All About That Bass-Ic

First of all, please excuse the lack of picture. My computer is playing up and Frankie is unavailable for emergency uploads. It totes would have been Joe and Katya. Totes. On to the show...

Joe and Katya

I do love a nifty quickstep. And particularly one that plays with musical breaks. Mrs Jones, your choreography was a joy. I could even get past the unnecessary themeage. That's saying something. What made this stand out was the range of steps. Oh so often on Strictly, a quickstep is reduced to nothing but a flurry of scatter chasses, but this had slows to balance out the quickety-quicks. Joe is seriously one to watch now. One of my favourite dances of the series so far.

Alexandra and Gorka

Ah shucks to the return of the contempo-rumba. I'm sure the temptation to go all artsy is almost overwhelming at times, but if Gorka hasn't realised that this series is ALL ABOUT THE BASSICS (no treble...) then there's not really much hope. Alex's dancing wasn't bad at all. It just wasn't what it was supposed to be. And thank the fleckerl this year that actually matters again.

Gemma and Aljaz

OK, I was confused last night. I'm still confused. This was the weirdest thing I have since in my life. From the pyjamas, the inexplicable song choice and most particularly Gemma falling asleep on Aljaz's shoulder mid samba roll. And it was not improved by Aljaz being dressed as a bottle of ketchup. 

Mollie and AJ

The second delightful quickstep of the evening. Mollie and AJ hopped into the whole thing like little drops of sunshine. OK, it wasn't as technically accurate as Joe's and the choreography was a little manic in places, but it was lovely. So lovely, in fact, that I didn't notice Mollie was dressed as a 70s patio until at least three quarters of the way into the routine.

Davood and Nadiya 

First of all, loving the traditional ballroom attire. And the oh-so-beginners-ballroom-class song choice. I actually thought this was better than the judges...judged. On second viewing, however, I did notice a wee bit of gapping. Nadiya has finally grasped that it's about the ballroom this series (to be honest, no one could have called this) and I was delighted to see beautifully executed recognisable waltz steps. Really nice. 

Debbie and Giovanni

Loving the music. Yes, it's been used about seven hundred and forty three times but for some classic pieces like this it does not matter one jot. This definitely had the air of a showdance, moving from pose to pose without much softness in between. I would have liked that softness, and some subtlety. It was technically exquisite. But not my favourite Argentine Tango of all time. 

Susan and Kevin

Susan's the tail end contestant now. It doesn't matter how much she's loved, she's going to be bottom. She's so inherently likeable and this whole dance was charming, I couldn't help but love it. But even I have to admit, her Strictly journey is nearly over. She's been an absolute gem of a contestant, and whether she leaves this evening or has another week left in her, she's been one of the biggest stars of Strictly 2017. 

Paso Doble-thon

I all out LOVED this. Felt like I was in the Blackpool Winter Gardens judging a PROP-AH LATIN COMP. Could have called the order but couldn't argue with it. Alexandra stood out.