James Jordan's Strictly Blog: My Honest Verdict on Movie Week
Welcome to my weekly column for WhichBingo. Movie week has been and gone, Chris and Amy are out, and I’ve got plenty to say about both the dancing and the direction the show is heading in.
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My scores from Movie week
Before I get into the couples, my first note was that it was far too early for a themed week. I think you need to give people at home the chance to get to know the contestants properly before going into a theme, because the theme normally takes over from the dance itself, the costumes and everything, and it pulls away from the whole ballroom and Latin concept. I’m also a bit worried the show is chasing a younger audience when its real audience has always been, and always will be, the older generation.
I also wasn’t keen on the professional dancers’ opening movie number. If I’d been on the show for that one, I know I wouldn’t have looked good in it, and I wouldn’t have enjoyed dancing it either. I don’t think it has a place on Strictly, even during movie week. The show was so successful in the first place because people fell in love with ballroom and Latin, not people coming out in shorts and shirts. Anyway, here’s my verdict couple by couple.
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin, Foxtrot. My score: 7. Judges: 6, 6, 5, 6.
Way under-marked for me. What a great way to open the show.
The production value on this was unbelievable. Back in my day we’d never have had the chance to be involved in graphics like that. The set, the lighting, the costumes, the hair and makeup were all spot on. The whole number felt like watching a scene from a film. Nikita’s choreography is really strong, and the whole thing was genuinely charming.
If I’m being ultra critical, Dani looked a touch awkward in places, and her feet and legs still need work. But I was swept up in the music and the costumes. It’s always a hard spot to be in, opening the show, because the judges have nothing to benchmark you against yet. For me, they were under-marked.
John Nellis and Katya Jones, Couple’s Choice. My score: 4. Judges: 4, 5, 7, 7.
I’m sorry, but what were the judges watching? As much as I love Shirley, giving this a higher score than Dani and Nikita is ridiculous with a capital R. Couple’s choice has never been one of my favourite styles, outside of the odd exception, usually when Katya’s choreographing it.
There was loads of entertainment value here, which I enjoyed as a performance, but it’s hard to mark a couple’s choice highly when there isn’t much real dance quality in it. I love that Katya pushes the boundaries, it’s why she’s had some brilliant routines in the past, but the big trick at the end, the handstands and running about, went wrong. If they’d nailed it, I’d have given it a five. I still liked it, I just couldn’t put it in the same bracket as the opening number, so I gave it a four.
I still can’t get my head around how one judge gave it a four and two others gave it a seven. It’s bizarre, but there you go.
Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington, American Smooth. My score: 6. Judges: 8, 7, 7, 8.
This one’s hard for me to judge fairly, because I’m a big fan of Kai. Last week I said the judges were being too harsh across the board, and I’d have given this a six having watched it twice. I called it the best female samba I’d ever seen on the show last week, so I was expecting more this time and wasn’t quite blown away.
There were a few spots where she was off balance, a bit sloppy with her timing, and her posture wasn’t quite there. I wasn’t a fan of the lift either, her legs looked quite awkward in that position. She’s still clearly going to be better than most of the field, but compared to last week it was a drop, so for me they were over-marked.
Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden, Cha-cha. My score: 3. Judges: 4, 4, 4, 5.
The cha-cha is an easy dance to learn the steps to but one of the hardest to actually perform well, because it needs musicality and rhythm, which Chris just didn’t have. When you’re working with someone at his level, the professional partner you’re paired with matters hugely. If he’d had someone like Katya, I think he may have stood a much better chance, but it’s hard as a pro.
The tricks and lifts weren’t executed well. This was the weakest performance of the series so far. For me to give someone a three, it has to genuinely not entertain me at all, and this didn’t. I’m not trying to be horrible, I loved Delta and Kai last week and didn’t love this. I just call it as I see it on the night.
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Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał, Viennese Waltz. My score: 5. Judges: 4, 5, 4, 6.
I’m pretty much in line with the judges here. I’m not normally a fan of all the fuss and messing about before and during a routine, but because it was movie week, it actually worked and added something. He’s clearly not a trained dancer, and I thought the routine itself was well put together.
I was surprised they were paired together given the height difference, because it makes the ballroom dances much harder when your centres are in such different places. It’s a real disadvantage having a much shorter partner, however good they are, because it throws your centres out of sync. He needs to work on his posture and frame, but overall I thought it was a good dance.
Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, Charleston. My score: 5. Judges: 6, 6, 6, 6.
Fair, I’d say, maybe I was even a touch harsh. Great track and theme for a Charleston, and the routine was solid. The Charleston is one of those dances that always looks fun regardless of level, because it’s so upbeat. But if you look closely, although her timing was good, she wasn’t really dancing, there was a lot of walking involved.
Anton made the same point on the night, that it was methodical rather than felt, and I agree with him there. It’s only week two, and from what I saw she’s a non-trained dancer doing a great job, so it felt fair to me.
Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, Waltz. My score: 6. Judges: 8, 8, 8, 8.
What the hell. I loved them both last week, thought he was brilliant in the cha-cha. This week I can’t quite put my finger on whether it was the music, the choreography or just the performance, but it felt a bit skippy. He didn’t have the rise and fall the waltz needs, and wasn’t driving through his standing leg properly.
I like the idea and the concept, but he didn’t deliver this week, especially given he’s already trained in ballroom and Latin and has competed at that level. I expected more. Four straight eights from the judges felt way over-marked to me.
Will Best and Dianne Buswell, Foxtrot. My score: 5. Judges: 4, 5, 5, 5.
I know it’s movie week and maybe I should lighten up, but the whole pyjama look doing a foxtrot was odd. It was fine, it was fun, and that’s exactly why I think movie week came too early. The links from out of hold into hold were simple and a bit clunky, there wasn’t much imagination in the choreography.
I haven’t seen a standout moment from them yet, but I think they’ll stay in the competition a good while, because there’s real potential there, and I think Dianne will bring it out of him.
Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, Cha-cha. My score: 6. Judges: 5, 5, 5, 6.
The judges were a bit harsh here. I love her commitment to every single step, she gives it absolutely everything, which I admire. At times she looked amazing, especially on the turns rolling in and out of his arm. Her legs needed to be straighter landing on the standing leg, and she had zero opposition in her body, which made it look stiff and wooden despite how fast and committed it was.
I was genuinely shocked to see them in the bottom two off the back of this. It didn’t deserve to be there.
Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec, Waltz. My score: 4. Judges: 3, 4, 4, 4.
It opened understated, with her dancing a little box step alone, which looked very simple and a bit plodding, even accounting for it being deliberate. Then Aljaž joined in and it suddenly looked beautiful, which says everything about how good he is as a ballroom dancer. The dress was lovely too, and it all looked very pretty.
Then came a long running section across the floor, and I don’t think she got a single step right. Picture Fred Flintstone running in his car, that’s what her legs looked like. Such a shame, because this could have been better than last week. Her left shoulder was almost up at her ear at one point, her posture went completely. I felt for them, because the dance could have been good, but the nerves clearly got to her.
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby, Samba. My score: 4. Judges: 7, 7, 7, 8.
As a performance, this was fantastic, West End standard. As a samba, it was pretty diabolical. He said in his VT he wanted to nail the technique, but unfortunately there wasn’t any. I think he’s brilliant and I really like them as a couple, but he’s also a professional dancer, so I expected far more of the actual fundamentals.
For the judges to suggest he’d simply created a new style of dance doesn’t wash with me. You’re not supposed to invent a new dance, you’re supposed to be marking a samba, and this wasn’t one.
Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita, American Smooth. My score: 6. Judges: 7, 7, 7, 7.
He’s good, no denying that, but I’ve got mixed feelings on this one. In hold, I wasn’t a huge fan of the choreography, there was no real musicality, everything sat at one pace with no light and shade, no slows. When they came apart for the tricks, even though one didn’t quite land, I thought it was fantastic. She’s got real potential and I enjoy watching them together.
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, Paso Doble. My score: 7. Judges: 7, 7, 6, 7.
Bethany did a brilliant job here, genuinely gave Nancy a run for her money. Shirley made the same point I’d written down myself, that there was maybe a touch too much swishing of the dress, which looks great on camera but is a clever way of making it look busier than it is.
I’d have liked a bit more actual paso content, but I really enjoyed the dance. I did mark her down one point because there was about twenty seconds where Bethany was off camera while Nancy was harnessed up for a solo moment, and at that point you’re watching the professional, not the celebrity. As a performance it was brilliant, but we’re there to mark the celebrity first and foremost.
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, Quickstep. My score: 9. Judges: 6, 7, 7, 8.
Bloody amazing. Performance of the night for me, no one else came close. The choreography, the energy, the lightness in her scatter chassés across the floor, in and out of posture, was seamless. If I’m being ultra critical, her head position looked a bit awkward at times, but that’s it. One judge even scored it as low as a six for a performance that good, which tells you everything about how harsh the marking was this week.
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr, Salsa. My score: 6. Judges: 4, 7, 7, 7.
What a way to close the show. Brilliant performance, really clever choreography and great lifts, though to be fair to him, Alexis did most of the heavy lifting there, literally. She’s the best trick girl in the competition in my opinion, and some of what she creates is incredible, but if you go back and watch what he actually did, it isn’t much.
That’s clever work from her, building something that looks amazing with him doing very little. Well done, Alexis, you made him look brilliant, which is exactly your job as the professional. Clever girl on one hand, but you can’t pull the wool over my eyes on the other.
Looking back over the whole night, for me the biggest over-marks were Cach and Maddie, Delta and Kai, and Graeme and Lauren. The biggest under-marks were Dani and Nikita, and Jaime and Carlos. And on the elimination itself, I don’t think it’s even a question. The right couple went.
My Thoughts on the Show So Far
Movie week came too soon
I don’t think putting movie week in at week two was some clever ploy to win back viewers after the backlash over the hosting changes, I think that slot would have been locked in long before any of that blew up. I just think it’s too early in the series. I’d rather see a few weeks of normal dances first, because otherwise the theme takes over from the dancing itself.
Some of the routines were magical, so I’m not against theme weeks in principle, I just think there are too many of them now, and they come round too fast.
The results show didn’t need fixing
If it’s not broken, don’t change it. I thought the results show was fine as it is. The right couple went, so what more would you actually change? The only real option would be dropping the dance-off entirely, but people want to see couples fight for their place, and that’s part of the appeal. They could move the results to Saturday night live, but they clearly like keeping Sunday as its own separate show, so I don’t see that changing either.
Three presenters still isn’t working
I still think the whole three presenter thing doesn’t work. Two is plenty, why do you need three? Emma’s so good that she doesn’t need to share the job with anyone, if anything she’s doing less because she has to split the role. It’s just confusing.
Johannes is a phenomenal dancer and a brilliant character, but presenting live is a different skill, you’re either quick-witted and reactive on your feet, like a Claudia or an Emma Willis, or you’re not there yet. I’m happy to give him time, because he’s been put in a huge position and must be feeling the nerves every single week. The more reps you get at anything, the better you become, and I’d rather see him embrace it going wrong occasionally than feel like everything has to be perfect.
Josh has a strong TV background, but his jokes feel forced at the moment, like he’s been told to be funny on cue rather than reacting naturally to what’s happening. I think Emma should be allowed to run the main studio solo, the way Bruce Forsyth or Tess Daly did, and let Claudia’s old upstairs room exist as its own separate thing. Having three of them in the mix just adds confusion.
Bouncing off other people on stage is genuinely difficult, it breaks your own flow. I liken it to being on stage with Brendan, where I’ve got to make sure I let him in before I carry on, and suddenly I’ve lost my own rhythm. Emma’s amazing, and I think the show would be better served letting her take the reins fully rather than sharing the load. I’d like to see them go back to two presenters next year.
Amy Dowden’s rough run, and the Neil Jones mystery
The production team clearly know how each celebrity moves before they’re ever paired up, so when they put her with Chris, they’d have had a good idea what they were likely to get. That said, we’ve all been in positions on the show where you’re handed someone with less ability, and it can be a struggle to get the best out of them.
Neil Jones not getting a celebrity partner, year after year, genuinely baffles me. He’s British, dancing on a British show, and yet they keep bringing people in from other countries ahead of him. I don’t rate the reasoning, because he’s better than some of the other male pros currently on the show. He’s never really been given a proper shot with someone capable of going deep into the competition, and if he had been and it still hadn’t worked, I’d understand it more. As it stands, I don’t think he’s had a fair crack at it. Personally, if I were in his position and not being given a proper shot year after year, I wouldn’t hang around as an extra. You’re either a main part of the show or you’re not.
Traitors isn’t the enemy
People keep asking whether Celebrity Traitors is taking the shine off Strictly. I think Traitors is brilliant, everyone loves it, and it’s new and fresh. If the situation were reversed, if Traitors had been running for twenty years and Strictly had just arrived, people would be saying exactly the same thing about Strictly stealing Traitors’ audience. It’s just the novelty.
I don’t think it’s about the calibre of celebrity either. There are still footballers, rugby players, cricketers and soap stars out there who’d happily do Strictly, it’s the show choosing to go down a different route instead, chasing TikTokers and well-known hairdressers because of who follows them online. I think that misses the point. People watching at home want to see faces they already know and love, not someone picked purely for their social reach.
Who I’m Backing From Here
Vito and Lacey are my clear favourites after this week, totally under-marked for what was genuinely the performance of the series so far. I was surprised to see Jaime and Carlos in the bottom two, because on the night they didn’t deserve to be there, and I’ve still got a feeling they’ll go on to surprise a lot of people.
Delta and Kai remain a power couple even after a slight dip this week, and Dani and Nikita’s movie number was magical, even if going first in a two and a half hour show cost them with viewers by the time the credits rolled.
The one thing missing from this series so far is a proper entertainer, someone who isn’t going to be a great dancer but is impossible not to love watching, in the mould of an Ed Balls. Right now, I don’t think we’ve found this year’s version of that yet.
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In case you missed it, you can catch up with last week’s Strictly live show blog..
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