Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 12 (Semi-final)

After the carnage and outrage that broke out when Pixie & Trent were eliminated last week, I was hoping that this week would be a quieter affair. I think it's a case of being careful what you wish for - I didn't think it would be this dull. That's right: DULL. There were some stand-out dances of course, but also some dahnce disahstahs (apologies to Craig).

In the Style stakes, Tess won Saturday hands down. That's about as much as I can say, as I can't remember what she and Claudia were wearing in the Sunday show, but I do think Claude's Saturday dress did not suit her at all - even Tess couldn't get away with that one. 

This week the celebs did 2 dances for the first time - last week's Fixathon doesn't count in my opinion - and whilst some dazzled, others faded. I will be doing the 2 dances within one critique this time, hopefully making for easier reading - there will also be different colours for each couple, again, hopefully making for easier reading.


JAKE & JANETTE

Cha Cha Cha - "Boogie Shoes"

Jake has always been better at the Latin dances, so there were hopes that this would be another brilliant routine for him. Sadly, Cha Cha Cha outside of weeks 1-4 is a 'dance of death', so it wasn't surprising that it proved so for Jake; Thom, Pixie, and now Jake have all been eliminated on that dance this series. It took about 20 seconds for him to get anywhere near beginning to dance, so that was probably a bad omen. He was out of synch with Janette for a fair amount of the routine, and I did notice the move she took from Aljaz's Cha Cha Cha with Alison from week 1! This was one of her better routines I must admit, very entertaining and resembling a Cha Cha Cha at least. It's very difficult for a bloke to do this dance without looking 'mince-y', for lack of a better term, and Jake did a decent job in that respect - when he had something to do with his arms, he was great, otherwise it did start veering into that territory. I do still think that Janette over-relies on tricks and stuff that she can do, rather than what her celeb can do, but I feel she's done just about enough to earn a recall for next series: probably best not to give her another contender again, but give her a mid-tabler and see what she does with him, someone like Steve maybe. 

Judges' scores: 6, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 30/40
My score: 6


Viennese Waltz - "When a Man Loves a Woman"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Matt & Flavia in series 5*

The Viennese Waltz is a very difficult dance to make look interesting (that last sentence probably doesn't make sense but you know what I mean). A limited range of steps means that apart from the music, most dances look extremely similar. I would have liked to have seen more in traditional hold, and the last 2 sweeps at the end weren't needed, but I actually quite liked this routine - I think this is what they should have done in the dance-off personally, but I can understand why they chose their Cha Cha Cha. 

Judges' scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 31/40
My score: 7.25


FRANKIE & KEVIN

Rumba - "Somewhere Only We Know"

I am seriously starting to detest this song, it has been that overplayed. By the way BBC, that was the Lily Allen version, not Keane. I didn't really know what to make of this when I first saw it, and after watching it again, I'm still none the wiser. I did like the whole 'Nutcracker' concept, and Frankie's acting was great, but for me, this was far too 'safe'. A Rumba is meant to be passionate and romantic, and I didn't feel that from this number whatsoever. It started off well enough, but then graduated into a Viennese Waltz, and that floor spin at the end was unnecessary. Kevin usually gets it so right with choreography, but this was a real miss from him (and I'm surprised the judges (Len) didn't pull him up on that, but I'll carry that on in more detail when I get to Mark's Rumba).

Judges' scores: 7, 8, 9, 10 for a total of 34/40
My score: 7.5 (danced well, but not a Rumba for me)


Argentine Tango - "The 5th"

Wow, now this was more like it! I was a bit apprehensive about the song choice, but it really worked for this dance. Ok, this is probably where I'm going to get lynched - I wouldn't have put that dance at a 10. For me, Frankie's leg action needed to be much sharper - it was too placed and deliberate; plus she seemed to go wrong in the middle when she was at the top of the floor, either she missed a step or she stumbled somewhere. I can't say for sure what happened but I know something went wrong there, your eye gets drawn to it. It was a spectacular dance, but I think she's done much better than that previously, and it wasn't perfect for me.

Judges' scores: 9, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 9.25



MARK & KAREN

Viennese Waltz - "I Got You Babe"

Well Mattiona's swing got upgraded! I did think this was quite cheesy and boring to watch the first time, but it was much better on second viewing. Yes, it took them ages to start dancing properly (about 30 seconds), but from there, brilliant. I think this was a bit undermarked to be honest, comparatively to Jake's at least. Mark does need to do some more work on his hands, he's got beautiful flow in his arm lines now, but his hands are still very flat, just a touch of polishing to be done there. There was too much rise and fall in this as well, Mark needed to drive into the floor a bit more so that his movements across the floor were smooth and all on one level, rather than bobbing down for when he's about to make a step. On the whole though, a great performance.

Judges' scores: 8, 8, 9, 8 for a total of 33/40
My score: 8.5


Rumba - "Fields of Gold"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Kenny & Ola in series 5*

Oh BBC, this was the Eva Cassidy version, not the Sting one. Anyway, here's where I carry on from what I was saying during Frankie's Rumba: I do think it was unfair of Len to single out Karen, when Kevin was guilty of doing the same thing. At least Karen's actually looked like a Rumba, and you'd know what it was if you saw it without music. Ok, so it was a little repetitive, and you couldn't see much hip action from Mark as he was standing still for some of it, but this dance actually moved me, so in that respect, props to Karen. I felt so sorry for them both afterwards, so I'm glad they got into the final. Again, I think Mark would have been better off doing his Viennese Waltz in the dance-off, but as before, I can understand why they chose to do this dance instead.

Judges' scores: 9, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 33/40
My score: 8


SIMON & KRISTINA

Samba - "I Like to Move it"

I know this song from the film 'Madagascar', so I was intrigued to see what Kristina would do with it. Sadly, Simon made a few noticeable errors - he nearly tripped over after the cartwheel at the beginning, he seemed to forget where he was for a second after the promenade runs, he missed the hand grab after the first series of Samba rolls going into the second, and as Bruno said on ITT, he looked to have forgotten some of the routine and was improvising (just after the Samba rolls, when Kristina is moving around behind him is when I think this was). By the way, is that move where it looks like they're attempting to be elephants whipping their trunks back and forth a traditional Samba step? Only it was there in Jake's Samba, and I think his Cha Cha Cha tonight too. It's a shame Simon made so many mistakes, as it could have been a brilliant routine.

Judges' scores: 6, 9, 8, 7 for a total of 30/40
My score: 7


Foxtrot - "My Guy"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - John & Nicole in series 5*

Now this is where Kristina shines as a choreographer: anyone else remember her Jessica Rabbit-style Foxtrot with Jason Donovan in the early weeks of series 9? This was absolutely stunning - traditional, elegant, totally suited to Simon. His technique was fantastic, his performance excellent. I'm close to running out of superlatives to describe this routine but it was just sublime: (somewhat) traditional music with choreography that draws the eye; you know, Foxtrots can be boring to watch but this one kept me glued. I couldn't see any mistakes at all. I'm about to do something that I haven't done for any other dance this series *cue standing ovation from me*. Ok, maybe 2 things......

Judges' scores: 9, 10, 10, 9 for a total of 38/40
My score: I'm with Darcey and Len for once, it's a 10 from me!


CAROLINE & PASHA

Foxtrot - "Diamonds"

Odd choice of song, from the Sony tv advert if I remember rightly. Caroline always seems uncomfortable in Ballroom, and I'm not sure why: is it the hold that she finds tricky? Does the precise footwork prove a problem for her? I don't know, but this dance did not look like a Foxtrot to me, and I think only some of it can be put down to the music - I thought this dance was more like a Waltz in terms of how it looked on screen. Caroline does need to work on her hand positioning, she kept changing it throughout the dance and it seemed she was clinging on to Pasha at times. Also, LIFT at the end - an accidental one, but her foot definitely came off the floor whilst she was doing the spin into the ending position. It's lucky that she's great at the Latin dances, otherwise I think she would have been in trouble.

Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 35/40
My score: 7.5


Salsa - "Maria"

Knockout blow! Seriously, that was hot, hot, hot! (Wait, wrong song, and wrong couple.) This was so fluid and dynamic, Caroline was so much more at ease so she was able to put more into the performance - she was even singing along at some points! Now I know that some people thought that this didn't deserve a 10 as she seemed to get tired by the end, and I was included in that, but having watched it again, Pasha slowed down as well, it wasn't just Caroline. That makes me think it was deliberate so Caroline could relax a little after the scorching start, so I can't really penalise her for that. She was much more comfortable with the lifts this time, the transitions were much better. I absolutely loved this routine.

Judges' scores: all 10s for a total of 40/40
My score: I'm having to be in agreement here, another 10 from me!


Judges' Leaderboard:
1. Caroline & Pasha - 35 + 40 = 75/80
2. Frankie & Kevin - 34 + 38 = 72/80
3. Simon & Kristina - 30 + 38 = 68/80
4. Mark & Karen - 33 + 33 = 66/80
5. Jake & Janette - 30 + 31 = 61/80

My Leaderboard:
1. Caroline & Pasha - 30 + 40 = 70/80
2. Simon & Kristina - 28 + 40 = 68/80
3. Frankie & Kevin - 30 + 37 = 67/80
4. Mark & Karen - 34 + 32 = 66/80
5. Jake & Janette - 24 + 29 = 53/80


Dance-off: Mark & Karen vs Jake & Janette. I wasn't too surprised at this one - Jake basically had to be top of the vote with Caroline in 4th to avoid the dance-off, and Mark was bound to be here given that Frankie has avoided it thus far and Simon would probably have the bounce vote from being in the bottom 2 the previous week.

Elimination: Jake & Janette. I certainly didn't think it would go to a 2-2 casting vote decision. Jake has had more stand-out dances than Mark, so in that respect you could argue that he should be saved. But on the other hand, I do feel Mark is the better dancer overall, and it's nice for Karen to get to the final, I think she's given him some great routines this year (his Waltz, Jive and Samba spring to mind) so I reckon she deserves it. Plus it's Karen vs Kevin which is... fascinating to say the least. Overall, I'd say the right decision was made.

Recycled song alerts for this series now stands at 37.

So next week it's the final! Each couple will perform the judges' choice and their Showdance, before one couple is eliminated. After that, the remaining 3 couples will perform their favourite dance, before the lines close for the final time and the winner is announced. Personally, I'd like Caroline or Mark to win, but for once, I think all of them are deserving of the title. I'll be putting up my review of the final a little while after the event - in the run up to Christmas, I'll have much more of my time taken up, so I may have to type this out on Word and then just copy it in (whereas I usually do this all in one go, so it can take around 3-4 hours for each post to go up from when I start writing it).


I'm so excited for the final! I have a feeling this might be the best final yet, so until I write next, I'm going to................................


KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP WATCHING!

Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 11 (Quarter-final)

After witnessing 'The Curse of the Backing Dancers, part 2' last week, we're hopefully back to normal now. Sunetra & Brendan failed to romance the judges with their Rumba and were thus eliminated after appearing in the dance-off with Mark & Karen. It's at this stage now where we pretty much know what dances they'll be doing in the semis (indeed everyone's Latin dance is confirmed), so it's interesting to look at what will be skipped.

Style stakes: Claudia just about won Saturday's show (although she needed to pull her dress up a tad), but Tess is the winner of the Sunday show with that stunning black halterneck jumpsuit. Wardrobe did a good job with them both. Loved both Tess and Claude's hairstyles on the Sunday show.


Simon & Kristina - American Smooth - "Heartache Tonight"

Of course Mickey flipping Bubble had to make an appearance, he is the only voice that can be used for this dance *sarcasm*. Seriously producers, find something that isn't by him for once. As for the dance itself, I wasn't completely enamoured with the choreography - the lifts weren't great and I just got reminded of Patrick & Anya's AS with the section on the steps. It was bloody good though, Simon's hold was fantastic and his footwork was excellent. I would have just liked a little less 'American' and a bit more 'Smooth'. That ending lift, we could all see that it had gone wrong, and apparently it was down to Kristina getting her foot caught in her dress; but really, I thought it looked messy anyway and something that the pros on 'Dancing on Ice' would do. With that lift, you have to rely on the female getting her leg into the right place on the male so that she can then push up her other leg to the other side of his arm, thus enabling the lift. It was a bit too risky and although they got it right in the dance-off, I think it would have been better had they gone with a different lift. 

Simon is doing the Foxtrot and Samba next week: his Foxtrot should be good, given that his American Smooth was with a Foxtrot base, I can see him getting 10s for that (probably not a 40 though). As for the Samba, he is best suited to the fast Latin dances, so if he can master the technique (and I reckon he will) he'll be onto a winner - it all depends on the music with the Samba though, you can have great music (see Pixie's) or slightly duffer music (Frankie, Mark), or very duff music (Caroline, Jake). I'm quite confident for him. Should he get through to the final, then as of this week, I'd like him to do either his Waltz or Argentine Tango, and his Jive again.

Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 35/40
My score: 8.5


Caroline & Pasha - Argentine Tango - "La Cumparsita"

Wardrobe have failed Caroline again I see. What was that big, ugly, visible zip doing on that dress? She looked frumpy rather than sexy - the neckline needed to be a bit lower (although I do understand that Caroline was worried about a possible wardrobe malfunction), the hem more flattering (we know she's short, but don't make her look it), and if it had to have a visible zip, then for god sake, make it the same colour as the dress so it's not as distracting. Onto the dance, and I feel I really am missing something. To me, Caroline looked so uncomfortable, and she was apologising to Pasha at the end as if she'd messed something up (although I couldn't see it myself). It got better as the music kicked in, but I found it very boring to watch and I can't tell whether it was good or not, which normally I can with an Argentine Tango. The lifts were awesome, that much I can say. 

Caroline has the Salsa next week, and either the Viennese Waltz or the Foxtrot. I'm guessing it's the Viennese Waltz she has due to Simon doing the Foxtrot. Caroline isn't the best at the slower Ballroom dances, but both of those options are a bit quicker so she should be ok. If anything, it's her Salsa that I worry about - it could either go really well or really badly for her. Fingers crossed. If she got to the final, I'd want her to do her American Smooth and her Charleston again.

Judges' scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 for a total of 39/40
My score: I'm going to give the only score that I think I can give, and therefore go for an 8


Pixie & Trent - Cha Cha Cha - "Love Shack"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Richard & Erin from series 10*

This was a bit odd to watch back again due to the camera work being rubbish. I can see what Len meant about her legs, and I am so glad that he pulled Trent up on the lifts - there's been a few occasions before tonight where it looked as though Pixie did an illegal lift, and it had never been mentioned until now. Surprised Craig still gave 9 despite those lifts, maybe she really is his favourite. Yet again, it felt like 2 dancers who happen to be doing the same dance rather than a partnership, and for all those who say that Kevin does routines that don't play to Frankie's strengths, I personally think the same applies to Trent, with both this and her Charleston. After Trent's comments to Len about how 'rules are meant to be broken', it's pretty much a no-brainer that they went into the dance-off, Brendan can get away with that one but not a newbie pro. Pixie would have done the American Smooth and Salsa in the semis, which means double lifts - could have thrown her a bit.

Judges' scores: 9, 9, 8, 9 for a total of 35/40
My score: 7.5


Mark & Karen - Foxtrot - "L-O-V-E"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT - Austin & Erin in series 6*

Now I'm no fan of Mark as a personality, but I wouldn't mind him winning the series. Karen has done a fantastic job with him, and this was another great dance, I'd probably say this was his best. He does need to sort out his hands, and he was a little out of time with Karen on occasion; but, his footwork was great, he had lovely musicality, and the dance was fantastic to watch, which I don't often say about Foxtrots. Bravo guys, bravo.

Mark definitely has the Rumba next week, and either the Argentine Tango or the Viennese Waltz. Personally, I would say to do the Argentine Tango - Karen did a superb one with Nicky in series 10 and he wasn't as good a dancer as Mark (I didn't think it was great at the time, but seeing it on the tour at the start of this year changed my mind), so I do think it will suit him. For the Rumba, he just needs to work on his hands and arm lines, get those sorted and he will definitely be in the '30 club' (the magic club for male celebs who score 30 or over for their Rumba. Up to and including Simon in this series, only 12 celebs are in this club, 1 of them being Chris Hollins). Should he get to the final, I want to see his Quickstep and his Samba again.

Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 9 for a total of 35/40
My score: 8.25


Jake & Janette - Charleston - "Entry of the Gladiators"

Was it just me, or was Jake's swivel better than Janette's? Either way, this dance should not have had 10s whatsoever, not when there was a blatant mishap with the penultimate lift. Also, didn't this dance have 4 lifts when it should have been 3? I can't fault Jake's performance, and this was probably his best dance technically, but still, not a 10. Loved the choreography with the ball projection though, that was inspired.

Next week Jake has the Cha Cha Cha, and either the Foxtrot or Viennese Waltz. Somehow I can see Janette going for the mean and melancholy Viennese Waltz... sorry, I know I don't have a high opinion of her, but come on, show us something different performance-wise. Cha Cha Cha might be a problem dance for him, calling it now. He needs to pull out something special as at the moment, they'd be very undeserving winners in my eyes. Should he get to the final, I'd like to see a rehashed Argentine Tango, and his Salsa again. 

Judges' scores: 9, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 8.25


Frankie & Kevin - Salsa - "Work"

We know Latin isn't Frankie's thing, but again, you could see how uncomfortable she was with this dance. She seemed to forget where she was towards the end, before getting into that last lift. Her free arm placement was a bit dodgy again this week, something that she really needs to think about with her next dances. I'm starting to think that she won't win now and may go to pieces during the final like Chelsee did in her series.

Frankie has the Rumba, and either the American Smooth or Argentine Tango next week. I'd go for American Smooth with her, she can do classy Ballroom and then some - just needs some good lifts in and that would be great for her. Rumba, hmm. Bit of a tricky one that - Caroline's was fantastic and one of the dances of the series for me, whereas I wasn't a fan of Pixie's despite it being an impressive dance for her. We haven't seen a Kevin Rumba yet (it was the dance that he skipped with Susanna), so it would be interesting to see what he comes up with. If she got to the final, I'd like to see her Viennese Waltz and her Paso Doble again.

Judges' scores: 8, 9, 8, 9 for a total of 34/40
My score: 8



Waltzathon: I think anyone could have predicted the rankings before the show even started - I did it, and apart from getting Frankie and Simon the wrong way round, I was spot on. After watching the dance back, I would have had the leaderboard slightly different, with Frankie top, Pixie 2nd, Simon 3rd, Mark 4th, Caroline 5th, and Jake 6th. 


Strictly Leaderboard:

1. Caroline & Pasha - 39 + 3 = 42
2. Pixie & Trent - 35 + 6 = 41
=3. Jake & Janette (38 + 1), Simon & Kristina (35 + 4), Frankie & Kevin (34 + 5) = 39
6. Mark & Karen - 35 + 2 = 37

My Leaderboard:

=1. Simon & Kristina - 34 + 4 = 38, Frankie & Kevin - 32 + 6 = 38
3. Mark & Karen - 33 + 3 = 36
4. Pixie & Trent - 30 + 5 = 35
=5. Caroline & Pasha - 32 + 2 = 34, Jake & Janette - 33 + 1 = 34


Dance-off: Pixie & Trent vs Simon & Kristina. I was a bit surprised that Pixie was here, as I expected Mark to be in the dance-off for sure; but Simon was always going to end up here - Jake and Frankie both have proven fanbases and Caroline was too far ahead to go down in the dance-off. Pixie could only have been 5th in the vote at best, and this was the only week where her vote would have been tested, so it's a bit unlucky that she landed in it on this week.


Elimination: Pixie & Trent. If you think about it - although Pixie and Simon scored the same for their first dance, Simon's included a major mistake in the final lift, so really, Simon's was better. As for the judges: based on scores, Craig and Len had to vote the way that they did, so actually it was down to Darcey and Bruno. Pixie was unlucky that she came up against this dance of Simon's with what was probably her worst dance (excluding her week 1 Jive), almost any other week and she would have sailed through, but on this showing, I do think it was the right decision to eliminate her. It's a bit sad as although I didn't enjoy their partnership, I would have loved to see her Quickstep again, that was her one outstanding dance for me. 

Recycled song choices are now at 34 for the series.


So next week the couples take on 2 dances for the first time. Will they wow us with both of their offerings, or will they crack under the pressure?

Until next time, keep reading and keep watching!

Strictly Come Dancing 2014: Week 10

Hello again everyone! Now this blog is posted a bit later than usual, as it was my older sister's birthday this weekend, so we've been celebrating that. I didn't get to see the show live on Saturday as I was out for a meal with the family, but I've seen the dances twice and watched the Saturday show yesterday. 

Last time, we saw Sunetra & Brendan granted their last request to stay, and that meant Steve & Ola had to go home. Love Ola's new hair colour btw, she suits being a brunette.

In the style stakes, Tess won for Saturday's show, and Claudia for Sunday's, so honours are even. The theme for this week was 'Around the World' - sadly not the ATC, Aqua or Lisa Stansfield songs of the same name, but an excuse for bad song choices, weird outfits, and backing dancers. So basically, Blackpool mark 2.


Pixie & Trent - Viennese Waltz - "Tulips from Amsterdam"

Now this is the kind of song that I could imagine being done at an Andre Rieu concert. I might not like this pairing but I can always appreciate when they have done a good dance. On this occasion, I thought it was good, but not worthy of 10s from the judges. This is probably the first instance where I think Trent might have put too much in to the choreography - lots of faffing abaht, yes, but also lots of times where you could see Pixie trying hard to get into the correct place for the next move. It just about worked, but could have so easily gone wrong. It took them about 30 seconds to get anywhere near each other let alone in hold, and that's a good third of the routine wasted. Trent is a good storyteller, but like Janette, sometimes I think he'd be better off with less story and more content. This might have made things easier on Pixie as he could have had simpler choreography for the rest of the routine. As an aside, what was going on with the backing dancers? Apparently they were doing the 'Single Ladies' dance during the routine? I also felt that Trent and Pixie were apart too much, I would have liked them dancing together more. That being said, Pixie did very well with the content. I was looking out to see if they'd do a fleckel, and I'm not sure that Pixie had the correct footwork for that (you more knowledgeable people out there can tell me that one). As for what she has left, she could go either way, but I get the feeling she'll skip the Argentine Tango, and so be doing a Latin this week.

Judges' scores: 9, 9, 10, 10 for a total of 38/40
My score: 8.5


Mark & Karen - Salsa - "Viva Las Vegas"

Mark had to head back to Tenerife this week so he's not had much time to train, and sadly it showed in this routine. After his impressive Samba a while ago, I had hoped that this would be a good dance for him. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. The lifts and tricks weren't particularly great (aside from the ending press lift which I thought was brilliant), he was out of time with Karen, and he just didn't seem to get into the performance as much as he usually does. I was wondering where the usual armography had gone - there wasn't any (as far as I can remember) in this routine, so maybe Mark couldn't do it for some reason? That or his training time was SO limited (like Sunetra's usually is) that Karen and the choreographers had to give him a relatively simple routine? I'd say probably the latter, as last week's Tango wasn't up to his usual standard either, and he also had limited practice time then. With only one Latin left, Mark has to be doing Ballroom this week - his options are the AT, Foxtrot or Viennese Waltz - with Caroline doing AT and Simon having to do Foxtrot in the semis, I think he'll have the Foxtrot for this week.

Judges' scores: 7, 8, 9, 8 for a total of 32/40
My score: 7


Sunetra & Brendan - Rumba - "Girl from Ipanema"

They should have had Amy from 'The Big Bang Theory' doing this on her harp. Isn't this song normally a Foxtrot? To fit in with the 'theme' I think the producers have just gone for any song that has a place in the title (Simon excepted). It was a bit of a different kind of Rumba, and like our Bruno, I thought the concept was good so props to Brendan for that. However, it was a bit boring to watch if I'm honest and I didn't see much actual Rumba going on between the two of them. Like Pixie's dance, I would have liked to have seen S & B dancing together more, it felt like the Sunetra Show with a cameo from Brendan, which might work for some dances (Showdance for one) but definitely not a Rumba. All arms and nothing else from Sunetra, which she's struggled with for a while. As Marian Keyes put it on ITT tonight, Rumba is 'the dance of death', and so it proved for this pair. Also, LIFT! Probably intentional, but still, points must be deducted for that. There was also an accidental lift when Brendan did the drag, which was corrected when they did it second time round for the dance-off. It's a shame that Sunetra couldn't have gone out on a better dance, but this was the right time for her to go.

Judges' scores: 5, 7, 8, 7 for a total of 27/40
My score: 5 (would have been 6 if not for the lifts)


Caroline & Pasha - Charleston - "Istanbul"

I already knew this song from a Strictly game, so I knew it would work for a Charleston. I wasn't sure how Caroline would cope with this dance - not so much the technical and fast-paced side of it, as we saw from her Jive that she has no problem in that respect; but the performance side. She pulled off everything with aplomb! Some of the lifts were a bit clunky (she seems to struggle with the transitions of getting into them) so I can't give her a 10, but other than that it was FAB-U-LOUS! Caroline's got the Argentine Tango this week, and I reckon this will be a cracking dance for her. It will definitely challenge her - with the lifts, and maintaining the performance throughout, but that's a good thing I think. I'm not really a fan of Pasha, but I would be happy for him to lift the glitterball with Caroline.

Judges' scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 for a total of 39/40
My score: 9.5


Simon & Kristina - Waltz - "Edelweiss"

Simon's back in the game with this dance! It was beautiful, moving, and although he didn't have enough swing and sway, it was magical. Credit to Kristina, the choreography was sublime, and that's how you tell a story whilst still having tons of content (take note Trent). Simon's been confirmed to have the American Smooth this week, so we already know that he would dance the Foxtrot and Samba in the semi-final (he did the Cha Cha Cha in the Christmas special so he'll skip that). I think AS will be a good dance for him, the interesting thing will be what dance style he does for it - will he go traditional Foxtrot which would help him for next week? Or go for something different which we know he can already do? Whatever it is, I'm sure Kristina will do a great job with it.

Judges' scores: 9, 10, 10, 9 for a total of 38/40
My score: 9


Frankie & Kevin - Jive - "Surfin' USA"

I've been waiting for Frankie to do a Jive for ages, and after this one, I'm not really sure what to make of it. For some reason, Frankie seems to struggle in the fast Latin dances, and I'm starting to think that it's the performance that lets her down. She has a smile on granted, but sometimes you need to do more. Take Simon's week 1 Jive - you could tell that he was enjoying it and that enhanced his performance. That might be where Frankie has a problem - she needs to import not more energy, but more enthusiasm (that might not be the right word, but it's the best I've got). Perhaps take a small leaf from Kevin's book - he might overdo it sometimes, but he does have that enthusiasm that Frankie lacks. Aside from this, she did pretty well, just going out of time with Kevin on occasion. They have the Salsa this week: I'm not sure what to expect really, it could go either way. 

Judges' scores: all 9s for a total of 36/40
My score: 8


Jake & Janette - Argentine Tango - "Zorba the Greek"

Oh, good lord. This was just awful, and I can't even blame Janette this time. What did Jake actually do other than shout 'Opa!', swing his leg a few times, and basically stand and get Janette to do her tricks? Even the outrage over the backing dancer bumping into him (sorry Craig but you were wrong) couldn't change the fact that this was just weird. Not an Argentine Tango whatsoever and I feel sorry for Jake getting the novelty songs and comedy dances at this stage of the competition. I can't even give a real critique as I really don't know what I can say about this dance. He could go either way in his dance choices for this week, but I'd guess he's doing a Latin - which means either Cha Cha Cha or Charleston. He'd be better off with Charleston I'd say.

Judges' scores: 5, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 29/40
My score: 4


Strictly Leaderboard:
1. Caroline & Pasha - 39
=2. Pixie & Trent, Simon & Kristina - 38
4. Frankie & Kevin - 36
5. Mark & Karen - 32
6. Jake & Janette - 29
7. Sunetra & Brendan - 27

My Leaderboard:
1. Caroline & Pasha - 38
2. Simon & Kristina - 36
3. Pixie & Trent - 34
4. Frankie & Kevin - 32
5. Mark & Karen - 28
6. Sunetra & Brendan - 20
7. Jake & Janette - 16


Dance-off: Mark & Karen vs Sunetra & Brendan. Not that much of a surprise, as we know that Jake and Frankie have support from previous weeks.

Elimination: Sunetra & Brendan. Like the last few weeks, this could have gone either way. On the dance-off alone, I would have saved Sunetra, but if you're looking at overall, then Mark had to go through to next week.