So that’s it for another week! Thank you so much for your comments tonight, and for being entirely amazing and hilarious on the Open Thread last night.
I’ll be back here next Saturday at 7pm in the usual liveblog fashion, then every weekend through until the final on 20th December. Don’t know about you, but I’m having a ball. Keeeeep dancing! Hx
STEVE AND OLA ARE GOING HOME!
Steve has been delightful and Week 9 really isn’t bad going considering his ankles don’t actually bend. He says lovely things about Ola and the other contestants and the Strictly experience, because exit speech one-upmanship is now evidently a thing. By the semi-final the celebs will be peeling off layers of skin and presenting them as gifts.
Craig saves Sunetra and Brendan, but Darcey saves Steve and Ola “for the ability and the guns” (never knowingly undershallow). Bruno saves Sunetra and Brendan, which gives Len the casting vote. He also saves Sunetra and Brendan, so….
Oops, bit of a stumble there. Are Sunetra and Brendan going home? Clearly this is a rhetorical question, I’m just creating tension.
I watched this jive twice last night, and again this afternoon. Don’t make me watch it again.
This is lovely and all, but I’d rather have more maracas.
Barry’s waxwork is back, singing a duet of “Joy To The World/What a Wonderful World” with a hologram of Louis Armstrong. Gorgeous dancing courtesy of Aljaz and Joanne.
“It’s not the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog”, says Len. No way to talk about Ola.
So who else is through to next week’s Around The World spuriously-themed special, and who’s up against Sunetra and Brendan in the dance off? Frankie and Kevin are safe (massive Henman fistpump from Kevin), along with Caroline and Pasha and Mark and Karen.
Which means STEVE AND OLA are in the dance-off. Gosh, that was a surprise. Oh hang on, no it wasn’t.
In this week’s Len’s Lens: Darcey dressed as a salmon, twerking, Claudia’s amazing shoes and Bruno invading Craig’s personal space.
I bet you’re ALL shaking your imaginary maracas. I know I am.
It’s time for the first performance from a very poorly-constructed waxwork of Barry Manilow! He’s singing Copacabana, accompanied by a Kevin and Karen Samba. Truly this is what heaven looks like.
At this point last night I discovered that my sister is the world’s biggest Barry Manilow fan, stopping just short of hurling her knickers at the dancefloor. Seriously, you can’t take her anywhere.
So apparently next week is Strictly’s ‘Around The World’ theme night, which thankfully has nothing to do with the Urban Dictionary definition (NSFW).
I’m imagining a shameless unleashing of cultural stereotypes, like Eurovision expressed through the medium of dance. What’s not to love?
Updated
So who is through to next week, and who’s in the dance off? Jake and Janette are safe, along with Pixie and Trent and Simon and Kristina. SUNETRA AND BRENDAN are the first couple in the dance-off.
Clauds is chatting to Mary Berry and Hairy Dave, creating a Richard The Builder sandwich.
A recap of last night! I thought it was a really good show, but maybe that was just because I was there. Standard pretty high this year, I think – am looking forward to the last four weeks.
Out come Tess and Clauds! DRESS WATCH: another sparkly pantsuit for Clauds, flesh-coloured lace for Tess. Both rather nice, but Claudia wins it for a lovely neckline.
Also ROBIN WINDSOR’S BACK, which makes me very happy, particularly when he starts dancing with Aljaz.
And we’re off! It’s a cops ‘n’ robbers-themed pro dance featuring girls in the world’s most impractical robber outfits, and Aljaz in uniform *insert helmet gag of choice*
I’m not sure Iveta has ever used a hacksaw before.
Countryfile Casual Weatherman update: navy shirt, sleeves down. He’s clearly been self-harming. He’s even tucked the end of his belt in. Hot date later?
For those of you who are also Bake Off fans, I popped over to Richard the Builder’s house yesterday. He and his lovely wife Sarah live a few miles from the Strictly studio and invited me and my sister over for tea before we all went to Strictly. They were also proper lovely, AND Richard let me pipe his doughnuts. I basically had the BEST DAY EVER.
Evening all, and welcome to this week’s Strictly Results Show liveblog! Apologies I wasn’t here last night, but delighted you all carried on the party even though there were no responsible adults present. I’ve found several empty bottles of tequila in the cupboard under the stairs and an unidentified stain on the chaise longue, perhaps the culprit would like to own up?
As you know I went to Strictly last night, and it was FAB-U-LOUS. No sign of the usual post-Blackpool slump – top dancing, lots of energy in the studio and a really good show. I was sitting in the corner to the right of the orchestra, but quite far back so you couldn’t see me. I briefly considered streaking across the dancefloor, but I’m going back next week for the pre-record of the Christmas special, might be a bit awkward.
So before we get started with the results show, here’s my take on last night’s performances
Steve and Ola’s jive
Outfit: Budget High School Musical/Glee fancy dress. Steve’s trousers were too long, possibly so we couldn’t see his feet. Ola’s outfit was about 4 sizes too small, which is par for the course.
Dancing: Stompy, flat-footed, dubious timing. Quite fun, however, with bags of enthusiasm. Like an untamed puppy.
Was I on my feet? No. It’s not obligatory, although I was half expecting menacing studio staffers with cattle prods.
Caroline and Flasha’s American Smooth
Outfit: Old school Hollywood glamour, with a touch of Cruella De Vil. Caroline’s outfits have been a bit random this series, so lovely to see her in a properly glam frock.
Dancing: Other than the wardrobe malfunction at the beginning, all kinds of jazz hands fabulous. Bit lacking in actual Foxtrot, but I didn’t care.
Was I on my feet? Yes, but only to get a better look at Pasha in tails.
Pixie and Trent’s Charleston
Outfit: Showgirl in bondage
Dancing: Excessive Charleston face action, but loved the lifts and Trent’s choreography. Although sometimes less is definitely more. Still, bags of pizzazz.
Was I on my feet? Yes. Would have been rude not to.
Mark and Karen’s Tango
Outfit: Teal-tastic.
Dancing: the Tango I’ve been waiting for. I know Mark isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s made an extraordinary improvement since Week 1, and you know I LOVE a journey. Loads of passion and attack, loved it loved it loved it.
Was I on my feet? Yes. Did you see those trousers? I wanted a better view.
Frankie and Kevin’s Viennese Waltz
Outfit: Glorious scarlet feathery trumpet for Frankie, glorious bouffant hair helmet for Kevin.
Dancing: Made me a bit dizzy, but charming and beautiful from start to finish.
Was I on my feet? Yes. Kevin’s hair was blocking the view of the judges, it was the only way I could see.
Jake and Janette’s Samba
Outfit: There’s a muppet caught in my knickers
Dancing: Where to start? Bonkers, untidy, entirely out of control, Samba rolls were a disaster. But then Jake started twerking and doing a pouting Macarena and suddenly it was every brilliantly drunken wedding you’ve ever been to. Darcey never quite recovered.
Was I on my feet? Yes. It’s the Macarena, you can’t SIT DOWN.
Sunetra and Brendan’s Waltz
Outfit: a feathery poo-coloured number that should have been horrible but was actually rather lovely.
Dancing: Charming and elegant, yet somehow forgettable in a night of big performances. Stunning choreography from Brendan as always.
Was I on my feet? No, but only because I’d lost all feeling in my lower legs by this point.
Simon and Kristina’s Salsa
Outfit: Flamingo bandages for Kristina, and a tiny peek at Simon’s guns and ammo. Yet to play his “I’ve been working out” crowd-pleasing torso joker. Maybe next week?
Dancing: What a different Simon from the one we saw nine weeks go. Full of personality and fun and some fabulous armography. A bit more Salsa would have been great, but I could watch these two all night. FAB. U. LOUS.
Was I on my feet? Hell yes. Let’s hear it for the boy.
So that’s my very brief run-down – tonight’s results show kicks off at 7.15pm, when we’ll be saying goodbye to another couple. Of course I know who it is, but I’ll keep things spoiler-free. ALSO, prepare yourself for some BARRY MANILOW action. You really won’t want to miss it, it’s quite special.
I’ll see you at 7.15 – in the meantime you’ll find some pictures of me hugging a few Strictly celebs on Twitter @heidistephens, including this one of me swooning over Aljaz. Reader, I’m not going to lie, I was quite undone.
