her messing up on a few occasions (so sorry Len but 9 was too high) and although she recovered well, in a fast dance like this it can sometimes be more noticeable when something goes wrong and that was the case here. It was her worst dance in terms of mistakes, but it was still a good dance. Frankie looked more comfortable here than in her Cha Cha Cha, and she probably wished that she could have done it a little better. She seemed to mess up at the very beginning, not sure what went on there; but something wasn't right about the Samba rolls and then she missed a hand grab shortly after which put her off the next section. The end was quite messy as well, but it was good choreography from Kevin apart from that. There's some who reckon he put too much in, and I say that might be fair, but given how quick that music was (quicker than the other Sambas we've seen so far for definite) he kind of had to do that otherwise the routine would have looked too slow. For next week, get Frankie back to the Ballroom, and I'd suggest a Quickstep for her - it would give her a challenge and use a lot of the floor at Blackpool.
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 9, 8 for a total of 32
My score: 7.5
Pixie & Trent - Foxtrot - "When I'm Sixty Four"
Bit of an odd song choice I thought, but strangely it worked. Trent I think missed it a tad choreographically this week. I wasn't a fan of his routine for the Tango last week, but at least it made sense within the confines of the dance style. This time, I felt the comedic elements were unnecessary. Set up the story at the beginning and end certainly, but the part towards the end just jarred with the rest of the routine; which, aside from the arabesque kick at the beginning which looked slightly messy, was great. Smooth, elegant, Pixie performed this brilliantly and I couldn't spot any technical errors on her part. There was only one small section when Trent was moving backwards towards the top-right corner of the floor near the start where it seemed that something might have gone wrong, but if it did then I couldn't tell what it was. She certainly deserved to be top of the leaderboard, but I wouldn't say that Foxtrot was worth a 10, Darcey. Next week, I want to see her really challenged, and I think the dance to do that is the Charleston. Pixie, like Caroline, hasn't done a dance with lifts yet, and I think this is the perfect time to do one.
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 8, 9 for a total of 36/40
My score: 9
Steve & Ola - Paso Doble - "Use Somebody"
Is someone at the BBC trying to nobble this couple? First the story in the papers about Ola 'bullying' Steve, and now using a song which doesn't sound like a Paso at all, for a Paso Doble. Sack the music pickers and let us guys choose as we could do a LOT better. For a dance like the Paso Doble, everyone should get either traditional music, or modern music that has traditional stylings (so things like 'Paint it Black' by The Rolling Stones, or 'Conquest' by The White Stripes) *rant over* I must admit, I went a bit 'fangirl' when I saw that Steve was showing his chest, and I hardly ever do that (seriously, he's put a spell on me or something. I normally go for the 'attractive but in a non-conventional way' kinda guy like Andrea off of X Factor). Focus, Ames! *slaps herself*
Aaaah, back to the actual dance that I'm meant to be critiquing. I was a bit disappointed, I thought Steve would really put the attack into it, like he did with his Tango back in week 1. His performance in that respect was pretty much his face and nothing else. A few iffy moments of choreography from Ola. Firstly, KNEESLIDES! Check. PIVOTS! Check. These moves are from Ola's Trademark Latin Choreography, which I would say you can buy on DVD, but let's face it, just watch any Latin routine of hers from recent series and you'll see all you need to there. Strange pauses towards the end - Steve had spun Ola with 2 arms, but then they both stood still before they did a small jump and carried on. Was something meant to happen there? This was a touch overmarked for me: not much shaping, little more attack needed from Steve. 7s at the most. For Blackpool, I'd like Steve to do another slow Ballroom - his Waltz in week 5 was his 'breakthrough' dance and he needs another opportunity there. Something along the lines of a Foxtrot, or an American Smooth would be good for him.
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 7, 7 for a total of 28/40
My score: 6.25
Strictly Leaderboard:
1. Pixie & Trent - 36
2. Simon & Kristina - 33
3. Frankie & Kevin - 32
=4. Caroline & Pasha, Sunetra & Brendan, Mark & Karen - 31
7. Steve & Ola - 28
=8. Jake & Janette, Alison & Aljaz - 27
10. Judy & Anton - 18
My Leaderboard:
1. Pixie & Trent - 36
2. Suntra & Brendan - 31
=3. Simon & Kristina, Mark & Karen, Frankie & Kevin - 30
6. Caroline & Pasha - 29
7. Steve & Ola - 25
8. Jake & Janette - 23
9. Alison & Aljaz - 22
10. Judy & Anton - 10
Dance-off: Caroline & Pasha vs Alison & Aljaz. Not such a surprise to see Alison here again, but Caroline was a shocker. Having worked out the numbers, she could only have been 7th at best in the public vote (only Pixie, Simon and Alison could have been lower: everyone else had to poll at least 1 place higher, or 3 higher in Judy's case). Was it the 'middle of the leaderboard' syndrome? Was it the 'death slot' curse? Who knows, but this might be the wake-up call that all of the frontrunners need to raise their game next week at Blackpool.
Elimination: Alison & Aljaz. I didn't see the actual dance-off (we switched to watch the X Factor results. Would have done a +1 on those to watch Strictly but I wanted to see the Formula 1 highlights), but it's the right decision as Caroline has much more potential than Alison and this was just an off-week I guess. I might have to watch this on iPlayer to see Team Ali's last dance, but if anyone could tell me what song it was then please do :)
Recycled song count now stands at 27.
Next time, we venture to the Tower Ballroom at Blackpool. We usually see some fantastic dances there, Susanna & Kevin's Paso Doble from last series being a brilliant example. Can Jake get back to his best? Will Frankie and Caroline bounce back? And will Judy actually end up in the dance-off?
Until then,
* dances along to the Strictly theme tune and invites you to join her*
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