And that’s IT for Week One of Strictly! So great to be back on the dancefloor. I’m predicting Jacquie and Anton to go next week, and a four-way final featuring Clara, Maisie, Nicola and HRVY. Feel free to make your predictions in the comment box, I’m hoping it will stay open a little longer than last week.
Thank you for joining in and being hilarious as always - there’s no Halloween Spooktacular next week as it’s a bit early in the season for a theme week, but don’t let that stop you putting on fishnets and bat wings if that’s your thing. It all kicks off at 7.15pm on Saturday; in the meantime you can find me on Twitter @heidistephens, so please come and say hello. Have a great week, and I’ll see you then! Hx
Bruno is on Zoom! DRINK. He’s been to the same hairdresser as Jamie, Karen and Gorka.
It Takes Two is back throughout the week, maybe this will be the year I FINALLY get an invite.
Summary of this VT: there is a great deal of Strictly content available if you’re so inclined.
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Scores: 8,8,9 - a total of 25 for HRVY and JNTT.
Craig though it was spectacular, and Shirley thought it was fierce, fast and furious and HRVY is definitely one to watch. Motsi thought it was the best first dance she’s ever seen, and asks where we go from here. Well, quite.
HRVY is humping a microphone, which just made me shout ‘EW NO’ like an absolute mum. His toes are very turned in but he’s definitely got some moves. Great timing and energy, that’s a pretty good outing for Week One. Good work, consonant boy.
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And finally it’s HRVY and JNTT! Their first dance is the Jive to ‘Faith’ by Stevie Wonder feat. Ariana Grande. Getting your Jive out on Week One is either genius or insanity, what happened to the days when everybody did a Cha Cha or a Waltz and eased themselves in gently?
Next week in the bingo: ‘this is the favourite song of *insert relative here*’.
Scores: 3,6,6 - a total of 15 for Bill and Oti. THREE, Craig? That’s just RUDE.
‘You two are a whole mood, guys,’ said Motsi. Great commitment but the technique needs work. Craig thought Bill created a whole new dance genre, like dancing on hot coals after a dozen double espressos. Shirley thought it was inspiring for every man watching, but his posture needs work.
Everything about this is amazing. Oti is a goddess, Bill has amazing rhythm and some pretty decent footwork, despite it all looking a bit clunky in places. I don’t care, it’s pure joy and I want to watch it again. MORE PLEASE.
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Next up it’s BILL AND OTI! Their first dance is the Cha Cha Cha to ‘Pata Pata’ by Miriam Makeba. Bill looked very promising in the group dance last week, and I suspect he’s going to throw himself into this Cha Cha with both barrels. Wouldn’t you if you got the chance to dance with Oti? You’d have to tie me down.
Only two couples left! Hooray, but also boo.
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Scores: 7,7,7 - a total of 21 for Nicola and Katya.
Shirley thought it was a partnership she’s really going to enjoy watching, and Motsi wasn’t disappointed either - Nicola needs to work on getting her upper body more stable, however. Craig though it was absolute dynamite, a fantastic partnership.
Already this is incredibly cool, and Nicola and Katya look great together. Some nice footwork too, although a bit tentative from Nicola in places and the transitions need work. Nice timing though - another couple with bags of potential, can’t wait to see what they bring to the dancefloor in the coming weeks.
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It’s time for NICOLA AND KATYA! Their first dance is the Quickstep to ‘Get Happy’ by Ella Fitzgerald. I can’t wait to see these two dance together for the first time, it feels like such an exciting step for Strictly and I’m really intrigued to see what Katya is going to do. That said, a Quickstep in Week One feels…bonkers.
Scores: 7,7,7 - a total of 21 for Ranvir and Giovanni.
How do we feel about Gio’s hair? I can’t decide. It’s a bit One Direction. Part of me wants to brush it lovingly out of his eyes, the other part wants to take a pair of kitchen scissors to it.
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Craig thought Ranvir used her dress like a diva drag queen, it was a great first dance. Shirley thought Ranvir’s hands were exquisite, and she was a superstar. Motsi thought Ranvir has really improved since the launch show, she adored it.
Ranvir looks absolutely FIERCE in her red Paso dress, I love it. Some nice skirt work to open, and some good footwork in hold. Giovanni is prancing about trying to steal the limelight, but Ranvir is giving it both barrels. I thought that was a really nice job for a Week One Paso.
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Next up it’s RANVIR AND GIOVANNI! Their first dance is the Paso Doble to ‘End of Time’ by Beyoncé. I love this song, and I love a Paso, and I have high hopes for this pairing.
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This show seems very long considering there are three fewer couples than usual. Is everyone still with me? Maybe I’m just out of practice.
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Scores: 4,6,6 - a total of 16 for Jason and Luba.
Jason is quite...enthusiastic, isn’t he?
Motsi loved the joy that Jason brought to the dancefloor, but Craig wasn’t fond of the Jackson 5 thing going into the Foxtrot. Shirley thought Jason gave 100% and didn’t hold back, and his footwork was fantastic - lots of potential. AGREE.
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Jason has some lovely performance skills for a sportsman, and this has bags of charm - his footwork and posture definitely need work but he’s another one that could go on a journey this year.
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It’s time for JASON AND LUBA! Their first dance is the American Smooth to ‘My Girl’ by The Temptations. It’s quite early for cutesy faux-romance that makes your teeth hurt, but I’ll let it go just this once because maybe cheesy love stories are what the world needs right now.
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Scores: 8,8,8, - a total of 24 for Maisie and Gorka. Rein it in Maisie, go on a journey. It’s the only way to win.
Shirley thought Maisie was an absolute firecracker and Motsi loved the authenticity of it. Craig thought it was a-may-zing.
Maisie’s dress is some kind of flamingo/peacock hybrid, and Maisie is shaking those tail feathers like she’s got ants in her knickers. It’s a proper full-on Samba and I love everything about it; it’s my favourite kind of chaotic party Latin. Maisie is clearly a great dancer, which means she’ll make the final but won’t win. Such is the way of Strictly.
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It’s time for MAISIE AND GORKA! Their first dance is the Samba to ‘Samba (Conga)’ by Gloria Estefan. Last year Kelvin and Oti did a Samba in Week One that was really quite special, I feel like that set quite a high bar.
That said, Maisie strikes me as the kind of woman who would drink Woo Woos out of a fishbowl then shake everything she has on the dancefloor, so why the hell not.
Scores: 6, 6, 7 - a total of 19 for JJ and Amy.
Families on Zoom! DRINK.
Craig thought there was gapping and it needed more drive, but had some nice rise and fall. Shirley agrees with Craig about the drive but it was simple, beautiful and lovely. Motsi got a bit emotional, it had lovely atmosphere and great chemistry.
I’ve just realised what Motsi’s dress reminds me of. She looks like she’s got a full body plastercast, like they were supposed to fix her arm but somehow did the rest of her body instead.
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This is a lovely Waltz and it’s impossible not to find JJ a bit dreamy, although he’s got a few posture issues. But there’s a nice connection between these two and I’m looking forward to seeing his dancing journey. Liked that very much.
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Next up it’s JJ AND AMY. Their first dance is the Waltz to ‘What A Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong. This is next level 2020 denial and I can’t even be annoyed about it.
Scores: 3 (drink),5,5 - a total of 13 for Jacquie and Anton.
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Motsi thought Jacquie looked comfortable on the floor, but needs to express herself more. Craig thought it lacked musicality and looked a bit lumpy, but on the bright side it was ten times better than Theresa May. Shirley was pleasantly surprised, it was a huge improvement compared to the launch show.
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This has a random election theme that means the first 30 seconds are spent faffing about with a ballot box. It’s a very odd song for an American Smooth, but Jacquie’s doing her absolute best despite hats and canes and superfluous props. No killer moves, but also not the worst partner Anton’s ever had by a country mile.
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It’s time for JACQUI AND ANTON! Their first dance is the Foxtrot to ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’ by Monty Python. Does anyone else feel like Anton has resigned himself to the early bus home next Sunday? Last week’s group dance would suggest Jacquie isn’t the world’s most natural dancer, although it would be kind of amazing if that was the biggest ruse of all time and she’s actually got killer moves.
Scores: 5,6,7 - a total of 18 for Clara and Aljaz. Bit mean, Craig. I didn’t think that was stompy at all.
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Shirley loved the rhythm and the chemistry between Clara and Aljaz and Motsi loved the determination and the energy. Craig thought it was stompy and needed straighter legs, although he loved the disco elements.
Clara looks incredible in electric blue fringing and has legs to die for. This is a great Cha Cha with lovely energyfrom Clara and some really nice footwork. She has loads of attitude and I think these two are going to be real contenders. LOVED that.
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Next up it’s CLARA AND ALJAZ! Their first dance is the Cha Cha Cha to ‘Don’t Start Now’ by Dua Lipa. Am very glad to see they’ve binned off Week One ‘let’s do a song about your job’, because all the songs about DJs are rubbish. Apart from ‘God Is A DJ’ by Faithless, which I’m not sure quite works as a Cha Cha.
Scores: 6,5,6 - a total of 17 for Max and Dianne.
Am getting the feeling that the music brief this week was DO SOMETHING UPLIFTING EVERYTHING IS AWFUL. Not that I’m complaining, I’m very much here for happy happy joy joy on my telly every weekend. I think we can all agree that nobody ever needs to hear the Dave Arch version of Roxanne by The Police again.
Craig didn’t like the free arm placement and Max needed to lead the dance more, but he’s very watchable and left Craig wanting more. Shirley thought Max has great chemistry and potential, but she wanted a traditional Tango without sections out of hold. Motsi thought Max had a beautiful neck and a good frame but Max was overthinking it and it inhibited Max’s energy.
What’s the obsession with Max’s neck? It’s just a neck. We’ve all got one.
So this is definitely a Tango, but lacking drive and thrust from Max. He’s got some half-decent timing, but his top line is all over the shop. Great effort for Week One though, feels like he could improve a lot over the coming weeks.
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It’s time for MAX AND DIANNE! Their first dance is the Tango to ‘Best Fake Smile’ by James Bay. My best fake smile wore out some time in April. Now it’s just a grimace. Some days I wake up looking like the Joker from Batman.
Scores: 7,7,7 - a total of 31 for Caroline and Johannes.
Motsi didn’t see a dancer, she saw a dancing queen. Caroline had lovely attention to detail. Caroline is WEEPING, and it’s only Week 1. Craig thought her feet were a bit turned out but Caroline’s musicality was sensational. Shirley thought it was graceful, charming and elegant, albeit her lower half needed some work.
Honestly, I think that might be one of Tess’s worst outfits ever. Those wet look flares are just horrible, what was she thinking?
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I LOVE Caroline’s yellow dress, and she has lovely musicality and performance. A few balance issues in hold but some good solo sections. All rather charming and entirely joyous, enjoyed that very much.
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Next up it’s CAROLINE AND JOHANNES! Their first dance is the American Smooth to ‘9-5 (Morning Train)’ by Sheena Easton. What a song, and what a coupling; definitely one of my favourites this year. Becks has also worked with her a few times and confirms she is LOVELY. The emotion in training is all a bit overwhelming, I want to give her a hug.
Scores: 4 (drink), 5,5 - a total of 14. Anyone else (whisper it), not really missing Bruno?
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Shirley thought it was a nice performance and full of enthusiasm. It needs work, but Jamie has potential. Motsi, who appears to be wearing a towel, thought it needed better technique. Craig thought it was stiff and flat-footed, and agreed that it was restricted due to the tightness of the trousers. But he loved the energy and commitment.
Poor Tess, forced to socially distanced so she can’t manhandle the couples. What will she do with her hands?
OK this is the campest thing I’ve ever seen, and Jamie is joyously terrible. Although I have no idea how he’s supposed to perform any kind hip action in white jeans that tight.
This is not a great Cha Cha Cha by any standards, but I love Jamie’s enthusiasm and effort levels. Good work.
First up tonight it’s JAMIE AND KAREN. Their first dance is the Cha Cha Cha to ‘Think About Things’ by Daði og Gagnamagnið. This was the Icelandic song that would have won Eurovision had it not been cancelled this year, and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see it on Strictly. It’s like my two liveblog worlds have collided, and honestly it feels like Christmas.
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Out come the stars! Nobody seems to have upset Wardrobe yet, but it’s early days. Bubble DRINK! Also many fake tans, so keep drinking.
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Out come the judges! Shirley has got tangled in some tights. Send help.
TESS AND CLAUDIA DRESS WATCH: Tess has been dipped in tar, and Claudia is in a spotty prom dress. One of these outfits is quite nice.
And we’re off! Time for a slow-mo intro VT with some washed out filters. Everyone is scared but excited, and can’t wait to get on the dancefloor. Ah, it’s good to hear that theme tune again.
Ooh, pro dance! We don’t normally get one of those on a Saturday night. It’s a hectic latin hot mess with some truly hideous outfits, but it features Shakira and that’s never a bad thing. And Lionel Richie! Love a bit of Lionel.
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This week’s Strictly Come Bingo – a swig of something medicinal for any occurrence of the following:
- Zoom-based relatives
- Fake tans
- Craig giving a 4 or lower
- Mentions of tallness
- The word ‘bubble’
Also I’ve got HOUSEGUESTS this weekend, which is very exciting. My friend Becks is staying; she’s a huge Strictly fan and lovely to have company while I tap away madly. We’re also making room for a dog and a cat between us, so it’s quite busy on my liveblog sofa.
Evening all, and welcome to this week’s Strictly Come Dancing liveblog! After last week’s launch it’s time for our couples to take to the floor for the first time, so we can make wild predictions about who’s going to make the final and who will be leaving the Strictly bubble next Sunday. There’s no elimination or Sunday results show this week, so let’s just enjoy a joyous evening of dancefloor fun.
I’ll be analysing every flailing arm and pigeon toe from up here, so please feel free to join in in the comment bubble below, but only if you’ve quarantined for two weeks, had two Covid tests and are adhering to all government guidelines.
Kick off is at 7.25pm, so join me then!
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