Fright Night X - Curses!

Can you believe this is the tenth Halloween edition? That's all sorts of crazy and maybe we should indeed be locked in some sort of vaguely-offensive asylum. Shockingly though, we're not getting our annual outings of Thriller and the Monster Mash, so there could be some surprises in store tonight. We've already had poor Will and Neil had to drop out, is there a new Curse of Strictly?

Also to note, Shirley has brought back her awesome Halloween contact lenses, they look so good it's too bad it would be very strange to wear them all the time!

Emma and Anton
It takes Halloween to get us some dramatic tango music these days, maybe we should take it where we can? It was a very nifty routine from Anton, I liked all the intricacies of it, but as the judges said, it needed a bit more oomph. I am concerned that Emma doesn't seem to be progressing much, she could easily get forgotten by the voters. Saying that, she looked surprisingly good considering she was wearing a giant comedy ginger wig, that's Halloween for you!

Emma and Aljaz
I get the feeling Emma refused to dress up like a goth for Halloween, it's just not on brand for the fabulous Viscountess, glamorous Miss Scarlett was much more up her street. This was an odd piece, although Emma is much better at the Charleston than I was expecting. Yes she was as proper as ever, but it kind of suited the Agatha Christie elements of the routine. The lifts were bad, so very bad, and disrupted her flow, people should be allowed to leave them out if they want too. I have no idea why Aljaz was an old professor, he should have been a sexy vicar!

Chris and Karen
This was heavily trailed during the week, plus Karen is always Queen of Strictly Halloween, so I was expecting it to be eventful - but not as eventful as this! Karen's wig all over the place, Chris trying to be sex-u-al whilst looking like a zombie, spins of doom. However, there was a lot of samba content in this, despite it being Halloween week and a wee bit of a random song choice, and Chris couldn't have managed that routine in week 1. Fingers crossed for him!

Saffron and AJ
Saffron looks super-cute, the magic tricks were cute, the whole routine was cute! It didn't get overwhelmed by the theme and the song choice worked, and as the judges said, Saffron had clearly worked really hard on it. I agree with Shirley that things need tidying up, and she was a bit wobbly in the spins, but the jive kicks and flicks were all there and nippy. She's an example of someone who really is progressing!

Mike and Katya
This was a bit of a mess, which isn't a surprise. Nice of Kayta to try and do something resembling an actual tango, but there was still a lying-on-the-floor interlude at the end which suggested she eventually gave up. Yes, there was an improvement in technique, but I would rather have just watched Chris and Karen have a laugh again. I was a bit underwhelmed when it ended, not sure this will save Mike from the bottom 2?

Karim and Amy
Now, despite the paso already having a built-in theme, I quite like it when people get a bit experimental with it. Metal pasos, electronica pasos, I can deal with them all - and I thought this one worked on a surreal level. The costumes took a bit away from it though, and did make Karim look like a tiny child with trousers up to his armpits. Thought the judges were a bit harsh on this considering it's Halloween.

Catherine and Johannes
Thankfully, these two knew to bring us vampy outfits and Steps, so we're back in familiar territory away from the Upside Down. She clearly made a mistake and lost her way, which made me feel really sorry for her because the cha cha clearly didn't come naturally. Hoping she gets the votes, she and Johannes have so much more to give and definitely don't deserve to go!

Michelle and Giovanni
The best song-dance-couple matching of the night, you just knew this was going to rock! Her frame was very good throughout, and was the most you could see thanks the ever-present smoke monster. Cute little character moments, but still a visible and accomplished foxtrot, which is a challenge in any week. That was the Halloween dance we were waiting for!

Kelvin and Oti
This left me strangely cold, and not in a Halloween-chills type way. Yes, it had Oti being an imperious vamp like no other, but the flying was a bit distracting. There was some great proper sharp tango moments, and the music had the right kind of sultriness to it, but it didn't feel more than the sum of its parts. I'm sure Kelvin will be fine, but this is not shaping up to be a vintage Halloween year.

Alex and...Kevin?!
Poor Neil, missing his first Halloween with a partner. At least we didn't see Ghostbusters shoehorned into a tango for once, even though Couple's Choice is not our favourite, as you know. Fair play to Alex for carrying off the routine with such a change, she brought what she had learned from her Charleston last week. However, that was also the issue I had with it, as it didn't show me anything new and I think she was given much more to do last week and carried it off with aplomb.

Pump up the jam!

No themes, but plenty of randomness in this week's Strictly. We saw plenty of highs and raising of games though, dare I say the j-words are being built in front of our eyes? So lots to blog about. Let's get down to it!

Kelvin and Oti
So the 'Venice Beach' theme is basically early 90s neon? Alfonso-Fresh-Prince-tribute-itis had better not spread to the whole show. I don't know what it was, but I found this routine a bit 'meh', all the bits were there in the right order, but it just seemed a bit box-ticking rather than exciting. I can see why they're throwing the party latin/hips/groin at us, but I'm ready for some more classy ballroom now. Preferably without a clunky denim jacket that may have been boiling him alive.
Part of me thinks that Kelvin has done a Jay McGuinness and already won it with one dance. This was good - as to be expected. His body movement is extraordinary. I didn't think it was all that stiff - top professionals are very staccato in their cha chas. However, I am desperate for a proper latin salsa with proper latin music from these two. If he gets some poppy nonsense I will be p*ssed. 

David and Nadiya
I never thought David would take to the jive, and well, just call me Mystic Meg. As Craig said, he does seem more comfortable with the idea of dancing, and I really do think he's come on since week 1, but we are talking a low bar here. He seemed to be hanging on to Nadiya quite a lot, who seemed to be wearing her nice new shoes while she had the chance to show them off.
He is improving and this could have been a heck of a lot worse. I have to confess I got a little bored whilst watching this...

Catherine and Johannes
They hyped this up to be a hilarious, camp, melodramatic tango - with feathers! I loved this, yes there was a theme, but it was appropriate and jammed packed with actual tango content. With a fairly appropriate song, oh my stars and garters. Catherine is also now totally committing to her dances, after being a bit apprehensive for the first couple of weeks, plus she's now getting some of the BEST costumes. A wee bit undermarked in my opinion, are they overcompensating for last week?
So Johannes is clearly the breakout star of Strictly 2019 (and we all thought it would be Neil!) These two are a joy and I think they could be dark horses. Props for Catherine's dress too which I am calling out as the best of the series so far...

Amy and Karim
I know it's 'who let the dogs out', but I honestly think we've had worse salsa song choices. Plus I saw some actual basic salsa steps in there, which Karim seemed to take in his stride. He was confident in the lifts too, especially since we've not actually had too many lift-heavy numbers so far. I agree with Craig that he sometimes hits things a bit too hard, which you sometimes get with people with previous dance training. I know I shouldn't have liked this, but I did! Cue Clover...
Pffft. I have no words.

Michelle and Giovanni
Michelle always has such a weight of expectation on her, and also had the challenge of coming after Kelvin's epic turn last week. I actually thing the judges were a bit harsh on this, they were going for subtlety rather than raunchy. She still has great lines, and I thought the backbend was pretty impressive too. Also, and I mean this in a nice way, I barely looked at Gio during the dance, he knows he's there to show her off and put together a great routine.
Another great dress, and I loved the routine. Her body action wasn't quite right though - that standing leg just needs to lock. I reckon that's something Michelle can easily address however - I still wouldn't be surprised to see these two in the final.

Emma and Anton
Ah the paso, Anton's latin saving grace. He brought us a brilliantly melodramatic routine, with plenty of smell-the-fart acting. I do agree that Emma and Anton don't really connect, but I was seeing proper luvvie commitment to the degree that I think that made up for any so-called passion in the dance. Not the greatest paso I've ever seen, but not the trainwreck the judges claimed it was.
Emma has talent and potential. At no point should she be standing there whilst Anton prances about. Contrast with Giovanni above who created a routine that showed off his partner; this was typical Anton. BBC, if you're keeping him, just give him the comedy characters. He's wasted on decent dancers.

Alex and Neil
This was a cracker of a dance, Alex just suddenly came alive and looked like she was enjoying doing a routine for the first time ever. The swivel was there, the moves flowed well, and it all just came together for an all-round package. She didn't just dance it, but performed it. Ok, it might not give her much help with ballroom or latin, but it will hopefully be something that gives her more confidence.
Yaasss, perky and cute and my favourite of the night because it was so beautifully unexpected! It was technically decent and she was performing. Alex, there's a dancer in you yet! 

Emma and Aljaz
The VW was always going to be a better fit for Emma than the jive, and they just glided through this number. The song and great Aljaz choreography added a lot to this, and Emma's topline was pretty good too. I would assume this will save them from the bottom 2, especially with those scores from the judges, but they definitely worked hard for it.
I'm struggling to warm to them as a couple, and that's unusual for me, as Aljaz is such a darling. This was good - she is a decent dancer - but something missing. She is all kinds of stunning though. 

Mike and Katya
Is basing your dance on someone from a 90s TV show and copying moves from DWTS which no one in the UK is going to have seen really the best way to get popular appeal? The zombie-fied samba roll was quite disturbing, but I would still liked to have seen some more actual samba rather than just random gyrating. Mike's schtick is starting to wear thin.
Bored now.

Will and Janette
Ah Couple's Choice contempo waft, your contribution to the show is...wafer thin. It was wonderful to hear Will's story, but I just can't take much away from contemporary.
My feelings about this are more about couples' choice than Will personally but I just can't seem able to count it. Will is a true inspiration, however, and that needs to be applauded. 

Chris and Karen
These two always put a smile on my face, their fun is just so infectious. I thought the outfits were odd, until I remembered it was Prince, and then it was just Karen genius yet again. He's not really done enough ballroom yet, so it wasn't the most technically achieved performance. A fair bit skippy, but they'd clearly worked on things like gapping and hold. Keep it up guys!
I actually enjoyed this more than most of the dances this evening because it was fun and had energy. Quickstep is my fave ballroom to watch on Strictly and I was expecting this to be far worse technically than it was. I like Chris for clearly enjoying his time learning to dance but no taking the whole thing really seriously. 

Saffron and AJ
This was one of those routines that took me by surprise, it all just came together! Cracking song, actual foxtrot choreography, super-glam dress, and a marked progression. She's building on that natural talent and keeping up with AJ, which a lot of people struggled to do with their partners tonight. Fair play to him too for putting together a routine that balanced foxtrot and razzmatazz.
Much like Emma and Aljaz, I have been struggling to connect with these two. This, however, was a mighty cracking routine and I think anyone would find it tricky to dislike it. It oozed class and for the first time it was good to see some real progression from Saffron. 

You had me at cucuracha...

Roll up, roll up, it's time to celebrate the first Strictly of the season that comes in at under two hours! Now, we love all things Strictly, but my gosh those marathon shows at the start can wear down a blogger. However, there's still plenty to discuss this week, as the competition has definitely moved up a notch and all sorts of crazy things went on (just look at the scoreboard), so let's get to it!

Chris and Karen
This was a great way to start the show, and also I think Chris might have bottled it if he'd had to wait any longer. Yes, it was a bit frantic and I just wanted him to point his toes just ONCE, but his confidence really has come on in leaps and bounds - I don't think he quite realises that he's doing something close to proper dancing. Fair play to Karen for not making everything totally comedy though, they're one of my favourite partnerships this series. Also, Karen is WINNING the costumes this series. 
OK, so points for feathers and a dance delivered with muchos amplomb. But yeah, flexed and flat-footed - I'm not as down with that as dear Shirls. Timing about as good as Northern Rail. Only Karen could pull off Bacofoil and look like a star. 

Emma and Anton
The last time Emma did ballroom she looked like she was being held hostage, and whilst this wasn't exactly a happy dance, she was clearly in the zone and totally committed to it. Yes, there was enough ham you could smell the bacon, but you can't exactly do carefree to Send In The Clowns. As Shirley said, Emma has a really good frame and top line, and the whole thing flowed beautifully. Fair play to Anton too for putting a VW together that was different but still familiar.
Classic Anton ballroom. I mean, if they struggled to pull this off there would be no hope. It was lovely but I'd rather have seen more in hold. Emma's face when she saw her 9s though - just darling.

Dev and Dianne
This was a little bit different for a cha cha, but I quite liked what Dianne did with it - it wasn't a camp eyes-and-teeth extravaganza, but still a cha cha routine. Agree with the judges that it was a bit patchy, but I also think they were a bit harsh, considering there was some impressive hip action and some pretty good fluidity for early on. Also, I don't think anyone has tried to rock a fringed catsuit since Laila Rouass and that was just to distract us from the fact she couldn't jive, go Dianne!
I can't quite work out what was wrong but something about this just didn't work. The song choice was hardly catchy. But his technique wasn't too bad. His timing and musicality was good. Diane's carwash-esque costume was a highlight. I hope he's safe... such potential there. 

Catherine and Johannes
I was quite excited for this one and it lived up to all our campest Strictly dreams. It looked exhausting, but completely enjoyable from start to finish. I agree with Craig though that Johannes had cranked it up to 11 and forgot to try and make Catherine look good, I can't blame him though. The lifts were a bit disappointing too, trying not to be a downer here though, because it was a delight nonetheless!
Firstly, how much fun are these two, just generally?! I hated this music choice for Charleston though. The whole thing seemed super-forced - just to fit it to the music. And no amount of hot, hot pink could change that. 

Alex and Neil
Probably Alex's best technical performance so far, but what a duff routine. The music wasn't suited to a tango, too much faffing about, and she really got short-changed in the frock department. I was just left feeling a bit 'meh', which is never a good sign. Please get your breakthrough soon!
I, like many,  thought Alex might be naturally better than she is. I'm not saying she's bad and it's great to see her improve,  but I'm not convinced it's going to be enough to reach anywhere near the final stages. She seems so self-conscious. If she could fall in love with it and let go a little it would help.

David and Nadiya
I have to say I was apprehensive about David doing a quickstep, but who would've thunk it would be his best dance?! It was a borderline Michael Vaughan moment. I say borderline, because the routine went off at a random tangent that involved them hopping up and down for quite a bit - what was that about? He was much better in hold. Nadiya did have an absolutely cracking dress though, so she's partially forgiven.
Loved Nadiya's dress. But David really isn't the greatest showman. Having said that, it was an improvement for sure - his energy increased tenfold. That was no way 7 or 8 levels imo, but I thought it'd be all over for David... maybe it won't be now. 

Kelvin and Oti
A third rumba for the series, we are really being spoiled. We all knew he could move his hips, but there's a long way between that and doing a rumba. But this was a proper down and dirty rumba, no contempo-waft and all about the proper steps. Bravo Oti for that routine! It was like they were having a competition to out-sultry each other. Another thing I wanted to mention, Kelvin has massive hands, but seems to know how to use them, hurrah!
If any bloke was going to pull off a rumba, it was always going to be Kelvin.  His natural talent is absolutely extraordinary.  Loved the music. Loved the simple black silhouettes. Loved Kelvin's musicality. Loved the choreography. He steals the spotlight from Oti Mabuse - I doubt there are many in the world who can do that.

Emma and Aljaz
Emma secretly hates that outfit, I just know it. This was slightly 'meh' dance number two, all the steps were there and in the right order, but it was all a bit prim and proper. No idea why the judges went crazy over it, I doubt I will remember it on Monday.
Oh it was OK. But seriously didn't like the band's arrangement for a jive. It just seemed rushed and jolty. The dance didn't have much spring but it really didn't seem like she had time for it. Pffft. Aljaz is just a joy, though. 

Michelle and Giovanni
It's like late 80s Cher decided to dress up as acid-trip Barbie, that outfit is really not doing it for me. This was probably the first time I've seen Michelle struggling to keep up with Gio, who for some reason was completely on fire during this dance. She said she was struggling during training and it showed, but she's not the type to go off and cry about it, just chalk it up to experience and march on!
CELIA EFFING CRUZ for salsa. Be still my beating corazon. Quimbara is very quick so she did well. And it had such a laid-back, social dance vibe to it, some genuine salsa moves and decent technique. 

Will and Janette
Quite happy to see Will doing a dance that you can't get by on by just being super-enthusiastic, and even with the sightly off theme it had more foxtrot in it than I was expecting. As ever, he is simply not good in hold, but they did have a stab at it. Not much to take away from this really, apart from that they really need to work on the ballroom stuff.
I rarely find a foxtrot exciting but this was pleasant. Frustrating how it's perfectly fine to have a Spanish theme though yet there is rarely a Spanish themed Paso. Which is, you know, actually Spanish. 

Mike and Katya
Again, I wasn't expecting much from a Mike quickstep, but this was clearly his best dance! Maybe it just takes a few weeks to bed in with some people, bringing together skill and performance. Not a bad routine from Katya either, apart from the random trip to the stairs at the end. The main thing I was impressed by was the complete lack of gapping, I'm all about the gapping in a quickstep. As surprised as I was, this was not worth a nine!
Not usually one to comment on the private lives of the dancers and whatnot but I do wonder whether anyone's stopped to consider that the reason Katya is quite emotional is because she's also had a genuinely tough year. She really is one of the most talented choreographers and teachers in Strictly's whole run - always working with her partners' strengths. Whilst I didn't necessarily see exactly what the judges saw in this routine, it was a marked improvement. Something we've come to expect from her. Respect.

Saffron and AJ
Gosh, there was so much in this for me not to like, but I couldn't bring myself to hate it. It was so ridiculously cheesy and contempo-waft, but bless her she'd worked hard and put all of herself in it. Plus she kept up with AJ, which was pretty hard in that routine. Also, she's surprisingly good at lifts! She's no Joe Sugg, but she's trying.
Urgh, it's couple's choice. Do I have to comment?

Karim and Amy
This was much more tango-y than I was expecting, mainly because the two of them grabbed it with both hands and did not let go for a second. It was sharp and sexy and all the things you want from a tango, apart from a perfect song, but I've basically given up on that.  Karim also looked like a totally different person. When you think they both had the lurgy this week too, it's even more impressive that no one sneezed on anyone. 
Blimey he's good. I'd still prefer a tango to have more of a tango mood, but I have been harping on about that for years. Karim is a dead cert for the final I'm sure of it. He has a rival for natural talent in Kelvin but Karim is currently (and understandably due to prior training) more polished.

Strictly Stars Are Born

Let's! Go to! The movies! Another year passes without that seminal song from Annie being used as the intro number for Movie Week, this just wouldn't happen if Arlene was still around...Strap yourselves in for another long night, with plenty of twists and dramatic turns.

Michelle and Giovanni
I was surprised they brought out one of the more eagerly anticipated numbers of the night out first (sorry, were you waiting for the Pokemon paso?), but I'm not complaining! Yes, there was faff, but it was appropriate faff, and it was my favourite number from Michelle so far. We would want more quickstep usually, but she did the actual sections of quickstep so well, sharp feet and a great top line, that it didn't feel like a cop out. What a cracker!

Alex and Neil
Following a showstopper with the first rumba of the series is a bit of a challenge, but I think we saw definite progress from Alex here. The theme didn't actually overwhelm it, and it gave her a beautiful outfit and a character to channel too. Yes, there could have been more hip action, but her arms particularly have really improved and I thought her solo section at the start was much better than she would have been in week 1.

Chris and Karen
Even after last week's unexpected Charleston improvement, I thought throwing Fred Astaire and lifts at Chris was a bit optimistic, but he actually managed to pull off a competent bit of ballroom! Yes, his technique still needs a lot of work, but he seems to be getting a bit more musicality and was smiling at Karen like a normal human being. Also, props to Karen for refusing to be dressed as a woodland creature and rocking up in a stunning frock!

Karim and Amy
So this was the first dance of the night that was ruined by the theming, we couldn't even see their hips properly! They also must have been boiling hot, couldn't Amy have had a skirt or leggins? Interesting to see the judges criticise some of the actual samba content, it is a hard latin dance after all and they weren't just giving points for outfits. However, we do need a shout-out to the surrealness of watching them do a really good samba roll in the middle of all that, it's what I'm always looking out for!

Catherine and Johannes
Oh my golly gosh, I was surprised when Catherine said in training she loved the rumba, but I wasn't expecting goosebumps! You could see actual hip action, even with her floaty dress, and she had clearly worked on it so very hard. Having great teamwork with your partner is also so important, and these two have it in spades. As Bruno says, hopefully this was her breakthrough moment.

Will and Janette
Sigh...dance ruined by theming number two. In a way, it would have been better with fewer paso moves in it, because the whole thing just looked so incongruous. You could see that they had tried to work on the actual paso content and posture, but it wasn't good enough to distract you from the weird outfits. Plus I still think Will needs to work more on dancing well with a partner, he always seems so much better out of hold.

Kelvin and Oti
Maybe it's because my expectations are sky-high, but I wasn't really feeling this number. It wasn't bad as such, but it didn't feel like it really went anywhere until the last ten seconds when it was feet-of-fury-swivel-til-your-knees-fall-off. The seriously wobbly lamp posts certainly added a bit of jeopardy though. It was clearly perfectly executed, but it didn't have that zing of magic I want from a 10 performance, but I'm sure these two can bring that for me another week!

Emma and Aljaz
Another bit of classy ballroom, I do not expect this sort of thing in Movie Week. This was lovely, I think Emma really raised her game with this, and again may have been my favourite dance of hers so far. It didn't set the world alight, but it was a nice moment amid the crazyness.

Anneka and Kevin
Points for rehearsing this number all week going 'woo-hoo-woo-hoo-hoo' without losing your mind, but this was hilariously bad. Not since the days of Judy Murray have I enjoyed something so badly executed, I mean, did she forget the routine? I could see there were attempts at swivel, but a good few seconds after Kevin. She's having such a jolly good time though, it's infectious, I think she could go through!

Saffron and AJ
The training footage on ITT looked good, and I was impressed with the commitment that Saffron put into this. There was a hell of a lot of footwork in there from AJ and she seems to be able to do a backbend without even thinking about it. The judges were right that there was a real performance from her too, another one who I think has done my favourite dance so far - Movie Week is doing quite well on the whole!

Mike and Katya
After last week's car crash of a routine, I wasn't sure what to expect from a Magic Mike routine, but this was surprisingly un-themed! This was genuinely enjoyable, and possibly the first time I've watched Mike do a routine without thinking it was all going to come crashing down, but it appears that was Katya's job! It was recognisable as a cha cha and you could see they'd at least attempted some technique, although he really needs to develop some core. 

David and Katya
This was...nice. Pretty song, simple routine, a fairly restrained Batman outfit. He also seemed to take the lifts without batting an eyelid (see what I did there?). I doubt it will save him from the dance off, but he can be proud of that performance.

Emma and Anton
After looking like she was being held hostage during the foxtrot last week, Emma seemed liked she was enjoying this much more! Since Clover isn't here, I will point out that this was NOT A SALSA, but it was indeed fun and Emma inhabited her fembot role with aplomb. Hopefully she can come back next week and have a positive ballroom experience.  

Dev and Dianne
Blummin' Couples Choice back to darken our door, grumble grumble, but I actually found myself enjoying this one! It felt like a Charleston without the swivel sections, so maybe I liked it because it didn't feel like I was watching something totally alien, even with a blue man and a monkey leaping across my screen. It was sharper and more confident than Dev has ever done, and he took the lifts very well considering the mishaps they had in training. Movie Week has seen so many people raise their game this year, which bodes well for what is to come!