Strictly Come Dancing 2015 headed to the seaside tonight for the show’s annual jaunt to Blackpool.
After saying goodbye to Jeremy Vine and his partner Karen Clifton last week, the remaining 8 couples travelled to Blackpool to perform at the Tower Ballroom. Blackpool is always the milestone that all of the celebs want to reach and as it’s the heart of Ballroom in the UK the pressure was more intense than ever.
Craig Revel-Horwood, Darcey Bussell, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli were on hand to offer their critique as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman kept the evening running smoothly. Jeremy Vine was also in the audience and we bet he was gutted that he missed out on the chance to dance in the Tower Ballroom.
How did everyone get on in Blackpool? Keep reading to find out…
Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani
Last week The Wanted star Jay McGuiness had a bad week after making mistakes through his routine. He was also criticised again for his lack of emotion during the routine. This week Jay was determined to get back on top and rehearsed hard with his partner Aliona Vilani. Tonight the couple danced the Salsa but was it enough to get the judges back on side?
The dance: Jay performed a lot better than he did last week and as far as we could tell he didn’t make any mistakes during the routine. It was a big opening to the show and far better than Jay has danced in a few weeks.
The comments: Len said there was no end to Jay’s talent and told him that he really got the party started. Bruno said Jay had ‘loins of fire’ and asked if the audience felt a heatwave in the ballroom. Craig said that the armography and lift was great, and he commended Jay on finally bringing some facial expressions to his performance. Darcey said that Jay warmed up her and the ballroom, and she told him that his flirting with Aliona was fantastic.
The score: 36 out of 40
Jamelia & Tristan MacManus
Last weekend Jamelia and her partner Tristan MacManus found themselves in the dance-off for the fourth time this series. They were saved by the judges but Jamelia admitted that constantly being in the bottom two is taking its tool. During the week they visited Blackpool’s wax museum to get into the mood for their Quickstep. Did they do enough to stay out of the bottom two?
The dance: Was it just us or were parts of that routine a bit messy? Jamelia has clearly been working really hard on her footwork but there was something a little off. We think she could be leaving tomorrow night.
The comments: Bruno said that Jamelia had been working hard and told her that she’d celarly been working on the footwork. Craig said he didn’t think they’d done enough to stay out of the dance-off. Darcey said that there were no mistakes in the routine and told Jamelia that she pulled off some difficult steps. Len said he was a believer and told Jamelia that she deserved to be in Blackpool.
The score: 31 out of 40
Anita Rani & Gleb Savchenko
Anita Rani continues to go from strength-to-strength and we’re confident she’ll be in the show until the final, which she has a good chance of winning. During the week Anita shared her stories of holidaying in Blackpool with her partner Gleb Savchenko. Tonight Anita and Gleb danced the Paso Doble. Did they impress?
The dance: Wow that was good! We love a Paso at the best of times but that performance was absolutely magnificent. Anita just went from contender to winner in our eyes! Incredible!!
The comments: Craig said ‘drama, character-driven throughout’ before telling Anita it was ‘magnificent’. Darcey said that Anita blew her away telling her the performance was ‘beautifully classy’ and ‘forceful’. Len said Anita had mood and passion telling her the performance was ‘fantastic’. Bruno said that Anita didn’t perform a Paso for vegetarians and told her that she commanded the proceedings.
The score: 37 out of 40
Katie Derham & Anton du Beke
Katie Derham had a return to form last week when she wowed the judges with a rather classy Rumba. Since the competition began Katie has struggled with consistency, which has been frustrating for her and for us viewers. During the week Katie and Anton were visited by former Strictly pro Erin Boag as they practised their routine. Tonight Katie and Anton danced the American Smooth but did they have another good week?
The dance: Katie is so comfortable in Ballroom and it’s definitely her strong point. She was so elegant and effortless tonight! The performance was really wonderful.
The comments: Darcey told Katie that her performance was exquisite but told her to be careful with her transitions. Len said that Katie really came out and performed a fitting dance for the Tower Ballroom before labelling it her best dance. Bruno said that Katie was stylistically impeccable and told her she looked like a dream. Craig said that it had the elegance he expected but told her she looked a little lost when coming out of the lifts.
The score: 35 out of 40
Peter Andre & Janette Manrara
Peter Andre was very excited to dance the Viennese Waltz last week and he got his second highest score of the series so far. During the week Peter and his partner Janette Manrara ‘travelled back’ in time to the 60s to get inspired for their Jive. With high expectations on them, did they do enough to top the leaderboard?
The dance: That was a really odd choice of music for a Jive. We wouldn’t have chosen River Deep, Mountain High. It wasn’t our favourite performance from Peter but it was fun enough. Craig said it fell to the bottom of all the Jives on the series so far but commended Peter’s commitment and energy. Darcey said it was fast and furious.
The comments: Len said it was always lovely to see Peter dance and told him it wasn’t his finest moment. Bruno said that the performance level was great but told Peter that his enthusiasm results in him losing the style of the dance. Craig said
The score: 29 out of 40
Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice
Actress Georgia May Foote had a very good week last week with her show-stopping Charleston. During the week Giovanni Pernice was driving Georgia mad singing Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing, which is their song this week. Georgia took him to karaoke to get the singing out of his system ahead of their performance. Tonight Georgia and Giovanni danced the American Smooth.
The dance: Is there anything Georgia can’t do? She’s proving to be incredibly versatile and she was so classy this week. Our money is on Georgia or Anita to win the series.
The comments: Bruno said that was experiencing ‘pure Ballroom bliss’. Craig said there was a small mis-timing during the performance but told Georgia that she was fantastic. Darcey told Georgia that she would go far in the competition. Len said that he was blown away by Georgia tonight.
The score: 38 out of 40
Helen George & Aljaz Skorjanec
Call the Midwife’s Helen George delivered a superb Tango last week and she’s finally starting to stand out from the rest of the celebs. This weekend she had an opportunity to make a real impression as she was dancing the Charleston with her partner Aljaz Skorjanec. Did Helen do enough to score highly tonight?
The dance: Aljaz made a little boo-boo there at one point but hopefully no-one noticed. Until that point it was a perky Charleston that was a whole lot of fun. We really enjoyed Helen’s performance tonight.
The comments: Craig said that it was lacking but commended the production values. Darcey disagreed with Craig and told Helen it was a classy Charleston. Len said that there was too much side-by-side action for his taste but told Helen it was polished. Bruno said it was like watching a show-stopping number on Broadway.
The score: 34 out of 40
Kellie Bright & Kevin Clifton
EastEnders star Kellie Bright admitted that she felt emotional last week after getting a 9 from Craig. Her hip-hop Samba with partner Kevin Clifton divided opinion but we loved it. During the week Kellie and Kevin went to watch a Ballroom competition before getting into rehearsals for their Quickstep. Did the couple do enough to score highly this week?
The dance: It was a confident and perky performance from Kellie. The choice of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 as the music was a good one and it looked like Kellie and Kevin had lots of fun.
The comments: Darcey said that Kellie gave a wonderful dance to end a wonderful night. Len said to file it under ‘B for brilliant’. Bruno said it was another great performance. Craig said ‘tight, clean, I loved it!’
The score: 37 out of 40
The leaderboard for tonight was:
Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice – 38
Anita Rani & Gleb Savchenko – 37
Kellie Bright & Kevin Clifton – 37
Jay McGuiness & Aliona Vilani – 36
Katie Derham & Anton du Beke – 35
Helen George & Aljaz Skorjanec – 34
Jamelia & Tristan MacManus – 31
Peter Andre & Janette Manrara – 29
Strictly Come Dancing 2015 continues tomorrow night at 7.15pm on BBC One. See all of the couples in rehearsal earlier today in our gallery below:
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