S12.E03: Episode 3

[Occasional Hope]

Oh dear, poor Judy was worse this week than last.  That was dire.  And specially unlucky to immediately follow Jake, who was fantastic.  Scott was the other worst of the night - very marginally less terrible than last week, but that's not a high bar.

 

Best of the night: Jake was great again.  Also very good: Caroline, Pixie, Frankie, in roughly that order.

 

Person I'd like to leave: the incredibly irritating Alison.

[Morrigan]

I feel bad about not liking Alison but I just can't watch her on the dancefloor, and all that flirting with Aljaz, yuck!  I hate hate hate faux-showmances anyway, and the way these shows egg it on.  But with the two Ali's, it's just intolerable.  Still, I feel like I'm being discriminatory against larger people but what can you do about a visceral reaction?

 

Judy's and Anton's cha cha was perhaps the worst dance I've ever seen.  I feel so sorry for her - she looks like she'd rather be at the dentist's or having surgery or something, rather than be out on that dance floor.  Scott is extremely awkward and I was shocked to hear him say he was surprised he was at the bottom of the leaderboard week one.  Huh?  He thinks he's good??

 

Quite a few in the lower tier, Gregg the confused mincer who hates wearing underwear, Tim the gaptooth hunchback, ever-akimbo dopey Scott, terrified frozen Judy, and almost as terrified (and a bit hunchy as well) Jennifer.  I hope the latter makes it through though as I think she's the best of the worst, so to speak, and mainly because of Tristan - if they survive, he'll be going to Glasgow with her so she can tape episodes of Mrs. Brown's Boys at the BBC studio there.  So that'll be fun for him.

 

For some reason, I can't get too invested in the better dancers.  Jake strikes me as a bit menacing or something - I can't warm to his personality - and like James Jordan tweeted, I feel pretty certain he has some major previous dance training that's been kept secret.  And the 3 men they are giving so-so marks to I think really belong in the bottom tier with the aforementioned - Thom, stiff and dim; Steve - stiff; Mark - can't remember if he's stiff, dim, or both.  Simon's a bit too cool for school and so, hard to empathize with.  With the guys, I got nothing.

 

And the girls - I can't tell Frankie from Caroline and Pixie's idiotic babytalking is not only annoying but she strikes me as fake - the wardrobe lady took a passive aggressive dig at her, saying she rejected the crocheted top of her dancing gown and so Pixie was out there in her bra and a half-slip.  I've got to come up with a favorite (other than Tristan) and it's not easy - I'll keep trying.  Maybe Sunetra?  At least she seems genuine and her dancing is ok I guess - and I'm fond of Brendan.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Morrigan

[legaleagle53]

The problem with Judy isn't so much Judy as it is Anton.  His Latin technique has never been all that good to start with, but this series it seems to be completely non-existent.  Never mind HER hip action in the Cha-Cha -- where was HIS?

 

By the way, those of you who are following James as he live tweets during the shows -- what do you think of his self-appointed role as fifth judge?  I think he's hilarious, but more to the point, he actually knows what he's talking about.  My only beef is that he shares Len's manly-man fetish; I almost told him he was starting to sound like Len when he tweeted that one of the male celebs "looks like a bloke."

[Morrigan]

Ha ha about James and the blokes!  I love his comments.  I think it's a shame he might have ruined his chances to be on ITT.  I do love Ian though - but imo, James would have been refreshing on that show.  And I love his tweeting!!!  A breath of fresh air amidst all the boilerplate and fangirling, he's a treat.  I can't wait to hear what Judy will get next time, but probably a slow standard and she'll do better.  It's hard to imagine her doing worse!!  or the show being cruel enough to give her a fast dance like a jive or samba, but then again, great fun (but hard to enjoy it since she's so miserable and doesn't seem the type to make fun of herself - wish she was because that was a classic FAIL last night!  Oh my God!)

[Anothermi]

Damn! lost my post... here I go again. 

 

I've been surfing on Digital Spy for this show, but conversing about it doesn't seem to be the culture there. So, this seems like a possible place for a decent exchange of ideas (hopefully).

 

I don't know any of the Celebrities, so I'm starting without any pre-conceptions... 

 

The Worst:

 

Agree with Occasional Hope -  Gregg, Scott, Judy and Jennifer.  But...

Gregg: It seems he is generally hated on his home turf due to his MasterChef persona. However, I've watched some SCD site vids that show he is quite a card and I've enjoyed him in those, so I'm positively disposed to him (even though he's a crap dancer). Examples from Friday Frolics on that site:

Gregg to Steve B: I see people liking your muscles (mussels) on the internet.  I didn't know you were into shellfish! I am pleased.

Steve: (seems to completely miss the word play)

 

Steve: (commenting on how bad his dancing is)

Gregg: I aspire to that!

OK. Maybe it's not every-body's sense of humour, but it tickled my funny bone!

 

Judy: She seems nice, but the best I can say is that I loved when she hit Anton in the head with the Tennis Serve he choreographed in for her. Finally something she can excel at!

 

Scott: Mmmmm.  He's a lovely guy.  He casually talked about his boyfriend on National TV with out a brou-ha-ha... and he is trying his best. (no dancing ability)

 

Jennifer: She is the best of this lot, but her nerves really do her in.  I want her to stay because I want Tristan to stay. 

 

Jumping to the People I LIke:

There are quite a few... and for different reasons. 

 

Caroline: She's partnered with Pasha, so I'm going to like her regardless of how she dances.  But she is actually good. Not sure why her scores are so middling, but I'm going with the belief that the judges are expecting her to improve over time. Yeah. That's explains it all. 

 

Jake: Was hoping that Janette would get someone decent and boy did she ever! I've warmed to his "poker face" personality. Hell, he even cracked a smile this week, but he reminds me of Dee Caspary from SYTYCD, who NEVER cracks a smile EVER and because of that I find him entertaining. <personal quirk of mine I guess> Actually, Jake has a wonderful, dry sense of humour.  In their rehearsal video, he's shown (all serious) worrying about the fact that Janette has told him if he doesn't catch her in the last lift her face will smash into the floor.  He deadpans... If it does happen... they tell me I'll get another one. What?! ROTFL! Didn't see that coming. I Love that kind of humour (but maybe I'm a sick bastard?) So.. Good dancer and great - if dry - sense of humour?  What's not to like.  

I'm not convinced he has dance training.  Great natural musicality and acting ability, but if you watch the steps? Not much technique. 

 

Steve Backshall: The fact that he faked a good tango shows promise.  Mostly I just like him.  He's what I call "guilelessly charming" so I give him a pass on his Blokey Blokeness (which I generally despise). Besides, he does good work around awareness of our impact on other species - which I support (now I know about it). 

 

Tim: I've actually seen Bargain Hunt, but don't remember much about him.  Like his eccentric-ness. Happy that he can dance a waltz with his wife now. Love Natalie. AND he knows that his dancing is rubbish so his "that was amazing" (or whatever he said 1st week) was bravado. Want him to outlast Judy. 

 

Sunetra: Don't know her from Eve, but she's impressing me. For someone with little or no dance training she's doing very well, and she's showing a good personality too.

 

All the rest are a bit of a blur.  The Pop-bot girls... The hunky boys...

I'm happy Karen got someone with "some" personality who can actually move.

I wish Iveta's celeb had a personality. 

I don't dislike any of the rest.  They're just not making much of an impression on me yet. 

Oh yeah.  I DO like Allison.  Perhaps because I was expecting Lisa Riley 2.0 - and she is not that. She's pretty darn good on the dance floor but, yeah, hope the Aliaj objectification goes away. >.<

 

 

[comosedice]

Jake, Caroline, and Sunetra were the best this week. I want so badly for Pasha to get the mirror ball for this season.

[Morrigan]

Welcome guys!  I hope this forum can pick up too but Digital Spy is well established and I guess not that many Americans watch Strictly.  Well, their loss!!  And Tristan was their enormous loss!!!  But at least I'm free of that nightmare...  I'm still angry about Alec not coming back for Season 2 - my grudges last forever...

 

Anyway, I do like DS and maybe their episode threads are what Twop used to try to urge us to do:  not recap everybody but act like we were at a cocktail party or something.  One reason I don't think it ever worked was they wouldn't let us discuss the show until when it was over so of COURSE you want to give your opinion about everybody all at one - you'd been holding it in all night.  Oh and you had to read everybody else's posts first so more opinions filling your brain that you're holding in -- and then trying not to do a run-down of everybody was so so hard.  Well, anyway, I like DS but it's a different zeitgeist.  Still -- wonderful for hearing about the show as it happens :)

 

Judy has quickstep next week - I think Jennifer and Tristan have salsa to a Beetlejuice song Jump in the Line - there were a couple more I can't remember.  Can't wait !!

Edited October 7, 2014 by Morrigan

[Anothermi]

Jeez. Poor Judy.  Well, honestly I can't see her being good in any dance style, so perhaps I will be pleasantly surprised.  I hope Jennifer has enough stamina for the salsa!

 

I liked the TWOP style of discussion (except that the hall monitors could be randomly strict), but I don't have the stomach for the sniping on DS.  Guess I not the cocktail party sort?

[Morrigan]

The roster for next week is starting to fill up:

 

Alison & Aljaz - Jive (ITT)
Caroline & Pasha - Rumba (Caroline's Twitter)
Frankie & Kevin - Paso Doble (suggested on Kevin's Twitter)
Jake & Janette - ? (Waltzing of some sort)
Jennifer & Tristan - ? (song is from Beetlejuice - possibly Salsa? "Jump in the Line")
Judy & Anton - Quickstep (Judy's Twitter)
Mark & Karen - Paso Doble (suggested on Karen's Twitter)
Pixie & Trent - Quickstep (Pixie's Twitter)
Scott & Joanne - ?
Simon & Kristina - ? ('learning to strut')
Steve & Ola - Quickstep (Ola's twitter)
Sunetra & Brendan - American Smooth (ITT)
Thom & Iveta - Charleston (Twitter)
Tim & Natalie - Charleston (Natalie's twitter)

Edited October 7, 2014 by Morrigan

[oakgal]

I've finally caught up on both performance shows. Will do this one first as it's fresh in my mind (finished watching it 5 minutes ago).

 

I really worry that they are going to pigeon-hole Alison as the "Big and Brassy!" character and she won't be able to escape it. I know she has embraced that image wholeheartedly but at some point she'll do a Waltz or Viennese Waltz or a Rumba and she can't be sassy or brassy or bold or whatever word they like to use to describe any contestant over a size 12. At that point we'll inevitably get the judges lamenting the "loss" of her personality or something. I wish they'd focus on her technique and stop patronizing her by talking about how "fun" she is all the time. Every routine can't be a joke.

 

I liked Jake, I don't think he's a secret ringer. I think Janette has been waiting to unleash a great Salsa routine since she started and she got someone who could execute her vision. She really did a proper Salsa, not a hybrid Salsa/Random Latin Dance. Really enjoyable.

Caroline: But she is actually good. Not sure why her scores are so middling, but I'm going with the belief that the judges are expecting her to improve over time. Yeah. That's explains it all.

I was wondering that too. I thought she deserved better than 7s, especially if they're gonna throw 8s and 9s at Frankie and Pixie. I really love Pasha. He is just the best guy. He really knows how to deliver a great routine.

 

Speaking of, I thought Pixie and Frankie were overmarked. Pixie was good, but I didn't like that weird scooped back thing she did at least twice. Really ruined the flow. Frankie's was just okay. I didn't care for the 50s Charleston idea.

 

Greg is.....Greg. Just cringe inducing. Aliona looks so bored. 
 

 

Never mind HER hip action in the Cha-Cha -- where was HIS?

 

Preach, legaleagle53! He was just dreadful. I couldn't even tell it was a Cha Cha!

 

I like Sunetra. She seems so happy to be there and I think she'll improve greatly. She looked dynamic in white.

 

Oh Tristan....(((sob))). 

 

Thom had better improve. I adore Iveta, I want her to stick around a long time. The less said about Scott and Steve, the better.

 

I liked Tim's waltz.

 

Next week:

 

Caroline & Pasha - Rumba (Caroline's Twitter)

Hot Damn!

 

Lastly, love Claudia. Glad her hair is back on form. 

Edited October 8, 2014 by oakgal

[ceebee]

Jake has tweeted James (after he accused him of being a ringer) to 'clarify' that he's never had a dance lesson in his life, so I think he just has natural ability.  It was great to see Janette in her element with that routine.  Ifeel she'll really win friends this year after not making a great impression last time.  (It would have been a tough job for anyone with her partner, so I'm glad she got a second chance).

btw, James replied: 

@mrjakedwood well sir...then you were born to Salsa...Dance of the series!

Now that really is a FACT! And we'll done @JManrara
10 from me

 

[Morrigan]

Oh dear - some wrong guesses above.  Here's the updated list:

 

Alison and Aljaz will be Jiving back to the 80s as they rock out to Kenny Loggin’s ‘Footloose’ from the film of the same name.

Caroline and Pasha will perform the Rumba to Aerosmith’s ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ from 1998’s ‘Armageddon’.

Frankie and Kevin will dance the Paso Doble to ‘America’ from the brilliant Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim musical ‘West Side Story’.

Jake and Janette are Waltzing to the ‘Godfather Waltz’ by Nina Rota from the unforgettable mobster flick ‘The Godfather’.

Jennifer and Tristan will perform the Foxtrot to Abba’s ‘Mamma Mia’ from the film of the same name.

Judy and Anton will be Quickstepping to ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ originally sung by Barbra Streisand in the film ‘Funny Girl’.

Mark and Karen are performing the Paso Doble to the John Williams penned theme from ‘Superman’.

Pixie and Trent will Quickstep to ‘Be Our Guest’ from Disney’s enchanting ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

Scott and Joanne will dance the Samba to ‘Under the Sea’ from another Disney classic ‘The Little Mermaid’.

Simon and Kristina perform the Rumba to Berlin’s ‘Take My Breath Away’ from the film ‘Top Gun’.

Steve and Ola will be Quickstepping to the joyous ‘I Wanna Be Like You’ from Disney’s ‘Jungle Book’.

Sunetra and Brendan are performing the American Smooth to ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ originally sung by Fred Astaire in ‘Swing Time’.

Tim and Natalie will be dancing the Charleston to ‘Money, Money’ from the Bob Fosse musical ‘Cabaret’.

Thom and Iveta will also perform the Charleston to ‘New York, New York’ from the soundtrack of the Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra musical ‘On The Town’

Edited October 9, 2014 by Morrigan

[oakgal]

 

Caroline and Pasha will perform the Rumba to Aerosmith’s ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ from 1998’s ‘Armageddon’.

Worst. Song. Ever. Ugh x infinity.

[legaleagle53]

Worst. Song. Ever. Ugh x infinity.

Now you know why I gave up on the music selections for the entire SCD/DWTS franchise years ago.  I just can't.

 

Oh, and note to Frankie and Kevin:  Watch the choreography -- Val Chmerkovskiy learned that lesson the hard way just two weeks ago on our version!

[oakgal]

Results show: Not really a surprise. Glad Tristan & Jennifer were saved. I cannot imagine who is voting for the DJ. He is truly awful. And not in a fun way, just in an awful way. Not really impressed with Joanne either. We lost Anya for her? I object. 

 

Loved the Alijaz/Iveta number. They are incredible together.

[Guest]

I am far from trained in dance, but I think Simon is way way better than he's being given credit for! He has a natural movement and placement of the limbs methinks. 

The best are undeniably Jake, Frankie and Pixie. ButJake is so damn unlikeable with comments like 'I think our biggest problem is that we've peaked too early' that it's so hard to root for him and Pixie and Frankie seem to have no personality to speak of at all.

 

[Anothermi]

In the spirit of "it takes all kinds" I respectfully disagree with your opinion on Jake.  I've found him extremely likeable (although I admit to being a little left-of-centre regarding my tastes) and merely honest/humble in his assessment of "peaking too early".  He didn't know what he was capable of when he signed up. He knew he had musicality because he'd had drumming experience, but he didn't know if his body would be able to make the required shapes (IMHO) so when the Salsa was so amazing he was right to wonder if it was only down-hill from there for him. That's the way I see it, but of course, as I don't know anything about him,  it's not more correct than yours. Cheers. 

Edited October 18, 2014 by Anothermi

[Guest]

Yeah, it's a bit tough in terms of editing I suppose. Too much personality seems forced and unnatural and too little seems bland and uninteresting. Perhaps if the rehearsal bit were to focus more on rehearsal and less of the obviously-scripted outings we could have a better feel of personality. Because lets face it, it's as much a personality competition as it is a dance one. 

[legaleagle53]

Yeah, it's a bit tough in terms of editing I suppose. Too much personality seems forced and unnatural and too little seems bland and uninteresting. Perhaps if the rehearsal bit were to focus more on rehearsal and less of the obviously-scripted outings we could have a better feel of personality. Because lets face it, it's as much a personality competition as it is a dance one. 

 

James said pretty much the same thing about that on Twitter.  He hates the VT footage for precisely the reason you describe and said he'd much rather see actual rehearsal footage so he could get a better idea of how well the celebs really are absorbing the training.