Strictly week 10
Nov. 24th, 2024 08:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThe week after Blackpool, the week before musicals week (and the quarter finals) AND the first time the couples were doing two dances. (In further confirmation that we’re in the latter stages, they’ve started the pro challenge on It Takes Two.)
Tess and Claudia were in red and black trousersuits, respectively, and Tess informed us that all the couples had had a 10 (but none of it was Craig’s doing.) Anton channelled Claudia in the judges entrance. The dancers looked like they had better cozzies all round.
Pete’s VT included a visit to a dog shelter. I felt very aware of the height difference between him and Jowita in their tango (although he’d get praised for dancing up.) Took a while to get into hold, I thought it was decent, but his bum stuck out a bit, but then, I’m over him. The judges’ comments were positive, but with critiques and he didn’t reach 30.
I spotted Amy in the Clauditorium. Scott Mills, the new Radio 2 Breakfast Show host came in to do the Terms and Conditions, and the Clauditorium did his lobster hands from his brief time at Strictly behind him.
Sarah and Vito danced a very intense rumba. There were obviously lots of spins and some bits showing off her legs. I was left with the sense that they’d danced it on Sarah’s terms. (I’d thought her skirt might be too long, but it was okay.) Shirley was very complimentary, Craig thought it lacked chemistry (!?), and there was a split in opinion, two 10s from Anton and Shirley, two 8s from Craig and Motsi, giving them 38 and the highest scoring rumba of the series.
JB performed a Charlston, and apart from one moment of breaking it was very 1920s (although American, according to Anton.) Very entertaining, very good. I thought Lauren was outdancing him energywise throughout, but Shirley praised their synchronicity. 39.
I thought Jamie’s foxtrot was very good. (Michelle’s dress was beautiful, but unfortunate things kept happening to the skirt.) I liked the mood, with the open work feeling like highlights to the more controlled dancing in hold. But the judges were being very picky – and you sense that he probably doesn’t believe that they don’t believe in him. Claudia mentioned long hours on the day job. Notably, Shirley was the one to give him the lowest mark at 7.
Much was made of Dianne’s parents being in town, with Tess grabbing her father by the hands, the poor man. Hilariously, he flubbed the intro. Chris’s paso wasn’t his best for me, although I appreciate that this might be the dance for which he’d have the least frame of reference. I didn’t think the posture was great, and what Shirley called marching, I thought was a bit jumpy. The crowd went wild after the dance, and Shirley listed a lot of paso figures. At 33, it was his highest Latin score.
Montell’s VT was a bit about JoJo needing to cheer her up because she’d been in the dance-off again. But she had a proper quickstep song, a gorgeous dress, and I thought she was light and very classy. The leap was super. The judges confirmed as much and she got 37.
Tasha would be closing the normal bit of the show with an American smooth, and from the beautiful opening pose on, it was gorgeous, exquisite even, and the lifts flowed into the whole. They made Anton cry. Was that a fake-out from Craig? It was! They won him over and got the first 40 – deserved.
We then had a bit of filler about the sambathon. The main point was that the judges would be eliminating couples and two would be left dancing to the end, and then they’d call a winner. Less chaos from the judges, then. It did not quite go in the order I expected, as in Pete was the third to be called off (most amusing exit, though.) Tasha and Aljiaz and JB and Lauren were allowed to dance until the end, and Tasha looked spent afterwards. On behalf of the judges, Shirley declared JB the winner, so kudos to him, as he was competing against pro men. Tasha might have done better if she hadn’t just done a full routine and had the emotion of getting a 40, but it’s hard to say, because JB’s samba had been more recent. I couldn’t tell you much of anything based on the sambas on the night, because the cameras were all over the place. About all that I took in was that Vito and Sarah were covering a lot more of the floor. At least it wasn’t carnage, but I think it’s mostly a bewildering waste of time as a viewer.
Or, no, it did create some ties on the leaderboard. I voted for Sarah, Jamie and Montell online and talked myself out of phoning. We’ll see if Pete’s popularity holds up. From the scores, he, Jamie or Chris should be in the dance-off (it’s definitely not going to be Chris, Chris is going to the final), but I wouldn’t be surprised if Montell is in trouble against one of them again.
Tess and Claudia were in red and black trousersuits, respectively, and Tess informed us that all the couples had had a 10 (but none of it was Craig’s doing.) Anton channelled Claudia in the judges entrance. The dancers looked like they had better cozzies all round.
Pete’s VT included a visit to a dog shelter. I felt very aware of the height difference between him and Jowita in their tango (although he’d get praised for dancing up.) Took a while to get into hold, I thought it was decent, but his bum stuck out a bit, but then, I’m over him. The judges’ comments were positive, but with critiques and he didn’t reach 30.
I spotted Amy in the Clauditorium. Scott Mills, the new Radio 2 Breakfast Show host came in to do the Terms and Conditions, and the Clauditorium did his lobster hands from his brief time at Strictly behind him.
Sarah and Vito danced a very intense rumba. There were obviously lots of spins and some bits showing off her legs. I was left with the sense that they’d danced it on Sarah’s terms. (I’d thought her skirt might be too long, but it was okay.) Shirley was very complimentary, Craig thought it lacked chemistry (!?), and there was a split in opinion, two 10s from Anton and Shirley, two 8s from Craig and Motsi, giving them 38 and the highest scoring rumba of the series.
JB performed a Charlston, and apart from one moment of breaking it was very 1920s (although American, according to Anton.) Very entertaining, very good. I thought Lauren was outdancing him energywise throughout, but Shirley praised their synchronicity. 39.
I thought Jamie’s foxtrot was very good. (Michelle’s dress was beautiful, but unfortunate things kept happening to the skirt.) I liked the mood, with the open work feeling like highlights to the more controlled dancing in hold. But the judges were being very picky – and you sense that he probably doesn’t believe that they don’t believe in him. Claudia mentioned long hours on the day job. Notably, Shirley was the one to give him the lowest mark at 7.
Much was made of Dianne’s parents being in town, with Tess grabbing her father by the hands, the poor man. Hilariously, he flubbed the intro. Chris’s paso wasn’t his best for me, although I appreciate that this might be the dance for which he’d have the least frame of reference. I didn’t think the posture was great, and what Shirley called marching, I thought was a bit jumpy. The crowd went wild after the dance, and Shirley listed a lot of paso figures. At 33, it was his highest Latin score.
Montell’s VT was a bit about JoJo needing to cheer her up because she’d been in the dance-off again. But she had a proper quickstep song, a gorgeous dress, and I thought she was light and very classy. The leap was super. The judges confirmed as much and she got 37.
Tasha would be closing the normal bit of the show with an American smooth, and from the beautiful opening pose on, it was gorgeous, exquisite even, and the lifts flowed into the whole. They made Anton cry. Was that a fake-out from Craig? It was! They won him over and got the first 40 – deserved.
We then had a bit of filler about the sambathon. The main point was that the judges would be eliminating couples and two would be left dancing to the end, and then they’d call a winner. Less chaos from the judges, then. It did not quite go in the order I expected, as in Pete was the third to be called off (most amusing exit, though.) Tasha and Aljiaz and JB and Lauren were allowed to dance until the end, and Tasha looked spent afterwards. On behalf of the judges, Shirley declared JB the winner, so kudos to him, as he was competing against pro men. Tasha might have done better if she hadn’t just done a full routine and had the emotion of getting a 40, but it’s hard to say, because JB’s samba had been more recent. I couldn’t tell you much of anything based on the sambas on the night, because the cameras were all over the place. About all that I took in was that Vito and Sarah were covering a lot more of the floor. At least it wasn’t carnage, but I think it’s mostly a bewildering waste of time as a viewer.
Or, no, it did create some ties on the leaderboard. I voted for Sarah, Jamie and Montell online and talked myself out of phoning. We’ll see if Pete’s popularity holds up. From the scores, he, Jamie or Chris should be in the dance-off (it’s definitely not going to be Chris, Chris is going to the final), but I wouldn’t be surprised if Montell is in trouble against one of them again.
