Strictly Come Dancing Goes To “Blackpool” With Gleb Savchenko, Tristan MacManus, & More: Videos, Review Show
It’s finally here….the week we’ve all been waiting for as the contestants of Strictly Come Dancing go to Blackpool. I’m so excited and if you don’t know about “Blackpool”, see this video that Andrea recorded for us. It’s …well…magical….
You can also view some fun photos of the contestants arriving to Blackpool at the Blackpool Gazette. For more teasers from this past week getting us ready for today and tomorrow including rehearsals and interviews, see Andrea’s You Tube. Claire also out did herself with screen caps this week. Lots of good stuff!
For the dances, Anita and Gleb will perform the Paso Doble to the dramatic ‘Malaguena’ by Connie Francis. We are in for a #GlebSpecial indeed as his Paso’s are always off the hook. Jamelia and Tristan are doing a Quickstep to the 1960’s classic ‘I’m A Believer’ by The Monkees. Watch out, they were all smiles on ‘It Takes Two’ this week. Nothing is getting them down not even a silly dance off any more. If you want to see what everyone else is dancing, Mr A listed them all in the comments of the previous SCD post. As always, let us know on all of your thoughts in comments. Who did you like the best and who will be in the dance off and go home? Feel free to rank them if you like too. Lastly and more importantly, BE SURE TO VOTE right after the show! THANKS EVERYONE and special thanks to Miss Heidi for covering me last week!!
Here are the times and some Live Streams (works the best with a PC). (Check the Times for me – I simply copied from last week and it seems like the UK is a bit more fluid than the US.)
Week 9 Show 1
Saturday Nov. 14th
6:50 GMT, 1:50 ET, 12:50 CT, 11:50 MT, 10:50 PT
Week 9 Elimination Show
Sunday Nov. 15th
7:15 GMT, 2:15 ET, 1:15 CT, 12:15 MT, 11:15 PT
Watch SCD 1 (works for UK and other International viewers)
Watch SCD 2 (works for US viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 3 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 4 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 5 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Watch SCD 6 (works for US Viewers and possibly Internationally)
Stay tuned for updates….
ETA: How about this show stopping opening? A-MAZING!!
ETA2: And here are Tristan & Jamelia’s and Gleb and Anita’s dances. Just STUNNING and Gleb and Anita finally got a 10! YAYYYy
More at the Official site coming soon! Let us know what you think. See you in comments with my thoughts and rankings on the night too!!
It’s here! So excited! I thought it was funny that Jamelia was saying yesterday “Bring on the dance-offs! I want to win another one.” It’s the right attitude for her, and a sign of how far she’s come, remembering how she couldn’t keep her anger off her face in the first dance-off, but I don’t see her winning another. I’m afraid even though I think Quickstep could be a good dance for her, I can’t see her avoiding the bottom of the leaderboard, but since I’ve analysed this to death already, I’ll move on to other things. I really want Jay to be good this week, but Salsa is a source of some concern. I can see Helen getting the first perfect score of the series, but having Charlestons in three successive weeks score 38, 39 and 40 is a stretch, albeit a situation they set up themselves. The Rockettes theme they’re doing is too funny. I’ve always kind of thought of Helen that way. Peter’s Jive will probably be good, but some of the It Takes Two footage I saw looked dreadful. Honestly that’s about as much as I want to predict right now. This series has been so unpredictable. I love it!
LOL mr A! I just loved them on ITT too. Hilarious!
Loved Anita & Gleb’s Paso! Peter & Janette’s dance seemed rather Jive- less to me.
So I haven’t seen any of the dances yet but I have to share what my buddy in England sent me “the judges are crazy. Anita, Kellie, and jay were super underscored but they actually gave jamelia some credit this time. Helen was over scored though.” I asked him permission to share this so its all cool lol. He didn’t mention Georgia or Peter so I’m guessing they did good.
@jimmbboe: I have a question about peter and Jeanette and maybe you can help me: was it more the song or the choreograpphy (I haven’t seen any of them yet so I’m just curious)
Thanks so much, Vin. Be sure to thank him!!! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
Ok, my thoughts and rankings:
1. Gleb and Anita – Omg, these two just absolutely blew me away!!! It was their best dance to date. The power and the intensity was off the hook. Just Powerful and magnificent. And they finally got a 10. A 9 from Craig says it too. WOO HOO. 10+++++ from me! Just on FIRE
2. Georgia and Giovanni – These two were the epitome of romance again. They took me into another world. So so pretty. I loved everything about this dance. Just stunning. 10
3. Jay and Aliona- They killed it. I loved the cool and different choreo, mixed with sexy moves. Fast footwork and hip movement too. Excellent. And finally more facial expression like Craig mentioned. 10
4.Katie and Anton – Charming, dazzling, and just beautiful! Loved her elegance. So beautiful. 9
5. Helen and Aljaz – Not sure I liked these two as much as in past weeks, but they were still a delight out there and entertaining. 8
6. Tristan and Jamelia – They rocked it out there. I thought she still could have used more facial expressions. Other than that, she kept up with the best of them. LOVED it and Tristan’s clever choreo. 8
7. Kellie and Kevin – I continue to be amazed at these two. She was a little stiff in places, but, I loved how much fun she’s having out there. 7
8. Peter and Jeanette – He fell down tonight. He struggled and could have been faster on his feet. It wasn’t my favorite of his dances, but, I loved the production. 7
Vin, imo, Peter had a really hard time with his footwork.
okay, that was some classsssss in the ballroom. Tonight was crazy good and I will go ahead and leave all favorism out and just rank what I saw and felt. Cause for me it was about feelings today too.
1) Georgia and Giovanni – she might go all the way and tonight was the proof
2) Kellie and Kevin – I liked the lightness and fun and that steal from NYSS too
3) Katie and Anton – yes indeed, I never thought I would like Anton. But I do and but I just loved that old Hollywood glam.
4)Gleb and Anita – yes beat me up Vogue, I know he is your boy. It was a great dance and very powerful but still it did not make me feel as good as the couples above.
5) Helen and Aljaz – I was not totally sold on that Charleston and I thought they would be awesome. Some strange things going on. Some strange lifts. And there is something with Helen’s legs. I don’t know what it is but I saw it again.
6) Jay and Aliona – not their best dance by far. I would have scored them even lower than the judges. They were good but they could be better.
7) Tristan and Jamelia – their best ballroom dance yet. But still she is not a great ballroom dancer. I saw some mistakes and the hold tanked at times.
8) Peter and Janette – for me it lacked of being a real Jive. And I can never warm up to him. So it is easy for me to rank him last 😉
Only my opinion.
Absolutely thought Anita and Gleb did an amazing job. It seemed like she had some bollywood fingerography in the number as well.
Jay and Aliona had such a good song! The dance was fun, a classy salsa (thank gosh it wasnt raunchy because some of the salsa here on DWTS tend to get raunchy). The choreographpy was nothing less than what I expect from Aliona who reminds me of a version of Karina here.
I wish DWTS would do some more Latin night type numbers.
Thanks for the links btw
Wow, what a great night. I thought Kellie was Katie were overscored. Kellie didnt deserve a 10.
Was pleasantly surprised by Jay! I thought it deserved a 10, but being first didnt really help. I thought it was better than his Jive lol.
My leaderboard would be like
1. Jay – 10
1. Anita – 10
3. Georgia – 9
4. Katie – 8
5. Jamelia – 8 (7.5 if i could)
6. Kellie – 7 (7.5 if i could)
7. Helen – 7
8. Peter – 5 (sorry) (was this a jive? I’m no dance expert by any means, but it looked more rock and rollish. Idk, just me?)
Great night. Cant wait for a Gleb AT. Dreading the quickstep-a-thon. I really hate these a-thons. -_-
Thank you, Everyone. I love your reactions and rankings! I think we are all in agreement about Peter. He really fell down tonight.
Andrea, it’s ok. I won’t beat you up. xx
Vin Comment #5 – the choreo seemed rather jive less to me.
Igavea10Igavea10Igavea10! But because it amuses me I’m going to do this in reverse order
8) Peter and Janette (7)- This was a real disappointment. I thought it lacked energy, lacked retraction and was heavy-footed. He tried, but it just wasn’t his dance. Now we get a really interesting look at Peter’s fanbase, because while I still think Jamelia is more screwed, Peter does need votes, and I don’t know that he gets them.
7) Jamelia and Tristan (8)- If they’re leaving tonight that Quickstep was a fitting swan song. It wasn’t perfect. There was some gapping and minor frame issues but easily her best ballroom dance to date, and really a pretty good dance overall. I may have voted if I thought there was any point.
6) Helen and Aljaz (8)- A pasted-on smile is not a personality! It was just too overly perfect, I could feel that she was in her head, and one of the lifts was hideous. Not a bad routine, but on such a great night of dancing, somewhat substandard.
5) Katie and Anton (8)- If you’re going to do Fred and Ginger, make it perfect. It was really elegant, but at times she seemed lost, she sometimes failed to finish her lines and she lost balance a few times. It was fine, good even, but compared to the top 4, a slightly sloppy American Smooth just doesn’t quite cut it.
As for the other 4, 3 9s and a 10. Anyone who can guess which was the 10 (without seeing it on Twitter) wins a prize.
Janette is such a poor choreographer. She doesn’t do Peter any favours with her interpretation of certain dance styles. Time to put Peter’s fanbase to the test. Jamelia will be in the dance off. Will Peter join her or could Helen or even Jay slip in there?
By the way on a side note, I hear Ola has apparantly quit the show. I wonder if the producers will try and get Emma again, three years after she turned them down at the eleventh hour. I’m pretty sure Emma could be out of contract on DWTS after season 22 as well. Just me speculating but it’s a switch I’d love to see, she’d go down like a house on fire over here.
Yeah, Ola confirmed on Twitter tonight that she won’t be back next year. Interestingly, I found out this week that Natalie chose to do Strictly over DWTS. Would love to see Emma come across though. 🙂
@Mr.A, Anita?
I really really enjoyed the whole show today, Blackpool gives this show a whole new meaning.
Loved seeing how it all got started, I think the dancers all did their best and gave special performances. For me the weakest link was Peter, he just looked so stiff and the Jive was too fast for him. I was disappointed in Helen and Aljaz performance seemed strange, usually they are so good. As for me, my favorites are of course, Gleb and Anita, who did an exceptional dance today,loved Georgia and Giovanni they have been very consistent and fun to watch, beautiful dance. I am really hoping Helen and Aljaz have a better dance next week.
Vogue, your rankings are exactly how I feel. This show really has given me something to look forward to, fun and entertainment done with class and exceptional dancing.
Ok so I saw all of them (never would expect to see them all online so quickly). Ok so my first place is Anita and gleb. That was perfection. My second place has to be Kellie and Kevin but I wouldn’t give it a 10. It was close though. Third would have to be Georgia. She was awesome and that wasn’t something I would give a ten to but if she makes the final I think she would nail it better. Ok so now the ones that I have slight issues with. Fourth has to be Helen. It was a blast but she looked a lot like a robot out there in my opinion and I really liked the end of it though. Fitfth has to be Katie and Anton. The beginning was a bit off in my opinion but they ended strong. Ok so now the ones I hated. Sixth has to be jay. I’m sorry but I just hates this dance. It was the most fun I’ve seen him have so that’s a plus at least. Next has to be jamelia. Like her and Tristan but I think 7s would have sufficed. It was super fun but didn’t make me want to watch it again. That leaves Peter. The song is a perfect jive song but janette dropped the ball on this one. and Peter annoyed me this week too.
If Emma can dance on DWTS, she will. SCD can’t come close to the exposure and salary that DWTS provides.
OK, carrying on towards that very first Mr A 10:
4) Kellie and Kevin (9)- Technically a very accomplished Quickstep. She did the dance well and made it look easy, but there was something missing somehow. Just some kind of wow factor I think. Maybe just because it was the closing dance of Blackpool night, it didn’t have quite the spectacle I wanted.
3) Jay and Aliona (9)- I’m so happy this didn’t suck! But really it went a long way beyond “didn’t suck,” and got all the way to “Really pretty good.” His hips were fantastic, his isolations were good, it was fun, hot and he managed to perform it throughout. A great way to open the show, and should probably have had a 10 or 2.
Blackpool has always been a highlight and this year is no exception – loving the dances all around, and although they were VERY obviously forced with the (unneeded) extra dancers, the pros did wonderfully. Except you, Janette.
– Jay was fantastic and a great opening to the show, and probably my favourite routine of the evening. Great, complicated choreography from Aliona and he handled those lifts marvelously. That said, it’s not perfect. Salsa is all about being loose, and in the past we did get a showcase of fabulous Salsas in which the celebs were all loose and aced the dance (hello Natalie, hello Caroline), but Jay’s upper body is still stiff, almost no different than when he’s doing Ballroom. I am nitpicking, because everybody left is the strongest ones, but Jay still delivered my favourite performance. And judging by the crowd’s insane reaction to him throughout? There’s no way IN HELL this bloke won’t be in the finale, except if the judges want to pull a full Austin Healey on him in the semis.
– If this is indeed her last performance, I’m glad Jamelia delivered this then. I, for one, prefer this to her Charleston. She was confident, she didn’t mess up majorly, and she looked gorgeous as hell. There’s the gapping, of course, and it wasn’t perfect, but it’s my personal high from her and I’d be glad if she’s sent home with this performance. Just not if with Peter’s horrifying routine in the dance-off though.
– Okay, what the fuck? A showstopping routine like this, placed in the death slot? Did the producers not watch this or not? Regardless, it’s a fantastic performance by Anita. The whole thing did seem a bit messy (I was searching which one was Gleb the entire time), and there wasn’t a lot of actual Paso contents, but the whole thing was so dramatic and in character that it’s hard to deny the level of her performance. It might be a little too style over substance, but she killed it. I had no idea a version of “Malaguena” existed with vocals, but to be honest, I prefer Chelsee’s version. Not a 10 though, there’s a lift there, oy.
– I really like Katie and don’t mind her going as far as top 5, but idk, it felt a bit iffy when she (and Anton) received her highest score ever for a dance that was scattered with flubs throughout. The whole thing was airy and lovely, but I kept noticing her either stumbling or was not firm enough, although she handled the lifts really well. I was kinda afraid Anton won’t do any lifts because, hello, people broke rules by putting illegal lifts, so why won’t you do it when it is allowed? Of course, special cases like Alison Hammond is an exception. But thankfully Anton did put a couple of well-performed lifts there. Still not her best dance for me, but she’s holding on rather strong.
– I didn’t get the chance to watch the show on time (yet again), but I saw many people panning the choreo of Peter’s Jive and somehow still blamed him for that. I was like, really? If the choreo’s so bad, don’t hate on him, he just did what Janette thrown at him. So I watched his dance myself, and I realized – sure, Janette’s choreo is just off (her new low since Jake’s Greekentine Tango?), but Peter didn’t even do the basic steps justice. And there was barely any of them, the rest are just pop video nonsense mess thrown together. With really distracting costumes too.
– Georgia’s dance is my prime example of hating the addition of extra dancers. The whole thing was lovely – she improved so much in hold, had little to no stumble and managed to keep her composure throughout. My main beef was that huge dramatic lift, it’s not my cup of coffee, and it took forever to be done. And then her going into that lift reminds me too much of her going ‘what? now I go there?’ on their Samba before. And finally she was separated from Giovanni for too long, and overall it looked a little too “Strictly Pro Dancers feat. Georgia May Foote” to me than an actual celeb routine. Still top three of the week though, I guess.
– Oh Helen, the first half of the routine was so brilliant that I was pumped to see if she’ll snatch 10s this time. Her flapper parts were great, the first lift was sublime and she was very confident. And then there’s the second lift, it was very similar to Nicole’s lift on her Freestyle (the one that she messed up), not to mention it took forever. And then the rest just went downhill, from getting to the stairs late to not being in sync with the other Helens. Shame, because she’s still my pick for the winner, and the first half of this dance was great, but it didn’t hold up til the end. I guess Charleston just didn’t suit her in the end, but at least she tried. And once again Aljaz’s choreography didn’t inspire me.
– Okay, producers, maybe you couldn’t give Georgia another pimp slot so quickly now, but why oh why did this get that instead of Anita’s showstopping Paso? I didn’t hate it – to be honest it’s one of my favourite Kellie performance (maybe second to her Charleston), but it didn’t really ring like that ultimate pimp slot performance to me, especially for Blackpool. Her performance is indeed very nice, close to no gapping, although Kevin broke hold in the middle, not to mention the lift in the end. But it’s still one of her more bearable performances. One thing that I still didn’t get is that why is Kellie bothering me so much on Strictly? I don’t mind her on EastEnders (she’s a rather terrific actress actually), and I liked watching her on interviews or the soap awards. But here, she does nothing but irritate me week after week. I don’t even think Kevin is the reason – Frankie was still as vanilla as she ever was and Susanna was already very flavorful. So idk what to make about her anymore.
Sorry if my comment made me came across as hating the show – I really enjoyed the dancing, I’m just really enjoyed nitpicking the routines as well. About the elimination – my gut tells me the bottom two will be Peter and Jamelia. I don’t think Jamelia should’ve make it past this week, since Peter has been a stronger celeb all series, but if she can recreate that caliber of a performance again in the dance off (and he didn’t improve anything), then I don’t see why she shouldn’t be saved, fifth time or else. I mean, that WAS the very reason Pixie was eliminated, right? The basis should’ve been on the dance-off only, RIGHT? Of course that only applies if both of them are there, since Peter is the only worse showing than Jamelia, but let’s see how things turned out.
Apologies for being a little late to the party today. I loved, loved, loved Blackpool. Except for Peter’s lame effort, I think everyone else came through with very entertaining dances. Even the ones that weren’t 10-worthy were solid and fun to watch.
I thoroughly enjoyed the opening number–a full-blown, cast of thousands, fill the floor routine that really got the audience going. There was so much going on; I can’t wait to watch it several times to see what individual pairs were doing.
Got a kick out of Craig’s entrance on the guitar.
It’s so hard for me to separate my top three because their dances were so completely different — it’s like trying to compare apples, oranges, and bananas.
Georgia/Giovanni: Beautifully romantic, very lyrical, lovely lines, excellent connection to the music and to each other. Glad the fog blew away quickly so you could actually see their gorgeous performance.
Jay/Aliona: Fun and flirty, excellent mix of story-telling, real dancing, fluid hips (hallelujah), and a few high-risk/high-reward tricks. Jay stepped up to the plate with a believable performance that he sustained throughout the routine. I was so pleased and relieved. Wish they hadn’t danced first, but it was the best choice to start the show.
Anita/Gleb: Powerful and passionate. With Paso being the man’s dance, Anita didn’t have as much scope to shine as Jay or Georgia, but she was fierce and held her own amidst all those “torsos”, as Darcey so aptly put it. She delivered the emotional character of the dance perfectly as always, and her hands were magnificent. Loved it! This should have been the last dance of the night.
Katie/Anton: Loved the glamorous Old Hollywood feel of this dance. Watching it just made me smile, relax, and feel good.
Helen/Aljaz: This more stylish Charleston suited Helen. It began very well and Helen was in character nicely and dancing comfortably. Then as it went on, a few little technical hiccups crept in and kind of built up to dampen her performance so it didn’t end as strong as it started. Overall, it was fun and I enjoyed it a lot.
Kellie/Kevin: A cute Quickstep and nice use of the obvious 9-to-5 story line without going overboard. Clean, competent performance–well acted and well danced, but missing the wow-factor. I wouldn’t have closed the night with this routine because it didn’t have the sparkle to be a show-stopper.
Jamelia/Tristan: So happy Jamelia did so well. She looked like she was enjoying this dance and pretty comfortable with it. I loved the way she and Tristan have worked to improve her ballroom technique. There was a lot of good Quickstep in there.
Peter/Janette: This was the only dance I didn’t enjoy. There was almost no Jive content, and what little there was, Peter didn’t do well. I’m guessing Janette deliberately left out any real Jive when she realized Peter wasn’t getting it. She opted for no content and hoped Peter’s “performance” would blind the judges. I’m glad Craig called Peter out (just like he called Jay out). Len and Bruno’s 8s were ridiculous; Jamelia’s Quickstep was much better and also got 8s from these two bozos.
My first Blackpool night and it was great! I loved the men’s costumes (wish Tristan’s tails hadn’t been purple, though).
1. Anita/Gleb. Wow! She looked gorgeous, she was in character, she danced powerfully in her opening solo, and she didn’t get lost amongst all those men. One of the best pasos I’ve ever seen. Could only have been improved with a bit more dancing in hold. She and Gleb created a complete show.
2. Jay/Aliona: He’s finally getting the character and he can do Latin as well as ballroom. He’s such a pleasure to watch. Loved the salsa music.
3. Katin/Anton: This was traditional ballroom bliss–the costumes, the music, the use of the entire ballroom. Katie was light on her feet and even when she went a bit wrong, it didn’t matter because she was exuding so much joy and love of dance.
4. Georgia/Giovanni: Very pretty and well-danced. Was she dressed as Sisi?
The rest were also-rans for me. I found myself looking at Aljaz the whole time during the Charleston with Helen. She may have been technically good, but the costuming and characterization seemed strange to me. Peter’s jive wasn’t very jivey and the whole production was a bit messy. I don’t know why Kellie and Kevin were last in the running order–she’s a good dancer but the number wasn’t a showstopper–I think the costume department hasn’t been doing well by her and the song wasn’t good enough for a great quickstep.
You all rock. Thanks so much.
Lenka, it was my first Blackpool night too. Wow, just impressive and everything and then some everyone told us about it.
Cids and others, I couldn’t agree more how Gleb and Anita’s paso should have been last.
Did anyone else see the results this week? Peter’s number may be up….or they will over score him next time due to some agenda….hoping he goes next. Anyways, jamelia didn’t seem surprised. The video I saw was grainy (filmed on an iPhone lol) but she seemed ok with it. Just glad Tristan made it this far…hopefully this trend continues and he gets that mirror ball next go around (fingers crossed 🙂 ).
From what I’ve seen Twitter are pretty angry about tonight’s result and the judges’ decision. Still, I’m happy that Tristan got to show what he was capable of and that Jamelia went out on a high.
*WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS AND BITCHINESS*
They say if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything. For that reason I won’t comment on that results show.
If we’re done pretending that’ll ever happen, I’ll say that after a great series and in particular an amazing show last night, tonight’s show was atrocious. There was almost nothing to like, even in the pro and guest dances. The opening number was OK, but the featured couple (Joanne and I can’t remember who else) seemed really off and I’m tired of seeing the celebs as window dressing, besides which putting all the girls in pink and the boys in black just emphasized the difference in numbers between the two. Anastasia did fine, but I’m really confused why she came and sang a 10-year-old-plus song, and to be honest I didn’t like the dancers with it. The Take That number was a complete trainwreck, and honestly I didn’t even bother to sit and watch the whole thing. The song is weird and the theme is incomprehensible. Are the 90s back already? I’m not OK with that. But lets face it, the biggest issue was with the dance-off. Everything about that was ridiculous. The camera work in Peter’s dance was a complete joke. Who films a Jive from ABOVE? I can only think that they were trying to hide how clearly he’d lost the dance-off, in which case they failed because it was clear to me that Jamelia made minor improvements to her dance (not enough to get the 9 but still a solid 8 with less gapping) while Peter was just as flat, laboured and heavy as ever. I’m not that bothered that Peter survived, he’s a stronger overall dancer and it was Jamelia’s fifth dance-off, but did Darcey really say she was saving him for “improvement in the dance off?” Did this improvement happen while the camera was pointed nowhere near him? I struggle with this, especially when Len admitted he would have had to save Jamelia. That’s my problem with Darcey as a judge, she shows no consistency.
I haven’t watched the whole show yet, but, I just heard about Tristan and Jamelia. How sad. I thought their dance was much better than Peter and Jeanette’s! But, man, what class acts for the way they handled it all and since the beginning especially when they were zapped into so many dance offs.
I wonder if this is going to affect Peter vote wise. Just based on what I’ve read there are some angry angry fans.
Well his vote can’t get much worse vin lol
Bullshit. First of all, what is the basis to save a contestant in a dance off, really? To save the stronger dancer overall? Pixie should’ve been saved then. To save the better performer in the DO? Peter should’ve been gone then. They might just call that “now, judges, who is your FAVOURITE dancer out of these two?”
And really, Darcey, “improving” you said? I see NO difference in Peter’s so-called Jive and his Cha-cha years ago. Jamelia, however, had crystal clear improvements from her Waltz. The faces of the three judges when they saved Peter said it all. And no, don’t bring any of those “But Jamelia has been in the dance-off five times!” – yeah but she also won every single one of them fair and square, and this time she won it again – no reason at all not to save her. Unless, you know, the producers whispered things on you and this time it shouldn’t be about the one who did better in the dance-off. And I’m not even Jamelia’s biggest supporter here. Sigh.
It actually reminded my of the Lisa vs Austin dance-off in the semifinals of series 6. Was Austin the stronger dancer overall? Absolutely, he was magnificent in both Latin and Ballroom. But did he dance better than Lisa on their dance-off? Nope, sadly. And that was Lisa’s third dance-off to Austin’s first. #AUSTINWUZZROBBED simply because he shouldn’t be there in the first place (hello Tom), but he didn’t win their ultimate battle either. Same thing with Pixie vs Simon, the former might have been the best dancer of the series, but she arguably didn’t win their battle either. So what make them (Darcey and Bruno in particular) changed it up now? Really, these kinds of inconsistencies are the ones that drove me up the wall.
I sense this will bite them back in the rear end later. Rant over.
Mr A, couldn’t agree more. There was precious little to like in this week’s results show. After such an enjoyable performance show, that was doubly disappointing. Oh well.
As always, I expected Jamelia would be in the dance-off again and figured this was the end of her Strictly journey. I’m sure both she and Tristan knew they were done too. Anyone with any brains would know Peter should have been eliminated for that sub-par, non-Jive but would also know it wasn’t going to happen.
Darcey sounded like a fool trying to justify her decision. At least Craig and Bruno had the sense to announce their choice and shut up. Darcey, dear, if you must explain yourself, pick something legitimate like “overall, Peter has been consistently better” (it’s an excuse that’s been used before and would at least have some basis in reality).
In some ways, it’s good for Jamelia that it happened this way. She clearly out-danced Peter this week, and it sounds like she’s already getting the benefit of some positive reaction for it in social media. Interestingly, I read on the DS forum spoiler thread that Peter’s DO didn’t get a standing ovation so during re-taping they had the audience stand up.
Anyway, Jamelia should be very proud of what she accomplished. After a rocky start, she stiffened her resolve, got down to business and got better and better both in Latin and ballroom.
I think Tristan also showed what he’s made of. OK, he’s not a madly creative choreographer, but he brings a lot of other strengths to the job. It was great to see him stay in all the way through Blackpool!
+1 all of you on everything. I mean…why have a dance off if they aren’t going to judge it right and send the weaker dancer home from this week.
Cids, well said on Tristan and Jamela.
Very true M8 lol. I’m sorta hoping for some booing in the ballroom for him to be honest. I’m not buying the persona he is trying to give on the show one bit. Him and Carlos are eerily similair when it comes to the fakeness.
So true on Carlos and Peter, Vin!
Absolutely! I didn’t want to bring Pixie vs Simon up again this year, but it was definitely in my head so I’m really glad you guys did. Craig and Bruno in both cases saved the stronger dancer with more potential later, which is fine. Len in both cases (and a dance-off the year before in which “joke contestant” Dave Myers was up against someone who clearly messed up the dance when it counted) said “Sod that!” and voted on what he saw, which is arguably the whole point. Darcey sent home the best dancer of the series in one case and the one who nailed the dance-off in the other. It makes no sense. Maybe she bowed to the public pressure after the Pixie outcry and the hate she got for that, but Len, who has the key vote, didn’t and if that’s it she shouldn’t be there because she has no integrity. But again, no later than week 3, I said that Darcey always has certain prejudices. I don’t know which is stronger: her apparent blindness to the faults of the guy she seems to find attractive (Louis, Patrick, Simon and now Peter) or how threatened she seems to feel by younger, good looking, talented girls (Dani Harmer and Pixie being the worst but there are loads of examples of which Jamelia might well be one.) I could have made my peace with the death of Pixie last year if the judges had followed through on the precedent which that set last night, which the men all did, but now I’m madder than ever on behalf of both eliminated ladies. Despite the fact that the 10 Anita sorely deserved came from Darcey, I’m concerned that that’s where her critical eye will fall next. I’m sorry, but for many reasons I want Darcey gone. I wasn’t convinced by her at the start of the series and now I’m full-on pissed. I know the public would go nuts that the one female judge had been replaced three times (although Alesha left due to a better offer from ITV) but that’s a problem they created when they fired Arlene as far as I’m concerned. Get Karen Hardy on there. She’s mildly irritating to say the least, but she’s hugely experienced in the RIGHT style of dance, and has her own very valid opinions on It Takes Two.
It was a horrible way to go, which I suppose fits with Jamelia and Tristan’s undeservedly bumpy ride on the show, but it may well have earned her a lot of fans or at least sympathisers. They went at about the right time and as I’ve been saying all week they should both be very proud.
Note to Helen: You got two 9s. It wasn’t a great score in the context of the night, but really not a bad score and certainly not worth being that hysterical over unless she was scared of going home, which is a legitimate concern except that neither Peter or Jamelia could ever have hoped to beat her in this week’s dance-off, and even Katie (unlikely as that scenario is) would have struggled.
Still, there’s nothing that can be done about it except to support Jamelia and Tristan. I think I’m just going to move on and try to enjoy the rest of the series. Next week should be interesting: Fred Basset Astaire (Anton) has his first ever Argentine, Jay has Ballroom Tango, Helen has Viennese Waltz and Anita has Rumba. Tentatively predicting Paso for Georgia, although I’d like her to have Cha-Cha soon, and there’s the “Quickstep-a-thon,” which sounds like potential carnage. As for the rest, Tuesday afternoon/evening as always. Sounds like an exciting week!
I should have the songs and dances up in about half an hour, but I never did get to my top 2 from Saturday. Time to disappoint some people:
2) Anita and Gleb (9)- A truly fantastic Paso Doble. Her finishing was exquisite, and as always she brought a very dramatic performance. Truly, a smidge more extremity in the shaping would have been all she needed to be perfect in my eyes. That, and a bit more Paso content in the choreography was all it needed. Painfully close to a 10 but just not quite.
1) Georgia and Giovanni (10!)- Put simply, it made me feel things. I must admit, she made a mistake or two (as did the male backing dancers when they were lifting her) but she has truly, truly come into her own and this routine was magical! I’ll admit that I lost a lot of bitch points by giving a 10 to a routine which wasn’t step-perfect but I don’t care. The girl is special, the performance was beautiful and the quality of movement was phenomenal. Maybe 9’s a fairer score but still my favourite routine from Blackpool this year and one of my favourites ever. Having run the gamut of Tango, Samba, Charleston and American Smooth (about as wide a range as there is I’d say) over the last 4 weeks and nailed them all, she looks unstoppable, at least in dancing, and she’s a sweet likeable genuine girl. My pick to win at this point.
Anita and Gleb are dancing the Rumba to ‘Read All About It’ by Emelie Sande.
Georgia and Giovanni will perform the Paso Doble to Europe’s epic soft rock anthem ‘The Final Countdown’.
Helen and Aljaž perform the Viennese Waltz to the beautiful ‘At Last’ by Etta James.
Jay and Aliona are performing the Tango to the Prince classic ‘When Doves Cry’.
Katie and Anton will dance the Argentine Tango to Ástor Piazzolla’s ‘Libertango’.
Kellie and Kevin will Salsa to the poptastic ‘I Want You Back’ by The Jackon 5.
And Peter and Janette are going to dance the American Smooth to the soulful ‘Sweetest Feeling’ by the great Jackie Wilson
I think this is going to be a great week. Anita and Gleb’s song is beautiful, and I can’t wait to see them Rumba. Georgia and Giovanni’s song is a little tacky but I’m very excited by it nonetheless. Helen and Aljaz have a gorgeous song, a perfect dance and I can almost smell the 10s. Jay and Aliona’s song is also excellent, so should be good. Katie and Anton have THE classic Argentine song, and the one which my favourite ever Argentine on the show was danced to (by Dani Harmer in 2012.) Their Tango was excellent, but can either of them really do the down-and-dirty sexiness that characterises the difference between the two. I have my doubts.
Kellie and Kevin are pretty much the usual. No problems but no real surprises. Could be in trouble
Peter and Janette could be in major trouble. He’s still not great at ballroom, and in this case that song will be cheesy rather than sweet (which is perhaps fitting.) I’m shocked he doesn’t have either Samba or Salsa. Are they really leaving one of them off or is he doing them in consecutive weeks? This would have been the time for him to get a dance he’s going to excel in and I doubt AS is it. That said, if the judges want him to stay, they’ve made it happen before (with Viennese Waltz, which I thought was majorly overscored.) I don’t hate the guy like I thought I might, and his candor on It Takes Two tonight was nice, but this week will be a tough one.
What’s slightly unusual to me is that almost half of this week’s songs were used in series 6, 2 of them by the same person. Runner-up and possible deserving winner Rachel Stevens did her Paso to Final Countdown and Argentine to When Doves Cry, while 4th-place finisher and other possible deserving winner Austin Healy did a Tango to Libertango. While songs are reused all the time, it seems a little odd to me to have so many from a common source.
Awesome. Thanks! I can’t wait!!
Mr A. Thanks for the who’s dancing what post. I think we’re set up for a pretty good night unless the couples and/or the judges are suffering from post-Blackpool blahs.
Anita and Gleb: Can’t wait for this Rumba. I hope Gleb was paying attention during Len’s tirade over Giovanni’s lack of content in Georgia’s Rumba and doesn’t make the same mistake. We know Gleb and Anita can bring plenty of emotion to the floor, but if they also bring content (and Anita can get the technique), they have a chance of pleasing Len as well as the more lusty members of the panel.
Georgia and Giovanni: This will be interesting even though the song is a bit over-the-top. Georgia has really come into her own both as a dancer and performer, but I think Paso is tricky to pull off. I don’t see Georgia being able to bring the same arrogance and maturity to this dance that Anita did. So a lot depends on how well Giovanni has knows his girl.
Helen and Aljaž: I’m expecting a stunning Viennese Waltz from these two and I love this song! Dare I hope Aljaz will manage to keep gapping to a minimum (not that it seems to matter when he and his celeb do it)? In any case, it’s bound to be lovely to watch.
Jay and Aliona: Hope Jay can figure out how to make his Tango face look different from his “I’m really concentrating” face. If not, he’s going to be back in the suds with Craig. I like the song choice and Jay’s “on”, it’ll be a technical tour de force.
Katie and Anton: Seems a pity to waste such a good song on these two. As much as I enjoy Katie and Anton as a partnership, I can’t see an AT from them being anything more than adequate. Hope they prove me wrong.
Kellie and Kevin: Salsa should be an easy sell for these two. I’m expecting it to be fun.
Peter and Janette: My least favorite couple, by miles, but I think we’re stuck with them. I hope they manage a somewhat smooth American Smooth with little-to-no pop overtones so I can enjoy the performance and don’t feel too disgusted when the judges gush and overmark them.
Woohoo, thanks for the dance post! But lol, did you forget last week they used not only two songs from the same series, but also from the same celeb? Chelsee must be happy since none of the routines performed last night could touch hers. Well, maybe Anita.
Now let’s see:
– Wow, can’t wait for a Gleb Rumba! And of course Anita too, lol. The song brings back of Maksyl’s ContempoRumba nonsense, and none of the Rumbas this season has been anything good bar Katie (Georgia’s set of poses, Helen trying her damnest not to move her hips, Peter’s Rumba photoshoot to “Vogue” and Carol… happened), so hopefully they’d ace this one. One thing, is anyone else hoping some sort of Kellie Pickler-esque victory on Anita? Both are not trained dancers, gradually improved throughout the season and got more and more support each week, and let’s face it Jay is definitely lock on top 2, Zendaya-style. I’d love for that to happen lol.
– Agree with you Cids, the song is so over the top, and this is the second time a Paso song from series 6 is reused (Austin/Carol). For the great dancer she is, Rachel’s Paso was disappointing, so not exactly looking forward to this (I know that doesn’t make sense lol). Hopefully Giovanni knows what he’s doing, since their momentum is still really high now.
– Cids, Abbey’s VW is the only Aljaz Ballroom I could recall of not having any sort of gapping I could remember, so there’s hope for Helen! And once again reusing a song, this time to Denise’s beautiful but overdone VW in series 10. Just like A I’m smelling 10s, but then again I hoped that for Helen almost every week now. Guess we’ll just have to see.
– WAIT A SECOND, THIS IS RACHEL STEVENS’ ARGENTINE TANGO SONG, WHICH IS STILL THE BEST EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER ARGENTINE TANGO EVER PERFORMED ON STRICTLY HOW DARE HE USE THIS SONG ETC ETC ETC. Ahem, sorry for that. Oh, and this was Kimberley’s Tango song too, and both are my favourite dances from their particular series. Good luck living up to that, Jay.
– Finally an Anton Argentine Tango? Not sure what to make out of that. My gut tells me Katie would get the lowest score, but I think her supporter is still rather high (especially after getting their highest score ever last week), so I’d say she’ll be in the top 6, despite this. Can’t say I’m not looking forward for it, though!
– No more hip-hop nonsense, Kevin, and you’re already my least favourite pro ever on this show.
– Cids I’m hoping the same too, since Jake’s abomination of a Smooth last year makes me not hoping much with Janette. Agree too, after the outrage last week the judges might act in awe to them, maybe even throw the first 40 of the season. I’m not against Peter getting it (even if he’s nowhere near my favourite), but please at least made some part of him deserves it.
Not looking forward at all to the Quickstepathon. Seriously, even the name makes me cringe.
LOL, Daniel, love your comments. I’m beginning to think we need to establish our own DS “Realistic Strictly” appreciation thread. The main DS forum is full of the jaded, cynical types who get pleasure from never being satisfied with anything, and the team appreciation threads are filled with those who’ve drunk the same kool-aid and do nothing but worship at the shrine their chosen couple, and rail against any criticism of said couple (real or imagined). I prefer to tread the middle ground of reason with occasional dips into both the cynical and the pollyanna side.
I would love to see Anita and Gleb win. However, I’m also a Jay and Aliona fan. So I don’t see Jay as Zendaya to Anita’s Kellie. I love the purity of Jay’s dancing (even with the occasional hiccup). It appeals to my technical side the way Anita (and Bindi’s) emotional connection to the dance appeals to my performance side. So if Jay can step up and project the emotional side of his performance (which I believe he does feel), I would be as happy to see him and Aliona take the Glitterball.
Thanks for reminding me of Abbey’s VW. I’ll have to rewatch it and get a refresh. I enjoy Aljaz and like Helen so I want them to do well; but this gapping thing with Aljaz just kind of bugs me.
GRRRR, DON’T UNDERESTIMATE JAY! (I know; I’m sounding like a besotted, DS appreciation thread cougar that I–by age–qualify for). On a more reasoned note, if anyone can do justice to the song and previous incarnations of the dance, it should be Jay. I wasn’t watching (sadly) in Rachel’s series. So I need to YouTube it and (hopefully) have a look.
For me the problem with Katie and the AT is Anton (bless the “King of Ballroom”). Put Katie with another pro, and I think *she* could give us some genuine Argentine Tango (the woman has legs to die for and some sensuality). Throw ol’ Anton’s dodgy choreography into the mix, and suddenly, I’m having doubts and reaching for the liquor.
I was in Craig’s boat on Saturday regarding the hip-hop samba, and ended up agreeing with him (god help me) even though I also agree with Len that 2 of the things I loathe most are crying babies and hip-hop!
So true on the Quickstep-a-thon. How are they going to pull that off? Other “thons” can be done with each couple in a small spotlight. Quickstep travels. Will they all have to start off clockwise, then go anti-clockwise? Guess we’ll find out. 🙂 Oh well, bring it on!
You took the words out of my mouth exactly, Cids. DS is informative enough (usually the reason I kept lurking back there) at times, but my God most people there are just so cynical and blinded by their own favoritism (they CAN’T be the ones who are wrong, right?). You’ll even see some posters that are tirelessly replying on every single other member who posted something against their fave (looking at you, Nicky G). Heck, I remember someone said Anita may not have any prior dance training but she’s Indian so she’s a ringer by default. Total LMAO at that.
Hey, I fancy me some Jay too 😉 I was just using him as an example, since I thought everyone else has been dance-trained in one form or another bar Anita, like Zendaya was to Kellie, so a final two of Anita and one of them with Anita winning (likely because of a groundbreaking Showdance – one can hope!) will be a reminiscent of Kellie for me.
Agree about Aljaz and Helen. I mean, if his Ballroom with Alison Hammond could have gappings on them, then I’m not holding my breath for someone like Helen.
Prior to series 8 I didn’t really pay proper attention to Strictly (except from the Sargegate point and the following weeks where it got really interesting), and I must admit Rachel’s Argentine Tango needed time to grow on me – but now I’m sold. Truly the best AT Strictly ever produced. Of course I’ve had my doubts when Kimberley did the Tango to that song, and while her first effort was just passable, she completely murdered the routine in the finale. Now, it’s up to Jay to live up to that for me. By the way, wanna share when did you first watched Strictly?
I’m one of the few who don’t think that Anton is the best Ballroom choreographer on the show, let alone the King of Ballroom. Heck, Brendan specialized on Latin and his Ballroom are always some of the finest. Not to mention the likes of Natalie, Lilia and Ian. Even Erin managed to eke out rather nice Ballroom on the duffers she’s had.
That’s my main beef with the Quickstepathon too. Swing? Fine, they can do that on small spaces. Waltz? It’s bloody slow. Quickstep, though? If I’m ever getting excited to see this it would be to see if anyone got elbowed in the face lol.
The results have turned out to be quite controversial and the dance-off has been on the front page of several national newspapers in the UK. Len had to go on the spin-off show It Takes Two to explain the judges’ decisions to save Peter over Jamelia and the BBC had to release a statement plus as the unedited footage from the results show (as it was said that Peter’s standing ovation was re-recorded). I think it’s a bit of a shame that the controversy is overshadowing the show itself but at least it’s being addressed.
(p.s. naturally, I can’t wait for Anita and Gleb’s Rumba! They look great in training)