Sometimes it's not always the most professional singers who give the best performance and I felt that was true of Michael and Alfie. I switched on a little late and was thrilled to bits that Debbie might be going. I loathed that last song she danced to. Oh Johnny if only you could have pulled your bum in a little more! Never mind, lovely Mollie's still there.
The sad thing is, Jonnie wouldn't have been able to pull his bum in more, because he's an amputee, and wearing a prosthetic means he'll always be slightly off balance (and have a slightly sticky out bum!).
Debbie's song, outfit and wig were all terrible. I felt for her, though it was fascinating to see her in the DO. There was a point in the DO dance when Giovanni looked as if he was hefting around a sack of spuds - I think that's what they call a 'Samba roll' but it looked more like dragging than rolling!
Ooh, the forum's gone weird! :upside_down_face: As have the emojis!
Something of a discrepancy in judges' decisions over the last few weeks. When Aston was voted off, they were told in no uncertain terms by Tess to judge the dancers purely on the dance-off, so he went. Yet in Debbie's case, it was decided to keep her because she had been the better dancer overall so far. Hmm.
I know that really, but the judges should have allowed for it a little more. I do know that I'd rather see Jonnie's bottom than Debbie's face. Not that she's ugly - her face would be quite acceptable in a nice 'goodbye Strictly' photo! I just can't warm to the woman.
WEEK 10
Oh God, tonight it's the Paso Double-thon!:grimacing:
Tess looks very...pink, while Claudia is wearing Tess' tarmac dress from last week!:laughing:
Mollie is wearing a mosaic, while Joe is channeling Caractacus Potts this week!
JOE & KATYA (Quick Step)
Lots of bounce and energy. Well done.
Why is there so much noise and movement whenever Claudia is going through the terms and conditions? Very odd.
ALEXANDRA & GORKA (Rumba)
Technically looks good, but not getting the emotion. Then again, I find it hard to 'get' the rumba - it always looks to me like lots of posing and walking around on tiptoes!
GEMMA & ALJAZ (Samba)
Looks OK - not as fast and furious as some Sambas I've seen, but some nice moments, and the Samba rolls looked better than Debbie's last week.
Blimey, those 6s were a bit harsh!
Claudia has really overdone it with the fake tan this week!:grimacing:
MOLLIE & AJ (Quick Step)
Aww, Mollie's nephew is soooo cute!:smile: Some nice moments, but I think Mollie seemed to struggle to keep up on a couple of occasions.
DAVOOD & NADIYA (Waltz)
Graceful and elegant. Nicely done.
Davood looks great in his tails and Nadiya's dress is gorgeous!:grinning:
DEBBIE & GIOVANNI (Argentine Tango)
Looks really good. Well done.
SUSAN & KEVIN (American Smooth)
Blimey, I thought Kevin was going to put his back out then, when he picked Susan up and sort of swung her round! Sweet, but lacking a bit of elegance and grace.
THE PASO DOUBLE-THON
This is going to be...interesting!
It's already looking a bit of a mess. I'm struggling to follow all the couples. A nice shape there from Joe and both Alex and Debbie are doing well. Glad everyone got to do the whole dance. They used to eliminate couples during the -athons!:grimacing:
Looking at those scores, it doesn't seem as if the Paso Double-thon has changed the order much.
OK, now, I really want to see Lee do a Paso!:grinning:
My top two - Joe/Katya and Debbie/Giovanni My bottom two - Susan/Kevin and Gemma/Aljaz
WEEK 10 - RESULTS
Fashion-based pro dance. Oti has incredible legs! Anton in a purple fur coat!:laughing:
Tess looks tubular, while Claudia appears to be wearing a nighty!
The recap!
The Paso Double-thon looks even odder in the recap!
RESULTS Pt 1 - First couple in the DO - ALEXANDRA & GORKA
A shocker - though saying that, she was in a precarious place on the leader board.
Guest performer - Kelly Clarkson. Good voice. I remember her from 'American Idol' years ago (she won her series).
DANCE DE-BRIEF
Joe & Katya - hands behind back move (that was impressive, to be fair, as was the 'back to back' move)
Davood & Nadiya - Acting and becoming a true artist
Debbie needed a floppier leg
Mollie & AJ - light and bright
RESULTS Pt 2 - Second couple in the DO - SUSAN & KEVIN
Not a shocker, though it pretty much renders the DO a pointless exercise.
Ooh, Davood doing Argentine Tango next week - looking forward to that!:grin:
THE DANCE-OFF
ALEXANDRA & GORKA
As with the first time they did it, well executed, but lacking emotion. I think that was better, though.
SUSAN & KEVIN
Sweet, but lacking technique. Blimey, I thought Susan was going to fall off the bench, then!:grimacing:
Couple leaving - SUSAN & KEVIN
It was their time to go. The others are so far ahead. That being said, Susan has done really well, and Kevin has been great with her!:relaxed:
Oooh, Musicals Week next week!:grinning: If Joe needs any advice, a certain Holby co-star knows all about Musicals!:grinning:
I love Susan as a person but do feel she's done very well to get this far. Looking forward to Musicals Week very much.
WEEK 11 - MUSICALS WEEK
Pro/Celeb dance to songs from 'Oliver!'
Someone's ripped Claudia's trousers, and Tess is wearing a blue satin bag!
The same person who ripped Claudia's trousers has also attacked Darcy's skirt!
Joe's got his arms out! Gorka looks like a stick of rock! Gemma looks like the long toffee from Quality Street! Mollie looks like she forgot to get ready and is still in her normal clothes/hair/make-up!
GEMMA & ALJAZ (Quick Step)
Gemma struggling to keep up in a couple of the faster bits. Some nice footwork, though. I think Gemma has a tendency towards being a bit heavy footed.
Russell Grant as a genie!:laughing:
MOLLIE & AJ (Rumba)
Mollie seems a bit flat-footed. Not much rumba movement. A bit of a weird song, this. It's actually a song of heartbreak and yearning, but Mollie is grinning all the way through.
Blimey, those 9s were a bit generous!
JOE & KATYA (Samba)
An odd choice of dance for Musicals week, but that looked good. The samba rolls didn't look like Joe was hefting around a bag of spuds, which I was relieved about.
DEBBIE & GIOVANNI (American Smooth)
Lovely and graceful. A slight wobble on the first pivot. Otherwise, really good!
DAVOOD & NADIYA (Argentine Tango)
Davood as the Phantom! Needs more attitude and the moves could be cleaner. That being said, POTO is a really odd song choice for an AT!
ALEXANDRA & GORKA (Charleston)
Not as light on her feet as I expected (those boots don't help) and seemed, at times, to be a bit ungainly, but good swivel! Incidentally, what on earth was going on with that dress - awful!
A grumble from me about tonight's songs. All good songs, but some really don't fit the dances they're for! Debbie and Alex had good/appropriate song choices, but Gemma's was too slow for a QS, Davood's wasn't an AT and Joe got stuffed on both dance and song choice! I just wish everyone could have a decent song choice for their dance (and in Joe's case, a decent dance choice for the theme - he hasn't done an AS, Waltz or AT yet, all of which would have been more suitable for Musicals week).
My bottom two - Mollie/AJ and Gemma/Aljaz.
WEEK 11 - MUSICALS WEEK - RESULTS
Pro dance - Dreamgirls. The singers of this are the actual Dreamgirls (from the WE show). Lovely!:relaxed:
Claudia is wearing wrapping paper, while someone has painted a white line across Tess.
The recap! "Everyone looks amazing!" Hmmmm!
RESULTS Pt 1 - First couple in the DO is - DAVOOD & NADIYA
An AT to POTO was never going to end well!
Guest Performers - The Leading Ladies 'Beverly Knight, Amber Riley & Cassedy Janssen. Excellent!:relaxed:
DANCE DE-BRIEF
Debbie's dismount!
Gemma & Aljaz - Darcy wanted more!
Alex and Gorka - where's Craig's '10' paddle?
Joe's characterisation
Ed's dance-floor invasion!:laughing:
RESULTS Pt 2 - Second couple in the DO - ALEX & GORKA
It really should have been a Gemma V Mollie DO in my opinion.
THE DANCE-OFF
DAVOOD & NADIYA
Still a bit clunky in places, but seems better than the first time.
ALEX & GORKA
About the same as the first time. Good, but ungainly.
Couple leaving - DAVOOD & NADIYA
Right decision based on the DO, but I don't think either couple should have been there!
Loving Davood's farewell song - I'm getting HDYSAPLM flashbacks! Nice to see a fun song as the farewell song.
Alex doesn't seem to be connecting with the public. It's like she read the 'how to connect with the public' handbook, then did the opposite of what it said! She needs to dial it back a bit. I much prefer contestants who don't feel the need to be 'front & centre' or gush all the time. I think that's one reason I took to Lee in ADWD - there was a quiet dignity about him, and an air of mystery.
Oh blimey, Alex just said (of Davood) "He's like a brother to me!" Just...no!:grimacing:
As somebody who doesn't know much about the technical side of dancing but know what I like, I have to say I was delighted that both Gemma and Mollie were saved. They're such lovely people. I do think though that Hello Dolly doesn't work out of the context of the musical - she's a widow who's suddenly decided to rejoin the human race again and there wasn't really time to put that over.
WEEK 12 - SEMI-FINAL
So...each couple this week does two dances.
Moody, pretentious VT to start!:laughing:
There are several people in the opening credits that I keep forgetting were in this year's series!
Tess has come as the Strawberry Cream Quality Street chocolate, while Claudia is wearing a lot of fringing!
Shirley is also dressed as a Quality Street chocolate (the coconut one?).
Blimey, Mollie is also dressed as a Quality Street chocolate (toffee?).
JOE & KATYA (American Smooth)
Smooth and elegant. Nice lifts (and not too many). Well done!:relaxed:
Blimey, Kevin's shirt is open to his navel!:laughing:
Last year's winner, Ore, showing us his enormous...glitterball!:laughing:
ALEXANDRA & GORKA (Viennese Waltz)
Looks good, and the spins are well executed. No errors that I could see. Again, well done!:relaxed: Love Alex's dress!
Danny Mac and Judge Rinder (from last year's series) in the audience! It's hard to believe that Danny once pla*** Boq in 'Wicked'! He's way too good looking!:grin:
MOLLIE & AJ (Samba)
Not bad. The Samba Rolls are a bit stiff. She definitely needs to loosen up a bit!
Craig gave them a 4! Blimey!:astonished:
GEMMA & ALJAZ (Rumba)
"Do this for the North!" Oh dear...and I say that as someone from the North!:disappointed: Needs to be smoother in her movements. A bit stuttery in places.
Bruno nearly took Shirley out then when he was demonstrating the swaying motion!:laughing:
DEBBIE & GIOVANNI (Jive)
Walking down the stairs as they light up. Didn't Lee do that in ADWD?:grin: Debbie was flinging her legs about, but she looked a bit ungainly at times. Fast and energetic though.
JOE & KATYA (Argentine Tango)
Great stuff! Moody and sharp!:relaxed: Loved the 'Katya lifting Joe with her legs' bit at the end!:grin:
Ooh, Mr Hanssen in the audience! Nice to see him being so supportive of his staff!
ALEXANDRA & GORKA (Salsa)
Lots of energy! Looking good!:relaxed:
Blimey, I wish ALex would calm down a bit. Ditto Gorka. He shouldn't be grabbing Claudia like that either - it's the second time he's done it.
MOLLIE & AJ (Waltz)
Nice and graceful.
Good job those aren't real candles, or that dress would have gone up in smoke when Mollie sat down!
GEMMA & ALJAZ (Tango)
Looks good. Solid and purposful. A bit of a slip when Aljaz moved her around.
DEBBIE & GIOVANNI (Foxtrot)
Looks good. Elegant and she moved well.:relaxed:
Ooh, I like Oti's dress. Very pretty!:relaxed:
It should really be Alex/Joe/Debbie and one of Gemma/Mollie in the final, but the way the voting's gone so far, goodness knows who'll be in the DO tonight.
Aaah, the 'I really, really, really want to get through to the final' VT!
I'm sad. I love Mollie and can't abide Debbie but I've a feeling Mollie might be going home tomorrow. I'm not sure who I want to win as long as it's not Debbie.
WEEK 12 - SEMI-FINAL - RESULTS
A break-dancing Pro dance to start - are we back in the 80s?:laughing: It's very good, though!
Tess is missing half her top and Claudia is wearing her nightie!
"These creatures"? That's not a nice way to talk about the judges!:laughing:
The recap!
RESULTS Pt 1 - First couple in the DO is - Gemma & Aljaz
Not a great surprise.
Blimey, the other two couples have to wait to find out their fate? Why not just put them out of their misery now?
Loving the reactions of the couples who are safely through - I'm reminded of Lee when he was told he was through to the ADWD final, and he jumped off the stairs, startling Graham!:laughing:
Guest Performer - Craig David. Nice voice, but sounds like the mic needs turning up a bit.
DANCE DEBRIEF
Alex & Gorka - outstanding
Joe & Katya - balance issues, not playing it safe
Mollie & AJ - Waltz
Debbie & Gio - Foxtrot, beautiful
Dance Debrief - Judges' best bits
RESULTS Pt 2 - Second couple in the DO is - MOLLIE & AJ
Again, not unexpected. The right two couples in the DO, I think.
DANCE-OFF
MOLLIE & AJ
Not quite as graceful in the turns as last time, but not bad.
GEMMA & ALJAZ
Looks good. Lots of attitude and sharp moves.
Couple going home - MOLLIE & AJ
Right decision, I think, but always sad when someone goes out in the semi-final.
Ooh, Mollie & AJ's 'best bits'!
A genteel 'goodbye scrum'.
Sooo.....on to the Final!:grin:
WEEK 13 - THE FINAL!!!
The last four couples standing are going head-to-head for the Glitterball Trophy!
Joe in his vest in the intro VT!
Yet another intro VT! This time showing all the couples, not just the finalists.
Pro dance. Lots of hip wiggling...and ladies doing the splits! If I tried that, I'd end up in Casualty...and I'm not talking about the TV show!:laughing:
Cheesy intro for the finalists!
Tess is looking very pink, whilst the bottom of Claudia's dress has gone missing and has been replaced with some netting!
Three dances for each finalist tonight!
Ooh, Darcy's dress is gorgeous!
Judges' scores tonight are for 'guidence', so the result is decided by the public!
DANCE 1 - JUDGES' CHOICE
ALEXANDRA & GORKA (American Smooth)
Graceful and elegant. I liked this dance the first time around, and it's just as nice (or should that be 'loverly') this time around.
I just spotted Chizzy standing behind Alex and Gorka in the Clauditorium.
DEBBIE & GIOVANNI (Salsa)
The optician dance! It's a bit mannered, but pretty good. I'm not overly keen on the lifts. The headbanger scares me! Lively and fun, though.
GEMMA & ALJAZ (Paso Doble)
Good, strong movements. Looked to be well executed. I enjo*** that.
JOE & KATYA (Viennese Waltz)
I wonder what Joe is writing on that piece of paper? Lovely and graceful with some nice spins. I love that song.:relaxed:
The phonelines (and online) are now OPEN!!!
Recap of all the dances so far.
DANCE 2 - SHOWDANCE
Has Claudia just been spray tanned? She's suddenly sporting the ronseal look!:laughing:
ALEXANDRA & GORKA
Fast and furious. Lots of lifts and tricks. Well done, but it did feel a bit like everything but the kitchen sink had been included.
DEBBIE & GIOVANNI
Lovely and graceful. Lots of lifts, but a bit less 'everything but the kitchen sink' about it, which was nice.
GEMMA & ALJAZ
Good job Gemma's doing this dance, and not Alexandra - her name wouldn't fit on the dancefloor!:laughing: Another fast and furious one. As with Debbie's Salsa, not sure about the lifts, but an enjoyable routine, nontheless.
Incidentally, I can't help thinking that Gemma's song would be better suited to a Charleston. The same with Alexandra's.
JOE & KATYA
"He's dancing alone...with a shoe!":laughing: Wow, love the dress moment!:grin: Great fun and lots of bounce! Love the 'flip' lift at the end!
Just spotted Jonnie Pea**** - he's had a haircut! It looks good!
Recap of dances so far.
DANCE 3 - COUPLES' CHOICE
ALEXANDRA & GORKA (Jive)
Fast and furious once again. A lively and sparky jive.
DEBBIE & GIOVANNI (Argentine Tango)
Clean, sharp movements. Well done. Looked as good as the last time they did it.
GEMMA & ALJAZ (American Smooth)
Looks good. Graceful and smooth.
JOE & KATYA (Charleston)
Aww, Joe's nephews are so cute!:heart_eyes: I loved this dance first time around. Lots of bounce, energy and swivel. Well done.
Aww, Chizzy getting emotional for Joe.:relaxed:
VT featuring the Great British Public!
Ooh,Fletch and Serena from Holby!:grin:
Phone lines closing in 5 mins. I remember the clamour to vote in the ADWD final well...and the nerves, waiting for the result!:grimacing: I also remember Lee's voice on the vote line - he talked really fast!:laughing:
Guest Performer - Ed Sheeran. Good voice.
The phone lines are now CLOSED!!!
The Strictly contestants' VT. Brian's impression of the Voice Over Man!:laughing:
Strictly Contestants' group dance. Rev Richard on his cottom wool cloud!:laughing: Aston backflipping! A fun dance and nice to see everyone again!:relaxed:
Trailer for the Christmas Special...which was filmed weeks ago!:laughing:
Shout out for Jonnie's SPOTY nomination!:grin:
RESULT
The Winning Couple Are.................................................................JOE & KATYA!!!!!!!
Yay! I threw a vote their way tonight!:grin:
Well done to all the finalists! It has been a really good final!
A Lee-style hoist onto the other contestants' shoulders!:grin:
Great stuff!:relaxed:
Very happy with the result. I would have been happy with anybody but Debbie but Joe's worked really hard. I like that Ed Sheeran song. Talking of music, if anybody knows the name of that Argentine Tango I'd be very grateful. It almost made me like Debbie for five minutes. Then sanity took over again.
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Merry Christmas everyone!:grin:
A group of celebs from Strictlys past...with completely different pro partners!
ROBBIE SAVAGE & DIANNE (American Smooth)
A bit clunky in places. Needs to be smoother.
Ooh, Joe (aka Strictly 2017 Winner) in the audience!
Christmas Tree shaped score paddles!:laughing:
Debbie, Brian, Gemma and Charlotte (?) from this year's series also in the audience!
JUDY MURRAY & NEIL (Charleston)
Judy's a bit stiff. She needs to loosen up and get a bit of bounce (and swivel).
COLIN JACKSON & AMY (Rumba)
Nice and graceful. Wow that lift/spin was fab! Good job!:relaxed:
Rev Richard from this year's series just spotted in the audience! Are they all there? Just spotted Jonnie P, so I guess they must be!
Blimey, a 9 from Craig! Has he been at the sherry?:laughing:
JEREMY VINE & KAREN (Quick Step)
Jeremy at the top of the Christmas tree!:laughing: Could have done with more bounce and speed, but a lot of fun. That 'lying on the floor and moving round in a circle' move was a bit random!:laughing:
Just spotted Davood in the audience.
Craig waving a 2 paddle, then changing it to a 7!:laughing:
KATIE DERHAM & BRENDAN (Viennese Waltz)
Graceful and elegant. Nice spins. Well done.:relaxed:
KIMBERLEY WALSH & PASHA (Jive)
Aww, cute little boys and adorable reindeer!:relaxed: Lots of energy and bounce. Great stuff!:grin:
Guest Performers - The Keiser Chiefs. Good fun, complete with Anton and Oti doing a Jive!
Strictly at THE Palace (the one where the queen lives!).
The Winning Couple is........................................KATIE & BRENDAN!!!
Right choice, I think. It was a lovely dance!:relaxed:
Final group dance! Bruno 'playing' the drums!:laughing:
