Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Week 4 (Part, the only)

Apologies that it's another 5 thoughts post again, however I can guarantee here that for the next 2 weeks, it will be back to the usual posts, I promise.

Ainsley & Natalie –

      1. Now although I criticised Nat’s choreography last week, she got it bang on this time. She can always get a decent Waltz out of a duffer (remember Tim’s last year?)
2. Loved her dress too, up there with Katie’s as one of the best
3. When me and my mom were watching this, we were thinking ‘awww… this is sweet’
4. I was looking for errors and apart from his top line not being great (much better than his Tango though), I couldn’t find anything else, his footwork seemed pretty good to me.
5. Good scoring from the judges, but then I think of poor Jay (more on him to come)

Anita & Gleb –

      1. Like Helen last week: good, but boring. It was quite repetitive as well I thought.
2. Gleb could have done a bit more with her, it was sort of like Kellie’s Charleston, they were apart for a lot of the routine.
3. Bit undermarked though, I was expecting an 8 or two.
4. Finally! The Paso/Tango I was hoping for! (It’s the latter)
5. Done to an awful song though, so let’s hope it gets Tango-fied like Ainsley’s and Katie’s songs were.

Carol & Pasha –

      1. Her best dance by far. Enough said.
2. She was really trying though, and I do love her for that.
3. Was it just me, or was she actually quite a bit more elegant and refined than Kirsty?
4.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, traditional music is a lifeline for a duffer, and it really helped Carol here.
5. Viennese Waltz to Seal, and once again it’s Carol vs Kirsty. And once again, I think Carol’s going to win.

Daniel & Kristina –

      1. Nice enough, this was actually one of his better dances.
2. The lifts were quite good, I wasn’t expecting him to pull them off but he did well.
3.  I totally clocked him singing at one point though, so I had a sneaky drink.
4.  I’m actually quite sad that he’s gone, he was just starting to get into the whole Strictly shebang, I was hoping that by about week 6 or 7 he’d go full on sequins.
5.  Might be for the best that Kristina goes out now, less opportunity for bad press.

Georgia & Giovanni –

      1. It might just be me, but did they slightly change the tempo of the song so that it suited a Quickstep more?
2. This was a pretty good dance from Georgia: footwork looked good, hold looked decent. Choreography from Gio wasn’t too bad either.
3. That being said, I was kind of distracted – with her being so short, she was sort of having to run almost to keep up with Giovanni.
4.  As I managed to predict her dance last week, I’m thinking we’ll get a Latin. And as most people in the later series have done a Cha Cha Cha at some point, I’m thinking now’s probably the time for her to do it (of the current celebs, only her and Kirsty haven’t done it yet, and as Kirsty’s just done a Latin…… - ETA, I was close: right style, wrong dance)
5. Why oh why do I get the feeling that Georgia will do a Pamela and end up looking much worse? (She can’t spin, you know)

Helen & Aljaz –

      1. Less awkward than her Cha Cha Cha, so well done to her for loosening up a bit more (also, *RECYCLED PROP ALERT* - Louis’ screen (and possibly table) from his Charleston)
2. Lifts were AWESOME, especially that ending!
3. Her hip action still needs a bit of work though, seemed quite stiff at some points.
4. I’m sort of getting Gethin-style vibes from her – not great at Latin to start off with, but will improve to be good by the end, although Ballroom is definitely a strength (that, and I think she’ll make top 4 but won’t win)
5. Quickstep? Hmm, out of all the Ballroom, I think this would be the one that Helen struggles with – fast dances haven’t been her forte so far.

Jamelia & Tristan –

      1. WOW!  So much better from Jamelia, I wasn’t expecting this to be that good!
2.  Looked as though her footwork was good, got quite a bit of swivel in there.
3.  It kind of says it all when her best dance is one that Tristan didn’t choreograph.
4.  Following on from 3, I thought she actually looked a lot better than Tristan in that Charleston. Is ‘cba’ his default setting?
5.  Foxtrot to Celine Dion. Excuse me but I think I’ll have to pass on this one (hopefully she’s near the end and I’ll be drunk enough by then)

Jay & Aliona –

      1.  I felt so sorry for him, in a fast dance like Quickstep, once you make one mistake you tend to make more as you’re trying to get back on track.
2.  Aliona gave him a difficult routine, and from what she said afterwards, clearly he could do it, but just happened to go wrong on the night and then spiralled downwards from there.
3.  So according to Craig and Len, Jay was only as good as Daniel? I was thinking more along the lines of Anita’s score….
4.  Trying to get a good Quickstep out of ‘My Generation’? Seemed a bit more difficult than I thought.
5.  A Paso? To Bon Jovi? I do quite like the song (I have it on my ipod) but clearly with this choice Jay’s the male that TPTB don’t want to win – just look at what poor Ashley had to put up with!

Jeremy & Karen –

      1.  He just bloody went for it didn’t he? So glad he’s through again, could we get him to Blackpool please?
2.  I’m kind of torn about what dance I want him to do – something slow like a Waltz would be nice for him after the Charleston and Jive, but then I do want to see how he copes with something like a Tango. Either way, pretty sure it’ll be Ballroom.
3.  Teehee, I got this spot-on! Like Natalie, Karen can usually get a good Waltz from a duffer (Nicky aside), so Jeremy should be fine.
4.  Apparently he quite likes a bit of Elvis (Costello, sorry dad!) so I think he’ll be fulfilling the Daniel role in this week’s drinking game.
5.  Vote Jeremy please (other contestants are available)

Katie & Anton –

      1.  One of the best dresses of the night, fabulous!
2.  Now here’s where Anton can come into his own. It was his way of saying to the judges ‘You want content? I’ll give you some bloody content!’ – and in a dance where there’s only a few steps too!
3.  Yes Katie was a little skippy in places, but she coped beautifully and those pivots alone meant she fully deserved top of the leaderboard (only just ahead of Jamelia though)
4.  If they do have to have a Latin next, then I think Anton could probably get away with a Samba (no lifts, lots of technique for Katie to get stuck into), and after all, it was the one dance that Katie wanted to do…….
5.  I was close with Salsa (just 2 letters off), but seeing as Anton’s last one was with Nancy Dell’eer-io, I’m not holding out too much hope…

Kellie & Kevin –

      1.  I found this dance a bit boring, but then I usually find Foxtrots boring unless the song changes rhythm a little (see Thom’s dance with Iveta last year, Simon’s as well)
2.  I did sort of get emotional about the whole story behind the dance, made Kellie a lot more likeable to me.
3.  I understand the reason for the dress (period and all that), but I would have preferred a different colour, the blue made her look a little washed out.
4.  Hmm what dance do I think she might have next? Kevin usually does a good Jive, so possibly that for her (Jesus I am good! Again, most of this was written up on the Sunday, so either I’m more psychic than I thought or TPTB have just become a lot more predictable)
5.  To One flipping Direction though!?! I can’t see how that is going to work at all.

Kirsty & Brendan –

      1. And so the whinging and excuses continue, but for once it’s not Brendan doing it…..
2.  Just remember Kirsty, the only reason that you’re still here is because Daniel messed it up in the dance-off.
3.  I do sort of agree with her on the song choice though, if they had to do U2 then maybe ‘Vertigo’ would have been better?
4.  At least Carol could be trusted to dance on her own.
5.  For her next dance there are only 3 words: HARRY. AND. ALIONA

Peter & Janette –

      1.  *sigh* I see the more realistic comments and scores from the judges only lasted one week then.
2.  His hold seemed a bit odd? Kind of loose?
3.  Not sure that he had the footwork down either, this is one of those that I’ll probably have to watch back a few times as I was confused as to whether it was good or not.
4. Rumba? Pass me the sick bucket please.
5.  Looking forward to seeing the singers attempt this though…

      This week's drinking game is as follows (numbers 1-10 are the same for each week, numbers 11-14 are for next week specifically):

      1. Every time Brendan says 'this girl'

2. Every time Len says 'you came aht' (bonus drink if he mentions the word ‘welly’ in the same critique)
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. Every time Darcey says ‘the boys are right’ (bonus drink if she’s too busy laughing or fanning herself to talk at any point)
6. Every time Bruno gets out of his chair (bonus drink if he falls off of it)
7. If any of Peter's wife/kids appear in his VT
8. Every time you see Peter 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

      11. If Jeremy starts singing during his routine at any point
12. Any song-related puns used by the judges after Ainsley’s Jive, Georgia’s Salsa, and Katie’s Salsa: also any artist-related pun for Kellie's Jive (1 drink max for each celeb)
13. If Kevin makes his and Kellie’s Jive have a 50s or Rock n Roll theme
14. If the singers murder Celine Dion or Ed Sheeran for Jamelia’s and Peter’s dances (1 drink for each)

      *RECYCLED SONG ALERT* count: 22 thus far (6 from this week)

       Ainsley's Waltz (Matt & Lilia in series 4)

       Anita's Samba (Rachel & Vincent in series 6)

       Carol's Paso Doble (Claire & John in series 1, Jill & Darren in series 2, Austin & Erin in series 6,    Ricky & Natalie in series 7 (this is down as 'Spanish Gypsy Dance', but I believe it's the same  music), Fern & Artem in series 10)

       Daniel's American Smooth (Scott & Natalie in series 8)

       Helen's Salsa (Pamela & James in series 8)

       Kellie's Foxtrot (Will & Hanna in series 3)

Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Week 3 (part, the only)

So major apologies, it's another '5 thoughts'-style post this week. 12-8 shifts and not getting back after 9, plus trying to sort out various work-related stuff whilst I've been at home, means that I haven't been able to sit down and write out my normal 2-3hr blog posts. I've got earlier shifts next week though, so hopefully I can park myself at my laptop one of the nights (probably early on) and bang out a long post again :D

Ainsley & Natalie:

1    1. Bit too much penguin and not enough Cha Cha Cha for me, Nat went a bit too far off piste with this one

2    2.  Did he go really out of time at one point, and struggle to get it back?

3    3. Love the penguin touches on the costumes though

4        4. And at least their VT was somewhat related to their routine/training (well, more than most)

5    5. I’d actually say this was overmarked in all honesty…..

Anita & Gleb:

1    1.  I’m a crab!

2    2. Was Flavia back in the room?

3    3. The gazing into each other’s eyes when the VT was about to start was a little odd though

4    4. I actually quite liked this dance, and thought it deserved a little more than it got

5    5. It might just be me, but I didn’t think there was much VW in the actual dance. Bit more contempo-wafting (but in the nicest possible way)

Anthony & Oti:

1    1. Oh. Good. Lord.

2    2. I was just staring at his bad arm all the way through

3    3. Poor guy, if only Strictly were like DOI and said that he could withdraw and come back next year (before the series started ofc)

4    4. Oti was fierce again though, I love watching her in these dances

5    5. Another positive thing about Oti: she gets it. A 4 from Craig isn’t that bad for week 3. Think she’s done enough to warrant an invite back.

Carol & Pasha:

1    1. This wasn’t actually that bad?

2    2. Hahahaha, I was almost right about Pasha’s prop (just got it wrong that it would be Carol using it instead of him)

3    3. She, like Jeremy, is the best form of duffer, so I’d be quite happy to see her again.

4    4. Still has major balance issues though.

5    5. Paso to traditional music? Dare I say it, but I think they’re trying to get Carol out…..

Daniel & Kristina:

1    1. Was anyone else thinking that the Strictly producers were taking the p*ss with this routine, as Daniel and Kristina were so clearly in the wrong roles?

2    2. To be fair, the VT was actually a little funny for once.

3    3. Harsh, Bruno, HARSH.

4    4. So we’ve had Botox Daniel, Fun Daniel, and T-Bird Daniel so far, I’d quite like to see Scary Daniel.

5    5. American Smooth to Frank Sinatra? I think I might have to add this to the Drinking Game (see below)

Georgia & Gio (not as cute as him from Ugly Betty, but he'll do):

1    1. Awful VT and so NOT funny.

2    2. This is a first for Movie Week – a song that’s from a film that hasn’t even been released yet.

3    3. At least they had a (slightly) better song choice for a Bond Rumba than poor old Mark Benton did (and technically Fiona Fullerton as well) – but it’s got the bloody song in my head dammit!

4    4. The singer was totally brilliant as well – major props to him.

5    5. Georgia did well with what she had to do, that drop back was awesome. I’d like to see a Quickstep from her next (Note: I wrote most of this up on Sunday, so clearly I was psychic), see if she’s sorted out her balance issues and she should be able to show me some personality (and try to win me over) with that. Also, poor Giovanni, but Len does do this every so often – Aliona and Artem have had this sort of dressing-down before.

Helen & Aljaz:

1    1. Technically good, but DULL.

2    2. Nice outfits though.

3    3. Helen is a bit more bland than Georgia, and I didn’t think that I’d be saying that. Her character on CtM has more life in her.

4    4. Charleston is a-calling, please!

5    5. Salsa to the song that got us to initially like (well I was laughing at) Pamela & James, will Helen be struck by the same curse and have a blonde moment before doing some amazing overacting to attempt to cover it up?

Jamelia & Tristan:

1    1. Much better from her, though it was still awful (and a bit overmarked methinks…..)

2    2. I’m starting to think that Tristan cannot choreograph to save his life.

3    3. She looked so happy when she got those scores though, bless!

4    4. Did they actually do any lifts?

5    5. Some nice Ballroom for her next, I hope. Possibly a Tango might be good for her? (And then she gets Charleston, somehow I think she’ll be bottom 2)

Jay & Aliona:

1    1.  FAN-FLAMING-TASTIC, eat that Jill Halfpenny!

2    2. My dad (who is not a fan of Strictly and gets us to FF through the judges’ comments) made us rewind about 5 times so he could watch the routine again.

3    3. Aliona might have her batsh*t moments sometimes choreographically, but when she’s on it, she’s bloody on it!

4    4.  I actually really fancied Jay in this dance, think it might have been the ponytail….. *phwoar*

5    5. 10 was totally deserved, and Darcey lost her bottle. I don’t really care that he has previous dance experience, as it wasn’t in Ballroom or Latin (Caroline Flack and Matt Baker however…..)

Jeremy & Karen:

1    1. Look at his little face! He’s so enjoying himself, which is what I love to see.

2    2.  Karen probably should have realised that he couldn’t do that foot shuffle ‘hop’ move, he never closed his feet.

3    3.  Loved her in the Clauditorium though, and as I said to my family – there’s a reason why she’s married to Kevin.

4    4. The 3 from Craig was harsh, but the overall score I think was quite fair.

5    5.  They should so ask Tim to do next year (even if in his stage shows, he dances like Anton does Latin)

Katie & Anton:

1    1. Poor Katie, Anton totally let her down with the choreography on this one (at least he admitted it!)

2    2.  To be fair, Cha Cha Cha is probably Anton’s worst Latin, so he might have wanted to get it out the way early on whilst they’re still riding on our good favour.

3    3.  This was more like a Brendan routine (and I say that as a fan of Brendan’s choreography most of the time)

4    4.  Loved Katie’s dress, can’t really say anything else as she didn’t do much else.

5    5.  If only my dad were at home this weekend for their Viennese Waltz to Elvis, he got obsessed with this song when it was used (in an advert?) last year.

Kellie & Kevin:

1    1. Like him or loathe him, you give Kevin a themed dance (on an actual theme week), and he will do wonders with it: first Frankie’s ‘Amer-i-ca’ Paso, and now this.

2    2. Awful beginning though, but fair enough as he has to try and tell us which film it is

3    3. Kellie was on point synchronicity-wise, and anyone who can keep up with Mad Dancer Kevin must be pretty good

4    4.  Nice Ballroom for Kellie please! Will be interesting to see if she can tone down her performance side for something like a Waltz or Foxtrot (I’m on a roll here, Foxtrot it is)

5    5. Hmm, based on Kevin’s 2 Foxtrots so far, this is going to be twee, cheesy or both.

Kirsty & Brendan:

1    1.  Loved the beginning and end, nice work there Brendan.

2    2.  She still cannot do lifts – and she might well need them if she wants to survive to Blackpool

3    3.  I’m still wondering how her hair was done, loved the collar necklace.

4    4.  Kirsty needs to watch herself back and realise just how badly she comes across both in front of the judges and in the Clauditorium, there’s a reason why Gabby Logan didn’t last long (and it wasn’t to do with James, for once)

5    5. Paso to ‘Beautiful Day’ by U2? I can just about see it but somehow I think this will be even worse than Bloody Lulu’s effort (and hers had to resort to flying!)

Peter & Janette:

1    1. Ok, so you know when I said last week that I had faith in Janette that this Paso would be better than poor Jake’s last year? Man, I was so wrong.

2    2. Johnny Depp he wasn’t.

3    3. This wasn’t really a Paso either – the Paso-inspired routine that some contestants on the UK SYTYCD did a few years ago was much better and more authentic than this.

4    4. From 1^st to 5^th, oh boy did I laugh at that, finally the judges don’t act as if the sun shines out of his backside (still overmarked though)

5    5. From Paso to Tango, getting the ‘easy’ dances out the way early I see. Not sure on the song choice, but Janette got a half-decent Tango out of Jake to ‘Toxic’ last year, so fingers crossed!

      

     And here's the Drinking Game:

      1. Every time Brendan says 'this girl'

2. Every time Len says 'you came aht' (bonus drink if he mentions the word ‘welly’ in the same critique)
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. Every time Darcey says ‘the boys are right’ (bonus drink if she’s too busy laughing or fanning herself to talk at any point)
6. Every time Bruno gets out of his chair (bonus drink if he falls off of it)
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

Week 4 specific:

1.    If Daniel or Ainsley start singing during their routines at any point (1 drink max for each)

2.    Any water-related puns used by the judges after Jeremy’s Jive (drink for each)

3.    Any ‘day’ puns used by the judges after Kirsty and Peter’s routines (max of 2 drinks here, 1 for each dance)

4.    If Carol’s Paso contains more skirt-swishing than anything else (Fern Britton, Frankie Bridge, I’m thinking of you here)

5.    If the singers murder Shakira for Anita’s Samba (they shouldn’t given they’ve sung it before for Rachel Stevens, but you never know)

      *RECYCLED SONG ALERT* count: 16 so far (just 2 from this week)

      

       Anthony's Paso (Dennis & Izabella in series 3, Lisa & Brendan in series 6, 

       Helen's Foxtrot (John & Kristina in series 6)

     (Btw apologies for the numbers appearing at the side, not sure why that's happening)

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

2

1

Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Week 1 (Night 2)

So last time we saw the first 6 couples strut their stuff on the Strictly Dancefloor for the first time this series. They can basically be summed up thus:

Kellie: wardrobe got the wrong memo, and apparently Kevin only got half of it
Anthony: injured but undermarked
Helen: FEET!
Carol: awkward and 'duffer' (what we've wanted for Pash for awhile, fair play and all that!)
Daniel: oddly charming (the wind has changed and he's stuck like that, I'm dreading his Latin face)
Anita: pleasant surprise, where was Gleb?


And so we now move on to the Saturday portion of proceedings. In the Style Stakes: it was a close call but I think Tess just about won (Claud's dress didn't quite fit her properly). Opening pro dance to 'Shut Up & Dance' (what I thought every time I saw Mark Wright last year, and what I'll most likely be thinking every time I see Peter Andre this series) - I didn't notice until someone pointed it out later but it was a homage to films with famous dances, and who was the randomer with (now) red-haired Joanne?

And as the celebs walk down the stairs, I think to myself: I get that you're nervous Jay but for god sake just acknowledge the audience with a little wave and clap when you get down to the bottom! If Jeremy Vine can do it then so can you.

Funnily enough, Jay's on first, which usually means 'good but won't be top of the leaderboard', so let's see how he, and the rest of them get on.........................


Jay & Aliona - Cha Cha Cha - "Reach Out (I'll Be There)"

Ok, so even though I ribbed him a bit before, I do love Aliona so I was happy when I saw (while in Mexico) that she had got Jay. He's the member of The Wanted that you'd forget when you were trying to name them: the talented one (Nathan), the one who used to be with Michelle Keegan (Max), the one who was on Masterchef (Tom), and the one with the odd name (Siva); so I came into this knowing pretty much nothing about him. I think after seeing him on Saturday and on ITT this week that he's going to be a favourite of mine in the same way that I like Tamal on Bake Off.

Onto the dance itself, and for a week 1 Cha Cha Cha by a male, it's pretty damn good. His hip action looked alright and I think he'll probably have the technique down for most Latin dances if his footwork here was anything to go by. Jay will need to work on his arms though, as he kind of just threw them out instead of extending properly into the line (oh good lord, I'm starting to sound like Craig and Darcey and this will never do!), and his free arm was just dangling on a few occasions. You could tell that he was nervous as well, so he could have a problem with 'letting go' in the more party dances (Samba/Salsa, might have issues with Charleston and Rumba as well).

They've got Waltz this week, so I'm quite hopeful that they'll do a great dance *fingers crossed*

My score: 6.5


Kirsty & Brendan - Waltz - "Vincent"

Kirsty was one where I wasn't sure what my opinion of her was beforehand, she could go either way: I just hoped it wasn't the 'Gabby Logan way' (no offence to Gabby but there's a reason that she went out early in her series and it wasn't the dancing). Would she be another Pendledrama, or another Bacofoil (Victoria Pendleton/Lisa Snowdon)? I do have to admit that I love the Strictly Come Bitching's blog take on this routine - and I think it says everything - so I shall just leave you to go there.

I know, I know, I've cheated by not including my own thoughts on here, but they've said exactly what I wanted to say and in such a brilliant way as well, I think you can hopefully allow me that this once.

God help her if she ever has to do Viennese Waltz. Luckily (or maybe not) for Kirsty, she's got Salsa this week. I do wonder if the 'dazed' face she had on in this dance will reappear.......

My score: 4


Jeremy & Karen - Cha Cha Cha - "September"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT! (Diarmuid & Nicole in series 2)*

I knew Jeremy from both my years as a Law/Politics student, and as a host of 'Eggheads' (love his banter with Judith btw). All I will say on his personality after that Cha Cha Cha is this, and it's exactly what I said to my mom when the dance had finished: there's a reason that Tim Vine is his brother.

Onto the dance itself, and I must admit that I didn't get the swingometer part until after the dance had finished (Labour leader election was in September). But apart from that, this was one of my favourite routines of the night, for pure entertainment value alone. Jeremy in this dance was Mark Foster, Jake Wood, Steve Backshall and Chris Hollins all rolled into one. He's my favourite kind of duffer, one that knows they're not going to be around for long so just gives it everything. His arms were awful and his footwork so-so, but those hips, man! *fans herself akin to Darcey*

This dynamic duo have got the American Smooth this week, and I'll be putting some votes their way just for the song alone (songs and dances will be posted at the end). Jeremy should be ok with this, you'd think.

My score: 4.5


Georgia & Giovanni - Jive - "Dear Future Husband"

Urgh, dropped down my rankings for the 'Little Georgia from Bury' shtick alone. This is obviously the 'showmance' of the series, which is hilarious as we all know she's dating 'him-who-has-just-buggered-off-from-Corrie'. Producers, we have more intelligence than you credit us with.

As for the dance, disgustingly cute. The song kind of reminded me of a poor man's version of 'Dance With Me Tonight' by Olly Murs, and the dance reminded me of a poor man's version of Dani & Vincent's Jive (although I appreciate that Dani did hers later on, week 5 I think). It looked decent enough from Georgia, but she almost stumbled coming out of those 2 spins - some spotting help needed there Giovanni, do the whole 'look into my eyes' trick - and although her kicks and flicks were well placed, they just lacked some welly. In all fairness though, it didn't help that Giovanni was going for it like the clappers ('outdancing' pro - check!). I think Georgia will do relatively well, but I get the feeling that she won't be around at the end.

So for Saturday, she's got the Waltz ('pun' song choice - check!), and I reckon she'll do decently, just that spotting as I mentioned earlier, she needs to get that down and fast!

My score: 5.75


Ainsley & Natalie - Tango - "Voulez-Vous"

Oh I do love these two together, I find Natalie so much more likeable since she had her first 'duffer' in Audley Harrison (I was not a fan of hers in her Ricky Whittle days.....). With that song choice, I had a feeling that this routine was going to be more camp than Scott Mills' Samba, and I was right.

I think 2 words are all that is required: Ainsley's face! That Tango face was a delight (and I did see Natalie grinning and singing along, love her!) and although he took the 'Parisian garcon' character just a BIT too far, and his hold was more Quasimodo than anything else, I absolutely loved it. One more thing: whoever rearranged this song to make it more Tango-y, was a bloody genius, as it sounded awesome (I'd certainly buy it).

Salsa for Ainsley to 'Don't Touch My Tomatoes' - *facepalms at the producers for the umpteenth time*. From the adverts on Food Network (showing #TeamAinsley) he does have the possibility of some good hip action and I think this might be the best dance for him - well, it's probably going to be better than Kirsty's at least........

My score: 4.5


Katie & Anton - Jive - "Roll Over Beethoven"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT! (Chris & Ola in series 7)*

Ooh here we go: could this be Anton's year?! (The storyline we fans dream up at the start of every series, usually has the question end with a disappointed but resounding 'NO!') I must admit that although I'd heard of Katie before the show, I hadn't seen anything with her on so knew nothing about her. After this dance, I might just be throwing a few votes to them over the weeks (after Anthony, Jeremy and Jay ofc).

WOW! I didn't think she'd be this good (although on second viewing, it's not as impressive). Legs to die for Katie, I must say. Well we know she can do turns and spins just fine (she could probably give Georgia help on those), but she did lose timing on a couple of occasions, and just like Giovanni, Anton was outdancing his partner. Good dance for week 1 though, and loved Anton's happy dance up in the Clauditorium afterwards.

Our sophisticated twosome have to do a Tango to 'Telephone', now this could go well or horribly wrong - depends what sort of mood Anton's in on Saturday I think.

My score: 5.5


Iwan & Ola - Tango - "Keep On Running"

*sigh* will the producers never learn! Another 'pun' track (pun not really intended there) and then they make it worse by projecting a running track on the floor - and then Ola goes and tops it all off with the beginning of that routine; she clearly doesn't want to come back next year.

Well what can I say about that? Worst bits of Robbie Savage and Ashley Taylor Dawson's Tangos combined, and when you're thinking that Robbie Savage was better than this, you know it's bad. Ola was also doing the Natalie grin during the dance, you know how we used to say when Erin had mentally checked out and was on Erin Island (just Monkseal then? ok), well I think Ola's got there already and is telling James to make a voodoo doll of her and stick pins in to get her out of the show.

Anyway, this duo have got a Cha Cha Cha coming up and all I can say is 1. Look at the song choice, and 2. I get the feeling that I'll be laughing myself silly like I was with Jeremy.....

My score: 3.5 (it's only fair to Carol)


Jamelia & Tristan - Waltz - "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"

Jamelia's an odd one - I kind of have to support her because she's the local contestant (Dudley to Birmingham), but then I'm not a fan of hers. 

Onto the dance: and like a few others I think this was undermarked, especially compared to Kirsty's effort (it's about the score that I would give it, but there's been a lot of overmarking for me). Now Wardrobe have been quite kind to a lot of the celebs this series so far, but this was awful and not helped by the fact that Jamelia has quite broad shoulders (something my mom pointed out when she started dancing and I've been a bit fascinated by them ever since); I'd almost go as far as to say swap her's and Kirsty's outfits (as Kirsty's dress was gorgeous!). I could see what the judges said about her not closing her feet, and also, like Jay, needs to extend her arm lines more as she rushes them a little at times and spoils the shape. If the end pose was anything to go by then she's not as supple as I thought she would be.

Next time, they've got the moneysupermarket.com song as their Cha Cha Cha (you know the one, and I suspect the guy in the end would dance it better), and I expect Jamelia to come out and give it some sass, like Alesha did for her Beyoncé legendary routine.

My score: 5.25


Peter & Janette - Cha Cha Cha (apparently) - "Ain't No Other Man"

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT! (Jade & Ian in series 7)*

If this was a Cha Cha Cha, then I'm a Dutchman (and that's wrong on both counts). The thumbnail on the BBC website (which is where I'm doing a second viewing of all the dances) is not kind to Janette at all, poor thing. 

As for the dance itself, I really thought that with that song, Janette could have choreographed a great and authentic Cha Cha to it (like Ian did with Jade back in series 7) but alas it wasn't to be. Instead we got... well.... this. This did not deserve top scoring of the night, let alone the weekend. I always think the marking should be 'how well did the celeb do at performing (  ) dance style?', so the judges on this made me go like 'what the hell?'. Now I'm not a fan of Peter, but what Janette gave him he did well for the most part. He looks like he could have some good hip action in him, fast footwork and he can certainly go with the performance side (in most Latin and QS definitely, not sure about Ballroom and Rumba). But yeah - NOT A CHA CHA CHA!

On Saturday, these two will be doing the only Quickstep of the night. Janette's choreography skills (what she has of them) don't really stretch to Ballroom, Tango aside possibly, so how she tries to do this will be interesting to see. 

My score: 6.25


Judges' Leaderboard (overall with night 2 in bold):
1. Peter & Janette - 30
2. Helen & Aljaz - 29
=3. Kellie & Kevin, Anita & Gleb, Jay & Aliona, Georgia & Giovanni - 27
7. Katie & Anton - 26
8. Daniel & Kristina - 24
=9. Anthony & Oti, Jamelia & Tristan - 21
=11. Kirsty & Brendan, Ainsley & Natalie - 20
13. Jeremy & Karen - 19
14. Iwan & Ola - 17
15. Carol & Pasha - 16

My Leaderboard (overall with night 2 in bold):
=1. Helen & Aljaz, Anita & Gleb - 28
=3. Daniel & Kristina, Kellie & Kevin, Jay & Aliona - 26
6. Peter & Janette - 25
7. Anthony & Oti - 24
8. Georgia & Giovanni - 23
9. Katie & Anton - 22
10. Jamelia & Tristan - 21
=11. Jeremy & Karen, Ainsley & Natalie - 18
13. Kirsty & Brendan - 16
=14. Carol & Pasha, Iwan & Ola - 14


Songs and dances for week 2 (taken from Strictly website):

Ainsley and Natalie will be serving up a Salsa to ‘Don’t Touch My Tomatoes’ by Josephine Baker.

Anita and Gleb will be performing the Charleston to ‘Pencil Full Of Lead’ by Paolo Nutini.

Anthony and Oti will be Waltzing to ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ by Simply Red.

Carol and Pasha will be performing the American Smooth to ‘Isn’t This A Lovely Day’ by Irving Berlin.

Daniel and Kristina will be performing the Charleston to ‘Let’s Misbehave’ by Cole Porter.

Georgia and Giovanni will be Waltzing to ‘Georgia On My Mind’ by Ray Charles.

Helen and Aljaž will be performing the Cha Cha to Uptown Girl by Billy Joel.

Iwan and Ola will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘Sexy And I Know It’ by LMFAO.

Jamelia and Tristan will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘Don’t Cha’ by Pussycat Dolls.

Jay and Aliona will be Waltzing to ‘See The Day’ by Dee C Lee.

Jeremy and Karen will be performing the American Smooth to ‘Happy Together’ by The Turtles.

Katie and Anton will be Tangoing to ‘Telephone’ by Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce.

Kellie and Kevin will be performing the Cha Cha to ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ by Elton John & Kiki Dee.

Kirsty and Brendan will be performing the Salsa to ‘Can’t Touch It’ by Ricki Lee.

Peter and Janette will be Quickstepping to ‘Valerie’ by The Zutons.

^ Apologies, this was taken directly from the blog on there.

*RECYCLED SONG ALERT!* count: 6 so far