Strictly Come Dancing Week 7 With Gleb Savchenko, Tristan MacManus, & More: Teasers, Flashbacks, Videos, Review Show
It’s Strictly Come Dancing time! It’s hard to believe we are in Week 7. Time flies when you are having fun. This week Gleb Savchenko and Anita Rani are dancing a Jive to ‘The Boy Does Nothing’ by former Strictly winner Alesha Dixon and they are dancing 7th!! Gleb hashtags #GlebSpecial” and “FlyingTeaBag”. I wonder what we’re in store for? The last time he did a Jive on DWTSRussia (with Adelina Sotnikova), he jumped off of a telephone booth. Remember this? #WayHot and #SoCool
Tristan Macmanus and Jamelia are dancing a Viennese Waltz to ‘Trouble’ by Ray LaMontagne. The last time Tristan did a Viennese Waltz was with Rachel Stevens on a Strictly Christmas Special last year. They were Tinkerbell and Peter Pan to ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’ by the Eagles. Is this not magical?
For more dance information on the other couples, see the official Strictly Come Dancing site. 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! Don’t forget Blackpool Week is confirmed for Week 9, so, we want to make sure our favorite couples get there. THANKS EVERYONE!! You’ve made this season of both versions of Dancing With The Stars a blast!
Here are the times and some Live Streams (works the best with a PC).
Week 7 Show 1 (90 Minutes)
Saturday Nov. 7th
6:30 GMT, 1:30 ET, 12:30 CT, 11:30 MT, 10:30 PT
Week 7 Elimination Show (45 Minutes)
Sunday Nov. 8th
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. In the meantime, see Andrea’s You Tube Channel to watch the “It Takes Two” episodes this week if you missed them. Also, here is a teaser for the Pro Number coming up on Sunday. Man, what I’d give to see Neil Jones choreograph our Pro Numbers in the States and what a nice guy too. He loves the fans.:
ETA: Tristan and Jamelia. What a beautiful dance. I loved their glides. Tristan had her dancing on air. Her footwork so precise. The only thing missing was her beautiful smile which would have sealed the dance with a kiss.
As for Gleb and Anita ….omg, they can clean for me anytime. They were fast and furious out there. I loved all the clever tricks and choreo. They were just show stopping. Their best dance yet. It was a “10” dance for me and a #GlebSpecial for sure.
ETA2: Scores:
Peter & Janette 38 (9,10,10,9)
Jamelia & Tristan 28 (7,7,7,7)
Carol & Pasha 17 (3,5,5,4)
Helen & Aljaž 31 (8,8,7,8)
Jay & Aliona 34 (8,9,8,9)
Katie & Anton 26 (6,7,7,6)
Anita & Gleb 34 (8,8,9,9)
Kellie & Kevin 32 (8,8,8,8)
Jeremy & Karen 21 (4,6,6,5)
Georgia & Giovanni 35 (8,9,9,9)
What a night! Let us know what you think in comments. Also, who will be in the dance off? See you there with more of my comments and rankings!! Special thanks to Andrea for being so quick with videos!! Be watching her You Tube Channel for more and more through out the week too (she gets the ITT shows up as soon as she can). The SCD Official You Tube will be posting all of the dances soon. Claire will also be posting her breathtaking HD screencaps soon here.
ETA3: Wow. such beautiful HQ Photos of the cast dancing yesterday. Be sure to see them at Entertainment Focus. Claire is starting to bring on her screencaps too. Beautiful!!
ETA4: What did you think of the results show? I was so relieved and happy when Tristan and Jamelia were called safe…and weren’t they troopers for just smiling through it all. Though I was just in shock again when Jeremy made it. He must have an army of fans voting for him. Anyway, I think the right one (Carol) went home. Kellie danced even more beautiful tonight than last night.
And wow, I’m freaking out at another awesome show stopping opening pro number by Neil Jones. What a perfect dance for the Veterans. Seal’s performance with Giovanni and Janette(is that her name?) dancing was excellent too. You can watch them below. Brilliant!!! THANKS ANDREA!
Great night and a another great week of dancing. Here’s to next week! Thanks, Everyone! We look forward to your thoughts in comments.
Can’t believe we’re already halfway the show already! So many mixed emotions. Now that Blackpool will be on week 9, hopefully Carol and Jeremy will be eliminated back-to-back and the Blackpool cast will be lit!
Lol @ me wishing Helen to get something slow, and she ended up with a Rumba indeed. Katie doesn’t look too promising on Quickstep for some reason. Let’s see if they’re going to put Peter on the very last spot again this time, and maybe throw three 10s to him already (hey, it happened in the past). I hate that they are pushing Harry Judd so much on Jay that he also got Argentine Tango already in week 7, but if that means he’ll win over Peter, then I’m content. Can’t wait to see the rest as well.
Won’t have the time to watch the show on time, sadly. I’ll try not to be drunk by the time I post my comment lol.
Hey, middle of the show! Anita’s positions are getting better. :p I think they’re overdue a 9, and Gleb’s choreography looks insane again so it could happen. I feel like they’re trying their absolute hardest to wring 10s out of this week, with Peter and Helen having what I expect to be “their” dances to great songs, particularly Helen; and Jay busting out the Argentine Tango, which he might struggle with but should do well at. Jamelia’s Viennese Waltz looks surprisingly good, but are there enough judges’ positions left for a great dance to keep her safe? I have my doubts. I really think, though, that Carol goes this week and Jeremy next, with Katie an off-chance if she has Latin next week.
You both are getting me so excited. Not long until the show now. Daniel, drink up! lol
Not a bad dance in the bunch overall since they all were a lot of fun. Saying that I think carol and Jeremy in the dance off. Sidenote, can I just say that I think the costumes this week were great but I feel like Karen needs to up her game in that department. also not sure why Peter got 10s.
@vin I agree about Karen and the same can be said about her hubby Kevin. Love the guy but wow did he dress Kellie (and himself) quite horribly tonight.
I would have enjoyed more tonight if my phone’s internet connection wouldn’t have been such a pain in the butt making me miss 3 or so dances (Anita’s Jive being one of them! … sad face).
The dances that I did see were great. My favorite of the night was Georgia. Wow! Second week in a row she has my favorite dance. I think she had a small boo-boo in the middle but the overall dance was FANTASTIC. I’m a fan. I’m sure I’m gonna love Anita’s dance when I see it.
Was quite underwhelmed with Helen and Jay, to be honest. Helen had a non-existent hip action and Jay lacked so much passion for his Argentine Tango.. I was expecting a lot more from both of them.
As entertaining as Jeremy’s dance was, I’m ready to say goodbye to him.. I’d hate to lose better dancers before we lose Jeremy. Same goes for Carol.
Jamelia definitely improved in her ballroom but I’m still thinking she might end up in the Dance Off for a 4th time.. If she’s up against anyone other than Jeremy, Carol or MAYBE Katie.. she’s toast.
Vin, I loved the costumes as well. Every week they blow me away somehow. And I agree….Carol and Jeremy in the dance off for me too. It’s time for either to go.
Ok, here are my rankings:
1. TIE: Gleb and Anita (show stopping clever tricks and chore), Peter and Janette (flawless, loved the mirrored moves), Georgia and Giavianni (romantic and loved the bounces and footwork)
2. Helen and Aljaz (something about her legs looked odd, but still just beautiful)
3. Jay and Aliola (just needed more facial expression)
4. Kelly and Kevin
5. Tristan and Jamelia
6. Katie and Anton
7. Jeremy and Karen
8. Carol and Pasha
@ccny: I actually didn’t mind the costumes for Kellie and Kevin this week. As much as I hate to say it his suit game is pretty awesome but his costumes on the show leave much to be desired most of the time.
@vogue: my rankings aren’t too far off from yours. (Apologies if this doesn’t go in list form but I’m using my phone and haven’t quite mastered it yet when it comes to lists). 1)Georgia and Giovanni 2)Anita and gleb 3)Peter and janette 4)Kellie and Kevin 5)Katie and Anton 6)jamelia and Tristan 7)Jeremy and Karen 8) carol and pasha (anyone else feel like pasha needs have more energy this season?)
So many great performances tonight!
Georgia and Giovanni were amazing. I loved the choreography and the simplicity of it–really made it stand out as a samba. She’s become a contender, hasn’t she?
Jay/Aliona’s AT was beautiful–the music, the set, the choreography. It was Aliona’s dance, though; I agreed with Craig that Jay could’ve been given more to do. Anita did great with the jive, as expected. The whole routine was wonderful and I’m glad she finally got a better running order and scores. I’m afraid that Gleb might’ve been showboating a bit. Peter/Janette were fun and sharp. He deserved the high scores.
I enjoyed Jamelia and Tristan’s VW. Her upper half did seem a bit stiff, but it’s so nice seeing these lovely, traditional dances just sail all around the dance floor.
Helen and Aljaz were quite disappointing. That song is perfect for a rumba, but they didn’t do much with it. I thought she seemed very stiff and both weren’t very connected. Kellie and Kevin’s waltz was lovely and well danced but didn’t really connect with me–maybe their chemistry doesn’t suit a waltz? Or was it the unappealing costumes?
I wanted to love Katie and Anton, but what a mess. And I’m now over Jeremy. That was indeed a glorious disaster.
Oh what a night. Many great performances. My ranking:
Gleb and Anita for a fast paced, energetic jive. Best dance so far
Giovanni and Georgia, not my fav couple but that Samba was goood
Aljaz and Helen, beautiful Rumba. Her feet looked strange at times, at the sceond view I thought her heels were too high – I don’t know. But still beautiful
Jay and Aliola for their AT
Kelly and Kevin for a wonderfully choreographed VW.
Tristan and Jamelia. She finally got better at Ballroom but there is still way to go
Katie and Anton, okayish
Pasha and Carol, rather bad but not as bad as Jeremy
Jeremy and Karen, that whole thing threw me way off and could nor even be saved by Jeremy’s charming personality
Great reviews and rankings, Everyone. Thanks so much!! Gawd, this show was on fire. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
Andrea, I couldn’t figure out what it was, but, I think you just nailed it about Helen’s shoes being too high.
Vin this is my first season watching Pasha. I like him, but, yeah, he doesn’t seem that into it. Having Carol might be hard on him.
The male pro I’m really starting to like is Aljaz!!!
@vin & Vogue… I’m guessing Pasha is just kinda bummed that he got a bad partner after getting an amazing partner last season and going on to win the show. And really, this is Pasha’s worst partner soo yeah.. poor guy 😛
Notice Tristan didn’t wear a poppy. I respect him for standing up to his beliefs and his home but that’s not going to endear him to viewers one bit. I see the social media fury has already begun.
I strongly dislike the AT choreo in these shows (dwts and scd). Looks so… ballroom-y, which, I suppose is to be expected from ballroom dancers, but it looks nothing like the REAL tango to me… It lacks the essence of the real tango. And AT is my favorite style of dance, next to hip hop and contemp. When it comes to ATs, I prefer to watch the numbers on SYTYCD, but it was still a beautiful dance by Jay and Aliona. I like him a lot, but after today’s dances, Anita has just become my favorite. She’s doing amazing & Im so happy for Gleb to have the opportunity to show all he can do, first in Russia and now in the UK.
I missed Helen and aliajs dance. Was it good or can I skip it?
For me it was easily the best night of dancing of the series so far. I’d only given 3 9s all series and I suddenly managed to find 4 tonight.
1) Anita and Gleb (9)- Such a jam-packed routine, executed pretty perfectly. Fantastic legs, just a little more work in the feet and it would have been perfect.
= Georgia and Giovanni (9)- Well someone decided she’s here to compete! I’m glad she managed to keep the momentum of last week going into one of the best Sambas I have seen on the show. Giovanni has clearly pushed her hard to get this out of her, and I loved what he did with the choreography, especially the sudden change of speed. It’s definitely the fastest Samba I can remember and an admirable attempt to keep up the level of technique through all that. I picked up just a few little mistakes which cost her that last point but an amazing job
3) Jay and Aliona (9) I do like a dead-eyed Argentine Tango. All jokes aside, I actually thought he did a pretty good job in characterisation. Was it as strong as Peter’s? Of course not, but there’s really only so far that argument goes, when it’s Charleston vs Tango. So I had no issue with his face, or anything he did really. My issue is Aliona’s choreography. Why give herself so much dancing and him so little? Baffling. He did a great job with what he had but for once I agree with Len. Throw in a few more basic steps for him to do and the whole thing really shines. That’s all it takes. Other than that, very strong.
= Peter and Janette- (9) I have no major objections to him topping the leaderboard this week. It was a great dance and easily his best, but personally I wanted more. Janette’s choreography is amazing, but there were just a few places that weren’t quite as sharp as I think they ought to have been, and I wanted more pizzazz if that makes sense. Maybe it’s because I don’t personally like him, but for me, especially in comparison to the more technically challenging (in my eyes) Jive and Samba it wasn’t quite number 1, especially by 3 and 4 points.
Vogue, I really like Aljaz too. Before for shallow reasons, but after this show for more solid reasons. He dealt with Len’s critique of the rumba so well–with good humor, understanding, and no trace of anger or bitterness. It made me wonder whether the DWTS producers ever have (or why they haven’t) tried to entice him across the pond.
Since I’ll get to Carol literally last, because even Jeremy danced better than her last night, I’ll add my two cents to the Pasha discussion now. In four previous series, Pasha’s taken home a win, two 2nds and a girlfriend he’s still with now. It takes some adjusting to, and while I think Pasha really likes Carol, his inclination to always want perfection for both him and his partner is leaving him creatively spent. They dumped another crappy song on them last night and it’s taking its toll. Still, Pasha has done a good job this series and if he goes tonight he should be proud.
Vin yeah…try and watch Helen as she had her moments even though it wasn’t her best. And she looked so pretty.
Mr A, it was the best show this season for me so far too. Couldn’t agree more with everything you wrote.
Lenka, so true about Aljaz. What a class act. Andrea and I were marveling over him in dms yesterday while she was getting the videos ready, etc. I am just loving him and now I want to go back and check out more with his other partners for what you all write. I agree too how he’d be a good one for our version. I like Giovanni and Pasha too. But, if I had to choose my fave from the three, it would be Aljaz.
As for the results. I just hope Jamelia and T aren’t in the dance off again. It would be so unfair. I hope it’s Carol and Jeremy with Jeremy winning and going on to next week.
M8, why didn’t T wear the poppy? Can you explain?
Adding: CC NY, I bet you are right about Pasha and why he’s not as into it.
Carrying on my rankings. From here down I’ll be agreeing completely with the judges’ rankings, I think they got the bottom half about right, so….
5) Kellie and Kevin (8) The tipping of the soap star scales is complete. This week, with Georgia majorly up, Kellie’s star continues to fade. It was mostly a lovely Waltz, although I agree with whoever said their costumes were hideous. Still, the only thing I really remember about it less than 24 hours later is that something seemed to go terribly wrong at the end. If Jamelia can avoid the bottom 2 this week, which I hope she can, I would not be surprised to see them end up in the dance-off. It could even be Kellie-Jamelia, which would be a terrible injustice.
6) Helen and Eyelash- (8) I’m sorry because I know people like her but this was a crushing disappointment to me. Apart from slightly funny legs it was good on a technical level but it was so BORING. Maybe the grey costumes coloured my opinion (which, by the way, why? Why is she so deathly afraid of colour? I think she wore an icy blue once, and apart from that it’s been nudes, beiges, creams, off-whites and now grey every week) but it came off very bland and passionless. It left me completely cold. For me Sophie Ellis-Bextor managed to do this kind of character in a way which was interesting and captivating, like a siren, but Helen was just dead to me. The funny thing is, I think the scores were about right, but the comments had nothing to do with the scores. More content? Maybe a little, but is that really the big issue? I don’t think so. I have a theory about that, but it’s a weird one which could be completely wrong so I’m going to leave it for now. I think this should absolutely have been her Blackpool dance. Give me the big floor, the big excited crowd and yards on yards of flowing fabric with this and it could do something really beautiful. With none of those things it’s down to her to create the atmosphere and she didn’t manage it.
7) Jamelia and Tristan (7) This started out really beautifully. A gorgeous Waltz and a more interesting one than Kellie’s. Unfortunately, where Kellie’s went a little wrong at the end, Jamelia’s went terribly, terribly wrong because of that damn guitar and I’m inclined to blame Tristan for that. He choreographed the routine, was responsible for where the offending guitar was, and knowing how much he talks while dancing I’m surprised he didn’t bring up that she was about to step on it. It’s a shame, because I still think it was a good routine, but possibly not the great routine she needed.
8) Katie and Anton (7) Ugh! Am I done? OK, fine! There is no standard of Quickstep which would stop me from bringing up the fact that Anton is the worst Latin choreographer on the show. I briefly wondered if the fault was that he didn’t know or didn’t care, but I think it’s both actually. That’s really not OK. Consider Janette. She is specifically a Salsa dancer, as opposed to Anton who has decades of experience in all ballroom styles. Janette, in her third series, is doing a much better job of choreographing and teaching ballroom than Anton in his freaking 12th is of doing Latin! And it has nothing whatsoever to do with the partners he’s getting, because Katie is one of the most natural dancers of the series, and should be top 5 every single week. I think Anton gets the duffer because giving him a good celeb does him no good, he turns her into a duffer, and since I’m finding myself getting genuinely angry at the fact that he’s the longest-standing (with Brendan) and highest-paid pro despite being a complete waste of a pro and a celeb, I’ll move on to their Quickstep. Nope. Did nothing for me. It was old fashioned, and not in a fun Vaudeville revival way, in a stuck-in-a-time-warp way. There were also too many mistakes and missteps, probably because the choreography was too difficult. I know I praised Georgia for handling such difficult choreography despite a few mistakes, but Katie just didn’t handle it as well. I’ll say that I had a proper argument with one of the people I watch with, who to be honest doesn’t know his Argentine from his elbow and who absolutely loved that dance, so maybe the public liked it more than I did, but I’m ready for them to go, and I’d actually rather see Katie return next year and get a better partner than see Anton come back and screw someone else. I wish I could say I’ll be less mean from now on but it’s Jeremy and Carol I have left and we all know that’s not gonna go well
9) Jeremy and Karen (5) Is there really much point in talking about his technique? It’s bad, and it shows no sign of improvement. I think it was entirely unnecessary of them to force him to dance on hot coals but it’s the only way I can explain his face. That said, I enjoyed this dance more than I’ve enjoyed any of his dances since week 1. I think it was his least ridiculous dance to date. My viewing companions think I’m nuts.
10) Carol and Pasha (4) If I can’t even see the dancer, how can I judge her? Pasha is getting truly creative at ways of avoiding her having to dance but in week 7 that’s not what I’m looking for. Bottom line, very little dancing badly done, time to go. For once I think she actually did deliver a worse dance than Jeremy and I want her out. If someone else goes before either Carol or Jeremy (or Katie but for different reasons) it’ll be a terrible waste of a place in the competition.
The poppy is a sign of respect to our fallen British soldiers that is worn annually by Brits, especially this weekend. Tristan is Irish and some Irish people don’t like British soldiers due to previous acts such as Bloody Sunday (look it up). I’m guessing Tristan falls into that category. I personally believe that people shouldn’t be forced to wear the poppy if they don’t want to or it falls against their personal beliefs, but like every country we are patriotic and not wearing the poppy can be judged by many as a clear sign of disrespect towards our soldiers. That’s probably the best I can describe it without going into essay written detail. The internet is your friend if you want to know more about it. It was just very noticeable as everyone wore one bar him last week and last night and then he was getting abused on social media for it which disturbed me. I just hope he doesn’t get in trouble for it and it doesn’t affect his status on the show. Everyone has their own beliefs and it should be his choice whether he wants to wear one or not.
Thanks Mr A!! I couldn’t agree more for almost everything you wrote….and especially #10. Here’s to the results.. to start at any second. (I love that country show that airs before it starts)
OMG did you all see that Pro Number? PHENOMENAL!
Thanks M8. Now I see. Thanks for explaining!
O-M-G! LOVED that opening pro number!!
Jeremy survived another week…..wow. I like carol but even I have to wonder if Kellie really was in the bottom.
Me too. I’m still freaking at how dang good that was! Wowza!!!
Vin, I wonder if Kellie was really in the bottom two as well and they just wanted a good dance to end the show?
That was another amazing result show. Especially the pro number and the dance to Seal were so enjoyable to watch. After it was announced that it was Kellie versus Carol the ending was obvious. Carol has an infectious personality but danicng wise he had to go. So happy that Tristan and Jamelia stayed out of dance off. Jeremy is the weakest now.
The pro dance was Gio and Kevin’s sister Joanne, who’s kind of the Keo of Strictly except that we demoted her after one terrible season rather than at least 3. I think she’s in the right place for her now, because I hated her as a pro partner (not helped by having my single least favourite celeb ever) but she does a great job as a guest dancer.
This is the BBC. They would not be allowed to put Kellie in the bottom 2 unless she actually was. It’s independently counted and verified and they’re legally bound to deliver the bottom 2 we voted for. I will do numbers in a little while, because Kellie ending up in the bottom 2 is an interesting one but I believe it happened. She just got forgotten this week, got the least public votes and everything stacked to dump her in the bottom 2.
Thanks for the info, Mr A! And very curious on your numbers! Bring them on!
Following the show for years, the “shocking” bottom two is now always bound to happen midway series like this so I’m not surprised at all. Seemingly strong dancers sometimes get shoved in the bottom two because of various circumstances, Kimberley in series 10 (got runner-up), Abbey in series 11 (winner) and Caroline in series 12 (also winner) all were in the bottom two around this point despite getting nice scores, so it’s not surprising to me that any of Helen/Kellie/Anita actually wind up there, and if they’re there, then they’re there.
Anyway, really nice night of dancing! Pleasantly surprised, probably my favourite night so far. No tacky theme, no overused props (bar Carol’s probably) and the first Argentine Tango of the season turned out really good as well. Hopefully I’m not too negative this time.
– Peter’s was really nice, I can’t believe I just said that. Is it worth two 10s? Nah, it doesn’t touch Sophie’s, or even Jake’s last series. Is it one of the best of the night? Absolutely. His gurning faces are really scary though, I was wondering how many tennis balls he could fit on his gurning mouth there.
– LOL Jamelia was in the death slot yet again and had to follow that. I thought she looked fab, and didn’t do any glaring errors (except when she flat out STOMPED on that guitar, idk who to blame on that), but as a whole it’s pretty boring to me. Really thrilled she avoided the bottom two though.
– LOL Carol was also in the death slot, so surprising. Carol peaked at her Paso and kept going on a downward spiral, and that’s probably her worst effort yet. But on the meantime, holy shit that trousers REALLY did justice on Pasha’s behind.
– Really sad that Helen’s hip actions on her Rumba were really poor. I hardly see any hips there, although the lines were absolutely beautiful and Aljaz definitely played it to her balletic strength. But still, her worst dance so far.
– Other than Aliona flat out STOLE that look from Natalie on her Argentine Tango with Michael – best performance of the night. Really nice to see the first AT danced is a great one instead of a dud like in the past (hello Tina, hello Colin). He’s on a fast way to be my second choice for the win now.
– Poor Katie. Year of Anton my arse.
– I think Anita really benefited from being a natural mover – she could dance, but nobody can really have an expectation on her since she has no previous experience, so the impact from the sheer joy whenever she delivered the dance is really out there. Really nice Jive and I love how vibrant the whole thing is, though her kicks can always be a little sharper. Judging on the reaction of her 9s, I really think she could make the finale now. LOL @ Darcey obviously pissed from Gleb showering the glitter on her.
– I’m sad that she’s the one getting shock bottom two, because the three examples I gave up there all made it to the finale and two even won. God forbid if that happen to, by far, the most irritating contestant this year. Just like her Foxtrot – her Waltz was nice, once again no glaring fault, but damn if that’s not one boring routine. And no, she didn’t get Pixie’d – Pixie was someone almost everyone pegged to be in the finale, possibly to win, and was very (deservingly) favoured by the judges – only for them to eliminate her right in the end. None of those applied to Kellie.
– Now, I really like Jeremy and enjoyed his presence until now, but seeing the crowd reactions for him (and Jay, and Peter) made me think of a possibility of him going much, much further than just Blackpool. And as much as I like him to stay around, please Dance Gods don’t let that happen.
– I would enjoy Georgia’s Samba much more if it wasn’t the random stops scattered throughout her dance. Did she forget her steps or what? And they took forever to start – I just started to really like you Giovanni, please don’t pull too much Maks on me. Georgia could also look like she’s enjoying herself more, since, well, it’s a flipping Samba. But other than those? Fantastic. She really peaked at the right time.
Obligatory final four wish: Helen, Jay, Anita, Georgia.
I’ve been away for a few days so I just finished watching both the performance and results show. What a great Strictly weekend.
So glad we got the right result! Losing anyone other than Carol or Jeremy would have been annoying. I’m grateful the wall of voter protection around the weakest links has finally broken. Fingers crossed Jeremy will be in the DO next week.
I agree with Mr A, Kellie just got “forgotten” by viewers and that’s how she ended up in the bottom two. Unless you do a heart-breakingly gorgeous slow waltz, it’s hard to stand out in a crowd of more attention-grabbing dances.
This was my favorite week since Movie Week. There was something to like about every performance:
Anita/Gleb: Fast, fun, nice mix of steps. Loved this performance! Glad Anita finally got a couple of long-overdue 9s!!!
Peter/Janette: Not sure about the 10s; didn’t think his swivel was that great, but lots of good dancing and tricks, and he got the character right.
Georgia/Giovanni: These two seem to have gelled as a dance couple, and she’s really starting to perform. A bit too long setting it up, but once they started dancing, it really took off.
Jay/Aliona: So stylish. Wonderful lifts. Still hoping for that emotional breakthrough from Jay to complete the package. If/when it comes, I expect we’ll be blown away.
Helen/Aljaz: Romantic, emotional performance and some gorgeous lines, but Helen didn’t quite get the sinuous flow for it to be outstanding. Good effort; rumba’s just a nightmare.
Kellie/Kevin: Nice mix of choreography, story and performance. These two have excellent chemistry. Much improved from her Foxtrot.
Jamelia/Tristan: Thrilled they avoided the dance off! Gutted they had that tangle with the guitar. Footwork, confidence, presentation all improved.
Katie/Anton: Katie looked fabulous and this could have been wonderful. I think Anton just got carried away with the choreography and gave her too much to handle.
Carol/Pasha: I enjoyed this more than Jeremy’s Tango. This was a good performance for Carol. She was placing her arms with more purpose and moving across the floor with more speed and confidence.
Jeremy/Karen: This was too camp for me, but really what else could they do with such a terrible song choice. I do appreciate how Jeremy always throw himself into every performance.
Wanted to give my unvarnished take on the performances before reading others’ comments. Now I’ve gone back and read some of the others and I always love how our different personalities and preferences influence how we perceive the same performance.
I seem to be in the minority in preferring Carol’s effort over Jeremy’s this week.
Mr. A: You know as well as I do that Vicki Gill designs all the costumes. Of course, it’s done in consultation with the celeb and pro who can (and do) modify or veto her designs. So while I think you’re right that Helen seems to prefer a more muted palette, I wouldn’t throw all the blame for the color choices on her. For the most part, I think Vicki does an amazing job, and her designs usually work well for the celebs. However, she does have a few quirks. One that comes to mind doesn’t relate to Helen, but it stands out to me. She avoids putting the short ladies (like Kellie and Susanna Reid) in floor-length gowns for their ballroom dances. She even mentioned it on ITT. Unfortunately, I don’t think that always serves those ladies well because a long flowing gown is so much more glamorous than a fluffy knee-length frock. Compared to the taller celebs, the short ladies end up looking a touch “dowdy” and boring for their waltzes and foxtrot.
@Cidra True, but from It Takes Two I know that Vicky has tried to put her in colour a few times, and one week in a gorgeous floral-print dress that ended up on Karen. I just wish she’d embrace colour because it could look so good on her, and it couldn’t hurt the sort of insipid vibe I get from her.
I am starting to prefer Strictly over DWTS! More actual ballroom dancing. And seems like less manipulation. @MR.A. Joanne has a terrible partner last season in Scott Mills so I do not blame her for a bad season I don’t think she has had a fair chance.
Now to the show, in Holland we receive the BBC so I did watch it live.
My rankings:
Peter & Janette. I loved the concept of this dance! Loved Janettes choreography! Don’t know about the 10s, but I am okay with it.
Anita & Gleb. Finally some appropriate scoring from the judges. I am glad Gleb is on stricly. Loved the dance and loved Anita. She has been strong but the scores have not been right in my opinion.
Aljaz&Helen. I really like Aljaz. He is one of the stronger male pros,and also quite goodlooking (Janette did really good ;)) and I Always like his choreography. Helen is a great dancer and I think she has a chance of winning this. (Along with Peter and Jay)But I can see the comments some people made about here legs and feet. But it didn’t bother me.
Georgia&Giovanni. Although I liked this dance, I have not been a fan of his choreography so far. Don’t know why.
Jay&Aliona. He is a great dancer, but there was something missing in this dance, maybe it was his facial expression as I believe Darcy pointed out. Don’t know maybe I have to rewatch it.
Kellie&Kevin.She is a positive suprise, I honestly did not expect that from her. She turns out to be a contender. But I don’t think she makes it to the finals.
Jamelia&Tristan. I do see her improvement, but still stiff sometimes in her topline. I hope they have a latin dance next week, because I do hope she stays for a few weeks.
Katie&Anton. For some reason, I am not connecting to her. Anton could be the reason why, I do not like his choreography, and I do think he should retire from Stricly.
Carol&Pasha. I think it was her time to go.
Jeremy&Karen. I do think he is next to go, Not much dancing but the poor guy is really trying.
Daniel, Cids (so good to see you again! We missed you!), and Leandra, awesome reviews! Thanks so much!!
Daniel, I couldn’t agree more with your final four…and isn’t it cool how they are pretty much evenly matched? No one is running away with this competition. They all have their strengths and weaknesses in different areas. It’s anyone’s ball game.
Leandra, I’m loving both versions for the different ways they do it, but, I see what you mean. I also wish they’d bring back the Results show for our version so we could get really well thought out Pro numbers like Strictly and DWTSRussia. Seriously, Mandy Moore’s choreo is lame and stale in comparison and she isn’t doing anything new. We need someone like Derek Hough and Neil Jones doing choreo.
Cidra and Mr A, I bet you are right about Kellie and how the viewers forgot about her after seeing all the dances. There were so many good ones. But, wow, I’m kind of glad now she was in the dance off. Her performance was even more beautiful the second time seeing it.
Anyway, what a great week. I can’t stop watching Gleb and Anita and Georgia and Giovanni’s dances the most.
I love the pro numbers on Strictly, and I am missing them on DWTS! Maybe if Derek retires as a pro, he can take over from Mandy…? Don’t think he will but you never know. I agree with it being a great week. Will definetely rewatch some of the dances on youtube in the coming days.
Vogue, awww, thanks! Sweet of you to miss me. *hugs* Sometimes a mid-series trip to the DO isn’t a bad thing for a good dancer. It’s a wake-up call to viewers, reminding them to vote for good dancers they like instead of bad dancers they feel sorry for. It’s also a good thing for Kevin. He’s never been in the DO before and I think he does have a bit of an ego. So it wouldn’t surprise me if he was feeling pretty comfortable about his status as a fan favorite. Now he won’t be so sure.
Mr. A: I agree Helen should push out of her comfort zone a bit and give color a chance when Vicky suggests it. However, we’ll have to agree to disagree on Helen’s color choices adding to her blandness because I don’t find her bland. As for the rumba costume, I liked it. It was different and I thought the smoky slate color was appropriate for the song.
So true, Cids (thanks for the hugs). Bring on those votes!
It’s very difficult to say who got how many votes on this show because the votes and judges’ scores are ranking-based rather than proportional, however we can draw a few conclusions about who sits where in Saturday’s vote based on the fact Kellie fell from 4th in judges rankings (actually 5th, but ties count as one position on the show) to bottom 2.
Who got the least votes?
Well, it certainly looks like Kellie. Anyone lower than Kellie on the leaderboard cannot have got less votes than her without them ending up in the bottom 2 instead. Neither can the couple(s) one place above her, because in the event of a tie public vote counts more. That leaves 4: Carol, Kellie, Georgia and Peter. I’m inclined to say that with both Peter and Georgia hitting season’s bests and delivering very memorable dances, they both got more votes than Kellie’s decent but forgettable dance. That leaves Kellie even more likely last in votes, with the off-chance she was second-to-last and Carol last.
What did other couples need to pass Kellie, assuming she was last in votes?
4th place with the judges and last with the public would earn Kellie 8 points out of a possible 117 this weekend. One can see instantly that that’s a good bit below average and how that left them bottom 2. Peter and Georgia could both make do with slightly less votes than Kellie, and there’s even a scenario in which Kellie got 4 points, Georgia 3, Peter 2 and Carol 1 but it seems awfully farfetched. Jay and Anita, one place above, each need at least as many votes as Kellie, while Helen one place below needs at least one more vote. Below that things get more complex. The perpetually unpopular Jamelia had to surpass Kellie by at least 2 places to make up the 2 point deficit, meaning there was a cushion of at least one couple between the two. Worst case scenario, Jamelia was 8th, ahead of Carol and Kellie, Kellie’s votes soar next week (which is likely anyway) and Jamelia is last again, but it’s possible Jamelia’s numbers are growing. Katie needed a further extra point from the public, which she gets by beating Jamelia for a minimum of 4 points from the public, and Jeremy had to be in the top 6 of votes to reach 8 points for safety, and that’s assuming Kellie was last. He could have been higher still.
What happens next?
We can count on two things next week: First, Kellie gets a boost to her vote numbers as casual fans realise she isn’t safe and “floating voters” like me want to see her safe. Second, Jeremy is bottom again with Katie likely not far ahead. However, in order to avoid the bottom 2 this week, Katie had to pass at least 2 surviving (not Carol) couples in votes and Jeremy had to pass 3. Even once Kellie, who we know they both beat, gets her boost they still both have a decent chance of avoiding the dance-off. Going in blind on scores I say it’s one of them and Jamelia in the bottom 2, likely Katie vs Jamelia, and Jamelia survives, but it is so difficult to call now and Jamelia could face someone stronger this week and go home. And that’s my stats-based opinion on what likely happened this week. Any questions or disagreements?
Fascinating, Mr A! Thanks so much!!! The only thing I question maybe is that Carol got the least votes instead of Kellie, but, you know this show and how they do it better than I do.
As for the dance off(bottom two) next week, I think you are right, but, I will be so shocked if Jeremy isn’t in it and makes it through another week.
Yes, it’s absolutely possible Carol got the least votes, but that puts another person between Kellie and Jamelia, and it couldn’t be Katie or Jeremy, so I can’t get my head around who that would be. My best guess is Kellie gets 1 and Carol gets 2, but there are a few scenarios where that’s reversed and Kellie gets as many as 4 points. More than 4 is impossible without highly unlikely tied votes but since I was surprised Jamelia avoided the dance-off anyway (despite throwing her a vote myself) she for me is the key to my theory that Kellie was indeed dead last. It would upset me for Jeremy to make it through again, but it wouldn’t really surprise me. There’s a part of me thinks Katie is actually way higher in votes than she deserves to be on dancing, but I struggle to accept that when there are so many great couples who I feel have earned it more. It’s confusing.
The fact that the Daily Star (very accurate tabloid when it comes to reporting phone votes) say that Katie has been topping vote in weeks gone by is enough for me to believe that she’s doing very well. Judges comments also make me believe she’s raking in the votes and they are trying to harness her. Next week they have Rumba and I wouldn’t be surprised if they try and get her in the bottom 2 with Jamelia in order to vote her off. Big test of her and Anton’s fanbase next week. Jeremy is clearly being teed up for a Judy Murray style Blackpool exit which means Jamelia is probably leaving this coming week.
@M8 That is interesting. I think she may have been at some point but right now Jay has been topping most of the polls I look at for at least 3 weeks, often by a long way. If I’m right Katie is slowly declining but I’m usually not, God knows I thought Pixie was miles ahead last year.
Great numbers, A, you should be the Heidi of Strictly and post weekly numbers rankings lol.
Taking all accounts, my guy tells me that the three top vote getters are Katie, Jay and either Anita or Jeremy. That just comes to me. Kellie to me seems to be even more “in your face” than Jake, yet she landed in the bottom two already this stage, while Jake floated away without a sniff of that until final five. I’m glad that Helen managed to avoid dance-off while being in the lower half of the board, though I’m sensing a Denise/Natalie-esque pre-finale dance-offs for her now. I have no idea where to put Peter now, for all I know he can either raking all the votes or barely scraping to avoid the bottom two. Jamelia is very likely to leave these upcoming weeks, but I’m happy that Tristan at least managed to cross halfway the series.
Unrelated, but in terms of personality, Pixie >>>>> Frankie any day imo. Both are formidable dancers but Pixie really showed sparkles week after week after her Rumba, while Frankie kept being the most vanilla out of everyone. And honestly, as much as I can’t stand Kevin, I’d kill to see an ultimate Pixie vs Frankie final two. That’s probably the most robbed I’ve felt for a final two, along with Zoe/Colin, Alesha/Kelly, and Ali/Ricky.
I agree with you Daniel with your vote getters. Anita is a strange one, she came in with a very low fanbase but I feel like she will have gained fans with her journey, she has no experience and comes across as one of the most normal people. I feel like if she isn’t in the dance off in the next couple of weeks then she’s doing well in the votes. I still think Peter is by far the producers favourite to win, although if the press are correct in speculating that Peter hasn’t signed up for the SCD live tour then that will rapidly change. I don’t feel like Helen is getting many votes but she’s a brilliant dancer and will get to the final because she’ll probably win every dance off she’s in unless she comes up against Jay or maybe Peter which in both cases are unlikely. Kellie being in the dance off probably hints that out of the “big hitters” (everyone bar Jeremy and Jamelia) she’ll be the first to go.
@Daniel Thanks, but I just did this week because it was interesting to me. Last week would literally have been:
“Jamelia still not getting votes, Georgia, Helen, Jay and Anita possibly got slightly less votes but unlikely. Carol needed to be at least 3 places from the bottom to avoid the dance-off. 2 of those definitely had to come from beating Jamelia and Kirsty, but who was the third person Carol beat? It could literally be anyone.”
This week, because it was a somewhat shocking bottom 2, is easier to draw conclusions from.
By the way, completely agree about Pixie and Frankie. Pixie had so much “it factor” which Frankie completely lacked but they were both amazing dancers.
@M8 Helen is a complete mystery to me. It’s actually a mathematical possibility that she’s had the least votes in every previous week and second-least this week, but it’s also possible she’s consistently towards the top, and the numbers are similar but with more votes needed last week and less this week for Peter. For me Carol and Kirsty were the last easy elimination to predict, and now anything goes. Jeremy will go eventually but when? Blackpool might be right, leaving Jamelia likely this week, but then what?
Next week’s songs and dances:
Anita and Gleb will be performing the Quickstep to ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ by The Pretenders.
Georgia and Giovanni will be dancing the Charleston to ‘Hot Honey Rag’ from Chicago.
Helen and Aljaž will be performing the Tango to ‘Hold Back The River’ by James Bay.
Jamelia and Tristan will be performing the Samba to ‘A Little Respect’ by Erasure.
Jay and Aliona will be dancing the Foxtrot ‘Lay Me Down’ by Sam Smith.
Jeremy and Karen will be performing the Quickstep to ‘Going Underground’ by The Jam.
Katie and Anton will be dancing the Rumba to ‘Never Never Never’ by Shirley Bassey.
Kellie and Kevin will be performing the Samba to ‘Boom Shake The Room’ by Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.
Peter and Janette will be dancing the Viennese Waltz to ‘You’re My World’ by Cilla Black.
Good God, Kevin should never get to choose his own music. It’ll be interesting, he can probably make it work, but who else but Kevin?
Jamelia and Tristan haven’t got off much better. Samba has potential to be a great dance for her but that song is not her friend. Again it could be a case of not wanting to throw good music at a couple without hope but who knows?
I am absolutely fascinated to see how Helen handles a Tango. Probably well, and I love the song, especially in the hands of Aljaz but I don’t think it’s her comfort zone. On the plus side, genuine possibility of seeing her in colour, or at least stronger shades of grey and black.
Again, someone has one of the songs that the eliminated couple on DWTS had 5 days previously, but I think Georgia will handle Charleston very well, and is in even less danger than Anita was at Halloween. Georgia’s not the smartest girl ever on the show, between her week 2 comment about “the town of Georgia” and calling Chicago “her favourite song” on Sunday’s results show, but I still like her, and she’s been steadily improving in a way which tends to bode fairly well later on.
Other than that, meh. Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Quicksteps, Katie’s probably screwed. Nothveryvery very exciting as far as I’m concerned except that they’re asking Peter again to prove he can do ballroom, which so far looks like a no.
Awesome. THANKS!!!
And I’m loving Gleb and Anita’s song!!