Fitting the Bill

Week 2: 12 Couples Perform - 31 October 2020

We try to keep this blog non-partisan as much as we can, but honestly, is there anything in this world more satisfying than watching Boris Johnson's lockdown press conference, which got pushed back by over two and a half hours because he has no respect for anybody else's time, getting cut short because it had run over time and BBC1 needed to start Strictly? I, for one, am struggling to think of anything.

Anyway: Bruno is earning his paycheque by telling us what happened last week on the show, which definitely had his undivided attention and was in no way something he watched out of the corner of his eye while doing a conga around the pool in Los Angeles with a bunch of 19-year-old underwear models. We're reminded in particular that HRVY delivered what Motsi considered to be the greatest first dance in the entire history of the franchise. This week, the pressure is on because the first couple will be leaving the competition, and if they go, it will be entirely their own fault for not working hard enough, or something.

Titles. I could honestly watch that segment of Caroline and Johannes on a loop for an hour and not tire of it.

No opening pro dance this week, it's straight to business as Tess and Claudia head into the ballroom. Daly Dresswatch: an all-black sleeveless jumpsuit which is tremendous and makes her look absolutely fantastic, congratulations to all involved. Similarly, Claudia looks great in a sheer black sequinned dress. Tess rightly acknowledges that we've all just had some pretty shitty news (she phrases it in a slightly more teatime-on-BBC1-friendly way) and that Team Strictly are going to do everything they can to make us feel better. And good on them, because honestly, I can imagine there was a lot of stress in that studio tonight as they probably had no idea what time they were going to be on the air, so for the show to run as smoothly and as professionally as it does tonight is no mean feat.

Tess also reminds us that it isn't a traditional Halloween special tonight (what a bummer that on the rare year when Halloween falls on a Saturday they haven't been able to do it), but there will be plenty of tricks and treats. Claudia introduces the judges: Shirley, resplendent in red; Motsi, looking absolutely stunning in glittery bronze; and Craig, inevitably drawing the short straw in a black dinner jacket and bow tie. Let Craig have a bit of colour! Is that too much to ask? I am enjoying the synchronised sit-down they've all developed this year, anyway.

And here are our Strictly stars: Caroline and Johannes, Max and Dianne, Clara and Aljaž, JJ and Amy, Maisie and Gorka, Jason and Luba, Ranvir and Giovanni, Jamie and Karen, Jacqui and Anton, HRVY and Janette, Nicola and Katya, and Bill and Oti. We will go into this in more detail later, but for the sake of your eyesight I recommend you do not look directly at Jason and Luba this evening. Everyone whoops and cheers in excitement that they're actually here, as well they might be.

A reminder of last week's leaderboard, the scores from which will be carried over to this week:

1. HRVY & Janette - 25
2. Maisie & Gorka - 24
3=. Caroline & Johannes - 21
3=. Ranvir & Giovanni - 21
3=. Nicola & Katya - 21
6. JJ & Amy - 19
7. Clara & Aljaž - 18
8. Max & Dianne - 17
9. Jason & Luba - 16
10. Bill & Oti - 15
11. Jamie & Karen - 14
12. Jacqui & Anton - 13

Tess reminds us that that could all change once tonight's scores are added - but probably don't expect too much change, let's be real here.

Max & Dianne

Opening the show tonight with a jive are Max and Dianne. Max declares this prospect "mint". He's finding it to be a bit of a workout, because it's a lot to take in and a lot of steps to remember. I am transfixed by the background of their rehearsal room, whcih appears to be a load of wooden pallets decorated with green and white foliage. Did someone get married in there the night before? Max says that he's worried about this one; Dianne points out that he said that about the tango too and it all worked out fine. To help Max not feel so much pressure, Dianne arranges a pick-me-up: a video call with Jay McGuiness! You know, Max's bandmate and the performer of one of the most highly-regarded jives in the history of this show! Yeah, that would definitely make me feel so much less pressured. Jay tells Max how proud he is, and Max says he knows nothing about the jive (this, again? Is he going to say that every week?) and he's been "watching you in bed every night". How very Twilight. Jay tells Max not to overthink it. Somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem.

They're dancing to 'I'm A Believer', and it's a little bit of a bumpy start for Max as he can't quite skip lightly in the way that Dianne's choreography needs him to. In fact, generally this whole routine is just ever so slightly too heavy and grounded for a jive - there's just not a lot of lift in his kicks at any point, and there are moments where it feels like he's slightly behind the beat. It's not a bad performance per se, it's just one that's lacking a fair amount of finesse. I think maybe it would have helped if Dianne had lowered her own energy to match his, because as it is, she's dancing him right off the floor. [Agreed, but Dianne did look super-cute in that outfit, which felt about as Dianney as you could get - Rad]

Still, it goes down well with the rest of the cast, who are up and applauding. Tess asks Max if it helped with the nerves to open the show, and Max says it didn't, but he really enjoyed it nonetheless. After the requisite thank you to Dave Arch, Shirley opens for the judges and tells Max that he has definitely improved - but she wants him to believe in his talent. She says his jive was tight and precise, and he needs to work on his co-ordination and keeping his chin up - literally, not emotionally. Motsi says that Max is coming out of his shell, and she thinks he can push it even further - she liked the rhythmical changes in the dance, and she thinks he's dangerous when he takes control. Craig found it too into the ground, and more commercial/jazz/street than a jive, and there was no retraction whatsoever - but he loved the energy and the timing.

Max and Dianne bounce up to the Clauditorium, where Claudia declares him "our most scared celebrity" of the year (just as well Halloween week got cancelled, poor lamb). Max says that the whole prospect was scary, but he really enjoyed the dance itself and he's loved this week. Claudia asks if he's going to take that on board and listen to Shirley's advice to believe in himself because he's never danced before - "we've seen your videos, no offence" - and Max says that it's really cool to learn something new. Stay in school, kids! (Except not during a pandemic, please learn from home if you can.) Dianne says she's been working Max hard this week and it's paid off. Scores: Craig 6, Shirley 7, Motsi 7 for a total of 20, and a combined total of 37. "Noiiiiiice!" chirps Dianne, and indeed it's a bump of three points from last week. Max declares himself "buzzin'". 

Terms and conditions time! Claudia was hoping they could just scrap them, but apparently that was a contractual no-no. So instead they're getting people to literally phone it in this year, starting with Gordon Ramsay, reading them on a video somewhere in the USA, presumably around the corner from an improperly-run restaurant that he's in the middle of rescuing.

Clara & Aljaž

Clara and Aljaž are in the death slot for the first public vote of the series, which is certainly A Choice for the producers to have made given the public's general antipathy to voting for black women on this show. They have a Viennese waltz this year, which will be set at a table and choreographed to tell the story of a battle between the two of them. "So, no smiling?" Clara confirms. Aljaž tells her that there's no Halloween week this year, but also that he chose not to listen when the producer made that announcement and has choreographed a Halloween routine anyway. Hooray! Clara says that she loves theme weeks, and she's glad that they're getting to have a little nod to it. Aljaž says that the hardest element this week will be posture, and Clara says that there are fewer steps in this routine than in last week's, but the footwork is still very complicated and she's going to try to nail the technique. Aljaž explains that posture is very important to help create the rotation of movement and a look of lightness. Clara says Aljaž has been working hard on her timings and her posture, and she's really hoping it will all come together.

They're dancing to 'You Don't Own Me' by SayGrace, and a bit of a problem emerges quite early on when some of the netting on the lower edges of Clara's dress makes a bid for freedom and dangles precariously around her feet. She copes with this admirably, and she's clearly very focused and putting a lot of effort into getting her footwork right. Unfortunately, there is a moment where, despite Clara's best efforts, the rogue fabric gets exactly where it should not be and she slips, but she carries on. It does, however, seem to have rattled her a little bit, as her frame - which had a few issues beforehand - seems to lose intensity after that. It could have been a lot worse though, as the skirt seems to keep unravelling throughout the routine and is basically wrapped around her foot at one point, and aside from that one slip she seems to emerge without any glaring errors. It's a shame for her, because I think that could have been a really great routine if she hadn't been so distracted by something that was out of her control. [I loved how they both looked great and Halloweeny though, and I thought they did well considering how dangerous that netting looked - Rad]

Aljaž, total gent that he is, checks to make sure that she's okay as soon as the routine finishes. Tess points out the wardrobe malfunction and makes sure that everyone knows Clara carried on like a pro. Motsi opens for the judges by thanking Clara for bringing a bit of Halloween to the party, and says that Clara struggled a little with her hold and her posture, but she needs to keep bringing this level of energy to every dance and she'll improve. Craig says her frame was very loose and her left shoulder started raising up, and halfway through they lost her neck entirely. He would have liked it to be smoother, but he loved the choreography and the drama that Clara brought. Shirley thought it was lovely and had some beautiful footwork - although on the pivots saw Clara going up onto her toes when she needed to drive through her heels. She also advises Clara to press her shoulders down when she rises up, and that will help her out.

Aljaž high fives Clara as they sprint up to the Clauditorium, and Clara says that she was a bit nervous and so it's no real surprise that her shoulders were creeping up. Aljaž says he loves her shoulders. Clara talks a bit about all the support she's been getting from friends, family and Radio 1 listeners and how glad she is for all of it. Scores: Craig 5, Shirley 6, Motsi 6 for a total of 17 - a one point drop of last week and an overall total of 35.

Bill & Oti

Next up: Bill and Oti with a quickstep, and also some animals. Bill reflects on last week, and the way Oti's eyes were boring into him during the dance. This week, they're dancing to 'Talk To The Animals', so Bill brings in his rescue birds Jakob and Molly, who can't be released into the wild so he's trying to give them the best life that they can have under the circumstances. Oti notes that Jakob is nodding his approval as they're rehearsing. Bill says that the quickstep is about being light and elegant and tyring to float on air.

Bill and Oti enter the room and are greeted by some augmented reality creatures before bursting into a quickstep that is one of the great surprises of the night: it's light, energetic, precise and feels genuinely effortless in a way that I certainly didn't see coming. If anyone else manages a greater week-to-week improvement than this all series, I'll be very surprised. Can we just go ahead and officially declare Oti a miracle worker? It all ends with an AR elephant in the room, and thank you to Alexandra Burke for importing that phrase for us. (Also, this was basically a movie/musical week routine? Love that the pros are just declaring their own theme weeks as they see fit this year.) [It was a total musicals week routine. It did go a bit running around in the middle but otherwise great work. I'm ambivalent to the AR so far, I quite liked it in Jacqui and Anton's but less so here - Rad];

Tess tells Bill that Molly and Jakob would be proud, and Craig says that Bill wasn't so much Doctor Doolittle as "Doctor Do-a-lot". He notes that Bill kept his thumb down throughout the whole routine, and it was absolutely fantastic. Shirley says that last week Bill's posture was all over the place, but today his central line was at week nine levels and she could cry with happiness. Motsi wraps up by saying she is super-surprised, in a good way - the stamina and the energy were great, and it was all so clear. She enjoyed every moment of it.

Up in the Clauditorium, Oti is positively giddy at how well it went, and Bill is still extremely Bill Bailey about it. Is this the most unflappable man in Strictly history? I kind of hope he wins now just so the glitter cannon goes off and Oti screams in delight over her second consecutive win and Tess breaks all the Covid protocols as she hands him the trophy and Bill is just standing there giving them absolutely nooch. Anyway, Oti says that Bill works incredibly hard and takes everything she throws at him. And it's Oti, so you know she means that literally. Scores: Craig 8 (!!!!!), Shirley 8, Motsi 8 for a total of 24, a nine-point increase on last week for a total of 37, and Oti screams and jumps up and down and does a victory dance and Bill...politely says "thank you very much". Hee.

JJ & Amy

With the unenviable task of following that up, it's JJ and Amy. Last week's simple and effective waltz went down well, and now he's got to do a paso. Amy explains that JJ will be a matador, and says "and what does a matador have?" in the manner which one might use to address a five-year-old. In training, JJ explains that he lives in some level of pain all of the time, but he's not in any additional pain doing this routine because Amy has choreographed it very cleverly to make sure he isn't. He thinks he'll actually be in better shape when it's all over, and he's constantly finding out what he can and can't do. He vows not to let it defeat him, a little choked-up.

They're dancing to 'Believer' by Imagine Dragons, and JJ has got a nice snooty paso face going on. It's a slightly tamer and more internalised paso than we're used to, and the range of movement in the arms is a lot less (for obvious reasons), but all credit to JJ for really pushing himself with a dance that was always going to be a real challenge for him. It's not going to go down in history as one of the all-time great pasos, but he think he's done himself proud with what he's managed to accomplish.

Shirley says that she saw JJ using his breath well, and she liked the shape of his arms behind his back. But she would like to see him continue to work on his standing foot to shift his weight and make him more powerful. Motsi says that JJ understood the character of the dance and gave it the build-up of energy, but sometimes he let that energy go a little bit too much. Craig would have liked to see a more confident lead, and he thinks we've only seen half of what JJ is capable of (JJ's face suggests he begs to differ) - he got out of time at the beginning - but his cape work was very good and he managed to achieve the all-important Spanish line.

Up in the Clauditorium, JJ gets his glasses back for the full Superman/Clark Kent transformation (and also, he's doing all of these routines unable to see properly, I think that's important to remember). Claudia talks about JJ's daughter Hayley who's watching from home, and he says he thought that side of his personality was lost in Afghanistan, so it was nice to bring that back temporarily. He complements Amy on pushing him hard, and being able to be both good cop and bad cop at the same time. Amy giggles that she goes to the bathroom during training and comes back to find JJ practising without her, because of his Marine mentality. Scores: Craig 5, Shirley 6, Motsi 6 for a total of 17, two less than last week and an overall score of 36. JJ is happy with that result, nonetheless.

Jamie & Karen

After a preview of the next four dances, it's time for Jamie and Karen. Jamie reflects on opening the show last week and how it could have gone better - he was second-from-bottom on the leaderboard and he's scared he might be the first boot. Karen tells him that the only way is up (not technically true), and they've got an American smooth this week - where he will be descending from the sky on a moon. They go to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich (I assume the new lockdown rules will make this sort of VT a thing of the past?) and then get on with training. Karen says Jamie is putting a lot of pressure on himself, but she's seeing progression. Jamie reiterates that he doesn't want to be in the dance-off.

Jamie descends on the moon (looking more like Judge Rinder than ever) as the band strikes up with 'Night And Day', and he looks more confident than he did last week - I assume he's probably going to feel more comfortable with ballroom generally. There's tension in his topline though, and his mouth keeps hanging open when he's concentrating in a fairly unflattering way. (As someone who also pulls all sorts of ugly faces when I'm concentrating really hard, I sympathise.) [Yet more beautiful styling from wardrobe on these two though, so there's some consolation - Rad]

Jamie and Karen are clearly very happy with how it went afterwards, and Motsi says that she knew it would be better before he started - because last week she saw him having a panic attack before the music started, but this week he was concentrating. She loved the lines and the fingers, but the ballroom hold was a bit upside down - "not gonna talk about it, Craig will do that", hee. Craig takes her up on that - it was a dance of two halves, and the ballroom bit was really bad because his bottom was sticking out, he was creeping around on tiptoes, there was lots of gapping and the footwork was poor, but he loved the opening sections, the syncopations and the Fred Astaire flair - it was "difficult". Shirley reminds us that Jamie has zero dance experience (except last year's launch show) and advises him to put a bit of tissue by his side, and to dance with his partner without letting the tissue slide, to work on getting his posture right - but he has great potential and it was an improvement from last week.

Karen reassures him that he did so well, and she's so proud of him, on the way up to the Clauditorium, and Claudia tells him that she wishes she could hug him. Jamie's mum has recorded a message for him: she hopes it went well, and that the judges liked it more than last week. Her advice is that if he ends up in the bottom two, he shouldn't be proud, he should just beg. Classic mum negging, I love it. Jamie thinks Craig definitely loved the routine. Scores: Craig 5, Shirley 6, Motsi 6 for a total of 17 - three points up on last week, and a total of 31. Jamie asks if they're winning, and Claudia says they might as well give him the glitterball now as they might end up having to cut this series short anyway. Hee.

Maisie & Gorka

Next: Maisie and Gorka with a tango. Maisie says that last Saturday was one of the best nights of her life - she wasn't expecting to get one eight in week one, let alone three of them. She's sad that she's not doing samba any more, but at least she can use her years of practice at doing cliffhangers on EastEnders for her serious tango face. There's a bit of business where Maisie gives Gorka a Halloween scare, and he tries to get her back with limited effectiveness.

They're dancing to 'Midnight Sky' by Miley Cyrus, and I'm both pleased and disappointed - because I wanted someone to dance to this song this year, but I wanted it for a paso, dammit! Anyway, it's a very dark and moody tango at quite a speedy tempo, danced with great staccato movements from Maisie, and also the best turnout from Gorka's Arse so far this series. I like that we're still getting some good Halloween energy from several of the routines tonight too, even if we can't have a full theme week.

Craig thinks the pivots need to be taken on the heel and says that Maisie lost her balance right at the very end, but Maisie is an exceptional dancer who brought drama and power and lots of staccato moments. Shirley didn't see Maisie lose her balance and thought she was very well-poised, particularly for week two. She loved the sharp movements and the beautiful footwork. She encourages Maisie to work on tracking her feet as she advances in the competition, but calls her a force to be reckoned with. Motsi says that the choreography was very difficult, and Maisie had to be in hold the whole time which made it even harder - so she's achieving very high standards at this early stage.

In the Clauditorium, Maisie says that this dance isn't her at all, so she was so pleased to get such good comments. Gorka says it was a very difficult routine, and she's doing really well. We get an update on Maisie's plaster consumption: she's now up to possibly two packets a day. Scores: Craig 8, Shirley 9, Motsi 8 for a total of 25 - one point up on last week, and a total score of 49.

Jacqui & Anton

Jacqui reflects on the brilliant experience she had last week, and shrugs that somebody had to be at the bottom of the leaderboard - and it happened to be her. Well, I can't fault her attitude, that's for sure. They're dancing a samba to 'Help Yourself', and Jacqui says she is finding it very difficult. To help her improve, Anton has summoned... Ed Balls to come to training. Ed tells her that she needs a prop to distract everyone from how terrible her dancing is going to be (I'm paraphrasing). He opines that she needs to love the dance, and then everyone else will love it too.

Oh dear. So, Jacqui starts doing some side-by-side dancing with Anton, clutching some feather-fans, and this is a poor choreographical decision because it just highlights all of her weaknesses - no bounce, no rhythm, no confidence. I'm not saying Anton's checked out of this series already and is looking for a way to get his full salary for minimum effort, but I'm not not saying it. To be fair to Jacqui, she's more confident when they're in hold, and some of her footwork there is actually decent, but once they get into the batucadas and the open promenades she gets hopelessly lost again. I really feel for her, because she looks absolutely mortified for most of it, particularly the bit at the end where Anton decided not to bother choreographing anything else for her to do and just shoved her in a swing and made her lip-sync the words. A mess, I'm sorry. [Yeah, I really felt for her because her face just screamed 'I'm lost and he's abandoned me' throughout the whole second half - Rad]

Shirley tries to massage some aloe into the burns by telling Jacqui that it's a very difficult dance, that she stayed on time in the corta jacas, and moving forward she needs to listen to the music and visualise the steps. Also, she was "adorable" with her feathers. Motsi says they had it all - she can't believe how Jacqui has evolved, and she can see she's having fun. She saw some bounce action, but Jacqui needs to soften her knees so her body can absorb more of the impact. Craig says he thought she'd severed her Achilles tendon: "you were limping about, lost at a party somewhere, drunk". Are we sure we didn't just cut into Bruno on the live feed?

Poor Jacqui limps upstairs with what's left of her dignity, and tells Claudia that she enjoyed it and had the time of her life. We then go to a live feed of Ed Balls, again, because god forbid Jacqui be the centre of her own story. Anyway, I wasted enough of my life recapping Ed sodding Balls in series 14, I'm not doing it again. Anton says Jacqui has changed remarkably since the launch show, and it was his favourite samba on the show, and Jacqui was incredible. Scores: Craig 2, Shirley 5, Motsi 5 for a total of 12, one point less than last week, and a grand total of 25. Anton has a flashback to last year and shouts "a 10, at last!" Please can this be his last year on the show? Honestly, just let it go. He had his best shot of winning last year and it didn't work out, just put him out of his misery. [Especially since we're not short on male pros. God I'd rather give Graziano another go than have more of Anton's nonsense - Rad]

HRVY & Janette

Next, we have HRVY and Janette, with the tough task of following up possibly the greatest first dance in Strictly history [Kelvin who now? - Rad]. HRVY says he had an amazing time last week, and he wants to come back and do that routine every week. I don't think he quite gets how this show works. Janette points out that being at the top of the leaderboard in week one is amazing, but staying there is the challenge, as she learned at great cost with Peter Andre and Aston Merrygold. This week they have a Viennese waltz, which HRVY notes is a lot more exposed, so he can't afford to mess up. Janette says that the judges will be expecting a lot, so they really need to nail the details. 

They're dancing to 'Stuck With U' by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, and it's another impressive turn from him. It's light, confident, smooth and he drives the routine around the floor very well without showing any of the intensity on his face. There's some nice choreography from Janette in there too. Not quite the showstopper of last week, but still a very convincing statement of intent that these two are in it to win it.

Tess compliments HRVY on scrubbing up well and he says he's never had his hair like this before (neatly parted at the side). Tess says that his fans won't recognise him, and to that I say: now they know how the rest of us feel. Motsi basically openly admits ahead of time that HRVY is getting a nine again - he brought a different energy this time - he looks like he feels unbothered, but in a pure sense. She's enjoying everything he's doing, and wants him to keep it up. Craig says it was a little bit erratic at times, and his head placement was questionable, and there was too much rise and fall. There were hard edges that need to be smoothed out, but the spotting during the standing spin was phenomenal. Shirley sees a lot of potential in this partnership, but agrees with Craig on the framing issues. Nonetheless, she thinks if he works hard in this series, he could look like a professional dancer by the end of it.

In the Clauditorium, HRVY declares that he doesn't recognise that dude, but he quite likes him. There's a video message from HRVY's nan Joyce, and at this point it occurs to me that I'm probably not that far from the stage of my life where we'll get an appearance from someone's nan on this show and they'll turn out to be younger than I am. Joyce has a framed gold certificate for one of HRVY's records in the background, bless her. HRVY is a bit tearful to see his nan, and he says that he hopes she liked it. He says he found the switch from jive to ballroom difficult - he knows his head wasn't already in the right place, but it's such a lovely studio he keeps wanting to look at it. Heh. Scores: Craig 7, Shirley 8, Motsi 9 for a total of 24, one down on last week, putting him level with Maisie on a total of 49. (Also, HRVY got the same score as Bill this week - who saw that coming?!)

Ranvir & Giovanni

Four dances left to go, so we get a preview of those ahead of our next couple: Ranvir and Giovanni. They're dancing a quickstep in a sunflower field - but since it's the wrong time of year for that, Giovanni has brought Ranvir to a pumpkin patch instead. They pick out some pumpkins and go off to carve them while Giovanni explains how you do a quickstep. Would it not be better to...do some training? I mean I'm not the expert here, I'm just saying. Anyway, Giovanni tells Ranvir that she needs to maintain frame all the way through and make it look like she's enjoying herself. They eventually get to training, and Ranvir confirms that the quickstep is indeed both quick and steppy, and the hard bit is trying to keep her top half still while her legs are going like the clappers.

They're dancing to 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life' and there's some good content in here - Ranvir is good at keeping up the body contact and at getting around the floor, but at the point where they stand on the spot and attempt to do the whole kicking though each other's legs bit, it all goes slightly wrong. It gets a little bit skippy at the end too, but it's a decent enough effort - definitely still in the upper half of the performances we've seen tonight. 

Craig says that the charleston section went a little bit wrong and wasn't clear - he wasn't sure if her feet were supposed to be going through Giovanni's legs or not, "so make a choice and go for it, even if you kick him". Heh. The pendulum timing was out too, but he really likes this partnership and he adored the storytelling. Shirley says we've seen some fantastic frames this series and Ranvir's is superb, which shows she has a strong centre. It was light and bright, but she'd like to see some more absorption in Ranvir's ankles so it's not so heavy when she lands. Motsi tells Ranvir she's proud of her, and she's transforming like a butterfly - she loves the energy that's coming through, and she thinks Ranvir has everything that Shirley and Craig are asking for - she just needs to work on having the stamina to show it.

Up in the Clauditorium, Ranvir says she is grateful to be here - she's really touched, and this is a whole different side of her that's been lost for a long time. Ranvir's mum is in the audience, and we hear about how Ranvir's mum has been taking care of her during these long weeks. Scores: Craig 6, Shirley 7, Motsi 8 for a total of 21, same as last week, and a total of 42.

Nicola & Katya

With our first Couple's Choice of the series, it's Nicola and Katya next. If I may be permitted a brief sidebar here: I'm not a fan of Couple's Choice, I think week two is far too early to start it, I think it's all too often used as a gimme to basically guarantee someone a bunch of eights and not have to worry too much about technique, I think it has a history of being used to favour certain contestants over others, and also in this year where there's a shorter series and not everyone is going to get to do the full roster of ballroom and latin anyway, I think it has no business being in the competition. [I would consider keeping it for the final instead of showdance - Rad] Anyway, I'm sure no one cares what I think, it's here and there's nothing I can do about it, let's just get our heads down and trudge on through. Nicola wants people to see the story of how she became the person that she is today: she grew up in Leeds, and she started boxing pretty much by accident: her mum took her to an after-school boxing class because she couldn't get a babysitter. After she finished school, Nicola moved to London to carry on boxing at Haringey Boxing Club, so she takes Katya there to see it, and Nicola reflects on how much she owes to the boxing club. Her coach Gerry Willmott talks about what a natural talent she is, and how proud they all are of her. Nicola says that winning the London Olympics was the best moment of her life, and Gerry points out that she's inspired other women to follow in her footsteps. Katya points out that Nicola broke through in a male-dominated world, and Nicola says it really helped with her confidence too: it's important to look at yourself in the mirror and be happy with who you are. 

So they're dancing street/commercial to 'Shine' by Years And Years, although if you told me this was actually contempowaft I'm not sure I'd be able to refute it. [Ditto. Especially the flag nonsense which was jut running around going 'wheee' - Rad] (Another reason that I don't like couple's choice: the utter vagueness of the genre distinctions). Anyway, there's a lot of wafting bedsheets around before we get into the actual street section, most of which is decent, but Nicola's movements aren't quite as sharp as Katya's so it looks a little lopsided. 

Tess says it was so uplifting and gave her goosepimples (or maybe all that waving sheets around made it draughty in the studio?). Shirley loved all the tiny details in there and thought the choreography was brilliant. She thought Nicola really embraced the moment and kept up with Katya throughout, and she liked that Nicola had perpetual awareness of where Katya was. Motsi enjoyed the sincerity of it and the fact that Nicola really relaxed and let go, but Nicola could be a bit softer in parts because it would make for a more interesting contrast. Craig agrees: he thinks it really suited Nicola because it's "earthy" (...okay) and he loved the storytelling in there.

Up on the Clauditorium, Nicola thanks everyone for supporting her in her journey and believing in her dreams. Also, this was Katya's first Couple's Choice (something I found really surprising, which I think speaks a great deal to the sort of choreography that Katya turns out on a regular basis). Scores: Craig 8, Shirley 8, Motsi 8 for a total of 24, three points up on last week and a total of 45.

Caroline & Johannes

Our penultimate couple of the night are Caroline and Johannes. As they'd been left this close to the end I'd been assuming they would get the pimp slot, so now I'm really intrigued to see what Jason and Luba have got up their sleeves. Last week was a bit of a blur for Caroline (probably through all the tears), and this week she's got a paso doble. Caroline is very excited about it, and says that remembering the steps is taxing in itself, never mind managing to be sexy and dramatic at the same time. Johannes, on the other hand, absolutely believes Caroline has the inner fire to pull this off. He tells Caroline he wants her to be a professional dancer by the end of the season, and Caroline giggles that he wants her to be a professional dancer by the end of the day, but it won't be happening.

To the dancefloor! They're dancing to 'El Gato Montés' - previously used by Dominic Littlewood, Ali Bastian, Natalie Gumede and Tameka Empson. Johannes is in a purple velvet matador outfit with red stockings, and honestly, I'm living for it. Caroline, to my great delight, is giving it the full ham and eggs treatment, though the frame is a little looser than I would like. On the drama front, though? Absolutely delivering, just as I hoped she would.

Caroline manages not to cry this time, and Motsi says she loves the way Caroline used her hands - she loved how she got right down into it. It was a little bit careful, though - Motsi thinks Caroline has it in her to deliver more shapes and exaggerate everything. I'll say. Craig agrees that it was a bit too placed and polite - you need to really attack the paso - but she has all the facility to deliver it and he loved the Spanish port de bras. Shirley thought it was an intermediate level paso with nice shaping, but tells Caroline she won't ever look bad whatever she does - she's graceful and charming - but she needs to come out of her comfort zone, and ignite that inner fire that Johannes was talking about earlier.

Caroline and Johannes giggle up the steps to the Clauditorium, and Caroline says she was really looking forward to doing this, but it's much harder than it looks on the telly. Caroline's husband and son are in the audience, although weirdly just as they appear on the screen next to Claudia, the director cuts to a two-shot of Caroline and Johannes and stays there, so we don't actually see Caroline's family. Very odd. Anyway, Caroline says her son is used to seeing her do all sorts. Johannes loved every minute of it, and tells Caroline that it was beautiful. Hooray! Scores: Craig 7, Shirley 7, Motsi 7 for a total of 21 - same as last week, and a total of 42.

Jason & Luba

Our final couple are, by process of elimination, Jason and Luba. This week they are dancing a salsa to 'Get Lucky', which Jason is excited about because it was his summer jam that one time. Luba arranges a video call with Jason's sister Melissa and his mom Geri. He tells his mom that he's excited for this dance, but that he misses her - Jason explains that the original plan would have been for his mom to be in the country for this and go through this whole experience with him but, y'know, Covid and that. But seeing her gave him a boost, and his mom enjoys watching him and Luba do a run through.

So, yes, let's address the outfits: Jason and Luba are in a luminous shade of citrus, somewhere between lemon and lime, and I'm not saying it's bright but everyone in the audience who has transition lenses on their glasses is now definitely in summer mode. [Haha I love that colour, but that's just me, it's always 1989 in my heart - Rad] Jason's clearly having a lot of fun with this routine, although I think he's dancing with a bit too much wild abandon - the same problem he had last week. If he sticks around for a bit, I think Luba needs to work on just getting him to calm down a bit. The choreography is a bit too much of the "celebrity stands still for a bit while the professional does some showcasey bits" for my liking, and the pot-stirrer that they do at the very end goes awry - again, I think, because Jason just got carried away with enthusiasm and spun Luba so hard that she toppled over. She styles it out, though.

Jason tells Tess he's having the time of his life, and Craig tells him that his hips weren't - it was very square and his feet were too far apart. It lacked the necessary fluidity, but Craig thought the energy and performance that Jason brought were brilliant. Shirley, of course, is the queen of the pot stirrer and appreciated having that thrown in, but has to note of course that it went wrong, however well Luba covered it up. She thought it lacked fluidity, but made up for it in energy - he's got the hang of the pumping moves, but he needs to learn to rotate his hips. Motsi wraps things up by saying she can clearly see which steps Jason loves because there's a real difference in energy there, so he needs to try to even it out a bit - but she loved that Jason had enough energy to match Luba.

In the Clauditorium, Jason tells Claudia there was a lot of pressure going on last, but he loved every second. He adds that Luba is a great coach who pushes him really hard like a good coach. Jason waves to his daughter Anaíya, and says that he loves his mom so much. Claudia asks him how he feels about the looming elimination, and Jason says it's an unbelievable journey and he wants to stay for as long as he can. Scores: Craig 6, Shirley 6, Motsi 6 for a total of 18 - two points up on last week, and a total of 34.

So here's that combined leaderboard, then, with added position shifts from last week in brackets:
1=. Maisie & Gorka - 24 + 25 = 49 (+1)
1=. HRVY & Janette - 25 + 24 = 49 (no change)
3. Nicola & Katya - 21 + 24 = 45 (no change)
4=. Ranvir & Giovanni - 21 + 21 = 42 (-1)
4=. Caroline & Johannes - 21 + 21 = 42 (-1)
6. Bill & Oti - 15 + 24 = 39 (+4)
7. Max & Dianne - 17 + 20 = 38 (+1)
8. JJ & Amy - 19 + 17 = 36 (-2)
9. Clara & Aljaž - 18 + 17 = 35 (-2)
10. Jason & Luba - 16 + 18 = 34 (-1)
11. Jamie & Karen - 14 + 17 = 31 (no change)
12. Jacqui & Anton - 13 + 12 = 25 (no change)

So, other than the incredible transformation of Bill Bailey dislodging JJ and Clara, not a huge amount of movement there. People who could be in danger: any of Clara, Jason, Jamie and Jacqui, depending on how strong the Anton vote is this year, or how many people vote for politilols. (I debated including JJ in the danger zone, but I think he's got enough of an inspirational narrative and all the people below him are people I could conceivably see him beating in a public vote, so I don't think he's in any danger just yet.) [I could easily see Jamie vs Jason - Rad]

Claudia opens the vote, but says it's not the same without Janette there dancing a conga at her feet. We get the obligatory recap of all the dances, and one last encouragement to vote. Tomorrow night (well, tonight at this point), two couples face the first dance-off of the series, we'll hear from Bruno and from Sam Smith, and there'll be a Hallowe'eny pro dance. Be sure to join us for it!