James Jordan's Strictly Blog: The Wrong Couple Went Home in the Dance-Off
Welcome to week eight of my column for WhichBingo. A dance-off between Bethany and Nancy and Cach and Maddie ended with the result I didn’t want to see, Tabby and Mark bounced back in style, and Delta was under-marked again. Here’s my take on the dance-off, my predictions for this week and my scores.
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The wrong couple went home & who will be next to go
As much as I haven’t been blown away by Bethany and Nancy, there is no doubt they should have been saved.
If you’d asked me who I’d like to see stay in the competition, I’d have said Cach and Maddie, because I feel their potential going forward is much greater. I believe they still have much more to give and will create some amazing dances. But the rules say it’s judged on the dance-off alone, and Bethany was far better than Cach. In my opinion it should have been unanimous with the judges. If you asked any professional dancer who isn’t involved in the show who should have stayed, I think every single one would have said Bethany.
This Week’s Dances & My Predictions
This week’s dances look good. Dani and Nikita doing the Paso Doble, that’d be great. Delta and Kai doing the Argentine tango, great. Cach and Maddie doing the Charleston is much more up his street, because it’s less about partnering skills and more about tricks and personality. Jaime and Carlos coming back and getting a fun dance like the Charleston plays massively into their hands as well. You don’t see many people going to the bottom two of the Charleston.
I think it’s about time we had a proper shock elimination. The weakest dancers left in the competition are Graeme, John, Will and possibly Jaime. Delta and Kai definitely won’t go, and Dani and Nikita definitely won’t go either, because that Paso would be right up her street. I can’t see Cach and Maddie in the bottom two with a Charleston. I think that’s why they were given one.
John and Katya are so likeable, but I don’t think they’ll be marked that high, and Graeme and Lauren, with their Quickstep, will probably end up in the bottom two. Then I think someone else gets dragged down and we get a shock. It’s a hard week to predict.
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My Thoughts on the Show This Saturday
Cach’s Charleston will be a big week for him
I think he’ll come out this week and absolutely smash it, possibly even top the leaderboard, because the Charleston plays to his strengths. There are fewer rules and regulations, you can do lifts, and it’s more freestyle. Put him in hold and ask for good posture, good footwork and drive through his feet, and he’s not able to do it yet. Last week he was on his toes, feet turned in, with bad posture. Well, learn it. That’s what everyone else has to do, even untrained dancers. If you give it a go and it isn’t brilliant, at least you can say you’ve adhered to the rules.
I do think it’s a poor dance they did last week, and they deserved to be in the bottom two. In the dance-off there wasn’t really any improvement either. As much as I think they have massive potential, the rules say it’s judged on that dance-off, and on it they shouldn’t still be in the competition. It almost feels a bit naughty that they kept him.
New ideas still have to follow the rules
I don’t mind seeing new things, but they’ve got to add value and still coincide with the rules of ballroom and Latin. Otherwise it’s a free-for-all. It’s like saying we’re going to play football and then someone picks up the ball and runs with it. That isn’t football. If you’re doing a salsa, you want to see a salsa.
I understand bringing in a new dynamic, but if you’re supposed to be in hold in a ballroom dance, you should be in hold. We’re told we’re not supposed to do lifts in certain dances, so don’t add them in. Of course it looks wow, but those are the rules. With Cach, it’s almost like he’s saying he can’t do that style, so he’ll do his own and change it up a bit. But you’re on the show to learn a new style. If you’re doing a foxtrot, do a foxtrot. If a professionally trained dancer from a different genre can’t do it, that shows how difficult the art form is. It feels a bit of a cop-out if we see him doing his own thing all the time, rather than what Strictly is supposed to be about.
Is the show getting too predictable?
I think the show has given couples a good chance to stay. They’ve been in the bottom two, and then you can imagine Maddie saying we need a dance that’s going to keep us in, and a Charleston arrives. He’s going to be brilliant at it, and I’d be very surprised if he went this week. It is quite produced, let’s say. Looking at the Charleston, the Argentine tango and the Paso Doble, I think it’s going to be a really good week, possibly the best so far.
There should be tens this week
I think there will definitely be tens this week, and probably deserved ones. Last week’s weren’t deserved, and none have been up to now. This week I really believe one would be worthy.
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I want more personality from Graeme
I did like his Couple’s Choice and enjoyed the feel of the dance, but it wasn’t one that needs bags of personality. The song choice, the costume and the emotive music all played into it, which is easier than the higher-energy dances. I’m just not feeling him at the moment. I know he’s an older gentleman, but I want to see a bit more Ed Balls, going out there and letting go. I don’t feel he’s letting go yet.
The judges weren’t harsh on him, but they also wanted more: more stress, more exaggeration. It looks like he’s playing it safe. We’re just not seeing his personality like we do with John. John goes out there week after week, whatever the dance, and he’s not the highest-level dancer, but you love his enthusiasm for the show.
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My Scores From Week Seven
Will Best and Dianne Buswell, Quickstep. My score: 8. Judges: 6, 8, 7, 8.
What a brilliant way to open the show, with a really fun routine jam-packed full of content. I’ve always found Will slightly awkward when he dances, and I still saw it at times this week, but the improvement was massive. That’s a testament to Dianne’s teaching ability. This is clearly their best dance so far and I really enjoyed it. His posture and head position were much better, though not all the time.
He was light on his feet, especially in the chassé and the scattered chassé locks, and the synchronicity was brilliant. I’ve not been a massive fan of him over the weeks, but this week I saw his potential. I’d say he was the most improved person that week, definitely.
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola, Rumba. My score: 7. Judges: 6, 7, 8, 9.
I have mixed opinions about them this week. They’ve been my favourite throughout the competition, but this was certainly not their best dance. As a performance I still really enjoyed it. I loved the music, the costumes, the feel of the dance and the choreography, and the tricks, pivots and show-stopping steps were amazing.
She did look slightly awkward in places with the rumba fundamentals, even at the start, which Shirley mentioned, I think. She had a big wobble when she was just supposed to be standing still, and there were a few more wobbles through the routine. It looked like Vito was holding her up in places. Not their best, but I still enjoyed it.
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Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington, Cha-cha. My score: 9. Judges: 7, 8, 7, 9.
Delta was under-marked. At times in the competition I feel couples have been over-marked, so this might not have been the best performance of the night, but I believe it’s one of the best female cha-chas I’ve ever seen on Strictly Come Dancing. She’s clearly had lots of dance experience, because some of what she was doing was to a very high level: creating opposition in her body, with slick legs and feet.
I think the judges were slightly too picky. They may be harsher on her because she’s dance trained. They talked about her being more grounded, but unless you’re a fully trained Latin dancer, that’s almost impossible to get in four or five days of rehearsal. It was very, very good and I definitely think it was under-marked.
Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, Foxtrot. My score: 7. Judges: 6, 9, 7, 8.
Bethany and Nancy are another couple I haven’t clicked with so far, but I feel this was their best performance. Her frame, as Anton mentioned, was better than any of the male celebrities in the competition, and the music was lovely and tender. I enjoyed their dance this week.
John Nellis and Katya Jones, Salsa. My score: 6. Judges: 4, 7, 7, 8.
This was not my favourite dance from them, but boy, they are entertaining, and for me he is everything Strictly is about. His salsa action was very blocky and rigid, but he’s a natural performer, and once again Katya created a routine with lots of tricks I’ve never even seen before.
He’s clearly not had as much dance training as a lot of the others, yet he has a likeability that is what Strictly is about. He goes out there each week and gives it 100 per cent. I just love them as a couple.
Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, Couple’s Choice. My score: 7. Judges: 5, 8, 7, 8.
As far as Couple’s Choices go, this was a very nice, emotional dance. It’s hard to comment harshly when the VT was full of emotion and he was talking about a personal life experience. But was it executed to a high level? Not really. I agreed with most of what the judges said about extending more through the shape. He also has a slight awkwardness moving from foot to foot, and I just want more from him. Still, it was beautifully choreographed and had a stunning feel, and I enjoyed the whole thing.
Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita, Paso Doble. My score: 9. Judges: 7, 9, 8, 9.
What a comeback from a disappointing week last week, when I marked them harshly. This week they absolutely smashed it out of the park. Great track, great costumes, and great emotion, intensity and characterisation. I think the judges underplayed how good it was, and I totally disagree with those who said there was too much energy. The only negative is that they could have had more shaping and cleaner legs and feet.
The choreography was fantastic. She had great timing and synchronicity with Mark, and I loved it.
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby, Waltz. My score: 6. Judges: 4, 8, 6, 8.
Beautiful track and beautiful costumes. It was very emotive, which the public will get lost in. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was it pretty and emotional? Yes. Was it technically good? No. As half the judges mentioned, he was on his toes too much, with feet turned in, shoulders far too rounded and posture that needs improving. He’s a professionally trained dancer, so I expect much more. Quite disappointing from them.
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin, American Smooth. My score: 8. Judges: 8, 10, 9, 9.
This was a great dance with good choreography, cleverly constructed to a great piece of music. What confuses me is that the judges pulled Cach apart for bad footwork and posture, yet didn’t comment on hers. At times she completely loses her neck, she has ploddy moments with her footwork and feet turned in, and she still has a stiffness in her movement. Then the judges give it a ten and nines. I still love the dance, but never in a million years was it a ten.
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In case you missed it, you can catch up with last week’s Strictly blog.
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