With the prospect of a trip to the mecca of dance, the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, next week, our 10 remaining couples all had added incentive to wow the Strictly Judges on Saturday.
Simon and Kristina kicked off proceedings with a blistering Hollywood-inspired Quickstep to George Gershwin’s classic show tune ‘I Got Rhythm’ which received a rousing reception. Bruno declared that the dance contained “plenty of razzle dazzle”, while Craig enthused that Simon had become “a real contender”. The Judges gave them a score of 33, with both Darcey and Len awarding them nines.
Kevin and Frankie’s Samba couldn’t quite match Simon and Kristana’s score. Their spicy Mexican flavoured dance to La Bamba suffered due to some minor footwork mistakes, but still got 32 from the Judges. Len praised Frankie for her ability to cover-up the faults, but Craig insisted it was the couples’ “worst dance yet”.
But it was the penultimate duo of Pixie and Trent that set the high score for the night. Their delicious Foxtroot to the Beatles’ ‘When I’m 64’ delighted the audience and Judges alike. Bruno described their performance as “charming and witty”, and even Craig just simply said it was “gorgeous”. Darcey gave the couple their first 10 of the series, and they scored a massive 36 points.
At the other end of the Leaderboard, Judy and Anton’s courtroom drama Paso Doble to ‘I Fought The Law” didn’t impress any of the Judges. Len said to Judy that “if stiffness was a crime, then you’d be going to prison for a very long time!” and Craig quipped that he would have liked “to see some shaping, or even a bit of dancing”. Their score of 18 was rock bottom on the night.
Jake and Janette found themselves in unfamiliar territory after their Cruise Ship inspired Rumba to ‘Strangers In the Night’ received rocky reviews. Len said of Jake that he was “all at sea with his arms” and Craig said the routine was “too safe and too subtle”. Their score of 27 was matched by Alison and Aljaz’s fun-packed Charleston. They danced to “Friends Like Me” from Disney’s Alladin, and although the audience gave them a standing ovation, the Judges were less generous with their scores.
