Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Week 2 (part, the only)

Evening all, and apologies for neglecting the blog this week: being at work from 11-7 plus 3 hours worth of travel time means an exhausted Enigma. So the blog is still going up, but it's going to be a slightly different format.

Over on the Strictly forums on Digital Spy, there's a thread called '5 thoughts' where you post 5 thoughts for each particular week. It's been going for a while and it's a great read (I sometimes post there too). So for this blog, I'm adapting that a little and adding 5 thoughts for every couple - and if this works then if I think I might not be able to get the blog up, then I'll post another of these instead. I've only been able to see the dances once this week, so it's less about them and more on how I see the couples, as well as the dance they're doing for week 3.

With that long preamble over, let's start with my 5 thoughts list, and I've also included my own drinking game for the week 3 show (which I shall adapt every week).

Ainsley & Natalie:

1. Shake that little tush, honey!

2. Pun song choice: check! Hopefully he's crossed off of the list now

3. Where were the green peppers?

4. Please keep him in for the facial expressions alone

5. Scoring was about right, what a shocker!

Anita & Gleb:

1. Although it was a bit too Gleb-y for my liking (no one likes a show-off), it was actually quite good choreography for a Charleston I thought, so props to him.

2. Loved Anita's outfit, red really suits her and her hair was gorgeous

3. Also loved the start and end with the window, now THAT is how you use a prop!

4. Not much swivel, but then swivel is not the be-all-and-end-all of the Charleston, well, unless you're Craig, that is.

5.  Good performance from Anita actually, I really want to see her do Paso/Tango as I reckon she could knock it out of the park.

Anthony & Oti:

1. More good work from Oti: apparently week 2 in the series of "How to cover up an arm injury when dancing" is all about "lovey-dovey, hand on heart whilst the audience tries not to puke"

2. I did still love their Waltz though

3. I did still give them a vote

4. And I am still looking forward to their Paso, even though the producers have punished them by making them have another round of the ‘pun song choice carousel’ (it’s a bit like jury service: some people never get asked/have to do it, others get picked to do it a lot)

5. Speaking of their Paso, will Anthony be playing a bandit? (I think you all know where my bad joke is coming from)

Carol & Pasha:

1.  Pasha was quite possessive over that umbrella wasn’t he? It’s as if he has to hold on to something during each routine (he might just be making Anthony feel better by copying though, who knows?)

2. Lovely traditional music, always makes a dance look so much better, especially if it’s a duffer (Scott’s Samba last year anyone? I still have nightmares about him suddenly appearing and chasing after me, scuttling sideways with his pincers……)

3. Carol didn’t look too bad in this dance, there could be hope for her yet (actually scratch that, I’ve seen this week’s dance……)

4.  Somehow I get the feeling that this week’s Quickstep will be more of a Slowstep than Peter’s this week – more on THAT to come

5. Seeing as how Pasha loves his props, and they’re dancing to ‘Wash that Man’ from South Pacific, is the beginning going to be him coming out of the shower in a towel? (Well some can dream, not me, but some…..)

Daniel & Kristina:

1. Props to Kristina, she played it just right on the choreography front

2. Less Botox Daniel and more Fun Daniel this week, can we keep this one please?

3. Then again I’m kind of dreading him being Fun Daniel channelling Danny Zuko…..

4. I’m also expecting Craig to open his comments with ‘More Granny Zuko than Danny Zuko’ (if he does, then you heard it here first!)

5. Is it bad that when I’m trying to picture this upcoming Cha Cha Cha, all I’m getting is Chris Hollins and the Starfish?

Georgia & Giovanni:

1. Pun song choice: check!

2. SWING!

3.  I started to fancy Giovanni quite a bit during this dance, and then I see the sweaty Betty at the end of the routine and I rapidly went off him again

4. Is it just me, or does he looks-wise look a lot like Matt Di Angelo? (Something in the face, I don’t know…..)

5.  Still not convinced Georgia has much of a personality, Charleston is a-calling please! What do they have? Rumba? Oh good flipping lord……

Helen & Aljaz:

1.  I think only 3 words are needed to describe Helen in this routine: Awkward. As. F***

2. But then I think the only reason they put this at the end is less about Helen’s ability, and more about us women wanting to see Aljaz as a dirty mechanic (phwoar, to be fair he’s only got about 2 years on me, so I’m allowed)

3. So with them doing Foxtrot this week, and their song, I really want Helen to show off her inner Trixie and give us some sexy sass (because we know Aljaz will put this in, if his dances with Alison Hammond were anything to go by)

4. Going back to number 1, what was Aljaz thinking with the ‘rubbing the chesticles’ trick, it didn’t look sexy, it just looked odd

5. I still wonder why they don’t use the Westlife version of this song at all? It's very similar to the Billy Joel version but more... high-pitched? I think that's the right word there, you think they'd be desperate to use different versions of tracks so we don't do *RECYCLED SONG ALERT* all the bloody time.

Iwan & Ola:

1. Not sexy, but he doesn't know it

2. Breakdancing in a Cha Cha? It’s not unusual, we saw glimpses of it with Mark Wright and his Caterpillar/Worm thing last year, difference was that this was better

3. Did my eyes deceive me, or did Ola not do any of her patented Ola-ography? No pivots, no starfish, what is the world coming to?!

4. That being said, good to see her showing some variety, even if it is a bit too late in this instance

5. Yeah, he deserved to be the first boot.

Jamelia & Tristan:

1. I don’t know if this might have been the first time that instead of a Wardrobe Malfunction, it was Hair Malfunction (caused by the wind machines ofc)? I did feel a bit sorry for Jamelia with that though

2. Ok I think we can call it now, Tristan won’t be getting a contender next year

3.  Which is a shame as I actually quite like his Irish accent

4. Oh yes, Salsa, the all-important question over how much of a good duffer you are is ‘can you do lifts?’ As we found out with Kirsty, erm, no.

5. Not really shocked that she was in the bottom 2, and think she’ll be out in the next couple of weeks.

Jay & Aliona:

1. We haven’t seen spins like that since DVO - *RINGER ALARM*

2. Aliona’s heading into Artemis’ Wafty Territory I see, please come back out

2    3.  Still love Jay though

3    4. Did he really need the haircut? I quite liked the long hair and he could have had it put back into a ponytail if needs be

4    5. Ooh Jive, that should be the making of him I’d think, looking forward to it!

Jeremy & Karen:

1    1. Regarding the set: is this to do with Karen’s secret sexy dream that she could be an alluring librarian, but she has to be Happy Clappy Karen irl to keep up with Ker-azy Kevin? If so, then I applaud the producers for supporting their staff and helping to make their dreams come true

2    2. Anywayyyyy, for the stat fans, this is the second time in 2 years that Karen has done the American Smooth in week 2

3    3. Jeremy is so the cute little nerd isn’t he? If ever they did an oldies version of the Sugababes’ ‘Push the Button’ video, he’d so be the one with the green shirt that gets with Mutya, he has the facial expressions down already

4    4.  I’m not sure what is wrong with me, it’s as if I’ve been hit with Vine Flu

5    5. Ok, I’ll lay off the bad jokes, promise.

      Katie & Anton:

1    1.  I thought they were dancing to ‘Telephone’? Not that I didn’t like the rearranged track, I loved it actually but I’m not sure how they changed it from the original

2    2.   I might end up liking Anton this series, which just goes to show what having a good partner can do for a pro. He deserves it as well, he’s paid his dues and then some

3    3. Although he may have resorted to good old-fashioned bribery and paid the producers, we’ll have to see if he gives any cheeky winks to the judges, then we’ll know

4    4. Katie’s dress was stunning, but we all know she’ll be made to look awful in her Cha Cha Cha to ‘Pretty Woman’; it’s inevitable.

5    5. Love Katie in general, she’s not too posh to take the p*ss.

      Kellie & Kevin:

1    1.  Well at least Kevin knows how to do an authentic Cha Cha Cha, doesn’t he Janette?

2    2. Kellie does try too hard on the performance side though

3    3. And as soon as I say that, she gets the Charleston, to Star Wars. *Mind is blown*

4    4. I have the feeling that she’ll be late in the running order, so most likely I shall be completely and utterly gazeboed (thank you Michael McIntyre) when I watch this routine – see my drinking game below for why.

5    5.  I also have the feeling that Kevin will completely go for it and make me see double-vision as a result, so maybe it is best if I get drunk before, yes?

Kirsty & Brendan:

1    1. For anyone (including me) who hoped last week was just a blip: it wasn’t.

2    2. There was also a momentary blip during this routine, the part where her feet actually touched the floor! *shock, horror*

3    3. To those who were clutching their pearls when Giovanni showed the world Georgia’s pants last week (didn’t Natalie do it herself this week as well, where were you then?), they should be outraged at the whole ‘shimmy over the man whilst he lies back, thinks of England and looks up your skirt during the whole thing’ trick that Brendan pulled. Shame on you Mr Cole, and I was starting to get fond of you again after your adventure with Hoggy on Flockstars.

4    4. American Smooth this week? Brendan just needs to ask himself one question – how long can I make these lifts last?

5    5. With 2 lift-fest dances in a row, I take it that Kirsty will have Charleston next week, followed by Argentine Tango? Week 5 for an AT is about the right time after all.

Peter & Janette:

1    1. ‘Look judges! Look how quickly and energetically I can trot like the good little horse that I am! Watch meeeeeee!’

2    2.  I have to admit, watching Peter try to knee himself in the face – so he could knock himself out and get sympathy votes from it all, I know your game Andre – was hilarious.

3    3. Not nearly as hilarious as his Jack Sparrow get-up is bound to be though, he’s no Johnny Depp that’s for sure

4    4. Oh yes, with all of my giggling I nearly forgot, THIS WAS NOT A QUICKSTEP

5    5. I actually have faith in Janette that this Paso will be better than the monstrosity that poor Jake Wood had last year – I’m starting to wonder if I might be getting that Winter Sickness bug after all……..

     And here is my drinking game. Take a drink when the following happens:

      1. Every time Brendan says 'this girl'

2. Every time Len says 'you came aht'
3. Every time Craig mentions hands (bonus drink if he uses the word 'spatulistic' at any point)
4. Every time Tess & Claud, or Anita, go on about Gleb and his so-called hunkyness
5. If Tess talks about Jay's nerves
6. If any of the judges make a reference to Yoda after Kellie & Kevin's Charleston (bonus drink if any impersonate Yoda, my money's on Bruno)
7. If any of Peter Andre's wife/kids appear in his VT
8. Every time you see Peter Andre try to get into shot in the Clauditorium
9. If Gleb finds a mirror in the Clauditorium after his dance
10. If you see Anton and/or Brendan get up to mischief in the Clauditorium

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT* count: 14 so far (8 this week as you'll see below)

Anita's Charleston (Ali & Brian in series 7, Richard & Erin in series 10)

Anthony's Waltz (Carol & Matthew in series 4, Kara & Artem in series 8, Michael & Natalie in series 10)

Daniel's Charleston (Pamela & James in series 8)

Helen's Cha Cha Cha (Anita & Brendan in series 9)

Jamelia's Cha Cha Cha (Gavin & Katya in series 8)

Jay's Waltz (Jimmy & Flavia in series 4, Christine & Matthew in series 6, Chelsee & Pasha in series 9)

Kellie's Cha Cha Cha (Lynda & Darren in series 7)

Peter's Quickstep (Alesha & Matthew in series 5, Holly & Artem in series 9)

       

        

J

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