With a bumper show featuring all 15 couples, Strictly Come Dancing really came to the boil on Saturday night as our celebrities faced the fear of the first elimination weekend.
Thom and Iveta opened the show with a sizzling Salsa to Red Arrow’s ‘Hot Hot Hot’. Len declared that Thom was “popping like buttons on a tight shirt”, but not all the judges were happy, with Craig commenting that “Iveta ended up a screaming heap on the floor”. They scored 25 points for their performance.
But the hottest Salsa of the night came from Jake and Janette, dancing to the classic Mambo No.5. Their intricate and unique routine and the audience on their feet and the judges left gobsmacked with its intensity. Craig said that Jake’s hip action could “crack coconuts”, whilst Darcey stated that “it was one of the best salsa performances I’ve seen for a loooooooooong time!”. They received an amazing 35 points for their efforts, with all the judges apart from Craig awarding them nine points.
Their astonishing high score was matched by the beautiful, dreamy Waltz by Pixie and Trent. Their performance to Norah Jones’ ‘Come Away With Me’ had Bruno purring “Week Two, that is pure artistry!” and Craig stating that the couple “make a fantastic partnership”.
Unfortunately not all the dances were as well received, with Judy and Anton’s Cha Cha coming in for particular criticism from the judges. Their routine to ‘She’s A Lady’ by Tom Jones was only awarded 17 on the night. Craig jibed that Judy’s “body was as tight as a newly strung racket”, and Bruno sniped that the routine was “more court 18, than Centre Court.”
They were joined at the bottom by Gregg and Aliona after their Charleston to ‘Hey Good Looking that’left the judges bemused and perplexed, with Craig saying “it looked like you were having an out of body experience!” and Darcey suggesting that “there were a couple of times when you looked like you were going to kick Aliona.”. They finished with 18 points, one more than Judy and Anton.
