Every year I wait with baited breath to see who is going to dance first on the opening show and almost guarantee a spot in the final, and who comes out first in 2020 but little Jame Biscuits. Doing a rather wooden cha cha. In tight white pants. To the Icelandic Eurovision entry. I thought we were done for, ready to throw this long-loved variable in the sparkly Strictly bin. But no, 2020 threw us yet another curveball and Jamie and Karen slogged their way to the final with spangles and a smile. No, he was never going to win, but by golly he got to that final and proved me right once again. I always liked that lad....Keep your eyes peeled for whoever is out on that floor first!
2) Quit your day job
Yes, it's hard to win Strictly whilst doing another job, but in 2020 most of the celebs had their day jobs on hold anyway! Bill practically admitted he was doing Strictly because his tour had been cancelled, which gave him more than enough time to train whilst having a massive lark with Oti. It feels like history is repeating this year, with only a few celebs doing something else at the same time as the show. However, I do imagine Eastenders will provide Frankie with a massive storyline to keep Rose working like a loon, because they do it every single year! Plus we have Tom on tour with McFly this year taking Amy along for the ride, hopefully it won't be too rock n roll considering how many kids they have these days. Also keep an eye on Dan Walker, those BBC newsreaders somehow manage to pull off working and learning to tango around the clock...
3) Blondes don't have more fun
We're still in the rather odd situation that only one blonde has ever won Strictly (Abbey, it was eight years ago, but we remember) and they were almost overtaken by the gingers last year when Maisie made it to the final in fabulous fashion. Yes, Jamie was a blonde finalist, but we all knew, including Jamie, that win was never going to happen. So where do we stand this year? Katie McGlynn was very blonde in Corrie and I still blink with confusion when I now see her as a brunette. Adam Peaty might possibly be a dark blonde, but he also shaves...a lot...for swimming, so it feels like Tom, Tilly and Sara are the ones flying the blonde flag this year. Plus John Whaite has made the rookie error of dying his hair blonde, change it back quick!
4) Latin fever
This variable might be on its last legs, since Anton was the only pro who specialised in ballroom and he's been farmed out to the judging panel. Latin specialist pros have clearly won both the battles and the war, but maybe a 10 dance person like Nadiya could pull it out of the bag like Flavia did all those years ago. Maybe I could just change this variable to 'dance with Oti' instead?!
5) Age is more than a number
I've never been so happy to see a variable disproved. Up until Bill's much-deserved win, the only Strictly winner over 40 was Joe at the age of 42, but then Bill came along and pushed that maximum age up to 55! Is this the start of a new trend? Is Strictly going to be entirely boomer-populated in a few years? Saying that, two out of eighteen series isn't particularly significant, so let's have a look at this year's cohort. Dan Walker is quite a baby-faced 44, Judi just snuck over the line at 41, plus there's Nina, Greg, Rob who might all have a chance at proving the over 40s are on a roll.
6) Embrace the sparkle!
This is all I will ever need to explain what 'embrace the sparkle' means...
So here is that all-important equation once again, and our predicted finalists for 2021...
Dance first - day job + brunette x latin pro - 42 years old + sparkle = winner!
Dance first - day job + brunette x latin pro - 42 years old + sparkle = winner!
Adam
AJ
Katie
Rhys
Tom
Ugo
As ever, the first dancer on the opening show will be added to the list -
in the meantime, let us know what you think and vote in our poll!
3 comments:
Interesting that Tom, who is an early favourite, doesn't make your shortlist. Still, he might well be first up on Saturday...🤔😄
And he was..
Tom is blonde and very much doing a day job, which is why he wasn’t there. HOWEVER, he danced first last night and that trumps everything so he’s now been added to the updated list!
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