Strictly Come Dancing 2017: Semi-Final

Pre-show VT: Yep we know Debbie can get her leg up, ooh who was the conductor?

Celeb Watch: previous contestants Danny Mac, Judge Rinder, Ore, and Melvin Odoom

The Fashion Police Segment:

Tess or Claud?: Oh I can’t decide, probably Tess, just (even though her dress is more suited to the Xmas Special)

Darcey or Shirley: Deffo Shirl, Darcey’s dress is barely there

Best Dressed Couple: Gemma & Aljaz

Worst Dressed Couple: I’d have to go with Mollie & AJ, purely because I’m not a fan of the skirt of her dress

Not Matching: hold up, they all do this week!

Joe & Katya – Dance 1 – American Smooth – “Have You Met Miss Jones?”

1.       LITERAL SONG CHOICE ALERT! At least it’s the Robbie Williams version though, I do like that one.

2.       Wow, that was fantastic! So elegant and traditional, and the lifts were beautiful.

3.       Posture is much improved, arm lines were exquisite, footwork looked very good to me.

4.       I think he did hunch over at one point (I wonder if that was the point where he lost balance as Craig mentioned), so can’t quite give a 10, but it was so close.

5.       I would give 9.5 out of 10 so would be 38 overall for me (they scored 35). Aww Anton had his hand on Debbie’s shoulder in the Clauditorium. Oh bloody hell, Ore again!?!  I want someone to lock him in a vault for a few months as he’s bloody everywhere. Haha Aljaz and Kevin having a little sway in the background.

Alex & Gorka – Dance 1 – Viennese Waltz – “Everybody Hurts” (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! – Rachel & Vincent in series 6)

1.       If I remember rightly, wasn’t this Rachel & Vincent’s VW song, just that it was the original rather than the Tina Arena version that Alex is doing? (EDIT: Checks back, yes it was)

2.       Bit too much contempowaft for me and not enough in hold.

3.       I thought Alex could have had slightly more lyricism in her arms at times, although they were much better than her previous Ballroom dances. Her hand placement on Gorka’s shoulder wasn’t completely perfect, she was clinging on occasionally, and her right arm seemed to be straight sometimes, which Mollie has been criticised for before.

4.       It was an extremely good dance though, just not my cup of tea personally.

5.       I think I would give 34 overall (they scored 39). Somehow I think they’ll try and keep her out of the dance off……. Gorka stop doing the phone sign, it doesn’t help you. I wonder if Ore was jealous that Tess talked to Danny and Rinder rather than him, although it didn’t look like him in the chair next to Danny where he was before…..

Mollie & AJ – Dance 1 – Samba – “Whenever Wherever” (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! – Roger & Camilla in series 2, Susanna & Kevin in series 11)

1.       “SAVE ME KEVIN!” – oh come on, everyone has to remember that part?

2.       Well, you can’t say Mollie didn’t let go in that. Or that AJ didn’t take inspiration from Danny & Oti’s Samba from last year.

3.       I agree with Craig that the Samba rolls were really awkward, but I do think he was a bit harsh.

4.       She did miss some of her arm lines occasionally, and she struggled to keep up with the music. Oh good lord, Shirley had a little attack of the Brunos. Bruno was quite cutting as well.

5.       I think I would go for a 28 overall (they scored 24). I loved Mollie repeatedly saying sorry and AJ repeatedly telling her not to. Looks like AJ didn’t have enough influence with the producers to make them avoid the Samba in this round. WHAT?! 4 is way too harsh Craig. Aww they’re way too cute.

Gemma & Aljaz – Dance 1 – Rumba – “Beneath Your Beautiful”

1.       Hmm, not sure what to make of Gemma saying she was disappointed with the scores last week….

2.       I don’t think I’ve liked any of Aljaz’s Rumbas, and this was no exception sadly.

3.       I do feel that they got the connection, but I felt the hip action wasn’t brilliant, she didn’t settle into her hips the way that Ian always talks about on ITT.

4.       Her arms were much better, but I do agree with Shirley that it was lacking a little bit of lyricism.

5.       I reckon I’ll give a 32 (they scored 30). No Tess, Aljaz is not adorable, he’s like a child given too many sweets. Brendan had an ‘Anton’ outfit on in the background, nice little sway he had going on there whilst Gemma & Aljaz had a brief dance.

Debbie & Giovanni – Dance 1 – Jive – “I’m So Excited”

1.       Oh Debbie, it’s the first dance of hers that I’ve been a bit disappointed with.

2.       Her legs were a bit too straight I think? And it looked like she was waiting for the next move at times.

3.       Timing seemed a bit off occasionally as well. But I did love that opening.

4.       Craig! Her facial expressions were nowhere near as bad as Davood’s and Alex’s (at times) have been this series.

5.       I’d give a 30 I think, somewhere between Mollie and Gemma (they scored 34), aww Gio saying she was better than him. Hehe at Dianne, Pasha and Anton having a little bobble in the background.

Joe & Katya – Dance 2 – Argentine Tango – “Human”

1.       Darcey seemed to take the lead in that convo? Who’s Head Judge here Darce? Love Katya’s hair but not their outfits.

2.       Not a fan at all but loved that part at the end when Katya took Joe’s weight on her.

3.       I didn’t like Joe’s posture, and they both had a bit of a stumble a little after the beginning.

4.       His footwork was good and I liked the concept, but it didn’t look like he was in control really.

5.       I think I would give a 29 (they scored 35). *Gasp* Janette has disappeared, yay!

Alex & Gorka – Dance 2 – Salsa – “Finally”

1.       I think Gorka possibly threw a bit too much in there for her.

2.       The armography sections were fabulous, but her free arm was off at times and that last lift just looked wrong.

3.       Darcey’s version of Len pickling his walnuts…..

4.       Alex’s face after Craig’s critique….

5.       I would give 37 I think, but cue a 40 from the judges I reckon (and so it does). Gorka hugging himself and lifting Claud were highlights of that little interlude.

Mollie & AJ – Dance 2 – Waltz – “Angel” (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! – Rachel & Vincent in series 6)

1.       Judges painting Mollie as the underdog there…..

2.       That was both beautiful and emotional, loved it.

3.       Darcey talking way too much again

4.       Felt her right arm was slightly too straight at times. Her footwork was quality, loved the choreography from AJ, her arm lines were very good too.

5.       Think I would give a 36 (they scored 32). Aww Mollie knows she’s probably a goner. If a 32 is Mollie’s highest score then she’s in trouble.

Gemma & Aljaz – Dance 2 – Tango – “My Sharona”

1.       Not quite sure what to make of that, but I couldn’t help thinking that it was a Kevin song.

2.       Her hand placement wasn’t perfect, she got it by the end but her hand was splayed at the beginning.

3.       Loved the intensity from her, but felt she wasn’t quite sharp enough in the frame at times.

4.       I did like the choreography on this one. Bravo Aljaz.

5.       I’ll give that a 35 I think (they scored 32). Cue Janette coming into shot. “Not a single dance step in her life” Aljaz? We know that’s not strictly true….

Debbie & Giovanni – Dance 2 – Foxtrot – “Isn’t She Lovely?” (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! – Zoe & Ian in series 3)

1.       The judges seemed to praise Debbie as much as Alex but that question ‘does she deserve to be in the Grand Final?’ – does that really need to be asked?

2.       Aww that was lovely, go Debbeh!

3.       Bruno doing his own special version of Len pickling his walnuts

4.       The only thing I noticed was that Craig brings up the 10 second rule as and when he likes and only for these two (they were out of hold for longer but he needs to be consistent with when he deducts marks for it). Hmmm......

5.       I would give a 40 (they scored 36). Couldn’t spot anything wrong myself so I have to. Aww Gio. I love this little partnership. The others seemed more happy for her than they did most of the others……

My Leaderboard:

1.       Alex & Gorka: 34 + 37 = 71

2.       Debbie & Gio: 30 + 40 = 70

    =3.   Joe & Katya: 38 + 29 = 67, Gemma & Aljaz: 32 + 35 = 67

     5.    Mollie & AJ: 28 + 36 = 64

RECYCLED SONG ALERTS! – this week: 4 (out of a possible 10? Very very lazy indeed from the SPPs)

RECYCLED SONG ALERTS! – overall: 40 (3.33 for an average)

Strictly Come Dancing 2017: Week 11

Pre-show VT: they all have such pretty eyes don’t they? Alexandra’s are like mine with how dark they are, Davood’s were hazel, Gemma’s were pretty much grey, Joe’s green and then you had blue-eyed blondes Debbie and Mollie.

Opening pro dance: Loved Kev and AJ as the Artful Dodger and Oliver respectively. Was Karen meant to be Nancy? And did AJ actually do that high note?; Chloe & Pash with Amy and Gio?; Gemma and Mollie looked most out of place for the celebs.

The Fashion Police Segment:

Tess or Claud: Tess, deffo. Despite the unflattering midriff of the dress and the splits at the bottom.

Best Dressed Couple: Davood & Nadiya

Worst Dressed Couple: purely for her headpiece alone, Gemma & Aljaz

Not Matching: Gemma & Aljaz, Alex & Gorka

Gemma & Aljaz – Quickstep – “Hello Dolly”

1.       An actual proper training VT? What fresh hell is this?!

2.       Loved the whole theming of this dance, the set design was fabulous. Also I have just realised that this was what they were singing at the piano in the prelude to Scary Movie 2.

3.       Footwork looked very good for the most part, possibly missed a couple of steps.

4.       Bit of gapping (an Aljaz trademark), and Gemma does tend to show on her face when she’s concentrating (so I’m agreed with Shirley there). I was looking at the frame to see if it was bouncing and I certainly didn’t spot it doing that so I’m not sure what Craig and Darcey are referring to.

5.       I think I would go with a 32 score-wise (they scored 29). Solid 8 for me. 6 from Craig was way too harsh, I do wish Aljaz would stop with the jazz hands etc, he’s been married to Janette for too long already. Nice to see Russell turn up and sing the T’s & C’s to ‘A Whole New World’ but bugger off out of shot Janette, you’re out already. Brendan doing a bit of wafting in the background and channelling his inner Artem.

Mollie & AJ – Rumba – “Hopelessly Devoted to You”

1.       Death spot again, yep Mollie’s being primed to go out.

2.       Nice nod to the film with the yearbook. And AJ in that white T-shirt and a quiff? HELL-O!

3.       LIFT! LIFT! AND ANOTHER LIFT!

4.       Felt a bit flat to me, the chemistry was there but I just didn’t get the earthiness of Mollie’s feet through the floor. She did settle into her hips more as Ian wanted her to do, so credit to her for that. She needed a little more extension through the arm in places, but there was a lot of musicality and lyricism there.

5.       Tess, just stop trying to make Mollaj happen, it’s not gonna happen! I would say Gemma was a tad better, so I’ll go for a 30 (they scored 31). 9s? Never! But their reaction was funny, Mollie saying ‘you’re so uncool’ to AJ. I get the feeling that he wants something to happen but she’s not sure.

Joe & Katya – Samba – “Money Money”

1.       Hold up, wasn’t this Tim Wonnacott’s Charleston music with Natalie? And Joe & Katya are dressed more Charleston-y than Samba-y…..

2.       And now back to the usual VTs…..

3.       Erm, not sure what to make of that? A somewhat comic Samba that wasn’t done by Anton?

4.       His footwork seemed good for the most part, and his arms were great, just needed extension through the hand sometimes. I still think this was the wrong song and I may need to rewatch with some traditional music playing.

5.       I’m struggling to place this a little, but I think 35 would be a good score for this (they scored 37).

Debbie & Giovanni – American Smooth – “Memory”

1.       Wardrobe have done a cracking job with them being cats but still being elegant.

2.       That was beautiful, I actually started tearing up at the end. Lovely job from Hayley too on the singing.

3.       I honestly could not see anything wrong with the routine. So brave of her to dance on her own at the start (as did Mollie) and she did not falter once.

4.       Loved that little lighting change towards the end there, and Craig’s critique was just a purr and a meow. Only on Strictly.

5.       I can’t fault it so I have to give 40 (they scored 39). Gio seemed more ecstatic than Debbie bless him.

Davood & Nadiya – Argentine Tango – “Phantom of the Opera”

1.       The girl playing Christine on the West End looked facially like a mix of Emmy Rossum (from the film) and Kelly Brook

2.       Not a fan of this one, in places it felt more like an odd Paso Doble than an Argentine Tango

3.       I was missing a bit of the sharpness until towards the end, and he did have balance issues as Shirley mentioned. Can totally see what the judges were saying there.

4.       I did think she was lacking a bit of sharpness too?

5.       I would probably give it 28 overall, not as good as the others for me (they scored 29). So Craig thought that was better than Gemma and Mollie, but overall score is same as Gemma. Hmm….

Alex & Gorka – Charleston – “Supercalifragilisticexpalidocious” (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! – Fern & Artem in series 10)

1.       Apologies if this is spelled wrongly. Also prediction that this will get 40, before they’ve danced.

2.       Haha bit of shade at Debbie there. Never noticed the tattoos on Alex’s fingers before.

3.       I’m a little disappointed? Like Mollie’s Rumba it just felt a little flat to me. She seemed to miss some of the footwork and I was looking for some more energy from the both of them (fully agreed with Craig on her having better swivel than Gorka).

4.       Was she meant to do the leap along with Gorka at the end? If so then she messed that up.

5.       I think a solid 34 would be fair for me (they scored 39). Oh stop it about closing the show Alex, you’ve done that a fair few times. Joint top with Debbie now.

My Leaderboard:

1.       Debbie & Giovanni – 40

2.       Joe & Katya – 35

3.       Alex & Gorka – 34

4.       Gemma & Aljaz – 32

5.       Mollie & AJ – 30

6.       Davood & Nadiya – 28

RECYCLED SONG ALERTS! – this week: 1 (much improved from the Pixies)

RECYCLED SONG ALERTS! – overall: 36 (approx. 3.27 a week)

The Strictly Dance League Table: part 2 (as of Week 10)

American Smooth:

1.       Gemma & Aljaz - 38

2.       Davood & Nadiya - 35

3.       Alex & Gorka – 33

Argentine Tango:

     =1. Alex & Gorka, Debbie & Giovanni - 38

Cha Cha Cha:

1.       Alex & Gorka - 39

2.       Aston & Janette – 35

=3. Davood & Nadiya, Debbie & Giovanni, Mollie & AJ  – 27

Charleston:

1.       Debbie & Giovanni – 39

2.       Davood & Nadiya – 38

3.       Joe & Katya - 36

Foxtrot:

=1. Gemma & Aljaz (*), Joe & Katya - 32

3.       Aston & Janette – 31

Jive:

1.       Alexandra & Gorka – 39

2.       Gemma & Aljaz – 30

      =3. Joe & Katya, Jonnie & Oti, Susan & Kevin – 29

Paso Doble:

1.       Aston & Janette – 38

2.       Alex & Gorka – 36

=3. Gemma & Aljaz, Joe & Katya (*), Davood & Nadiya - 35

Quickstep:

1.       Alexandra & Gorka – 39

2.       Joe & Katya - 38

=3. Aston & Janette, Jonnie & Oti (*) – 32

Rumba:

1.       Debbie & Giovanni (*) – 36

2.       Joe & Katya - 33

3.       Alex & Gorka - 32

Salsa:

1.       Debbie & Giovanni - 35

2.       Joe & Katya - 34

3.       Aston & Janette – 32

Samba:

1.       Debbie & Giovanni - 33

2.       Alexandra & Gorka (*) - 31

=3. Davood & Nadiya, Gemma & Aljaz – 25

Tango:

1.       Debbie & Giovanni - 40

2.       Alexandra & Gorka – 35

3.       Susan & Kevin - 27

Viennese Waltz:

1.       Debbie & Giovanni – 34

=2. Joe & Katya, Mollie & AJ (*) – 32

Waltz:

1.       Davood & Nadiya - 35

2.       Aston & Janette (*) - 32

3.       Gemma & Aljaz – 26

Any marked with a * were during week 5 when Bruno was away, but the scores have been adjusted to reflect as if he were still there.

Alex & Gorka: 9 from a possible 10 (only missed out on Waltz)

Aston & Janette: 6 from a possible 7 (missed out on Viennese Waltz)

Davood & Nadiya: 6 from a possible 10 (missed out on Jive, Quickstep, Rumba, Viennese Waltz)

Debbie & Giovanni: 8 from a possible 10 (missed out on Paso Doble and Quickstep)

Gemma & Aljaz: 6 from a possible 10 (missed out on Cha Cha Cha, Foxtrot, Salsa and Viennese Waltz)

Joe & Katya: 8 from a possible 10 (missed out on Cha Cha Cha and Tango)

Jonnie & Oti: 2 from a possible 9

Mollie & AJ: 2 from a possible 10

Susan & Kevin: 2 from a possible 10

Remaining dances:

Alex & Gorka - Charleston (being done week 11), Foxtrot, Salsa, Viennese Waltz

Davood & Nadiya - Argentine Tango (being done week 11), Foxtrot, Salsa, Tango

Debbie & Giovanni - American Smooth (being done week 11), Foxtrot, Jive, Waltz

Gemma & Aljaz - Quickstep (being done week 11), Argentine Tango, Rumba, Tango

Joe & Katya - Samba (being done week 11), American Smooth, Argentine Tango, Waltz

Mollie & AJ - Rumba (being done week 11), Argentine Tango, Samba, Waltz

Strictly Come Dancing 2017: Week 10

Another quick one this week, but it is going up early with the Dance League Table to follow.


Joe & Katya - Quickstep - "Jumpin' Jack"
1. Wowzers, this made me sit up and take notice. Fantastic choreography there.
2. Joe's footwork looked absolutely on point, those rotating pendulums were amazing.
3. I did however see Joe's frame wobble a few times, and it's as if he was pushing his left arm and shoulder forward too much?
4. Props to the special fx team, that skyscraper floor graphic at the end was superb.
5. I can't give a 10 for the mistakes, but I'm happy to give a solid 9, so 36 from me. 


Alexandra & Gorka - Rumba - "Halo"
1. Not for me I'm afraid, I really don't like when dances that are designed to be sloooow end up being frantic, it just doesn't work and it didn't here either.
2. I was surprised that Alex actually did this dance, I thought this was the one she'd skip as it would likely cause her the most problems?
3. I can kind of see what the judges meant about the lack of connection; most of the time Alex was looking away from Gorka and so that chemistry which you need in a Rumba wasn't there, but when they did have gazes locked I could sort of see it. 
4. It didn't really feel like a dance for me, completely agreed with Shirley on Alex dancing through the 1 when she shouldn't have, but also because of the lack of connection, there was no storytelling which you need for a Rumba. The choreography didn't seem to connect with the song as such?
5. I'm struggling a little on where to place this, I think I'm more on Craig's side of things so I'm going to go with a 29 (I did wonder whether the spin in the middle was an illegal lift, but the thumbnail shows it wasn't)


Gemma & Aljaz - Samba - "The River of Dreams"
1. I'm not a fan of this one either, this dance is a great example of when a crap concept ruins a dance.
2. The whole theme just made the Samba they did do look a little lacklustre, and I was missing the double bounce action from Gemma through most of that. She did get the voltas correct though as Shirley noted.
3. Is Aljaz not a fan of the Samba? I thought this dance was lacking a bit in terms of content.
4. Aljaz isn't the best actor of the male pros, but he's still better than Pasha.
5. One of Gemma's worst dances, I'll give it 22.


Mollie & AJ - Quickstep - "Umbrella"
1. That was going ever so well, and then something went wrong at the end, was Mollie meant to do running splits Natalie Lowe-style?
2. Mollie's frame was so much better, hand placement was consistently flawless, and those rolling pivots were stunning.
3. I did feel that there was a bit of a disconnect when they first got to the floor and were doing the side-by-side section, AJ's steps had him picking his foot off of the floor a fair bit whereas Mollie's moved a little but not as much. I don't know whether that was deliberate but it didn't look right. 
4. It took a little too long to start the dance properly, but great choreography from AJ again. His work for the Ballroom dances seems a fair bit better than his Latin.
5. I thought this was underscored, I'd give 34.


Davood & Nadiya - Waltz - "With You I'm Born Again" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! - Natasha & Brendan in series 1, Mark & Karen in series 4, Denise & James in series 10, Helen & Aljaz in series 13)
1. Can we retire both this song and Espana Cani (used for the PD-athon) now please?
2. Now this I did give a standing ovation to, if only because Davood has finally managed to close his mouth when he dances!
3. All joking aside, he's managed to maintain the great Ballroom that he had from his American Smooth, and Nadiya has kept up the simple but beautiful choreography; this dance actually reminded me of Abbey's Waltz with Aljaz a little.
4. Only a couple of things I noticed: Davood needs to fully extend his arn lines through the hand as his hand looked a little 'spatulistic' (as Craig would say) during the standing spin with Nadiya near the start. Also, his left elbow dropped a few times so he needs to watch that.
5. I did love this though, so fully agreed with the scores and therefore Davood gets 35.


Debbie & Giovanni - Argentine Tango - "Por Una Cabeza" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! - Tom & Camilla in series 6, Holly & Artem in series 9)
1. You could actually hear a guy say 'Wow' in the middle of that, think that says it all.
2. It looked a lot better on rewatch, do think Debbie was slightly shaky at one point, but I did love this routine (kudos to Vincent, that guy can choreograph and then some!) and I felt the connection between them.
3. Debbie's attitude at the start on the chair was fabulous, that little snooty look she had as she did the splits, oh yeah, totally feeling that.
4. That little leg brushing move always amuses me, as it was done for the lady of the night to see how much money the male had; and it always reminds me of Britney Spears doing the same in the video for 'Toxic', only she did it with her bottom rather than her leg. Same reasoning though.
5. Again, fully agreed with the scores so 38 it is.


Susan & Kevin - American Smooth - "Beyond the Sea" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT! - Ashley & Ola in series 11)
1. This is another one that looks so much better on rewatch, and I think it was also Kevin's little homage to his bench-tastic showdance with Frankie from a few years ago.
2. I would have liked more in hold, but I do feel that this was meant to be in a similar vein to their Quickstep so it didn't bother me too much.
3. A little bit clunky in the transition to that last lift, and Susan needed to extend her arm lines some more, but I smiled watching this, the realisation of Susan's little crush on Kevin. *sighs*
4. I can't think of this song without hearing Robbie Williams sing it, and I think the singer sounded a little like him on this one.
5. I'm going to go higher than the judges, and I do think this was better than Gemma so I'm going to give 25.


The Paso Doble-athon: not as fixed as previous years, let's leave it there.


My Leaderboard (PD-athon excluded):
1. Debbie & Gio - 38
2. Joe & Katya - 36
3. Davood & Nadiya - 35
4. Mollie & AJ - 34
5. Alex & Gorka - 29
6. Susan & Kevin - 25
7. Gemma & Aljaz - 22


RECYCLED SONG ALERTS! - this week: 3 (3 out of 7 is pure laziness)
RECYCLED SONG ALERTS! - overall: 35