Strictly Come Dancing 2018 - Week 7

So we are halfway through the competition and the number of celebrities is down to ten.  Halloween is but a distant memory and now the remaining celebs have their sights on Blackpool.  Yes, the pinnacle of the series in Week 9 when they make that journey north to the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, complete with bright lights and bouncy floors.  However, they have two more weeks to get through before they can waltz, tango or Paso in the Vegas of the North.  So onto this week and let us see what awaits us.

So opening the show tonight are Lauren and AJ.  They scored their highest score with 29 doing the Paso last week and are hoping to break into the elusive '30 club' with their Jive this week.  Lauren is definitely coming out of her shell more and more and getting into her characters when she dances which also helps with how the dance looks and her confidence.  This wasn't a perfect Jive but it was a very good effort.  Being an athlete obviously helps with her stamina and AJ's choreography has been fabulous to make sure her disability does not disadvantage her in any way.  A well-deserved entry into the '30 club' for Lauren.

Next up were Graeme and Oti.  After surviving the dance-off last week, Graeme was keen to make sure he wasn't there again this week.  He was dancing the Waltz and it was dedicated to his grandparents who were also dancers.  The personal touch seems to help Graeme a lot and this was a beautiful dance, he seemed to flow very nicely and he was actually leading Oti as the man should. Yes, there were one or two wobbles but on the whole a very good effort.  I think he should be safe this week.

Next up we have our first Argentine Tango of the series, being danced by Kate and Aljaz.  It was a first for Aljaz too as he hasn't performed one on Strictly before so it would be interesting to see how it went.  For me, Kate isn't a strong enough dancer for this dance, there is a reason why it's not brought out until the later weeks.  She put in a good effort but I just didn't like it, it seemed too stiff and wooden and quite hesitant at times.  Not good enough for me.

Hoping to put his monstrous Jive from last week behind him, we have Dr Ranj bouncing back with a lively Samba.  This is the Ranj we know and love, smiley and bouncy and shaking that booty for all he's worth.  There were moments of real Samba in there but a lot of it reminded me of his Salsa in Week 2.  it was still a very energetic performance and you could tell he was really enjoying himself.  A very good comeback from last week.

Next, we have another Couple's Choice and it is Street/Commercial from Stacey and Kevin.   Considering she lost two days training due to injuring her ribs and landing in hospital early in the week, I thought this was a very entertaining routine and I don't feel it was lacking in any way.  She still had plenty of movement and was very much in sync with Kevin all the way through.  I also found Kevin completely adorable in this routine and I enjoyed it from start to finish, the storytelling was delightful.

Following Stacey was another contender for the final in Danny with his partner Amy.  I was expecting great things with this Quickstep, however, it was not to be.  He started off badly, on the wrong foot and it escalated from there.  There were too many mistakes and it showed in his scores.  Whilst I think Craig was harsh with a 4, I also think Bruno was delusional with a 7.  Shirley and Darcey were a lot more fair with a 5 and 6 respectively.  Bottom of the leaderboard is not something I have come to expect from Danny and I hope he survives this.  However, apparently he can do this dance so if he DOES appear in the dance-off there is a chance he will still survive.  I just hope it doesn't get put to the test.

So from a bad performance to a good one.  Ashley and Pasha danced the Foxtrot.  It was a good dance, as I've said I don't really understand this dance, but it was pleasing to watch.  It was smooth, clean and classy.  However, the props guys need to sort themselves out.  I can't be the only one who spotted the rope pulling the bench at the end, can I?

Following Ashley came another good performance from Faye and Giovanni.  They were doing the Tango.  Apart from faffing about in a box at the start, although at least they were dancing, it was a great routine.  Sharp and fierce, everything I love about a Tango.  Faye is good and Giovanni has another final ahead of him I believe, he's done well with his last two partners.  His choreography is always spot on and impressive which always works better when he has a decent partner to show it off.

Almost at the end now and we have Charles and Karen dancing the Viennese Waltz.  Charles has a natural rhythm to him even if he is not the most technical of dancers.  He makes mistakes, which at this stage in the competition is not great but he has a lovely stage presence and his acting career helps him get into character easily.  This was a joy to watch and he performed it reasonably well but with the competition hotting up, he'll have to improve especially as he's been in two dance-offs already.

The final dance came from Joe and Dianne and they were doing the Paso Doble.  Now, much like Ranj, how will naturally cheeky cheerful chappie Joe handle the dark and moody aggressive Paso?  Extremely well, I find to my delight.  I've really come to like Joe and apart from looking a lot like Robbie Williams in this dance, he was spot on.  He had some good clean lines, really stretching that lithe body of his.  He was fierce and the energy between him and Dianne is outstanding.  A little wobble when coming out of the knee slide but overall a fabulous performance for a Paso 'Joeble'

And so by the end of Saturday night, the leaderboard looked like this

Ashley & Pasha	39
Faye & Giovanni	38
Stacey & Kevin	36
Joe & Dianne	34
Lauren & AJ	31
Graeme & Oti	29
Charles & Karen	28
Dr Ranj & Janette	27
Kate & Aljaz	23
Danny & Amy	22

Moving onto Sunday nights results show and an amazing opening in tribute to Aretha Franklin.  The singers were incredible and Oti leading the routine was inspired.  All the dancers performed amazingly.

But you're here for the dance-off, aren't you?  The first couple to get the red light is Charles and Karen.  So make that three dance-offs for Charles, they really do not have the public support.  

A lacklustre performance from Jess Glynne but a nice pro dance from Graziano and Nadiya and then we're back to the results.  It came down to Dr Ranj or Danny in the dance-off and I think nobody was more surprised than Danny when he was safely through and it's Dr Ranj in the dance-off. 

I thought both couples in the dance-off did not deserve to be there.  Personally, I felt it should have been Kate vs Danny (as much as I hate it, he was dreadful).  However after a very close vote, right down to the end and Shirley's vote held all the power, it was Dr Ranj who was eliminated which is a total shame.  I will miss him, he was always so cheery and fun to watch, he just didn't have the skills to continue, although I think he should have had another week at least to go.

So ten become nine and next week sees the battle for Blackpool as only eight couples can make it 'up north' to my neck of the woods.  Who will it be? Who knows?

Until then, keep dancing