Grumpy, jet-lagged Len was certainly in need of a break, but when the powers that be decided to bring in Michael Flatley as a guest judge for this week, you can’t help wishing he’d made the effort to stay on.
SEVEN!
- Maurice & Cheryl (Viennese waltz): Given that Maurice hasn’t done a ballroom dance since week one, anything he did here could only be an improvement on that, and indeed the steps were there, and at times the routine came together- but overall it just lacked flow, making it feel disjointed and not at all as smooth as a Viennese waltz should be. Good effort, but could try harder.
- Lance & Lacey (jive): Lance disappointed me last week (and just as I was growing to like him), but he was back on form with this jive- Rachel Stevens, this is what a jive should be. It was fast, sharp, full of bounce and energy (not to mention the right balance of tricks and basic); my only slight nitpick is that Lance could have been on the balls of his feet a little more, but overall a well performed, well delivered routine.
- Susan & Tony (mambo): Although it was an improvement on last week, Susan still didn’t connect with me- her arms were good but her attempts to perform felt forced and she still wasn’t consistently using the energy of the floor.
- Brooke & Derek (rumba): Brooke suffered an injury the previous week that cut down her training time, and sadly it showed- she was a bit careful (not that I can blame her) and whilst it was a good effort, it wasn’t up there with her best routines.
- Cloris & Corky (cha cha): I didn’t think Cloris would even be able to do a cha cha- and, well, I was right. Less of a dance than a mere stepping round the floor, Cloris’ routine was on a par with John Sergeant’s- i.e. not very good at all.
- Cody & Julianne (samba): Poor Julianne has been diagnosed with endometriosis and will be having her appendix out, leaving Cody in Edyta’s hands next week. Meanwhile, this samba clearly suffered from a lack of practice time- taken as just any old dance, it was technically strong, but as a samba it completely lacked any bounce or carnival spirit, instead coming across as too serious and aggressive.
- Warren & Kym (rumba): I like that Warren and Kym told a story with this rumba, and Warren’s enthusiasm was plain, but even so this routine didn’t quite do it for me- there wasn’t enough actual dancing. The latest in a long line of underwhelming male rumbas.
- Group hip-hop: Since hip-hop isn’t my ‘scene’, I wasn’t too gone on this group dance, but it was still a bit of fun- especially the sight of Cloris dressed up in all the gear. Not the best group dance I’ve ever seen, but good for a bit of throwaway entertainment.
Results show
- Ballroom kids: The third round started off with Craig (13) and Samantha (11), the siblings of Cara from last season. They performed a cha cha with amazing skill and energy, a hard act for the next couple, Lucy (13) and Simon (13) to follow. They did try their best with a light, bright samba, but I still preferred the first performance, and the judges unanimously agreed (spoiling the previous system of giving the losing couple at least one vote).
- Missy Elliot and the Pussycat Dolls performed together- the routine was definitely not to my tastes although those Pussycats do look nice.
- Michael Flatley wasn’t content with being a guest judge, so he also gave us a performance from his new show Celtic Tiger, which saw Flatley take on the role of Al Capone and dancing amidst flames. I enjoyed the first part, which actually had music and kept Flatley silhouetted behind a screen, but when he came onstage, the whole routine seemed like little more than the latest round of showing off, without even any musical accompaniment.
- Elimination: This week Cloris & Corky dropped back into jeopardy alongside Susan & Tony (not necessarily the bottom two), but in the end its was Cloris & Corky’s time to go. Entertaining as she was, and hard as she’d begun to try, it was long past Cloris’ time to bow out, but here’s hoping Corky returns next season.
