Strictly Come Dancing, semi-final: 5 talking points, from Lauren Steadman's disappointing evening to Ashley Roberts and Faye Tozer topping the leaderboard
Wow. After the relative ease of learning one, fun, musicals-themed number for last week’s special, tonight’s Strictly Come Dancingsemi-final really split the men from the boys. Or should we say the Ashleys from the Laurens.
With each couple performing two routines, the pressure was intense and we saw dancers crumble out on a lonely dance floor. Here’s what happened:
A tough night for Joe and Lauren
Learning two dances in one week is a big ask and it just proved too much for Joe Sugg and Lauren Steadman, only adding more fuel to the fire in the debate around dance experience and Ashley Roberts’ background as a performer. While clearly disappointed with the battering from the judges, Lauren looked fairly resigned – she’s been here before and after her disastrous Argentine Tango, she surely knew she was up against it with a ballroom version of the same dance.
Joe looked completely crestfallen though and even admitted he was "gutted". He just couldn’t find the characterisation or attack for his Argentine Tango and you could see the cogs turning in his mind as he tried to remember the steps. It’s a shame they didn’t have more time to work on the routines – they could have been better.
Stacey continues to sparkle
With four tens and nothing lower than a nine, Stacey should be thrilled with tonight’s performances. She nailed the Charleston, the dance that made her sign up to Strictly in the first place, and the Viennese Waltz wasn’t perfect, but still impressive enough to leave everyone smiling.
Plus she’s had that all-important ‘journey’, which is something Faye and Ashley would kill for to bag them a few more votes. After four years as the runner-up, you get the feeling this could finally be Kevin’s year to lift the trophy. Although we’ve definitely said that before…
Ashley and Faye top the leaderboard
Again. This time they’re sharing the honours, sitting pretty on 76 points out of a possible 80, looking down at the mere mortals beneath them. The funny thing was they both had one rough dance by their standards: Ashley’s Paso Doble was generally written off as disappointing, especially after Pasha almost fell over, and ever-chirpy Faye Tozer clearly has a real and fierce hatred for the samba. Still, it’s the glamour of Ashley’s American Smooth (a perfect 40) and the drama of Faye’s Argentine Tango (39) that we will remember.
Craig’s claws were out
Craig’s currently in panto with Paul Chuckle (why isn’t this being televised?), and he brought the essence of his Wicked Stepmother routine to Elstree this evening. He started by picking a fight with Shirley over Lauren’s frame (unwise, Craig). Then he not only criticised Kevin’s choreography (a Strictly cardinal sin), but also accused him of cheating, by allowing Stacey to avoid the more difficult steps. Then CRH’s nit-picking with Faye was so outrageous that mild-mannered Darcey felt the need to intervene. Still, no cat-fighting with Bruno, which was obviously disappointing.
An impossible show to call
It really should be obvious who will make the final by now. Weeks ago it seemed clear-cut: Stacey and Joe would book their places via the fans, with Faye and Ashley earning theirs outright with stunning performances. But Lauren has thrown a huge spanner in the works. She’s the weakest dancer by far, but she’s never been in a dance-off. Ashley is incredibly capable, but she doesn’t have the viewer support. And with all the attention on those two, is it possible that Faye or Stacey could be in for a nasty shock as people feel they’re already safe? There will definitely be tears on Sunday night…
Catch up on everything that happened during the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final below.
Very excited we're getting two Argentine Tangos tonight - usually the highlight of any series, although we've been slightly distracted by the couple's choice category this year, and the 'It Shouldn't Happen to Shirley Ballas' moment that was the Lindyhop-athon.
Five minutes to go! Craig has sharpened his claws, Brrrrrrruno has positioned his crash mat next to his chair and Shirley has finished her chicken dinner (if you haven't been following her Instagram videos in the last few weeks I insist you go and check them out now). We are ready for the semi-final!
Incidentally, Les Miserables is absolutely excellent. OK, enough advert distraction, time for Strictly! And I will never tire of seeing clips of Giovanni in that blonde wig and green felt hat...
Opening the show tonight, it’s frontunners Kevin and Stacey! The glitterball is theirs to lose now – they’ve impressed the judges, won over the public and I think everyone can agree it would be nice to see Kevin win. The man has reached the final four times. That’s four ‘it’s the taking part that counts’ post-Strictly interviews. Four long nights in the Strictly bar pretending to be happy for the winners. Come on Kev, this is your year! Tonight they’ll be doing the Viennese Waltz (Stacey’s not wild about it) and the Charleston (Stacey LOVES it), so it’s a mixed bag. They've got the Charleston first (the wig gave it away).
An interesting choice to have Stacey and Kevin caricature old people in a show that has a strong older fanbase. It also added nothing to the performance. Stacey is clearly loving this dance and there's great attack, decent swivel and good characterisation, but she's sometimes unable to mirror Kevin with enough precision and a couple of those lifts were clunky. The judges are signed-up members of the Stacey fan club though...
Shirley says she's speechless and calls the routine phenomenal. The suggestion being the dance was too perfect for her to find a single fault, which just isn't the case. Annoying. Brrrrruno loved the 1920s authenticity of the characterisation and choreography. Craig loved the eccentricity.
Time for the last man standing and the best signing of the series as far as Strictly are concerned, it's Joe Sugg, with his partner Dianne. He's always been impressive in ballroom numbers, so I'm expecting this Viennese Waltz to be beautiful.
It's tough for the male celebrities to not only master the steps but also gain the confidence to actually lead their partners across the floor. This is a great attempt but the effort is written all over his face, an elegant dance like this requires so much more ease. He's also carrying that tension in his shoulders at times, which is affecting his top line. Nice choreography though. Nauseating camera spins, pass the bucket.
Brrrrrruno and Craig agree there was far too much rise and fall in that routine. Darcey echoes their reaction, she says she wanted so much more given Joe's previous ballroom performances. 'It wasn't bad, it just wasn't what we expected,' she says. Hardly a ringing endorsement.
Time for Ashley and Pasha now. Two visits to the dance-off have reignited the big debate: is Ashley just too good a dancer to compete on this show? All seems a bit unfair - she was offered a gig and she took it. That's the producers' fault, not hers, surely? Still she'll need to stun us if she's going to get to the final. She was struggling with the paso in training, but I still expect this to be great.
