Judges dressed as a gruesome wedding party, a live band tackling Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” and a Doctor Who star dancing with a devil’s tail. It can only mean one thing – Strictly Come Dancing’s Halloween Week special was back on our screens.
The annual extravaganza never fails to deliver. But far from bringing frights and scares, Saturday night’s live show saw all of the couples up their game as the Blackpool special moved into touching distance.
And while they may not have topped the leaderboard, one couple in particular finally proved themselves to be serious contenders – La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec.
It’s fair to say La Voix hasn’t had the smoothest start in the competition. But I think this can, at least partially, be blamed on the routines and songs she’s been given. In September’s first live show, the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star immediately proved her comedy chops with an American smooth set to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club”. The routine included a genuinely funny skit midway through as La Voix pushed Škorjanec out of the limelight and took centre stage.
In the weeks since, producers have often relied on La Voix to provide much-needed lighter moments – but it’s come at a price for her. In week two, her routine hit the same beats as the one prior and week four’s boxing-themed cha cha to Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” was nothing short of disastrous.
Don’t get me wrong – the RuPaul’s Drag Race star is hilarious and easily the funniest of this year’s Strictly contestants. And there is, of course, a place for comedy on the show.
La Voix’s running joke about Tess Daly’s outfits is properly well done, silly, old-school comedy and the one-liners in her VTs leave plenty of viewers howling. She stole the show last week when she quipped about sending her CV to the BBC and on Saturday, she brilliantly carried on the bit by presenting one of Daly’s pieces to camera. I look forward to La Voix’s banter and quips as much as I do some of the dances, but she deserves to be taken seriously in the competition too.
On Saturday, she beat her previous high score by an impressive seven points after her paso doble to Beethoven's 5th, which brought plenty of drama and showed off serious skill. By stripping away the distracting comedy elements, La Voix proved herself as a real contender for the rest of the series. And, it seems, she proved something to herself too.
“I’ve had a bit of a moment tonight, right this second now,” she told the judges. “This is the most petrifying place for me, this ballroom floor, but tonight I get for the first time what you guys feel, and how magical dancing can be.”
Turning to Aljaz, she added: “I know I’m not the best and I’ll be lucky if I get above sixes and sevens but from me to you, that was a 10.”
If La Voix keeps this up, perhaps a 10 won’t seem so unlikely after all.
