S13.E01: Launch Show

ceebee · September 5, 2015

I just watched the launch show. It was an utter cheese fest, but I smiled all the way through. I won't say too much in case U.S. viewers are catching up later, but both Tristan and Gleb's partners seemed thrilled to get them. Gleb's came over all unnecessary at his handsomeness and could barely look at him and Tristan's partner couldn't stop beaming and squealing! A few glimpses of them in the group dances suggests they have a bit of talent, too. Good luck to both couples. I can't wait for it to begin properly. It's a really likeable cast for me.

Occasional Hope · September 5, 2015

Not a bad bunch of celebs this year, apart from the shameless famewhore Peter Andre (who I greatly regret to say might actually be quite good so we'll be stuck with him until the end. Ainsley Harriott and Iwan Thomas may have potential for annoyingness too, but not to the same degree.

New pro Gleb is gorgeous, but I suspect Anita is not going to be great (she seemed a bit stiff to me) so we may not see much of them.

Anthony the boxer and New Girl Oti (sp?) made a cute pair with some chemistry already. Amazingly Anton didn't get the weather presenter - I thought they were a dead cert.

The boyband boy was cute too, but seemed to have zero personality.

Dots And Stripes · September 5, 2015

Not a bad bunch of celebs this year, apart from the shameless famewhore Peter Andre (who I greatly regret to say might actually be quite good so we'll be stuck with him until the end. Ainsley Harriott and Iwan Thomas may have potential for annoyingness too, but not to the same degree.

Isn't Janette like handicapping Peter? Jake was awesome in the latin but really struggled in the ballroom. I feel like that was Janette's own inexperience coming through. She's great to watch in latin, but unfortunately that's only half the show.

Ainsley might get annoying, but I'm rooting for him because he's with Natalie. He could be fun and I think he's teachable. Iwan looks like a real character, but I suspect Ola is used to dealing with those.

I'm struggling to tell the female celebrities apart. Too many actresses and presenters. Are any of them ringers? I suspect Tristan's partner can move as she also has a musical background. I hope Anton's partner has some potential. I know his latin is awful, but I'd like to see what he can actually do when given something to work with.

The ones I'm looking forward too are Aliona and Jay, Brendan and the sportscaster, Ola and Iwan, Ainsley and Natalie, and the new Italian guy and whoever his partner is.

Anothermi · September 7, 2015

I agree with CeeBee that it seems to be a likeable cast. I enjoy the "reveal" show as a way to kick off the season.

I don't know any of the male celebrities and I only know Helen George of the female celebs (from Call the Midwife). I found an article that lists the pairings, which was helpful for my poor memory, and I did some research because it had actual names. Thought I'd share that with those of you who might be in the same boat.

Here's the women: (and my thoughts)

Anita Rani (BBC Country File host) > with Gleb Savchenko (new Pro, but did DWTS US, Australia & Russia)

She did use Claudia's I-can't-look-at-you-because-you're-so-gorgeous schtick, but it seemed OK for the circumstances. (Gleb seemed less... greasy... than when he did the US DWTS, imho.) Hope she doesn't continue it though. Let Claudia do that for the short time she gets to interact with the dancers. Didn't notice Anita do much in the group dance, except pose.

Carol Kirkwood (BBC Weather presenter) > Pasha Kovalev

One thing SCD does that I think DWTS should do is ensure the last winner gets a less obviously good contestant the following season. I hope the 'ringer' complaints (that I read on other boards) will stop now. (Rachel Riley was a lovely person, but no way was she a ringer. Just sayin'.) However, it seems Carol has her own following, so we'll see. The link info suggests she enjoys singing and dancing, but to me, she seems to be lacking in confidence. Pasha is good with those kind of contestants.

Georgia May Foote (BBC Coronation Street) > Giovanni Pernice (new Pro, 2012 Italian Champion)

What I saw of her moves in the group dance ... well, she's got a lot of learning to do. But she's young and beautiful and seems to be very popular according to the bookie-ometer. Giovanni reminds me of former Pro Vincent Simone (I love women, I was born to win). That might be a deliberate presentation by TPTB and could be good... if they don't make a big 'thing' out of it. There's only ONE Vincent! and being a wannabe will not go over well with me.

Helen George (BBC Call the Midwife) > Aljaž Škorjanec

She's the one celebrity I knew by name. I was surprised she got Aljaz, but then during the group dance she frequently appeared front and center and danced quite well IMHO, so I think she may be good. Sorry about the tabloid nature of the linked article. I was looking for pictures of the contestants - which this has - but decided the information might be useful at some point. With the knowledge that she is recently split from her husband, I can understand why her eyes appear to lack sparkle in her Strictly photo.

Jamelia (ITV Loose Women, R&B recording artist) > Tristan MacManus

She seemed really, really happy to have gotten Tristan. She's young, beautiful and from the group dance, has some ability. So far everything we might want for Tristan, who has been the 'go to guy' for older, talented (but not necessarily in dance) celebrities. However, on the uh-oh side: she's got ONE name (Lulu anyone?) & she controversially speaks her mind on TV (Nancy Grace?). [Click on the link] Can't believe I'm writing this... I hope she turns out to be (metaphorically speaking) more of a Nancy Grace, who was sometimes funny, than a Lulu, who was not.

Katie Durham (BBC's face of the Proms) > Anton Du Beke

The link provides a kind of back handedly positive viewpoint on Katie. She is portrayed as self-controlled - perhaps a bit too much so. Hope that's not true and that she's got both some ability to dance and some sense of humour. I thought she came across as less than happy to have gotten Anton rather than Pasha - but then, who wouldn't?

Kellie Bright (BBC Eastenders) > Kevin Clifton

I confess I don't remember anything about her from the Launch Show. Even the linked article and picture doesn't help me. Perhaps she will be a wonderful surprise, but I won't be holding my breath.

ETA: don't know how I missed her, but here she is now:

Kirsty Gallacher (Sky Sports Presenter) > Brendan Cole

Another good looking and newly single female celeb. I can't remember her, either, from the launch show. But she's fit! Hope she works well with Brendon. He doesn't deserve another strong-but-immobile plank.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Anothermi

Anothermi · September 8, 2015

And now for the men:

Ainsley Harriott (BBC Ready, Steady, Cook) > Natalie Lowe
I liked him. I liked his energy (for a 59 year old!), he's able to move to the music and I think he and Natalie will have a lot of fun. If his feet are as mobile as his face he might hang around for a while. His facial expressiveness is something I like, but British audiences don't seem partial to that and I've frequently seen it called 'gurning'. I thought I knew what that meant - over acting - but often it's just used to condemn an expressive face.
Anthony Ogogo (Olympic Boxer) > Oti Mabuse (new Pro, German version of SCD & S. African Latin Champ 8 times )
Shades of Louis Smith! Well, somewhat, but the dynamics will be very different because of his new Pro, Oti. I absolutely love her so far. She's got an engaging personality right from the get go, and they were very cute together. I hope TPTB don't force her into a pretend showmance because she is very openly in a relationship with her professional dance partner who is currently on the German version of SCD.
Daniel O’Donnell (Singer & TV presenter) > Kristina Rihanoff
Well, his singing fame didn't make it across the pond as far as I can tell. I hope he won't be another Jason Donovan. I'll give him a chance and see what he can do. Anybody know if he's funny? Aging heart throbs do nothing for me.
Iwan Thomas (Olympic runner) > Ola Jordan
Started out a bit meh until he started throwing Ola around. Her skirt ripped, she broke a nail and her boobs popped out! And now the press is saying she had a meltdown because she wanted to get Peter Andre! Ah, Strictly is truly back. Don't know if I'm going to like him for long. Hope he can take direction.
Jay McGuiness (former boy band The Wanted) > Aliona Vilani
Aliona's second (?) boy band-er. She worked wonders with the first one so who knows? He seems very shy - which at this point, early in the season, is endearing. That will grow very old if he keeps it for the dancing part. I read an article online that says he's doing this to get some structure back into his life (a little Simon Webb like, but seems more like he had nothing better to do so they're may have to pad it to make an interesting back story). There will be a lot made of his hair - one way or another. It IS luxurious.
Jeremy Vine (BBC presenter) > Karen Clifton
He seems nice enough. Real. But I think he's going to get lost in the crowd. Hope he gets what he wants out of the show during his (my prediction) short stay. Not sure why he's paired with Karen unless he has some here-to-for unseen wacky side? He might do OK with a waltz.
Peter Andre (Singer, Presenter & 'TV personality') > Janette Manrara
I think we will get some entertaining dances from these two. He seems about as manic as she is so I'm hoping the overdose will slow them both down... damn, I just remembered Julien MacDonald... so maybe not. I agree with others that he could become annoying very quickly, but I'm still hoping for some enjoyable dances.

I realized in the middle of this half of my research that I'm starting out more interested in the female contestants than the males. Except for Ainsley and Anthony I (currently) have very little curiosity about the men. But I have had my initial opinions turned completely around in the past, so bring on the 1st performance show.

The good thing about this project is that now I know who everyone is and will not have to refer to their music or costume to identify them.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Anothermi

Morrigan · September 8, 2015

I'm so excited by this season and still shocked that Gleb showed up on Strictly - I loved him the little while he was on DWTS with Lisa Vanderpump. I'm a bit worried at how quiet he's been though. I'm pretty sure his wife and daughter are not with him - maybe the little girl's schooling is why? I have a feeling he needs the support so hopefully they'll be able to join him, at least some of the time. It'll be interesting to see how the new boys do - I feel more confident that Oti will do well and be accepted though her partner has a pretty awful injury so I'm wondering how he's gonna make it with a recently dislocated shoulder - and he's been wearing a sling some of the time during the last couple weeks.

I hope they have the dance off's to save the good dancers who aren't as popular - ok, to save Jamelia because Tristan has just had TOO unfair a time on these shows, including Jennifer last season who took off for Florida the first week of training ergggg. Anyway, I knew two of the celebs which is pretty good for me - Ainsley from Ready-Steady-Cook and Kellie Bright from Eastenders. Mostly I like the pairings - I think Peter was very disappointed and wanted either Ola or Kristina. I sorta believe the press a bit that Ola wanted Peter, though she denies it. She and Peter looked grim - and I agree about Katie - she wasn't too thrilled either. Part of me thinks it would be a better show if they had to draw names out of a hat and just let mismatches and hilarity ensue - but these shows have the life micromanaged out of them, but at least Strictly resists superstar pros, unlike DWTS, and that's a sheer delight. Can't wait for it to start!

Occasional Hope · September 8, 2015

Super concise research on the contestants - well done.

Yes, gurning is just making faces - not overacting at all.

PS - Coronation Street is ITV not BBC.

Edited September 8, 2015 by Occasional Hope

Anothermi · September 9, 2015

Super concise research on the contestants - well done.

Thanks for that. It turned out to be a lot more work than I planned, but may pay off as the series goes on.

Yes, gurning is just making faces - not overacting at all.

PS - Coronation Street is ITV not BBC.

Ahh. Still a bit confused because making faces is close to overacting (or bad acting) in my book. Having an expressive face is different (to me) in that it is you being you. Making faces is you trying to be something else. I guess it's a fine distinction and perhaps there is a cultural preference for less mobile facial expressions? Hard to say because forums may not be a true sample of the opinions of the GBP and that is all I have to go on.

Thanks both for the clarifications Every bit helps.

Morrigan · September 11, 2015

Reading British messageboards, I always had the impression it just meant smiling - perhaps excessively.

Anothermi · September 12, 2015

Reading British messageboards, I always had the impression it just meant smiling - perhaps excessively.

I always got the impression that whatever it was referring to, it wasn't meant in a positive way. It was always meant as a negative comment. But some posters felt a dancer was 'gurning' when all I saw was someone enjoying their dance. It still confuses me. But I've learned to view it with a YMMV attitude.

ceebee · September 12, 2015

I think gurning is much stronger than making faces - making grotesque faces, perhaps. It's used 'against' celebs on SCD when they overdo their facial expressions to the point it becomes distracting - a bit of forum hyperbole, perhaps.

legaleagle53 · September 13, 2015

For those who haven't seen it yet, a former judge on the now-defunct Dutch version posted the full launch show on Facebook:

His impressions? "Who says that dancing is out? That doesn't make sense. Dancing makes people happy. And So It Must Return.

"Come on, Netherlands. Bring it back. As it was."

Edited September 14, 2015 by legaleagle53

ceebee · September 14, 2015

A few 'first steps' videos:

Kellie and Kevin https://amp.twimg.com/v/d961b7af-a209-43ad-bfdd-fd065768091b

Daniel and Kristina. https://amp.twimg.com/v/0415cedc-8479-4900-a8dc-667f38a424f9

Peter and Janette https://amp.twimg.com/v/cecf4e73-b559-454d-af36-d25fd68129a7

Jamelia and Tristan. https://amp.twimg.com/v/a9599c3b-cacb-423e-8505-656b59b0d5a8

Anita and Gleb. https://amp.twimg.com/v/a563ca63-9a6b-4675-a4d7-f92f8b68b272

Anothermi · September 14, 2015

Thanks Ceebee. As expected, Peter and Kellie seem to be picking things up quickly. Kristina has her work cut out for her with Daniel and unfortunately, at least based on these 1st steps, so does Tristan. Anita is doing better than I thought she would from what little I saw of her in the group dance during the Launch show.

To clarify, Jamelia isn't an ugly mover, she's got graceful movement - and I'm happy that she seems to be enjoying the learning process - she just didn't seem to be picking up that one counter balance move. Slower learner maybe? She's with the right Pro then.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Anothermi