Strictly Week 5 results show

[shallowness]

Recap in which Tasha was not in the top group, and little was said by the judges about those in the middle except that they might be in trouble. Chris was still the wittiest celeb, although Wynne called Paul out for calling him ‘Gwynne’ again.

I thought they’d call Shayne and Nancy safe first (if they were safe, which I thought they probably were.) So did they, because they were mighty relieved to be called safe second. Pete and Jowita were called safe in the first batch, but the shock announcement was that JB and Amy were in danger. Shirley got to give him a pep talk.

Pete will be performing as the Joker next week – is he hoping that make-up will fake a smile for him? Katya is learning Welsh (I can report that BBC Wales have been stanning for Wynne as he works on Radio Wales) but it feels like their chances have plummeted in the last week.

Anyway, Queen Oti choreographed a paso-themed group pro dance, opened brilliantly by Nancy to silence. I loved the use of fans, the tendency to pair the featured ladies off with two men, the female and male formation dancing. Although Dianne made quite an entrance with fiery scarves, I thought things got a little muddled towards the end, was it a rivalry or a power struggle? Nancy was winning on the outfit front, and it seemed to be a tie between the senioritas. But mostly it was an engaging and impressive routine, all the more so for being rooted in a Latin dance.

The judges did not try to create a human pyramid and that covers what they had to say to Claudia, really.

Second batch to learn who would be safe, and Jamie and Michelle were the first through. Quite right. But when they called Punam safe, it got interesting. Nikita was exuberant to learn that Sam wouldn’t have to prove she could do the quekstep properly against JB. Off-camera, Amy and JB might have been bricking it because the producers had left Tasha and Aljiaz, as well as Paul and Karen, hanging. I chortled at the thought of the two couples where it was about the returning pro being given a ringer facing off. But Paul and Karen were under the red light, rightly so, and Paul was already giving up. Tess insisted that the Strictly properties be observed, Mosti gave the pep talk, and Paul promised to do his best. Sarah of the shortest limbs left in the competition will be dancing an Argentinian Tango next week.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor returned to perform her new single Not Murder On The Dance Floor But A Perfectly Acceptable Bit of Disco Pop. She looked great, then Neil and Nadiya came on, and Nadiya’s look was reminiscent of her cha cha with Tom, which may have been why I thought Neil was giving it more welly.

There was a trailer where they seemed to have put in a lot too much effort to remind us that next week is Halloween week.

Dance-off and JB’s jive was a lot ropier than it had been the first time around, whereas Paul’s samba looked like a lot more fun this time. I enjoyed watching him dance with abandon. Brilliant reaction when Craig opened his explanation for his decision by using his name, but all the judges pointed out that it was closer than it should have been because of JB’s mistakes, and that had Paul’s timing been better, he might have been saved, never mind the gulf in scores from the first time they danced. Paul can leave feeling good about his efforts, I think.

For future reference to anyone who might face JB in a dance off: he crumpled there. For future reference to the producers: expand what I said about nobody wanting to open with a cha cha to nobody wanting to open with a Latin, because I think going first did JB no favours.