Rumba in the Jumble

I think you're all painfully aware that out of the two of us, Frankie is the very lovely, positive one. Well boo hiss boo, she's not here and you're stuck with me. I've found this series very hit and miss so far, but I'll try my best to be nice. It's rarely the dancers I'm frustrated with - they all work hard and do a lovely job with what they're given. But the scoring and production choices this year have been a little more bizarre than usual... 

But hey, let's get on to the dancing...

Rose and Giovanni

Was it me or did the music blend into some notes from The Final Countdown? Now it's unlikely Rose is going to do a bad dance now. And this was - technically - her usual high standard. But something about the choreography didn't spark for me this time. So often pasos can be the most exciting, stand out dances in any series but we really do seem to be struggling with them this year. I absolutely love these two however and if they do not make the final I'll have a proper tantrum.

Dan and Nadiya

This could have been terrible. But it really wasn't. Simple, classic choreography saved the day. Not trying to be intense and ... uh... slutty also saved the day. It wasn't the best rumba we've ever seen on the show but if you'd have told me prior to this series that Dan Walker would pull off this dance without being made to look a fool, I'd have slapped you on the head with a pickle. But yeah, credit where credit's due. A nice job.

AJ and Kai

Loved the mega-fringy green dress. But what was this? Couple's Choice was bad enough when they focused on a particular style, but now it's anything goes, I really don't get the point. Anton said 'commercial jazz' - was that it then? I don't know enough about it to know. It was really well danced and they were completely in sync...but I just can't get on board with these routines.

Rhys and Nancy

For a dance that no one expected would suit him, what an excellent job. I saw an absolutely gorgeous step sequence in the middle of the routine, and his frame, whilst not perfect, was so improved you could have knocked me down with a handful of sequins. I'm stuck somewhere in between Shirley and Craig on this one. Not literally. That would be weird.

Tilly and Nikita

Even Tilly knew this wasn't going to be her dance. It was worse than I expected however - not for want of effort - that I could see in buckets. But Tilly's body just wasn't moving in the way it should for samba. There was a little bounce but the action was awkward,  and there was no fluidity. But again, Nikita could have helped by choreographing routine that actually suited her. Loved the dress and her pure pluck with this one.

John and Johannes

I really wanted to love this. And it was the dance I was most looking forward to. But - oh I'm so sorry everyone, I really am a misery guts - I wasn't all that keen. And it's not because it wasn't a spectacular, well danced routine - it was. This was a paso/tango/showdance and not what I would have expected from an Argentine Tango. Craig made the point that it originally would have been danced by two men - I had forgotten that, and he swayed me a second - but no, would a tango in downtown Buenos Aires in the 1860s have looked like that? \Really? If yes, then I take it back. 

Good Mornin', You Revolting Children!

We're back with a theme week, instead of Blackpool! Life really is cruel sometimes. As ever, whenever a theme week gives us something good, it also takes something away. In this case, the routines either looked reassuringly normal or overwhelmed by the theme, with very few inbetween. We also lost poor Craig to Covid for the week, which felt particularly mean, but did bring is us the lovely and rather impressive booking of Cythia Erivo! 

AJ and Kai

After last week's travesty of paso scoring, I was very happy to see AJ back in some beautiful classy ballroom. Even if she's dressed as one of the Supremes for some reason. A waltz is never going to blow people away like, say, a jive, but this was absolutely beautiful. Her frame is amazing and there was so much rise and fall in the routine. Throw in some fake snow and I'm totally happy, she's set a very high standard for tonight.

I'm glad she wasn't picked apart at a different standard to everyone else this week and also the fact that this dance could have been from any week, not just a themed one. It was pretty delightful.

Rhys and Nancy

Not a massive change of gears after last week's Charleston, the gear being fifth and full throttle. I think this was actually my favourite dance from Rhys, he performed it really well and it felt like a coherent dance. Saying that, it was a bit sloppy in places and a jive needs to be more technically accomplished than a Charleston. Also, a round of applause for Rhys and Nancy actually being given nice outfits rather than fancy dress costumes - and in a theme week of all things!

I really liked it. Those who are saying it's unfair he got two dances in a row that suit him just think about the poor bloke if he ends up in the semi-finals with only a waltz and a rumba left. Or something like that. 

Tom and Amy

Steeling myself for the first of TWO bloody Couples Choice this week, I notice Amy looks perfect for Les Mis. This really suffered from the style of dance for me, it felt a bit jerky in place considering it's such a flowy piece of music. It's also not easy to try and tackle contempo the week after Rose and Gio did such an amazing performance last week. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't gel and the stakes are certainly getting higher were week this series.

Can I just have a free pass not to comment on any more Couples Choice? I mean, it was kind of contempo piece, but it didn't quite come together.

Rose and Gio

Another person I'm so glad to see back in ballroom. This was downright cute, but I think it suffered a bit from the theme. I would rather have seen Rose do a full-on Hollywood quickstep. Saying that, they did it with pep and it was clearly a quickstep and Gio didn't skip on the content. She also managed the transitions in and out of hold very well, which is even more impressive when you think she has to keep time between the two.

Cute. Technically nice. Would have been far nicer if their costumes didn't look like they were from the bargain bucket at The Disney Store. Fine, keep the music but Rose in a stunning quicksteppy gown and Gio in proper ballroom garb? Yes please. 

 

John and Johannes

This was one of the routines I was really waiting for and it totally delivered. Great song and perfectly suited to the style of dance, plus Jojo put together a really fun routine with lots of elements. John's arms are also getting really really good, so lyrical. I agree with the judges that he needs to just push it a tiny bit more, he needs to hit on another great dance for him like the paso. Slightly undermarked in my humble opinion...

I really liked this. I thought actually that Johannes looked mildly uncomfortable when taking on the follower role - his frame could have been much nicer. But yeah, I love how these two dance together; they are completely in sync.

Tilly and Nikita

This routine didn't seem like a great idea when I first heard about it...and yep, I was right. A slightly obscure song, unflattering outfits, and no clear dance style, I couldn't see this saving Tilly from the bottom 2 again - until she got a completely ridiculous 40 for it. Not against her personally, she did the routine well and really threw herself into it, plus Nikita in short trousers was a fun addition.

Nothing against Tilly, but I can't even. 

Dan and Nadiya

Dan in the pimp slot? Swiveling away with a jolly smile? Genuinely looking like the original musical? Who would have thought?! I suppose his natural dorkiness helped for a Charleston, but he genuinely showed some musicality, it's taken him a while to get there but him and Nadiya work so well with each other. Also wanted to mention that the lifts were ambitious but executed well. It wasn't one for the ages, but it was a delightful way to end a rather odd theme week! 

This was cute and peppy, and if it's his last week (which I'm sure is not quite yet, but is creeping upon us) then what a high to end on. He's the embodiment of what Strictly is about but his time is coming.  Bill held his own against last year's best, best dancers; Dan does not. He's an absolute joy to watch though and I very much enjoyed this routine.

Strictly Scandalous Scoring

We're halfway through the series, and boy is it starting to show. An odd night fully of slightly off routines and people really trying to keep up with the hectic pace of the show. Oh yeah, and the judges possibly took some sort of communal hallucinogen at the start, read on for our journey through randomness...

Tilly and Nikita

From dance off to death slot, they really know how to make people feel better on this show. Saying that, Tilly looked delightful, I loved her Missoni-inspired dress and the whole look really suited her. I expected her to take quite well to the quickstep and this was pretty good. A bit of a Charleston overload but she is very good at it, plus her frame has improved. She needs to tighten up her footwork a bit but she is genuinely improving. 

It was cute, but her feet looked a tad sloppy. At one point it definitely looked as though she were trotting up on her toes to catch up, when there should have been heel leads (although it is quite difficult to tell with the swooshy cameras). As Frankie says, she is improving, but feels as though she might be starting to stall a little. 

 

AJ and Kai

We're seriously testing AJ's ability to pull off any outfit with that omelette yellow fever dream of a dress. The whole thing felt like a fever dream actually, at first I thought it was going to be overwhelmed by the theming, but these two sure know how to bring the drama. Even the slip seemed part of the drama! I do agree it wasn't her best, but the standard we're setting for her is ridiculously high, the judges seemed so keen to point out the bad bits that they didn't actually mention any of the good bits, of which there were plenty. Craig can get in the sea. 

WTAF. OK, so it wasn't her best dance but the judges almost certainly were holding AJ to a whole different set of standards to everyone else last night. Which isn't at all fair. There was plenty that was good here - in fact, I actually liked it. And this lady would look fab no matter what costume she's given - I believe it is an impossibility for her to look awful. She got all my votes yesterday. 

Dan and Nadiya

So glad to see Dan and Nadiya in some classic ballroom once again after a few weeks of daftness, plus in spectacular outfits! I wasn't a fan of King of the Road as a song choice but mostly because I thought they were going to set it in a motorway service station or something, so thankfully that worked out better than it could have. This was another example of Dan putting in all the hard work, it was definitely improved even though he looked terrified whenever he had to do a lift. Scores ranging from 4 to 9 is ridiculous, but that's not Dan's fault. 

Craig's 4 was bang out of order. And I think the others 'upped' theirs somewhat to mitigate it - but that led to him being above AJ, which is just odd. That said, again, I really liked it. Dan is really joyful to watch - from some comments on Twitter you'd think that he's being kept in because it's bad/funny but he's genuinely dancing. His timing, performance and style are improving week on week. Do I think he's final material? No. Do I think he's a Kate Garraway? Absolutely not. 

Rhys and Nancy

I think I've been waiting for Rhys to do a Charleston from day 1, he was just made for it. This was suitably bonkers, the swivels were huge and there were limbs and knees flying all over the place. Plus the lifts were confident rather than haphazard. I don't agree it was the best Charleston of the series, you can't just wipe AJ's away, they were two different styles of the dance, although once again I am looking at you Craig...

Yeeees, this was Rhys' dance and I loved it. I wasn't expecting a 40 but I have no idea what was going on yesterday with those judges. Something was certainly amiss. But hey, I'm really glad Rhys did a standout, memorable performance. 

 

Sara and Aljaz

This was a bit of a weird one and not just because Sara seemed to have been given an early Christmas special dress. It started off well (including an amazing solo section from Aljaz) but then never really went anywhere for me. A disco song was not right for an AT, but the arrangement was thankfully paired down a bit. It was an intricate routine and Sara certainly couldn't have managed it at the start of the series, but it wasn't quite sharp enough for me.

Disco themed tango. Let's have a samba themed waltz next week, shall we? But hey, that's not Sara's fault. I thought this was good. It didn't blow me away but it was decent. 

 

John and Johannes

The ITT rehearsal footage of this looked a-mazing, so my expectations were quite high. I think they might have been a bit too high, because I was expecting to be blown away, whereas this was a perfectly nice samba with lots of content and basic steps. I'm also jealous of John's shimmy, since I cannot do them to save my life. Two 10s felt like a step too far here. I think I agree with Craig though that John needs to push himself out there a bit more, he has a lovely natural way with his dancing but sometimes I just want a wee bit more oomph.

I actually missed most of this due to being so incensed by the fact that they finally had some salsa music on the show, but it was used for a samba. John is great though. Such a natural. 

Amy and Tom

After last week's bonkers paso a VW was always going to be quite the gear change. Saying that, this didn't really feel like a VW to me, too many dramatic interludes and random arm-wafting for me. Once Tom got into hold, his frame really has improved but I found the routine too stop-start. I'm glad the judges finally agreed with me on a routine,

To be honest, at this point I was still smarting about the salsa/samba thing above. What I did catch I thought was OK. Tom does seem to be improving, which is good, and I do think he is possibly someone who could knock one of the TOP THREE (Rose, AJ, John) from a place in the final if he keeps at it. But in order to do that, he needs a standout breakthrough dance. And soon.

Rose and Giovanni

Argh, and rounding

off a weird week with Couple's Choice. Plus outfits made of grey bedsheets. The odds were stacked against me liking this, but I found it positively charming. They were so well synchronied and the choreography looked quite difficult, unlike a lot of CCs which just look like jumping around. The silent interlude was wonderful too, not just for what it showed us about Rose but also the way it was seamlessly incorporated into the routine. A real highlight to a very odd night! 

This started like a relatively standard Couple's Choice contemporary routine and I was just not prepared for how much the silence would affect me. It was absolutely beautiful and absolutely important. I am so glad it was included and this dance basically made my night.  Rose has got to be the favourite to win now, surely? She is captivating to watch.

Strictly's Roaring Twenties

...we survived Halloween guys, it's safe to come out from behind the sofa. Tess is wearing a sparkly nude number and Claudia is in a man's suit, so it's business as usual. Let's roll up our sparkly sleeves and get down to some serious dancing!

 

Adam and Katya

I was quite wary of Adam doing a jive, throw in some rather slinky pyjamas and the death slot and it looked like the odds were stacked against them. I think he pulled it off, but only just. It was a proper routine with lots of jive content, but it didn't really have any finesse and he needed to point his toes more. It would have been ok in week 2 or 3, but we're too far on for that now. Shout-out to Katya's rather lovely lemon drop dress.   

Rose and Giovanni

I secretly love a 60s samba, don't judge me, Ian and Penny set a precedent about 15 years ago...The band also did a great job with the bosa nova style, hurrah. This wasn't Rose's best dance, but she had a pretty good crack at the samba bounce, traveling and Gio giving her more to do on her own. And as the judges say, her timing is amazing, which is half the battle with party latin. Hopefully this will see her through and we can get back to her general awesome-ness next week.

Tom and Amy 

After last week's wonky tango I wondered how Tom would take to the paso, I'm still not quite sure because there was SO MUCH going on in this routine. A random bridge. And the Austin Powers costumes. AND the smell-the-fart face Tom was doing. It was without a doubt a full-on paso though and Tom totally committed to it, I think we're all in agreement it was the best dance so far. I love it when a middling contestant suddenly connects with a dance and comes alive. I particularly enjoyed the cape interlude too, he swooshed that thing like he'd been doing it for years, bravo!

Rhys and Nancy

I'm still struggling to connect with Rhys and this routine didn't really do anything for me. His frame was way too loose, plus like the judges said, he continues to be much better out of hold than in. I don't really have much else to say, other than it really shouldn't have got three 9s...

Tilly and Nikita

Tilly has been quietly delivering better and better routines each week; this week was the turn of the haughty 80s synth tango and I really enjoyed it. She's powering through her performances and really getting into the style of each one, maybe she just needs a 'wow' moment like Tom to get people to take notice? I was also very much here for her swishy pleather skirt, if this was a paso they could have made a kinky cape out of it!

Dan and Nadiya

We spent all last week protecting those little lobsters only to be rewarded with Couple's Choice, bah. However, on the whole, I quite liked it as far as these routines go. It wasn't trying to be anything it wasn't and Dan certainly wasn't trying to be cool, it was adorkable personified. It was perky and in time, might give him a hand when party latin comes a-knocking. I hope he gets through and can do some jolly nice ballroom again next week.

 

John and Johannes

Oh gosh, the expectations were as high as Blackpool Tower for this rumba, but ooft they delivered. It was a beautiful routine and song choice, with both of them dancing with wonderful synchronicity. Plus a flowy shirt is always good value in a rumba. I could have done with John's hips being slightly more pronounced, but I'm being really nit-picky here, hopefully he can do it again in the final and blow everyone away!

 

AJ and Kai

Speaking of high expectations, I think that people just accept that AJ will be great every week, but she absolutely smashed this one! Everyone kept on going on about her being too long-of-limb to do a Charleston, but she made them her own and threw in some amazing loosey-goosey moves. Plus those lifts genuinely were daring but she sprung around like a pro, and all without a gurn in sight! I want to see it again, if she doesn't get to the final, we riot!

Sara and Aljaz

That wig, that travesty of a wig. It's not even Musicals Week, Sara really should sue. I also think it made her shoulders look a bit hunched, but ultimately that rogue sheep distracted me for most of the number. This didn't feel like Sara at her ballroom best, it was fine but it didn't have the elegance associated with her other numbers. Good speed and limited gapping, clearly a quickstep but not one for the ages. Sara needs another stand-out dance before she slips out of the contender-tier.