The Fashion Police Slot:
- Best Dressed Host: They both look nice but I’ll have to go for Claud as nude is not a good colour on Tessy
- Love Darcey’s dress, Shirley reminds me of Moira from Emmerdale (no idea why)
- Best Dressed Dancers: tie between Simon & Karen and Alexandra & Gorka
- Worst Dressed: Brian & Amy (Oti is an honourable mention)
- Debbie & Gio/Aston & Janette/Richard & Diane/Jonnie& Oti/Joe & Katya don’t match; Kevin in a suit for a Charleston? Odd.
On with the show!
Chizzy & Pasha – Foxtrot - "I'm a Woman"
1. Didn’t think I’d see these two open the show
with a Ballroom, so tradition dictates it should be decently good.
2. Her sister looks like someone, ---- Benjamin (Ninia or Floella, can't remember which but it's one of them)
3. Too much faff at the start, not needed. Ooher
Shirley getting a hidden dig in at both Chizzy and the choreography, cheeky!
Bruno seems to agree on the amount of Foxtrot, and Craig. I liked how Darcey
told her to keep the personality in the routine (at least she performs
goddamnit, which is better than someone who’s good but has the personality of a
wet goldfish, or is Peter Andre)
4. She had good arm lines when out of hold but
needs to watch hand positioning. Weight was pitched too far forward, needed to
tuck her bum under as she kept losing her frame and therefore balance. Also
GAPPING!!!
5. I’d give 23 as a score, judges seem to criticise
the choreography (shouldn’t reflect in the scores though which I think it did) –
loved Gorka with the teddy bear and Simon dancing with Chizzy in the
Clauditorium.
Aston & Janette – Salsa - "Despacito"
1. Normally 2nd slot means bad dance/bad
popularity/producers want out. This looked good in training, we haven’t had a
vote yet and it would be weird for the producers to want one of the better
dancers out so odd slot choice?
2. And just when I was starting to warm to Janette’s
choreography… less tricks and more Salsa please! (Haha Tess saying it was like
a Showdance straight after!) Also, straight rehash of her routine with Jake Wood - Aston was better with the footwork but he wasn't as good at the tricks and he didn't have loose hips like Jake did.
3. Aston seemed to mess up in the lift at the end, he lost timing on occasion (seemed to be ahead
of Janette slightly in one particular section), but he did get the compactness
in the feet. He seemed quite languid in style, not sure whether that worked?
4. Really judges? You criticised Karen for the lack
of Salsa in Will’s routine last year, and Chizzy before, yet you reckon there
was enough Salsa in this? Can I say ‘Chosen One’ yet?
5. I would have given about 28-29 myself so I don’t
mind the 8s but a 9 was too much Bruno.
Susan & Kevin – Charleston - "If You Knew Susie"
1. Again I would have been expecting these guys
later on, but at least Kev has got rid of the fake ‘tache.
2. Props to Kev for the routine (right mix of
comedy and dance) but STOP OVERDANCING FOR GOD SAKE! Does not help her
whatsoever.
3. Do agree with Craig on the lack of swivel, but
then I wouldn’t be able to do it either. She so got into the spirit of the
dance though but she did lose timing and seemed to forget the steps at a couple
of points.
4. I’d give maybe 24? Craig was too harsh but
Shirley balanced him out. Reckon I’ll give them a couple of votes.
5. I’ll repeat it again – STOP OVERDANCING
KEVIN!!!!
Charlotte & Brendan – Cha Cha Cha - "Sugar"
1. She looked so awkward in training, I’m expecting
this to be a bit of a car crash if I’m honest.
2. And so it was, I reckon Brendan thought he could
get away with remixing his routine with Sophie but it just did not work.
3. She kept looking down, she kept forgetting the
steps, she seemed to lose it from going wrong at the start, and it just
spiralled from there.
4. I’m with Shirley, nothing was danced
brilliantly; and really she was always worried about the ‘pot stir’ so Brendan
should have maybe just left that bit out (he does like biting back at the
judges though). Bruno seems to believe they’ll be in the dance off, whereas
Craig disagrees (‘at least you’ll never have to do that dance again’).
5. I’d give maybe 14-15? Either way, Charlotte
looks like she’s gone (in mind at least); thank god for Claud giving some
positivity.
Joe & Katya – Tango - "Castle on the Hill"
1. Joe was really hard on himself about his Jive
when he was on ITT in the week, he’s better than he thinks he is.
2. This is one of those times where the music can
really help the routine or hinder it, and I’m afraid to say that it hindered
it.
3. The routine was way too fast for him, even with
the rest he had at the start from the faffing about with the wardrobe (thank
you for the Narnia joke Bruno!) and his frame suffered as a result.
4. He did do well with the sharpness, but I’m with
Craig (but it’s the speed of the music that’s the problem! Either that or Katya’s
choreography but I highly doubt it was the latter)
5. In terms of score, I’d try 24 as he did mess up
but he did well with what he was given (I see the judges have placed them equal
with Susan, like I have; not intentional on my part)
Brian & Amy – Cha Cha Cha - "Shake Your Groove Thing" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT: Chris & Ola (series 7))
1. I still say Amy’s the Welsh cousin of Amy Lee
from Evanescence, but now I can see Bradley Walsh in Brian!
2. Have they re-used that platform from Sacred Jay’s
Cha Cha Cha?
3. I actually quite liked that, even though his Cha
Cha walks were awful. He does have musicality and rhythm but he just seems to
struggle with the steps themselves.
4. Loved the fake ending, and funny how the judges
went on about the moonwalk etc but they loved Mark Wright’s worm in his Cha Cha
Cha (I do know that was mostly Len but the other 3 agreed)
5. Score-wise, I’d go 18-ish.
Gemma & Aljaz – Waltz - "In Giorno Per Noi (A Time For Us)" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT: Alesha & Matthew (series 5) - might be the Italian version instead but still the same song)
1. Aljaz in an apron and gloves doing the washing
up? I’m sold!
2. I don’t quite know what to think about that? I
normally like non-traditional Waltzes but I don’t know about this one….
3. I’m agreed with Craig that it was an improvement
on last week, I would say she needs to open out a bit more with the frame, her
neck especially looked odd.
4. Lots of underarm spins there, too many possibly
as she looked off-balance coming out of one of them. Fully with Shirley on the
footwork, that was great. Gemma just needs to fully extend through the hand
with her arm lines – she’s almost there but she’s just missing that final
flourish. Loved the advice from Bruno re sophistication: don’t try, just be. (I could say that to him about his antics but......)
5. About 27 I’d give that.
Rev Richard & Dianne – American Smooth - "Love Really Hurts Without You"
1. Haha on the painting and Richard’s posing, but
lose the puns my dear.
2. Awww that was sweet. Camp as Christmas mind, but
sweet. And it’s always a good idea to bribe the judges, but you should have
given the cakes to them beforehand!
3. Darcey needs a thesaurus, if I hear her say ‘divine’
one more time…. In terms of the dance, he’s a bit too hunched over so his frame
was very wobbly, but the footwork wasn’t too bad.
4. The lifts were impressive though, and those
could have gone wrong with his lack of training time. Oh Claudia ‘I much prefer
an Australian Rough’ – you make this too easy for my dirty mind.
5. I’m probably in agreement with the judges on the
score there.
Ruth & Anton – Charleston - "The Charleston"
1. I think this sums it up: “Probably more
technically competent than Susan, but with none of the fun”
2. Do love the wig though, couldn’t tell it was
Ruth at first.
3. Her swivel was great for the most part, did lose
timing on a couple of occasions but generally good synchronicity with Anton.
4. Kudos to Anton for not overdancing, but I do
wish Ruth had more personality. I hate to say it but I’m fully with Craig on it
being lacklustre due to the energy (what there was of it). She did have an injury though so I can cut her a little slack.
5. I keep seeing Neil everywhere but where’s Chloe?
Score-wise I’d say about 19-20, seems judges are with me.
Simon & Karen – Waltz - "You'll Never Walk Alone"
1. Did Tess make a mistake when pronouncing Karen’s
name? Could have sworn I heard ‘Cliffon’ instead of ‘Clifton’. Bet the
groundsman was pleased with them practicing on the pitch.
2. That was lovely, but they so improvised the
ending!
3. Simon’s frame was pretty good, I did think he
lost the footwork on occasion, like he was struggling to keep up. I’m a little
with Craig, you could see the concentration in his face and you knew when he
went wrong.
4. His arm lines are a hell of a lot better than in
the Paso last week though, and aww Shirley, she was getting emotional too,
bless her.
5. I’ll go with around 24-25 for a score, as it was
going so well until the end. Judges (see Craig and Darcey) were really harsh in
my opinion and I think I’ll be chucking them a vote or two.
Mollie & AJ – Tango - "Addicted to Love" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT: Christine & Matthew (series 6) - might have been the Robert Palmer version but it's the same song so it counts)
1. Hehe Tess, your little interlude with Rochelle
& Marvin failed, just a tad. Probably a good idea from AJ giving her the
camera, good teacher tip there.
2. It was all going so well, but LIFT!!!!!
3. It’s ok Mollie, Frankie didn’t really get the
performance side to begin with either. It was a lot better on that side this
week though, and I’m fully agreed with Darcey in her critique. Frame was very
good as Shirley mentioned.
4. AJ is strangely sexy tonight, and oh Bruno ‘I
didn’t touch anything!’. Footwork was good, just lacking a slight bit of
sharpness.
5. Think it would have been 30-31 if not for the
lift, so I’ll go 26-27. Ooh, Chloe spot! What the hell Craig?!? Once again,
Shirley balanced it out.
Jonnie & Oti – Jive - "Johnny B Goode" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT: Kelly & Brendan (series 5), Ashley & Ola (series 11))
1. Jonnie is quite hot tonight too, what is wrong
with me?!? Just remember that Oti loves the blade…….
2. He did that better, on one leg and a blade, than
most celebs can do, just wow.
3. He did lose timing on occasion, and I can see
now what he meant when he said at the start of the series that his upper body
is worse than his lower (see Craig noticed that). Darcey was right on the arms,
needs to place them more rather than just throw away the line.
4. He was a little affected by the hat trick going
wrong, but he recovered it so well.
5. I’m going to say 28-29 for a score; the kicks
and flicks were awesome. Oti happy with a 6 bless her. (Loved that joke from
Claud about AJ at the end)
Debbie & Gio – Viennese Waltz - "She's Always a Woman" (RECYCLED SONG ALERT: Letitia & Darren (series 5), Fern & Artem (series 10))
1. I did burst out laughing when I saw that the
boat was called ‘The Lovely Debbie McGee’.
2. She’s done it again, that was stunning.
3. She did keep looking down to begin with, and she
does just need to extend through the hand to finish off her arm lines; but I am
totally with the judges, that was so fluid and the choreography really showed
off Debbie’s lyrical style. I’m in love with this couple.
4. Standing ovation for Gio – beautiful choreography.
5. 34-35 for me score-wise. Seriously gorgeous, and
that’s not just Gio (I did keep thinking that he was wearing trainers though…)
Davood & Nadiya – Quickstep - "Last Nite"
1. Nadiya’s opening question ‘So, how was it for
you Saturday night?’ got my dirty-minded side operating again….
2. That was a lot better than I thought it would
be, even with the mini-strip in the middle; they’re not doing much to stop the ‘Strictly
Curse’ rumours are they?
3. I’m kind of with Bruno, the energy and attack
was there but there was too much of it. He was a little skippy in that first
section and he lost his frame for a few moments as a result.
4. I was a bit surprised that Craig wasn’t as harsh
with Nadiya for the illegal lift as he was with AJ, but Shirley was brutal!
5. I’m struggling a little to place this, I figure
about 26-ish? Nadiya still reminds me of someone facially and it keeps bugging
me… answers on a postcard please!
Alexandra & Gorka – Paso Doble - "Ven a Bailer (On the Floor)"
1. There had to be a mechanical bull somewhere….
2. I can’t deny that that was good, but it was a
tad too frantic for me and Alexandra lost it in places as a result.
3. I was wondering where the Spanish lines were but
she got them in at the end.
4. Oh god, this is going to be 10s isn’t it? (Thank
god it wasn’t)
5. I’d score it about 34 myself, on par with
Debbie. A touch overmarked for me but it put her in the right position on the
leaderboard so it’s ok as far as I’m concerned. AJ’s hair bouncing at the end
was certainly something!
My Leaderboard (differences between judges' scores and positions compared to mine are in brackets):
=1. Debbie & Gio, Alexandra & Gorka - 34 (score: = compared to judges for Debbie/-2 for Alexandra; position: +1 for Debbie/= for Alex)
=3. Aston & Janette, Jonnie & Oti - 28 (score: -4 for Aston/-1 for Jonnie; position: = for Aston/+1 for Jonnie)
5. Gemma & Aljaz - 27 (score: +1; position: +1)
=6. Mollie & AJ, Davood & Nadiya - 26 (score: +1 for Mollie/-1 for Davood; position: +1 for Mollie/-1 for Davood)
=8. Susan & Kevin, Joe & Katya, Simon & Karen - 24 (score: +2 for Susan and Joe/+5 for Simon; position: = for Susan and Joe/+3 for Simon)
11. Chizzy & Pasha - 23 (score: +7; position: +3)
12. Ruth & Anton - 19 (score: -1; position: -2)
13. Brian & Amy - 18 (score: -1; position: -2)
14. Rev Richard & Dianne - 17 (score: =; position: -1)
15. Charlotte & Brendan - 14 (score: +2; position: =)
So based on week 2 alone, I thought Aston was overmarked, and Simon and Chizzy were undermarked (the ties were not intentional - where I gave a slight range of marks I went with the lowest and it just happened to cause ties). My overall leaderboard (weeks 1 and 2 added together) is below:
1. Debbie & Gio - 64 (score and position are = with the judges)
=2. Aston & Janette, Alexandra & Gorka - 60 (Aston score -3, Alex =; Aston = position, Alex +1)
4. Davood & Nadiya - 51 (-3 score, = position)
=5. Joe & Katya, Gemma & Aljaz - 50 (-1 score for Joe and +4 for Gemma, = position for Joe and +3 for Gemma)
7. Mollie & AJ - 49 (+1 score, = position)
8. Jonnie & Oti - 48 (-1 score, -2 position)
9. Susan & Kevin - 46 (+4 score, = position)
10. Chizzy & Pasha - 45 (+8 score, = position)
11. Simon & Karen - 39 (+3 score, = position)
12. Charlotte & Brendan - 38 (+4 score, +2 position)
=13. Rev Richard & Dianne, Brian & Amy - 35 (+1 score for Richard and = for Brian, +1 position for Richard and = for Brian)
15. Ruth & Anton - 34 (-2 score, -4 position)
Looking at that one, although I might disagree with the judges when it comes to scores, most of the couples are in the same positions. I've upgraded Alexandra, Gemma, Charlotte and Richard; and downgraded Jonnie and Ruth. I'm surprised that I have Jonnie that low (and Ruth actually but to a lesser extent), but what I've decided to do is go back and re-watch the routines at around week 6 or so (so re-watch all of them up to that point) and see if I agree with my initial observations, so maybe I'll re-evaluate when I do that.
WEEKLY RECYCLED SONG ALERT COUNT: 5, a little better from the Song-Picking Pixies
OVERALL RECYCLED SONG ALERT COUNT: 12