Tales of the unexpected...

It's my turn now, Frankie-of-the-black-text is back for the second part of SCD's series opener. I don't know what the fuss was about Tess's yellow dress was, I quite liked the daffodil delight! It's better than Saturday's dress, which looks like something a handmaiden would wear on Game of Thrones. Much worse is, despite an epic opening number, seeing Anton doing a pro dance with someone other than Erin, now that is truly WRONG.

Ben and Kristina
Ben seriously looks like a valentines strip-a-gram, there's getting them to embrace the sparkle and then there's throwing them in at the deep end. They also seem to have employed a BBC cameraman to follow Ben's bum around for a week, there must have been an office scuffle over that one. As for the dancing, I saw walking, and I do not take well to walking. A bit safe and stiff, but a good routine from Kristina with basic steps and clever things to do with his arms! If there was ever a candidate for a j-word, it was him...

Fiona and Anton
Someone's tamed Fiona's massive hair, I don't know if I'm disappointed or not. But hey, the woman has one fierce pout! Wasn't sure about the music, but got into it cos Anton is going to obviously commit to a classic tango. Few random footwork stumbles, but balanced out by extra snarls.

Dave and Karen
From Twitter, it seems like these two have been having a scream for the last few weeks, and that certainly came through on the dance floor! There was actual cha cha content, which I wasn't expecting, but also some of the worst New Yorks I've ever seen! Gotta love Karen's choreography, she totally knows how to play it - this could be a team that goes far. Now if they could just make my Team Shake'n'Bake suggestion a reality...

Rachel and Pasha
She's been tipped for doing quite well, but I'm not sure why, so I'm keen to see what Pasha does with this one after his stellar track record. Loving her dreamy dress, it's the Great Gatsby via Disney Princess. Similarly dreamy routine, although the song made me want to vom. This looked like a perfectly decent first week waltz, job done Pasha - can you do it for the latin or she going to come over all terribly British? Spatulistic klaxon!

Julien and Janette
Julien's forehead scares me. And speaking of body parts, I've not seen such eyes and teeth since Jason Donovan! There could only be this song, a sparkly catwalk was just insane though. It seemed like Janette was doing a routine while Julien was jumping around her like a toddler after too much Ribena. But such gusto and enthusiasm, he just needs stapling into some tails and forced into heel turns to see if he can actually dance.

Deborah and Robin
I'm loving Deborah''s dress, that's the kind of thing you want to wear when you agree to go on SCD. And how did I manage to forget the annual joy that is Robin's vests?! And another proper tango in there as well, it might be annoying to have a tango in week one but at least the pros have made them decent! Deb had obviously worked very hard on it, and I think she liked doing a stern look rather than happy-clappy when she was nervous. There was gapping, Clover will tell you that, I'm sure. 

Patrick and Anya
These two are such an unknown quantity, I was ready to sit back and just see what happened. Even with the cruelty that is a week one jive and the chance of your knee falling off. But what a nice surprise: cracking song, natural skill and great choreography! The outfits seemed camper than the routine, I don't know why I think this is odd in Strictly, but there you go. Could we have dark horses cunningly disguised in pink polka dots?

Vanessa and James
So that's what a James Jordan comedy routine looks like? It was really quite weird, Vanessa plodding through basic steps while James randomly gyrates and removes clothing. It could have been good, the song choice was perfect, but it just did not work. I like Vanessa, but James, you need to work harder on her dancing!

Abbey and Alijaz
Was Alijaz supposed to be a ghost? I got distracted by the uber-whiteness of the outfit. This was pretty impressive, I saw rise and fall right from the beginning! No one was expecting anything from Abbey and I think she might have just played that to her advantage. Maybe a bit too much out of hold and some gapping, but exciting potential. Going to call it a bit over-marked, but there's still her latin to come - it's all to play for!