Strictly Come Dancing series seven 2009. The MSN blog.

Natalie Cassidy is the eleventh celebrity to be voted off the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.

In week 11 of the competition, the remaining contestants and their professional dance partners took to the floor to perform either a charleston or a rock n roll number. This was followed by a competitive group Viennese waltz.

Here is how the evening’s action unfolded, followed by our full review:

The judges’ scores
This is the leader board after the scores (out of 40) for the individual performances were added to the score (out of 10) for the competitive Viennese waltz.

Ali and Brian – 37 + 10 = 47

Chris and Ola – 34 + 7 = 41

Ricky and Natalie – 31 + 9 = 40

Laila and Anton – 31 + 8 = 39

Natalie and Vincent – 26 + 7 = 33

The dance-off
After the viewers’ votes were added to the judges’ leader board Natalie and her dance partner Vincent Simone were in the bottom two along with Ricky Whittle and his dance partner Natalie Lowe. The two couples thus faced the drama of the dance-off.

The judges voted as follows:

Judge Craig: Ricky and Natalie

Judge Alesha: Ricky and Natalie

Judge Bruno: Ricky and Natalie

Head judge Len’s casting vote was not needed. He said he would have voted for Ricky and Natalie.

So out went Natalie and Vincent. They received such a lovely standing ovation.

(Our thanks to the ever brilliant Miss Bubbles for doing the live blog – you can read her comments in the previous post)

What do you think of the show? Did the right couple get eliminated?

My full review of Saturday night’s performances:

We have Brucie’s reaction, our view, blogger’s wife’s opinion, a summary of the judges’ views and the scores.

Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan - Charleston

Brucie: Great, I’m so thrilled for you.

Our view: Terrific. That’s his bid for the final. He’s shown he can go to the next level. He won’t get a dance that suits him so well every week, of course.

Blogger’s wife: It was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nice to see a different dance and it really suited them as a couple.

Head judge Len: The fun and entertainment you’ve just given us was fabulous. I would have liked more of the swivelling feet but for entertainment, wonderful.

Judge Alesha: Chris, I’ve seen a whole new side to you tonight. You owned that dance. You’ve set the standard.

Judge Bruno: The delightful dancing fool at its best. Everything was in there, your best performance to date.

Judge Craig: Very crowd-pleasing darling, theatrical, punchy, I loved it.

8 8 9 9 = 34

Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe – Rock n Roll

Brucie: What about it? Lovely.

Our view: Not sure what he was doing in that routine. She had all the good bits. And all the other bits, too. Something went wrong early on. Also, she didn’t move straight from one of the lifts into the steps, there was a bit of a hiatus, making it look stilted.

Blogger’s wife: Nice to see Natalie in a good outfit, she’s had some real duds this series. Natalie danced it well. Ricky was like decoration. Not their best dance.

Head judge Len: In the Rock n Roll we are looking for high energy, fast underarm turns, quick flash of knickers – we saw plenty of that. Basically, what we saw from you Ricky is what we’re looking for. There was that nasty incident early on when you went wrong

Judge Alesha: It was a little too bit cool for school. We could have seen so much from you because you have so much more to give.

Judge Bruno: You can throw a girl left, right and centre. It would be really good to see you do it without a mistake. You have to produce dances at the level you can produce them.

Judge Craig: The timing was appalling early on. You need to get more height on the lifts. It was OK, just lacked a bit of pow.

7 8 8 8 = 31

Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna – Charleston

Brucie: How about it? Wonderful. Lovely. What a week you’ve had.

Our view: Well performed and very clever. Not sure I enjoyed it as much as Chris’ routine but it was better danced.

Blogger’s wife: Fabulous storytelling. Great routine. I hope Ali won’t use that hairstyle again.

Judge Bruno: The fabulous flapper. It was like being in Chicago in 1927. It has the flavour of the era.

Judge Craig: Goofy, gangly at times but absolutely gorgeous. If Josephine Baker were alive today you’d be giving her a run for her money.

Head judge Len: I’ve seen a new side to you. You’ve shaken it all around, cocked your leg up. I thought it was great.

Judge Alesha: Last week I said you were the front runners of the competition and this week you’ve proved I was correct. Kooky, quirky and after the week you’ve had that was outstanding.

9 9 10 9 = 37

Natalie Cassidy and Vincent Simone – Rock n Roll

Brucie: Yes, come on. What about it? Lovely. Well done both of you.

Our view: That’s the weakest dance we’ve seen so far tonight. Rather clunky.

Blogger’s wife: Nice to see Natalie finally in black but sadly another unflattering outfit. It really wasn’t that good. Charleston seems to be easier for the other couples to do.

Judge Craig: It wasn’t for me. You didn’t even attempt to do the side-to-side. Very one dimensional.

Head judge Len: We all love Natalie. It wasn’t that great. It needed the roly-poly or something to give it the wow factor.

Judge Alesha: You should be able to sell the dance on your personality but it did become a tad clumsy.

Judge Bruno: You’re a go-er, we love you for it. We’re getting towards the quarter-final. Vincent you have got to get her to understand how to finish a move. It’s up to you.

5 7 7 7 = 26

Laila Rouass and Anton du Beke – Charleston

Brucie: What about that, come on.

Our view: Joyous. What a routine.

Blogger’s wife: What a fantastic dance, it so suited them. I was thoroughly entertained.

Judge Alesha: Laila you look like a goddess and thank you for getting Anton to this stage of the competition. It suits your personalities, you did it so well..

Judge Bruno: For once you didn’t go wrong.

Judge Craig: I thought it was very heavy, the kicks were very laboured. I did enjoy the storytelling.

Head judge Len: You are absolutely 100% wrong. That was brilliant. It was lovely.

6 9 8 8 = 31

Competitive group Viennese waltz

Brucie: Lovely. Wasn’t that lovely? Let’s hope nobody got injured.

Our view: Not sure the camera work helped us decide who did well but it was still good fun.

Blogger’s wife: The dresses were tasteful, I liked Laila’s the most. It was quite interesting to watch it. Laila was my favourite. My least favourite was Natalie, I just didn’t think her posture was good.

Head judge Len: Ah, Ali you were so smooth around that room.

Judge Alesha: Chris and Ola are the smallest couple but they still stand out.

Judge Bruno: Laila coped very well but with Anton in the driving seat how can you go wrong?

Judge Craig: Natalie has redeemed herself with that dance. She just narrowly escaped being boxed in.

Head judge Len: I thought Ricky coped beautifully.

Here is how the judges scored them:

Chris and Ola – 7

Ricky and Natalie – 9

Ali and Brian – 10

Natalie and Vincent – 7

Laila and Anton - 8

What do you think of the show? Did the right couple get eliminated? Have your say in the comments section below.

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What drama we're getting on this year's Strictly! But so much of it is happening OFF the show. Arlene, Alesha, race rows, injuries and now Ricky Whittle's arrest. Does anyone have a spare rabbit's foot for Brucie and co? Anyway, somebody's dancing their last dance tonight. Question is who? We'll find out soon...

Show kicks off:

Here we go! Here comes Brucie and Tess, complete with new hair-don't. Not sure if I like the fringe - makes her look older. Her dress is gorgeous! It's a fuscia pink and it's close-fitting with lovely detail. But it's so tight that she can't get her leg over Bruce (that will never get old!).

Bruce starts off telling an awful joke about text-speak ("OMG. LOL") which is painfully unfunny. Note to writers: text speak isn't funny in text-land, never mind off it. There's a whole heap of fringe on the ladies: Laila's in gold fringe and Ali's in a pink fringe dress. Who raided the Muppets' warehouse?

Chris & Ola - charleston

I'm so excited to see this dance and they couldn't have chosen better music. It's Fat Sam's Speakeasy from everybody's favourite film Bugsy Malone. How can they go wrong? And they don't. Its an energetic routine filled with fun elements - the perfect opener to the show. Little Chris, as usual, puts his heart and soul into the routine and it's infectious. Loved it.

Judges' Comments: Alesha channels X Factor's Louis Walsh and says: "You owned that dance!" Haha! Len made a really funny comment when Brucie asked what we should look for in the charleston: "You'd be more qualified to talk about it. It was your era, the 20s!"

Judges' score: 34

Ricky & Natalie - rock n roll

The song is Hound Dog which was covered by Elvis Presley in the late 1950s. But the performance is lacking the energy it needs to bring this dance to life. Poor Ricky. I think the off-screen drama is impacting on his routine. It's nowhere near as good. I'm still drooling over his quickstep from a couple of weeks ago, a dance he's yet to match. File this one under 'average'

Judges' Comments: Alesha thought it was "lacklustre" and Bruno went into a eulogy about Ricky making mistakes every week. Bitchiest remark came from Brucie who referred to him having a "little less rehearsal time" than he thought he'd have. The crowd, as one, 'oooooooooh-ed' at that remark. BITCHY Brucie!

Judges' score: 31

Ali & Brian - charleston

This is already the best dance of the night. It's better than Chris's charleston and it's miles better than Ricky Whittle's rock n roll mistake. For once, Ali looks animated: the moves Brian's put into the routine suit the dance and they look very 1920s. I reckon she's gonna sweep the board tonight.

Judges' comments:  Alesha said: "Last week I said you were the front runner... you've proved me right! After the week you've had, that was outstanding." Craig Revel Horwood went for aliteration: "Gangly, goofy, gorgeous" 

Judges' total score: 37

Natalie & Vincent - rock n roll

I do look forward to seeing Natalie because she's always so enthusiastic. OK, she's not as good as Ali but Natalie always gives 100%. They dance to Little Richard's Long Tall Sally and Nat's certainly enjoying herself. Oh dear - Vincent looked like he struggled to lift her... how embarrassing. I'm not enjoying the rock n roll routines as much as the charleston dances and this one is no exception. It's OK. Nothing more, nothing less.

Judges' comments:  Alesha said: " It became a tad clumsy... it wasn't your best dance."

Judges' total score: 26

Laila & Anton – charleston

Wow! Laila looks absolutley stunning. The song is Yes Sir, That’s My Baby by Firehouse Five Plus Two. Got to say, Laila and Anton are doing really well. I'm finding their routine entertaining but it's not going to be my favourite charleston of the night. For once though, I'm convinced at a non-ballroom routine of Anton's.

Judges' comments:  Alesha said: " You looked like a goddess... you did that so well." Craig snips at what he saw and Len disagrees with him yet again. Len wonders if Craig does it on purpose to get boos. "You're getting on my wick!" he blasts. Laila sticks her tongue out at Craig and I look around for pram to put her in...

Judges' total score: 31

My favourite celeb of the night: Ali Bastian's charleston was a frothy delight

My least-favourite celeb of the night: Ricky Whittle's rock n roll number was lethargic and uninspiring

The remaining couples all dance a Viennese waltz to Billy Joel's Piano Man. They all look gorgeous as they swirl around on the dance floor. Everybody looks so elegant and I like the way Ricky's holding Natalie. He's definitely a ballroom boy. Ali is doing extremely well tonight - she's definitely the one to watch in this competition.

The group dance is now over and the couples are being scored on their performance.

Group dance scores

Ali scored a perfect 10 bringing her total to 47 points

Chris scored 7 bringing his total to 41 points

Ricky scored 9 bringing his total to 40 points

Laila scored 8 bringing her total score to 39 points

Natalie scored 7 bringing her total score to 33 points 

Tess talks to the celebrities to find out how they're feeling about the night's dancing. Bruce introduces a foxtrot "with a modern twist" featuring Brendan Cole, Matthew Cutler, Katya Virshilas and Aliona Vilani. They foxtrot to Time is Running Out by Muse. It's not bad but maybe I'm a bit more traditional than I thought.

A real treat now as 2004 contestant Julian Clary has a few words with the current contestants. I LOVE Julian! He was so funny when took part in the show. He looks a tad heavier than when he was dancing but he's lost none of his comic timing. At the end, his parting shot to Craig is: 'tell him I want my corset back!' Hahaha! I suppose it would be too much to have Julian take over from Brucie when he eventually retires? If they do it, it was my idea.

Now we're being entertained with a fast-kicking routine from Riverdance. I love watching these dancers - I'm always in awe. How do they do what they do?

It's time for the special singing guests and this week, it's James Morrison and Nelly Furtado. They sing Broken Strings, accompanied by some lovely dancing. However, I still love what Dame Shirley Bassey did last week; what a performance!

The Dance-off

The celebs are now telling us what the show means to them. We're about to find out who's in the bottom two...

And just as I thought - it's Ricky and Natalie. I wish Laila had ended up there rather than Natalie.

Ricky dances first and improves on his first performance. I still don't like the routine though. Natalie's next and she's also slightly better. It looks like Nat's going home tonight. I can't see the judges voting against Ricky.

The Judges' decisions

Craig saves  Ricky

Alesha saves Ricky
 
Bruno saves Ricky

It's academic, but Len would've saved Ricky too.

Natalie's Out! Poor Nat - she's in tears and so is Vincent. I will miss her enthusiasm.

And that's a wrap! What did you think of tonight's show? Has the right person gone out? We'd love to hear from you so please have your say. That's it from me, I'm out of here. Join MSN's Strictly blogger Matt Ball for his full recap of tonight's show. I'll be back next week for another live blogging session.
 
Goodnight from Miss Bubbles.

Get ready for week 11 of Strictly Come Dancing 2009.

Here is what you need to know about Saturday’s programme:

What’s the format for this weekend?

There are five couples left in. Each is performing a dance that is new to the show: either a Charleston or a Rock n Roll. They will also perform a competitive group Viennese waltz.

The two couples with lowest scores from a combination of judges' points and viewers’ votes will then face each other in a dance-off with the judges voting to save one of the couples. The other couple will leave the show.

The BBC’s blurb adds: “Whilst they nervously wait for the result, the professional dancers perform a spectacular number.” Which is useful because that never happens any other week, does it?

Who’s performing which dance?

• Chris and Ola – Charleston
• Ali and Brian – Charleston
• Natalie and Vincent – Rock n Roll 
• Laila and Anton – Charleston
• Ricky W and Natalie – Rock n Roll

When is the show on TV?

Saturday 21 November 2009
6:50pm to 8:25pm BBC One.

This year you can watch in high-definition on the BBC HD channel – available subscription-free on Freesat. For more information go to: www.freesat.co.uk

What coverage will this blog be providing?

We will be doing live coverage on this blog – the consistently wonderful Miss Bubbles will be in the hot seat for that so join her on Saturday night as the show starts. Once the show ends I get busy writing my usual full review of the night including blogger’s wife’s all important opinions on the dresses.

Do join in the discussion by using the comments section – as ever we love to read your views.

Who’s going to be eliminated?

Yes, it is time for my ever-reliable prediction. Last week I predicted Jade Johnson would not dance (correct), Laila and Ricky Groves would be in the dance-off (correct), Laila would lose to Ricky (wrong).

This week is a tough call. We have new dances that even the professionals have not done before, a competitive group Viennese waltz, Ali Bastian’s injury and Ricky Whittle possibly distracted by, er, his recent late night headline making. 

At the time of writing I could not find odds for any Strictly bet in the usual place on the William Hill website which perhaps shows how difficult it is to determine what will happen.

This week I predict Ali and Brian will be in the dance-off against Natalie and Vincent. And it will be game over for Natalie.

Do you agree? Have your say now.

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Better late than never, although some might choose to quibble with that, it’s time to review the hairstyle sported by The Tess Daly (she’s everyone’s favourite newspaper) on week ten of Strictly Come Dancing 2009.

Saturday 21 November 2009: the ‘it’s different whichever side you look at’ style.

OK, that concludes this week’s Tess Daly hair update.

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A busy news day.

Hollyoaks actor Ricky Whittle was released on bail early on Friday morning after an incident involving a photographer.

MSN TV: Strictly’s Ricky Whittle bailed.

The BBC website now reports that he will dance on Saturday.

Search for more news on Ricky Whittle.

Use Bing to see the latest tweets about Ricky Whittle.

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First on were Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan.

Chris, it turns out, went wrong during their Viennese waltz. He got a bit carried away and suddenly put in some different steps to the ones planned. “I would call it a change of choreography,” he said. “A very late change.”

Ola added: “He changed the choreography and I didn’t know what he was going to do next.”

In head judge Len Goodman’s master class he and Winkleman attempted to recreate the opening moves in the tango performed by Zoe Ball and Ian Waite (also known as the best Strictly tango ever). With hilarious consequences.

Pro dancer Flavia Cacace turned up to tell us that the second dance the couples will perform on Saturday (yes, it’s time for two dances) will be a competitive Viennese waltz in which all the couples dance at the same time.

In a group Viennese waltz, which we have seen before on the show usually as a demo by the pro dancers, the whole routine is choreographed and the couples will all do the same thing. In a competitive Viennese waltz, however, each couple will perform their own choreography and they will receive a score from the judges.

This gave Flavia the opportunity to mention the F-word: floorcraft.

“Is that making duvets?” Winkleman asked.

It isn’t.

Flavia explained that good floorcraft involves the couples keeping out of each other’s way, changing their routines to suit where the other couples are. Bad floorcaft involves couples bumping into each other.

The male pro dancers are probably at an advantage here. The man leads the dance and the male pro dancers are likely to be highly skilled in delivering a good performance along with good floorcraft while making it look simple. The male celebs – Chris and Ricky Whittle – will have to raise their game to match them.

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A sombre start to Wednesday’s show as Brain Fortuna turned up without Ali Bastian.

She has badly bruised her right foot after a training mishap. Brian summed it up: “It’s three days til the competition, we haven’t rehearsed and she can’t walk.”

Head judge Len Goodman then did a good section entitled Ten out of Len in which he explained how he scores the performances on Strictly Come Dancing.

1 point: turn up

2 points: move your left leg

3 points: move your right leg

4 points: start and end with the music

5 points: bits of good footwork, good hold, some posture

6 points: add in a bit of performance

7 points: sings of good technique, hip action, chemistry

8 points: show true improvement. Much better hold, great posture, good hips, nice footwork but still a few faults

9 points: do the unexpected – things a celebrity with only a few weeks training wouldn’t be expected to do. Current rise and fall, a higher degree of rhythm, musicality, a bit of magic

10 points: the routine has that certain sparkle that lights up the ballroom, something truly magical.

Then dance experts Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas came on to explain the basic elements of the two new dances being performed this week – the Charleston and Rock n Roll – and James Jordan cast his eye over some early training footage. Amusingly, Vincent was highlighted as needing to improve.

Last up was the celebrity panel comprising former Strictly celebs Lisa Snowdon, Heather Small and Cherie Lunghi.

Their choices for the highlight of the series so far were:

Lisa - Ricky Groves and Erin Boag’s paso doble

Cherie – Chris and Ola’s salsa

Heather – Ali and Brian’s maximum score in the Viennese waltz. Heather was Brian’s partner last year. She said she was pleased to see Brian finally getting a 40.

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First on were Natalie Cassidy and Vincent Simone to talk about their Saturday samba shocker.

Natalie said she had found all the requirements of the dance “too much”.

Vincent added: “For once in a lifetime I was rubbish.  I chose the music, I didn’t get inspiration from it and the choreography was rubbish.”

This week all the couples left in the competition are tackling a dance that is new to Strictly: the Charleston or, like Natalie and Vincent, a spot of Rock n Roll.

“He’s never done it before,” said Natalie. “And we haven’t got a clue.”

Should be fun, then.

In Choreography Corner was Karen Hardy who made the same point as head judge Len did yesterday about Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe’s American Smooth spectacular lift. “She’s used that card already,” she said, suggesting that such a lift should be saved for the show dance in the final.

Karen’s other key point was about the pivots used in Chris and Ola’s Viennese waltz routine. There are judges in the TV audience and there are judges on stage and you have to aim to please both, she said. So, although the judges felt the pivots were overdone, Ola knew they are crowd pleasers for a dance with only three basic steps. The VT replayed the applause from the audience that broke out each time Chris and Ola did their pivots, backing up Karen’s point.

The Ask Len section included a question about which dances head judge Len Goodman’s believes are the hardest to do. They are the slow foxtrot for the ballroom and the samba for the Latin.

Last on were former Strictly competitors Gethin Jones, Colin Jackson and ‘my mate’ Matt Dawson. Readers of this blog during series four will recall that ‘Dawse’ and I went to the same school and briefly played in the same rugby team. He went on to win a rugby World Cup winners medal and I went on to, er, write this blog. It’s hilarious how life turns out, isn’t it?

To his credit Matt stole the show with his choice of highlight from series seven so far. Did he choose Ali and Brian’s Viennese waltz? Did he choose Ricky and Natalie’s quickstep? No, he chose Craig Kelly’s “slightly delusional” belief that every dance he did was quite good even after receiving a total slating from the judges. Winkleman rightly pointed out that even Craig’s dance partner Flavia couldn’t bring herself to back him up whenever they appeared on It Takes Two.

Harsh but fair.

And very funny.

Colin said he votes for Natalie each week even though he reckons the final will be between Ali and Ricky Whittle. Gethin and Matt also said they enjoyed Natalie’s performances.

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A little later than usual due to a business trip to a hotel at Amsterdam airport (yes, I go to all the most glamorous locations).

First was a behind-the-scenes look at the hair and make-up teams’ work.

How many more behind-the-scenes options are there? I suggested that the catering department should be next but blogger’s wife reckons it’s just the regular BBC canteen that the runners go to so there isn’t a story to be had on that one. And we’ve already had a behind-the-scenes look at what a runner does, you’ll recall.

Anyway, both teams work hard right through the entire Saturday and do a great job to make the pros and celebs look great. The best bit was Ricky Whittle pointing to his own head and saying that he actually has hair under the bald cap they give him every week.

Moving on, eliminated couple Ricky Groves and Erin Boag appeared on WInkleman’s couch. Ricky said he felt like his time was up. “You’ve got to be a realist,” he commented.

Erin was sporting what I would call a Delia Smith hairstyle.

They were both complimentary about each other. Erin was so pleased with Ricky’s constant enthusiasm and Ricky enjoyed learning from her.

Judge Craig Revel Horwood was next on. Speaking about having to decide who to save in last Saturday’s dance-off, he said: “It wasn’t that obvious because Ricky did so well second time around. Laila and Anton looked smoother and more natural.”

Head judge Len Goodman was on the phone to reiterate his point about Ricky Whittle’s spectacular-but-out-of-keeping-with-the-dance second lift in the American Smooth. He went on to say that if Ricky makes the final he no longer has the element of surprise for a spectacular lift in the show dance section. “He gave the game away,” he explained.

Len asked Craig if he thought the lift was difficult. Craig said what Len knew to be true: it is quite easy. “We could do it now,” Craig said to Winkleman. “Although I have seen you dance with Len.”

Last on were Jade Johnson and Ian Waite.

They were sad to to be out of the show due to Jade’s injury but kept a stiff upper lip.

We shall miss them.

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Actor Ricky Groves is the tenth celebrity to be voted off the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.

In week 10 of the competition, the remaining celebrity contestants and their professional dance partners took to the floor to perform a variety of dances.
 
Ricky's tango didn't impress the judges; he scored only 22 points and ended up at the bottom of the leader board.
 
The combination of the judges' scores and viewers’ votes left him and professional partner Erin Boag in the bottom two and facing the dance off with former Footballers' Wives actress Laila Rouass and her partner Anton du Beke.

Making their decision on who to save, the judges all voted unanimously for Laila and so Ricky's Strictly dream ended.
 
What did you think of tonight's show? Has the right person gone out? We'd love to hear from you so please have your say in the comments section below.

(Our thanks to the ever brilliant Miss Bubbles for doing the live blog – you can read her comments in the previous post. I particularly liked her comment about Erin's dress - hilarious and totally spot on)

Here is our full recap of the show:

The judges’ scores
Here are the scores for each dance:

Ricky and Natalie – 36

Ali and Brian – 35

Chris and Ola – 29

Laila and Anton – 29

Natalie and Vincent – 26

Ricky and Erin – 22

Jade Johnson was injured and decided not to dance so she is out of the show.

And here are the comments on each performance:

Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna – foxtrot

Brucie: What about that? They all loved it. What a start to the show.

Our view: Not her best but still very good.

Blogger’s wife: Ali’s dress looks like they have re-used Natalie’s foxtrot dress although it looks better on Ali. It was well-danced but it didn’t wow me.

Judge Alesha: A beautiful opening to the show, you are a dream couple. Elongate that stride on the back step but for me you are the front runners.

Judge Bruno: Yes you have the ability to produce moments of sheer bliss. It was fantastic but sometimes you still tighten up a little bit. You’re so good you can be even better.

Judge Craig: I saw your nerves for the first time. There was one sticky moment you stepped on Brian’s left toe also. But it was a very polished and gorgeous routine.

Head judge Len: If that was pudding it was an Angel Delight. Very, very nice, it was great.

8 9 9 9 = 35

Natalie Cassidy and Vincent Simone – samba

Brucie: What about it? Lovely, my darling

Our view: Oh dear. That just wasn’t very good, was it?

Blogger’s wife: Lovely to see Natalie’s hair down it made the dress suit her much better. Who stole Vincent’s trousers and left him with tracksuit bottoms? Probably the same person who stole their samba bounce.

Judge Craig: I was watching your mouth it was like a big old venus fly trap. The routine was just OK, lacked bounce and a bit lame. However, you are completely and utterly endearing and very watchable.

Head judge Len: I was looking at the feet and was a pity you messed up your contra botafogos. For me it was all in hold and because of that it lost any exuberance. It was like a gr

Judge Alesha: A lot of fun, colour and sparkle. I do agree with some of the points Craig made. Keep your head up.

Judge Bruno: Natalie, I love you but this was more Bournemouth than Brazil. It was one of your poorest performances.

6 7 8 5 = 26

Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan – Viennese waltz

Brucie: Is this beginning to be easier than football?

Our view: It was slow and had no fleckerl. I don’t think they should be playing so safe at this stage of the competition.

Blogger’s wife: I quite enjoyed watching that. I did notice a lack of a fleckerl but it was good.

Judge Bruno: better, Chris, better. You are starting to control yourself. You led with confidence.

Judge Craig: It was a little tight of shoulder and you’re wearing that tension on your face. You need to smile.

Head judge Len: You came out with confidence, great rhythm, every time you pivoted everyone was up on their feet.

Judge Alesha: I don’t need to see so many pivots in one dance. I didn’t feel the romance. Your facial expression was a bit clinical.

7 8 7 7 = 29

Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe – American smooth

Brucie: Absolutely wonderful.

Our view: Spectacular. So good to watch.

Blogger’s wife: It was a completely show-stopping lift. Fantastic to watch. However, I agree with Len that it didn’t go with the rest of the routine.

Head judge Len: I thought the whole number was absolutely gorgeously fantastic. Why did you do that stupid great big lift? It was incongruous.

Judge Alesha: I think every woman would like to have the opportunity to be lifted up like that. It shows a lot of trust. It was gentle, it was understated, it absolutely beautiful, it was a show stopper.

Judge Bruno: Oh Ricky, the romantic soul with the strength of Samson. You picked the slow foxtrot it exposes everything but it was a fantastic performance.

Judge Craig: The amalgamations you created were absolutely exquisite. You are the first celeb man to lead and give it some swing and sway. The lift, however, I loved.

9 8 10 9 = 36

Laila Rouass and Anton du Beke – waltz

Brucie: That was beautiful.

Our view: Under the circumstances she’s done very well but it won’t trouble the top of the judges’ leader board.

Blogger’s wife: Beautiful dance, beautiful dress.

Judge Bruno: You made a mistake there and your posture wasn’t that good but the rest was beautiful.

Judge Craig: I didn’t feel you were entirely following Anton. I don’t think it was your best dance but I have to say a miraculous recovery.

Head judge Len: Some of the finesse parts weren’t there. However, having that said I thought you came out and did spectacularly well

Judge Alesha: I did have higher expectations. Your posture isn’t quite right. You remembered the routine but I still want to see you work a little bit harder, Laila.

6 8 7 8 = 29

Ricky Groves and Erin Boag – tango

Brucie: Come on, now. I think Erin is pleased with you

Our view: Bizarre purple fringing on Erin’s dress. And the dance was no better.

Blogger’s wife: I thought they had a lot of good attitude in the dance. I'm speechless about Erin's dress. I like the colour but that's about it.

Head judge Len: Unfortunately Ricky knows there were too may mistakes. He kept going wrong and you can’t do that.

Judge Alesha: I would have scored you higher with those little mistakes. You did try to sell the dance.

Judge Bruno: When you go that wrong what can you do except get to the end of the routine?

Judge Craig: Mistakes galore. It was sterile and mechanical all the way through.

Brucie: You’re my favourites.

5 6 6 5 = 22

The dance-off
After the viewers’ votes were added to the judges’ leader board Ricky and his dance partner Erin and Laila and her dance partner Anton were left in the bottom two and faced the drama of the dance-off.

The judges voted as follows:

Judge Craig: Laila and Anton

Judge Alesha: Laila and Anton

Judge Bruno: Laila and Anton

Head judge Len’s casting vote was not needed. He said he would have voted for Laila and Anton.

So out went Ricky and Erin.

What do you think of the show? Did the right couple get eliminated?

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