So there we are then. It’s all over. Two perfect scores, a frenetic Lindy Hop, a show dance, standing ovations all the way through and, at the end of it all, Team Cola wins the Glitterball Trophy. Who would’ve thunk it at the beginning of the series? But, given that Chris & Ola were the only couple not to face a dance-off the whole series, that might have given you an idea that they had the public’s support, however good Ricky & Natalie were on the dancefloor. And thus it proved again in the final, with Little Ola-Chops melting in tears when Brucie read out their names. I guess Strictly does mean something after all. So, if you had Chris & Ola, congratulations on winning the sweep.
As for the leagues, predictably the last two standing occupy the top two places, with Ricky & Natalie topping the table by 23 points over Chris & Ola, and Ali & Brian in third. Ricky & Natalie also topped the latin league table, again with Chris & Ola in second place. So, congratulations if you had Ricky & Natalie, as you will be getting two things that everyone enjoys having, namely cash and chocolate. As for the ballroom table, Ali & Brian maintained their lead after their elimination and took that by twelve points from Ricky & Natalie, so congratulations if you had Ali & Brian, and enjoy your chocolately prize.
As to the minor competitions, Ricky & Natalie maintained their consistent advantage in the average score standing, eventually taking it by 2.6 points over Ali & Brian. The highest weekly score competition went to a countback, following both Ricky & Natalie and Chris & Ola each getting a perfect 50/50 in the final. The next highest was the 48 that Ricky & Natalie got in the quarter-final. However, in the interests of fairness, I shall split this in two, as that 48 was gained with five judges. So, the prize for the highest weekly score before the introduction of Judge Darcey was Ali & Brian’s perfect 40/40 in Blackpool. Finally, Ricky & Natalie top the number of 10s competition – out of the 47 awarded this series, they recieved a whopping 28 of them. Of the others, Ali & Brian received 12 and Team Cola got 7 in the final. So, congratulations to all of the winners, and commiserations if you didn’t win. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and keep your eyes peeled for my announcement for the Strictly 2010 Sweep!! Of course, should those of you who wish to have a punt on the other minor competition taking place in 2010 (I think it’s in South Africa or somewhere like that), then keep ‘em peeled for an announcement in the summer.
In the meantime, from Brucie, Tess, the celebrities, the professionals, Dave Arch and his wonderful orchestra, the crew, and everyone (and I do mean everyone), KEEP DANCING!!
Dancers
Points
Ricky/Natalie
1059
Chris/Ola
1036
Ali/Brian
1008
Laila/Anton
751
Natalie/Vincent
725
Jade/Ian
605
Ricky/Erin
597
Zoe/James
585
Phil/Katya
562
Craig/Flavia
505
Lynda/Darren
346
Jo/Brendan
335
Joe/Kristina
244
Rav/Aliona
232
Martina/Matthew
231
Richard/Lilia
208
For the ballroom and latin leagues, the tables look like this: Celebrations Ballroom League
The Final, and Bonus Points
Both couples will be performing four dances on Saturday – they will each do a free for all showdance, and a Lindy Hop that will have both couples on the floor at the same time, and they will also perform their highest scoring ballroom and latin dances, which for Ricky & Natalie are the Quickstep and the Cha Cha Cha, and for Chris & Ola are the Foxtrot and the Charleston.
The sixteen professionals are taking part in the “Dance Machine Challenge” on ITT leading up to the final, using on of those dance machines that are in, like, arcades. I have been making note of this, and will award bonus points to the final totals, from 16 down to one, depending on their position on the leaderboard.
Oh, nice
I somehow think that comparing your girlfriend to “an old Volvo” is not the way to woo. Chris has managed to put his foot in it somewhat when asked about whether he would carry on dancing after Strictly has finished:
I will try and do a bit of dancing. But, I always say, once you’ve driven a Formula One car, it’s very difficult to go back into your old Volvo Estate.
Not only that (although I reckon that’s pretty bad), but the dancing has taken over his life to such an extent that he’s let his girlfriend deal with moving to their new house on her own, and not answering the phone during the day because he’s too busy practising. AND he’s taking part in the national tour with Ola-Chops too. You get the impression that he’ll have some major crawling to do once his Strictly experience is over and done with.
Love is…?
A perfect 50/50 weren’t enough to save Ali & Brian in the Semi-Final, but I’m guessing it doesn’t matter too much, since they seem to have something more meaningful than the Glitterball trophy.
The worst kept secret in Strictly?
Clearly there is something deeper than the friendship most couples on Strictly have, as Ali pointed out when interviewed after the Semi-Final:
Meeting Brian has been the best thing about Strictly for me. He’s incredible…I hope we’ll see each other over Christmas. He’s going back to the States and we’ve both got to do some family stuff but I can’t imagine not spending time with him. Brian and I are taking time to get to know each other now. I’d love to go on holiday with him.
Their story definitely seems to have captured the imagination this year, what with their Dirty Dancing photoshoot, and now one based on “Twilight”. Of course, you never can tell what will happen, but Flavia’s relationship with Matt di Angelo seems as strong as ever, and so we can but hope.
Speaking of Ali
Former judge Arlene Phillips has criticised Ali, in her own unique, alliterative way, for having “all the passion of a pomegranate” on the dance floor
It’s (the Argentine Tango) a dance of passion and Ali didn’t grip the audience. Ali is marshmallow and in this dance you need to be peanut brittle.
Now it is true that Ali looked much more comfortable doing light and elegant ballroom rather than a saucy samba, or a sexy salsa, or a raunchy rumba, or a cheeky cha cha cha (did you see what I did there?). However, she has come out fighting:
Sexy is something I save for at home. I save it for in private. It’s not easy being sexy with millions of people watching you. Brian helped me. Brian has boosted my confidence so much. He makes me feel sexy and that’s the main thing.
Also, is peanut brittle especially raunchy? I can’t say I’ve ever really thought of it as such.
One couple, but not another
Ricky, who was supposed to be getting VERY chummy with Natalie, apparently isn’t, because he’s got back together with his missus. Again, according to the story, Carly Stenson (?) has been “crying ever since the split”. Naturally, as this is a celeb gossip story, all of it has come out via “a friend of the couple”. Oh well – all’s well that ends well I guess.
How did the WAGs do?
In case you hadn’t noticed, we had two of the stars of that seminal production that raised the bar of quality television to new heights. I speak of course of Footballers Wives. Something that I’ve wanted to look at was a comparison between Zoe and Laila during the competition. Of course, a straight comparison would probably not be fair, given that Laila stayed in the competition so much longer than Zoe. Indeed, Zoe was on ITT this week alongside DJ Spoony and Gabby Logan as one of the “I can’t believe they’ve gone out so early” contestants. What was notable about these three was who their partners were:
DJ Spoony – Ola
Gabby – James
Zoe – James
Sensing a pattern there. Anyway, back to Zoe and Laila. What we can do as a comparison is look at the seven dances they both did, before Zoe ended up in the dance-off.
Zoe
Laila
Waltz
30
29
American Smooth
33
33
Foxtrot
33
34
Rumba
31
22
Jive
30
22
Samba
32
28
Paso Doble
31
30
As you can see, Laila only outscored Zoe once, with the Foxtrot (which, incidentally, is the only dance that has put someone other than Ali & Brian or Ricky & Natalie top of the judge’s leaderboard). The average from this works out at 31.57 for Zoe and 28.28 for Laila. So, that means I guess that Zoe is better. But, even then the figures are slightly skewed, because they include Laila’s rumba, which was the week she was injured and could only do half the dance. It makes you wonder how Laila would have done without a sprained ankle.
Speaking of Laila, on ITT this week was Zandra Rhodes, talking about the dresses from this year’s competition. One of her favourites was Laila’s dress for the Charleston, and brought out one of the best comments I’ve ever heard on any series of Strictly.
Cleopatra in a Speakeasy
Budgeting
Ever forthright, Brendan has been airing his views about Strictly, and how it compares (and competes) with rival reality shows.
X Factor’s got the money and they can spend it on Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston
Now, apparently (so I’ve recently learned), other shows don’t actually pay their guests to appear – it’s seen as doing them a favour if they come on to hawk their wares, and they pay for their set themselves, on the basis that they’ll get a big sales hike the following Monday. However, Brendan is probably right in saying the, because it’s produced by the BBC, Strictly can’t really compete in terms of production. So, his idea is, rather than try and compete on an almost like for like basis, to go the opposite way.
We have world-class dancers, a good production unit, I say take it back to the way it used to be. Smaller maybe
Pip’s Final Thought
Strictly has suffered this year. Ali and Ricky W aside, not forgetting the unfortunate Jade, the line-up this year has not been as good as last year, and the BBC made the mistake of trying to play the Flattopped One at his own game, which, unless they employed The Prince of Darkness to do their PR, was always going to end badly. What they should remember is that Strictly is good, solid entertainment, and not intended to line the pockets of individuals. They should market it as such, and leave Flattop to his own devices. If he wants to carry on fleecing the public, let him. The Rage Against the Machine campaign is evidence that perhaps the public (at least those that don’t watch other reality shows) might just be mobilising their opinion against him. Who knows. All I know is that, once Christmas Day and the Strictly Christmas Special passes, I shall be looking ahead to the start of the new Strictly season next September, when I shall have the opportunity to pickle my walnuts again.
Classic Strictly
A classic from this weekend, the highest score ever recorded on Strictly, and the outing of a Fine Romance. From the Series 7 Semi-Final, Ali & Brian’s American Smooth.
Adios
I hope that I’ve provided you all with some entertainment over the last four months. I hope (against hope in some cases) that perhaps, come next year, those of you who aren’t that big fans of Strictly might take the opportunity of giving it a go alongside any other reality shows that may be scheduled at the same time. All there is left to say is I hope you all watch and enjoy the final on Saturday, and make sure you check your email on Monday, as I will send out the final league tables then.
Thirteen weeks down, one more to go. We now have our two finalists, and one of them is one that we REALLY weren’t expecting. Or were we? Given the way that the voting public has a tendency to not go with who the judges think, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve had now two perfect scores this season, and neither of them have come from Ricky & Natalie; they’ve both come from Ali & Brian, following up their 40/40 in Blackpool with 50/50 for their American Smooth, showing that Ali is probably most comfortable when in hold. Team Cola did their best, and did well, but up against the two best couples, we always knew that their score would not be up there, and they’d need the public vote if they were to stand any chance of getting through. But, they are the only couple not to have been in a dance-off, so clearly they have the public on their side. Indeed, if you stop and think for a moment, it becomes clear how exactly the combined scoring this time actually went:
Judge’s Points
Viewer’s Points
Ricky & Natalie
3
2
Ali & Brian
2
1
Chris & Ola
1
3
So, in spite of a perfect score, Ali & Brian didn’t win enough of the public support and, with no dance-off this time around, they didn’t have the chance to impress the judges, which they surely would have done. So, unfortunately, if you had Ali & Brian in the sweep, you’ve fallen at the final hurdle.
As far as the leagues go, the Argentine Tango was the only scoring dance, as the couples also performed a dance they had already done. Ali & Brian maintain a 34 point lead in the main league table over Ricky & Natalie, while the gap to Chris & Ola in third is a further 15 points. Ali & Brian also have a twelve point advantage in the ballroom league, while Ricky & Natalie are 38 points clear in the latin competition. In the minor competitions, where the scores from both dances in the Semi-Final counting, Ricky & Natalie have a 1.5 point advantage over Ali & Brian in the average score competition, while they also have 16 tens to Ali & Brian’s 12. However, Ali & Brian have regained the advantage in the highest individual score competition with their 50/50 for the American Smooth.
So we’re nearly done. Next week is the final – Chris & Ola v Ricky & Natalie. They’ll each have to take on four dances; their highest scoring ballroom and latin each, a Lindy Hop and a no holds barred, anything goes show dance, which can be full of lifts, throws, jumping around, and anything else they can think to put in. There have been some spectacular finals before, so we can expect fireworks. Keep em peeled for the final midweek update, together with the last odds, and watch out on Saturday. Given that other shows have now finished, we can confidently claim to have saved the best for last.
Dancers
Points
Ali/Brian
941
Ricky/Natalie
907
Chris/Ola
882
Laila/Anton
728
Natalie/Vincent
706
Jade/Ian
596
Ricky/Erin
579
Phil/Katya
554
Zoe/James
537
Craig/Flavia
485
Jo/Brendan
323
Lynda/Darren
301
Joe/Kristina
234
Rav/Aliona
217
Martina/Matthew
195
Richard/Lilia
190
For the ballroom and latin leagues, the tables look like this: Celebrations Ballroom League
We’ve now reached the Semi-Final, and there are just three couples left standing; of the four that faced the prospect of five judges and two seperate dances, three managed well, with Ricky & Natalie taking a total of five 10s for a score of 95. The one unfortunate was Laila & Anton – Anton has never got this far before, and must have had some degree of hope, having got through the dance off two weeks before, and with an American Smooth to get Laila through. Alas, Laila had an attack of the Matt di Angelos. You may recall that in Series 5, Matt, dancing with Flavia, had an absolute nightmare of a quarter-final, forgetting both routines due to the nerves getting to him. He avoided the dance-off, and stormed through the Semi-Final. No such luck for Laila this time around. The nerves got the better of her, and she completely fluffed both the American Smooth and the Salsa, got a score of just 59 for the two and came bottom with the judges. Unfortunately, there was no repeat of Matt di Angelo, as that put her and Anton in the dance-off. Somewhat surprisingly, given that they were top with the judges, the couple they were up against were Ricky & Natalie, for the second week in a row. It was probably clear that, no matter how much Laila improved, Ricky & Natalie would go through with the judges, and so it was. So, that means that if you had Laila & Anton in the sweep, you’ve come so close, only to miss out on the pot.
Moving to the leagues, Ali & Brian maintain their gap over Ricky & Natalie in the main table, with Chris & Ola clinging onto their coat tails in third. Likewise in the ballroom league, Ali & Brian maintain their place at the top, with Ricky & Natalie leapfrogging Laila & Anton and closing the gap to 12 points. The latin table is as you were, with Ricky & Natalie maintaining a healthy 30 point gap to Ali & Brian in second, while Natalie & Vincent remain in third, while Chris & Ola have climbed three places to fourth. If last year is an accurate judge, it is likely that the top two in the league competitions won’t be caught, with just two weeks left. But of course, thanks to the vagaries of the public vote, one never knows.
The minor competitions have been affected somewhat with the introduction of Judge Darcey, which has led to scores being out of fifty instead of forty. Ricky & Natalie have maintained their 1.2 point advantage over Ali & Brian in the average score stakes, while they also now lead the highest individual score thanks to their whopping 48 for the Foxtrot. The five tens they recieved has also put them three ahead of Ali & Brian, with a total of ten.
The Semi-Final will feature two dances again; this time, they will do one that they have already done, which will be the Rumba for Chris & Ola, the Waltz for Ricky & Natalie and the American Smooth for Ali & Brian. However, these will be re-choreographed, so it’s still lots to learn. The other dance that they will all have to do is the Argentine Tango, which is probably most people’s favourite to watch, as it’s ballroom and latin all rolled into one. Can I advise, for those that aren’t quite sure what I mean, see if you can find Mark Ramprakash’s Argentine Tango on Youtube; it’ll be there somewhere, and it’s the one that everyone (and I mean everyone) remembers. Also, to avoid the problems of last year, the Semi-Final will not feature a dance-off. There will be no second chance; if you’re bottom after dancing for the judges and the public vote, you’re out of the competition. I’ll leave you with this final thought. Of the three couples in last year’s final, it was the weakest of the three that won. At this stage of the competition, proficiency and popularity go hand in hand.
Dancers
Points
Ali/Brian
842
Ricky/Natalie
804
Chris/Ola
798
Laila/Anton
698
Natalie/Vincent
671
Jade/Ian
576
Ricky/Erin
564
Phil/Katya
544
Zoe/James
512
Craig/Flavia
470
Jo/Brendan
313
Lynda/Darren
296
Joe/Kristina
229
Rav/Aliona
207
Richard/Lilia
185
Martina/Matthew
185
For the ballroom and latin leagues, the tables look like this: Celebrations Ballroom League
“Don’t you know who I am!!??”
Probably they did, but some bouncers are sticklers for the rules, and Judge Alesha found herself on the wrong end of one such when she had a flouncy moment in the street outside Funky Buddha. It seems that the club was full, and no amount of strop throwing would cause the doorman to look the other way and allow her and her “entourage” in. So, she decided to throw her strop elsewhere, sticking two fingers (well four fingers actually) up at whoever was looking, including the waiting paps. Now, would Arlene Phillips have behaved in such a manner? “Strictly no admittance for Come Dancing’s Alesha Dixon”
A Bad Week All Around
Not only did we have Judge Alesha going all ‘I’m A Celeb’ on us, but we also had the prospect of one of our celebs having to miss dancing because he was in chokey. Ricky was picked up by the rozzers in Liverpool and held all day, missing a full day of training, having allegedly assaulted one of the paps taking pictures outside a club. With his car no less. Oh dear. As if that wasn’t bad enough, we were also faced witht he prospect of the other front runner having to miss out, when Ali managed to sprain her ankle during training for her Charleston. But, as we know, all was right in the end – Ricky is on bail, and Ali has gotten over her ankle troubles. It’s all go this series though isn’t it?
What A Gent
Laila has come in for criticism from Arlene Phillips, who has said publically that she believes our ex-Footballers Wife is not good enough to be in the final. So, to her rescue yet again comes gallant Anton:
“I think Laila is as good a ballroom dancer as anybody we’ve ever had in a series of Strictly Come Dancing, so I think Arlene’s being a bit harsh – but she always was a bit harsh.”
In Anton’s view, the standard this year has been at least as good as last year, commenting that of the males from 2008, really only Tom Chambers and Austin Healey were the only ones that were any good. In Arlene’s considered opinion, only Ali and Ricky are “good enough” to win the competition this year. Of course, basing it as a dance contest, last year of the three in the final it should have been either Lisa Snowdon or Rachel Stevens winning – it wasn’t, because the public also have a say. And so, although Laila may not be AS good, she’ll still be a worthy winner, should it come to pass that she does triumph and pick up the Glitterball Trophy.
Royal seal of approval
So, Strictly has recieved virtually a Royal Warrant, with the news that the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are fans, even going so far as to phone and vote (apparently). Seemingly, when the Duchess met Tess, she admitted that she and the Heir to the Throne had both voted last year for Rachel Stevens. This comes on the back of the Duchess’ impromtu Cha Cha Cha with Judge Craig at a charity event. Of course, the Prince is no stranger to ballroom, having Tangoed on a visit to Buenos Aires in 1999. However, one does wonder who wins the battle for the remote at Highgrove, given that the two young princes are apparently fans of another reality TV show broadcast on Saturdays. Still, there’s no accounting for taste. We’ll forgive them such minor indescretions given their decisions to volunteer to serve in the armed forces. “Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall love Strictly Come Dancing”
We’re all feeling the strain
We’ve had a spate of injuries this series as you know – Ali has managed to hurt both feet, there was Laila’s twisted ankle, Ricky G got tendonitis, Phil had a knee operation and we remember what happened to poor Jade. Now it seems this is spreading to the general public as well. A survey has found that 25% of Strictly fans that have tried ballroom dancing have suffered some kind of injury, with the most common being foot, ankle, knee and lower back problems. So, if any of you have given consideration to taking up dance, there are some helpful tips about how to potentially avoid injury.
Speaking of Jade and her injury, it seems that she is well on the way to recovery and being able to get back to her day job thanks to a new therapeutic technique that reduces swelling but avoids the potential for nerve and tissue damage that comes using ice. Hilotherapy uses adaptable cuffs, which can be fitted to most parts of the body, to circulate cold water. This therapy enabled the tear in Jade’s knee to heal within days, and also helped heal WBA Heavyweight champion David Haye’s broken hand.
An Information Specialist on Strictly?
I had an email today. I won’t tell you who from, but she works at the Royal College of Surgeons. Anyway, she told me that she had received an email from someone who works on one of NHS Evidence’s Specialist Collections named Eli Bastin. And, she thought for a second that she had got an email from Ali Bastian. If Ali has been moonlighting as an Information Specialist on the Kidney Diseases and Male Urogenital Disorders Specialist Collection, in between training for Strictly and her day job on The Bill, then she probably should have chosen a nom de plume a bit more different.
Classic Strictly
Classics all today – no losers, only winners. A montage of classic dances from the six winners so far. From Series 1, we have Natasha & Brendan’s Paso Doble, memorable most for Natasha’s long white dress; from Series 2, Jill & Darren’s Jive (the first performance), which they went on to get a perfect score with in the final; from Series 3, Darren & Lilia quicken the pace with their gorgeous Quickstep, showing that big, burly Yorkshire born cricketers can be light on their feet; from Series 4, Mark & Karen’s Argentine Tango, and a different kind of dance from a cricketer, showing the spirit and soul of the home of Tango; from Series 5 is Alesha & Matthew’s Cha Cha Cha to “Crazy in Love”, displaying how the ebullient personality of the party dance doesn’t need light and skippy to work; and finally from Series 6 is Tom & Camilla’s Foxtrot, with Tom displaying a degree of the twinkle toe’dness (?) of his hero Fred Astaire.
Hands up anyone who gets excited when you reach the last four of a competition? Well, that’s the stage we’ve reached now – there are just three weeks until the final, and we’re getting ever closer to the Glitterball trophy. You can smell the tension. This week was tough, given that we had two dances that neither celebrity nor professional had ever done before, so they were all in the same boat. The three Charlestons came out well, with some interesting characterisation – Ali received high praise from the judges for being able to move away from her elegant, almost ethereal ballroom persona and embrace the daffyness of the Twenties, while Team Cola undertook the move of the night. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you find it, and then you’ll see what I mean. On the flipside, the two Rock ‘n’ Rolls were disappointing; evidently Ricky’s “difficulties” meant that training for him was at something of a premium, while poor Natalie showed that high tempo latin just isn’t her thing. This was shown when all five remaining couples came together for a group Viennese Waltz, which was marked for the first time (out of 10), with Natalie looking much more comfortable. However, something is becoming apparent – Ali & Brian are moving ahead at the front; not only did they maintain their perfect Viennese Waltz record, gaining the only 10, but Judge Alesha also gave them a 10 for their Charleston. That being said, of course the public vote also counts (as Tess is at pains to point out every week), and being at the top is no guarantee of making it through. As it was, Ali & Brian did, along with the other two Charleston couples (Chris & Ola, and Laila & Anton), making it an all Rock ‘n’ Roll dance off. Of course, if you’re up against one of the top couples, it’s going to take a miracle to get through. So, Strictly superfan Natalie tearfully had to make her way out of the competition, becoming the first person Brucie has ever bowed to on their exit. And alas, if you had Natalie & Vincent in the sweep, you too have also tearfully made your exit, although I can’t promise Brucie will come and kiss your hand.
Moving onto the leagues, Ali & Brian have increased their lead in the main table to a whopping 37 points over Ricky & Natalie, while the gap between Ricky & Natalie in second and Chris & Ola in third has closed slightly, from 48 points last week to 5 points this week. Clearly, the idea that Ricky & Natalie are a shoe-in and winnings should be paid out right now might be a bit premature. In the Ballroom league, Ali & Brian return to the top, with Laila & Anton jumping into second and Ricky & Natalie dropping to third, while the Latin league has Ricky & Natalie and Ali & Brian swapping places, while Natalie & Vincent move up to third, and Zoe & James still maintain their high position in fourth.
As regards the minor competitions, the pair of tens awarded to Ali & Brian has moved them ahead with a total of seven against Ricky & Natalie’s five, while they still rule the roost in the weekly score stake with their perfect score in Blackpool. Ricky & Natalie still hold the advantage in the average score competition, but the lead continues to be reduced, from 1.2 points last week to just over half a point this week. To say it’s close is an understatement.
Quarter-final next week, with each couple having to do two dances, and having to impress five judges with the introduction of Judge Darcey. The scores will be out of fifty instead of forty, so there’s an opportunity for big points to be won. In addition, with the final of another show being in two weeks, you’ll have no excuse not to watch the final of Strictly, which is on the 19th December. Of course, you’ll have the advantage over me, as I have to go to a wedding that day. And those of you who know what I’m talking about may well sympathise. BAHHHHHH!!!!!
Dancers
Points
Ali/Brian
732
Ricky/Natalie
695
Chris/Ola
690
Natalie/Vincent
636
Laila/Anton
613
Jade/Ian
556
Ricky/Erin
554
Phil/Katya
534
Zoe/James
492
Craig/Flavia
445
Jo/Brendan
303
Lynda/Darren
286
Joe/Kristina
224
Rav/Aliona
197
Richard/Lilia
175
Martina/Matthew
165
For the ballroom and latin leagues, the tables look like this: Celebrations Ballroom League
As expected, instead of the seven couples we were supposed to have at this stage of the competition, we had but six. Jade’s torn knee ligament was just too serious for her to risk dancing on, and so she had to withdraw from the competition. A shame, because, to paraphrase a great movie, she could have been a contender (10 bonus points to the first person who can tell me what movie that’s paraphrased from). As it was, we had five ballroom dances and just a single latin, Natalie & Vincent’s Samba. In spite of only being able to train for 6.5 hours, Laila & Anton got through their Waltz with a decent score, while Team Cola proved their consistency, especially in ballroom, with 29 for their Viennese Waltz. But, as has been the case for some time now, the class of the field proved to be Ali & Brian and Ricky W & Natalie, who seem to be trading highest scores each week. This time it was Ricky & Natalie, with 36 (including a 10 from Judge Alesha) for their American Smooth, against 35 for Ali & Brian’s Foxtrot. And so it was that we came to the bottom two, with Ricky G & Erin for the third week running, this time up against Laila & Anton. Since the current format was introduced two years ago, no couple has survived three successive dance-offs, and history wasn’t made this time, with Laila & Anton surviving to fight another day. So, this means that the House is not playing any further couples, and there will be no money into a drinky pot – it’s all up for grabs now.
Moving to the league tables, again it is as you were in the main league, with Ali & Brian still ahead of Ricky W & Natalie, although the gap has decreased to 15 points, while Chris & Ola have made their way quietly into third place. Perhaps even more exciting is that, for the first time since Week 4, Richard & Lilia are not bottom of the table! Even though there is no money riding on it, I always like to believe that people will still get excited if they don’t finish bottom. However, that may just be me. As for the ballroom and latin leagues, Ricky W & Natalie have returned to the top of the ballroom table with a 15 point advantage over Ali & Brian in second, with Laila & Anton returning to third a further 8 points back; while the latin league sees Ali & Brian leapfrog into a 5 point advantage over Ricky W & Natalie, with Zoe & James still in third, despite their being eliminated from the competition three weeks ago.
As regards the minor competitions, Ricky W & Natalie still hold their 1.2 point advantage in the average score competition, while Ali & Brian’s perfect Viennese Waltz is still the highest single weekly score. However, Ricky & Natalie’s 10 from Judge Alesha has moved their total onto five, level with Ali & Brian. It’s from this point in the competition, going on last year’s evidence, that the tens will start flowing. By Week 10 last year, there had been a total of ten 10s awarded, with seven to Rachel Stevens and three to Austin Healey; in Week 11, 12 of them were dished out (Tom Chambers [1]; Austin Healey [4]; Lisa Snowden [4]; Rachel Stevens [3]). Assuming that our remaining couples can get to grips with two totally new dances, expect fireworks. We’re going to have the Charleston and Rock ‘n’ Roll next week, which have never been done competitively on Strictly before – Brucie described them as essentially based on the Quickstep and the Jive, and so for the purposes of league points, we’ll mark them accordingly. It should be interesting, as it always is when new dances are introduced.
The week after next we’ll be in the quater-finals, with each couple having to peform two dances. Judge Darcey will make her entrance, and we’ll go to two shows on Saturday, with the main show and results show. We’re getting close to the closing stages now; the deadwood has been cut loose, leaving (if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphor) the cream to come to the top.
Dancers
Points
Ali/Brian
667
Ricky/Natalie
652
Chris/Ola
604
Natalie/Vincent
562
Jade/Ian
556
Laila/Anton
551
Ricky/Erin
534
Phil/Katya
529
Zoe/James
472
Craig/Flavia
435
Jo/Brendan
298
Lynda/Darren
281
Joe/Kristina
214
Rav/Aliona
192
Richard/Lilia
170
Martina/Matthew
160
For the ballroom and latin leagues, the tables look like this: Celebrations Ballroom League
“Into the Valley of Death rode the six hundred”
Well, not quite the Valley of Death, but Strictly does seem to be becoming quite dangerous. First we had Ali’s toe, then Brucie went down with flu and had to miss presenting the show for the first time ever. Then we had Laila and Jade’s misfortunes. I tell you this, there were probably more serious injuries at Television Centre last weekend than there were on the pitch at Twickenham!! We’ve heard nothing to suggest that Laila’s injury was anything more than a sprained ankle, so I would be surprised if she and Anton weren’t dancing next week. As for Jade, obviously that was a lot more serious, and according to the BBC “no decision has yet been made”. However, it has appeared on the news site of another broadcaster (oh, alright, it’s RTE) that Jade’s knee has no serious damage and she’s fit to perform this weekend. I guess we’ll see whether that’s true or not.
Should athletes perform?
The Jade situation has led to questions being asked about whether elite athletes should risk injury by going on shows like Strictly. Roger Black, who appeared in Series 2 after he had retired from track & field, believes that UK Athletics, the governing body of the sport in Britain, will stop current athletes from appearing in future, given that athletes receive lottery money, which is in effect public funding, and thus they are accountable for keeping themselves fit to justify what is spent on them. In all fairness, this is not really a case that has happened much – out of the 21 sportsmen and women to have taken part in the seven series of Strictly, only 4 (Darren Gough, Mark Ramprakash, Mark Foster and Jade Johnson) have still been active in their careers while taking part. In any case, injury can happen to anyone, at anytime – for example, former Wimbledon, Chelsea and Southampton goalkeeper Dave Beasant was out for two months when he managed to rupture the ligaments in his ankle when he dropped a bottle of salad cream on his foot.
Just who exactly is running this show?
Mariah Carey was supposed to perform last weekend. It was in the paper and everything. So, when the cast of Jersey Boys came on instead, we all thought “oh, she’s being a diva again and the BBC’s hospitality wasn’t good enough”. Turns out I’ve done a disservice to the Imperfect Angel. Had it not been for the world’s biggest divo, she would have appeared. But, she’s due to appear on some other Saturday night show this coming weekend on the other side, and Mr High Waist himself insisted that she couldn’t appear on both. I kid you not. Now we all know that this chappie is a powerful man in “The Biz” and all, but come on. I personally think that Auntie Beeb should take some measure of vengeance and bar him from appearing again on Top Gear.
…Get Me Out of Here!!!
Alas, poor Camilla. Our reigning pro champion was in the jungle for three days before she decided she couldn’t hack it, bemoaning that there just wasn’t enough food for her high metabolism. At least, according to what she said, she wasn’t doing it solely for her own benefit:
“I feel useless being here so tired. You can’t help anyone.”
In all fairness, it does take a lot to go so far out of your comfort zone. But, if you want to get on in “The Biz”, you need to have elbows. Fortunately, most of the professionals on Strictly are more concerned with their actual profession, which is dancing.
Classic Strictly
Back to Series 5 this week. As is so often the case, by the closing stages of the series it had become a three horse race, with Gethin & Camilla regarded as the third of the three. The problem, according to the judges, was that he just wouldn’t let himself go. However, week 9 was a turning point; the first week of doing two different dances saw them attempt the Waltz and the Salsa. And what a transformation it was; Gethin took the technical aspects, which he was good at, and morphed them into fluid dance moves that led to a score of 39 for his Waltz, which everyone probably thought wouldn’t be beaten. As it happened, two weeks later in the semi-final, Matt & Flavia turned in something even more special with their Waltz and got a perfect score. Nonetheless, it is still worth watching. So, from Series 5 is Gethin & Camilla’s Waltz.
Well, if Blackpool was exciting, it had nothing on this! They were all falling like flies this week – first Brucie is laid low with flu, meaning Tess has to step out front, and Claudia is press-ganged into occupying the back room to congratualte and console the couples. Then we have not one, but two injuries on Saturday itself – first was Laila tripping up the stairs and spraining her ankle, then Jade, having got through a perfect dress rehearsal of her Tango with Ian, manages to pop her knee getting off the floor, and can barely walk, let alone dance. All of which left us with seven couples instead of eight (well, six and a half really). No perfection this week, with Ali & Brian and Ricky W & Natalie both scoring 35. However, Natalie & Vincent got their highest score of the series so far with 34, while the nicest bloke in the competition pulled a funny face and managed a passably aggressive Paso Doble, with 30 scored by Team Cola. All of which left Ricky G & Erin in the dance off for the second week running, this time up against Phil & Katya. Unlike last week, there was no clear cut decision from the judges, with Head Judge Len having to make his casting vote, and he plumped for Ricky G & Erin. All of which means that if you had Kat & The Cat in the sweep, that’s it for you.
Moving onto the leagues, it’s as you were at the top of the main league, with Ali & Brian extending their lead over Ricky W & Natalie to 18 points; Jade’s inability to dance this week has left her and Ian in third, and has allowed Chris & Ola to close the gap to just 6 points. Ali & Brian, Ricky W & Natalie and Laila & Anton all performing latin this week, combined with Jade’s injury, has meant that Natalie & Vincent have stormed from fifth place to the top of the ballroom league with a seven point lead over Ricky W & Natalie. Meanwhile, Ali & Brian have closed the gap on Ricky W & Natalie in the latin league to just 2 points, with a gap then of 29 points to third placed Zoe & James.
In the minor competitions, it is pretty much as you were, although Ricky W & Natalie’s lead in the average score competition is now down to 1.2 points over Ali & Brian; Ali & Brian still hold the lead in the highest weekly score competition with their perfect Viennese Waltz, and still hold the advantage in the number of tens competition.
Laila’s injury was apparently just a sprained ankle – Claudia exclaimed how swollen it was in that Claudia way of hers, but the fact that she could limp on it, and almost dance suggests she should recover by Saturday, although there will be severely truncated training. Jade’s looks significantly more serious, and she has to think about her day job and getting ready for next year’s European Championships. I’ll leave you all to digest that.
Dancers
Points
Ali/Brian
601
Ricky/Natalie
583
Jade/Ian
531
Chris/Ola
525
Natalie/Vincent
507
Phil/Katya
504
Laila/Anton
498
Ricky/Erin
490
Zoe/James
457
Craig/Flavia
420
Jo/Brendan
293
Lynda/Darren
266
Joe/Kristina
209
Rav/Aliona
187
Martina/Matthew
155
Richard/Lilia
155
For the ballroom and latin leagues, the tables look like this: Celebrations Ballroom League
40 out of 40 doesn’t happen too often – in fact, Ali & Brian’s was only the sixth in the series proper in six and a half series of Strictly. And for it to happen in Blackpool, the home of ballroom dancing, where everyone was so excited to get to, was something else, especially after Ali & Brian were in the bottom two the week before. But of course, that wasn’t all there was on offer from Strictly’s road trip. We also had the bottom two, with Craig & Flavia against Ricky G & Erin; somewhat amazingly, the bottom two on the leaderboard was the bottom two with the public. No such hand wringing from the judges this week, as they all had a reasonably simple decision to make. And yet, to the end, Craig was absolutely insistent about his ability to dance. Self-confidence is one thing, but a person should also have some degree of self-realism. Ah well, eight couples left, and back to base at the BBC.
But no Brucie…
For the first time in six and a half series, there will be no Brucie. Under doctor’s orders, suffering from flu, Brucie will not be presenting the show on Saturday, leaving presenting duties in the hands of Tess. Tess’ place backstage will be taken by It Takes Two’s Claudia. It’ll be interesting to see first of all how Tess deals with doing the big role but, perhaps more importantly, it’ll be interesting to see how she and Claudia deal with the grand entrance at the beginning – will Tess be able to manage Brucie’s dance, and will Claudia kick her leg out? We wait with baited breath.
Chris – Metrosexual?
The scourge of the fake tan and bed linen strikes again. A few weeks ago I detailed how Lynda had bemoaned the fact that all the fake tan she had on was ruining her sheets. Now Chris has been detailing his similar problems, apparently having had to fork out £50 for two new sets of bedclothes because he’s turned existing sets orange. Not only that, but he’s also undergoing changes to his attitude
“I’ve changed so much in the past two months. I caught myself telling someone, ‘I need a tan for Latin dance, darling.’ I never thought I’d say that.”
We’re talking about the son of John Hollins here. I guess that’s what dance does to you.
So that’s why she left
Reigning champion Camilla Dallerup said that she made the decision to quit Strictly before she won last year with Tom Chambers. At the time we all wondered why – admittedly she is probably one of the more recognisible of the professionals, who has done a lot of work outside of Strictly. But (and God alone knows why), she’s now decided to take the “I’m A Celebrity” dollar, with the announcement that she is going into the jungle and is engaged in the “battle of the bikini” with a number of others, none of whom is really worth mentioning in any great detail. Oh dear oh dear.
Love is in the air
So Cupid has turned his bow and arrow over the competitors of Strictly it seems. We all know the rumours about Ali & Brian, given that Brian out and said that he’d repeatedly asked her out. But, the rumours that came out when Strictly began about Joe & Kristina are apparently true, with Kristina saying that he is ‘definitely the type of guy I’d love to have a relationship with’. And then there’s Ricky W & Natalie. Last week he split with his girlfriend, and now he’s met Natalie’s parents for dinner. What are we to take from that?
Classic Strictly
Last week we had a perfect Foxtrot. This week we’ll have a perfect Cha Cha Cha. Lisa and Brendan are the only couple in Strictly history to gain a double perfect score, with 80/80 for their two dances in the final. Nuff said. From last year’s final, Lisa and Brendan’s Cha Cha Cha.
