Nothing like starting your routine by literally sitting down, it was about 20 seconds in before there were any actual steps, but that's Blackpool for you - is it weird that I didn't hate the extra dancers? It was all good fun to start the show, but Mike leaving means Chris is standing out a lot more. I did see some basic salsa steps in there and they clearly nicked more from his hip-hop routine a couple of weeks ago. I love these two and don't want to see them go at all though, this could be a difficult week!
Emma and Anton
Emma looks completely stunning, in fact the Blackpool costumes are mostly awesome this year. This had all the elements that you'd want for a Blackpool AS, but it didn't really take off, maybe Emma felt weird dancing with other people? It was a perfectly nicely-executed bit of ballroom, but it wasn't worth Anton's first ever 10s. Katie Derham has thrown a Proms programme at the TV.
Alex and Neil
This was one of the routines I was definitely looking forward too, but this blew me away! Alex has had mini breakthroughs and momentum, but this knocked it out of the park! I loved the arrangement of the song and the choreography, the extra dancers actually worked, which was basically a miracle. Plus it actually looked like a paso! There is clearly some magic in Blackpool pasos, remember Susanah Reid? Anita Rani? Would it have killed someone (Bruno?) to give her a ten?!
Kelvin and Oti
Right from the off you knew this was going to be a cracker and what a routine it was! Thankfully Jailhouse Rock lends you to a straight jive and Kelvin is good enough to handle a proper routine without gimmicks. It was sharp and energetic throughout and I feel like I saw more musicality from Kelvin than I've seen since his rumba. Blackpool is now officially on a roll...
Saffron and AJ
Quickstep is just perfect for the Tower Ballroom and Saff looks amazing in that outfit. This was full of quickstep and even the bits out of hold weren't easy. Plus she eyes-and-teethed the solo sections to the max, which was hilarious. She also did the sliding-ski step, which I love. It's been really interesting to see her become so much better at ballroom than anything else, that takes a lot of work.
Michelle and Giovanni
Yes it's a Couple's Choice so it's hard to measure against trad ballroom, but Michelle lived this dance and was captivating throughout. Whether it resonates with the audience after last week's bottom 2 debacle is another matter, but I really hope it does because she has so much more to give. Plus, can we talk about Gio going full pout? He was fabulous and I love his relationship with Michelle.
Karim and Amy
The training footage for this looked amazing, this was clearly Karim's dance, even with the super-weird descend from the ceiling. Maybe it's because he shot off like a wind-up toy?! It was like a happy helium ballroom bobbing along the ballroom, clean and sharp and fun - and without a gurn in sight! Boo to Craig for only giving it a nine, it almost took the momentum out of a really brilliant show!
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