To feel ever so slightly bereft now Nicola & Katya are out of Strictly?

[PoulePouletteEternellement]

Honestly, before this year I pretty much turned my nose up at the whole thing and couldn't have cared less. But an increasingly drab lockdown has turned me into a fan of huge grins and sequins and joy and cheese. And, actually, their freestyle dance was utterly life enhancing.

But Sky says Katya has tested positive, so they both have to withdraw. Cannot express how sad I am. (Guess they must be, too ...)

The only alternative to the bubble set up is to put the entire cast and crew into total isolation for up to 4 months to complete the show run (Allowing for pre-production, rehearsals and an initial 2 week period before anyone is allowed to start). That’s dozens of families affected when you take into account production staff, costume, hair, make up, camera crew, musicians, etc. It’s just not realistic.

The bubble, which works along the same rules as the support bubble we are all allowed to form with one other single adult household, is the only realistic way of doing it.

Meh. She wasn’t much cop, I think she’d have been out this week anyway

Surely they've only gone a few days earlier than they would have anyway

I'd be surprised if no one else tests positive at a later point, quite a lot of people involved - but much more worrying with older contestants. Obviously they all still lead a life apart from dancing (or their families/partners) so of course there is a risk.

I’m gutted

Bereft, life enhancing....errrrr, really?

its a real shame not sure how long tehy would have lasted in dance terms as even with the joy they showed the musicality/light footness was not great ..

In common with lots of sports people that have been on she was so powerful - similar to Jason (although we big JBell fans through NFL so gutted he was out)

have really enjoyed strictly this time - think because of the general air of gloom everywhere else!-
We really liked the Simpsons dance - think we are swopping support to Max who really came out of his shell I think - fantastic timing and expression...

Some weird comments on this thread. There wasn’t meant to be ‘a point’ to them dancing as a same sex couple. People who are gay might just prefer it that way and there’s no reason why not.

I'm gutted, I liked Nicola. Well, I still do like her. I don't believe she and Katya would have gone much further but they were good. Maybe Nicola will be allowed to compete next year, who knows.

Bill is light on his feet because he had ballroom dance training when he was a teenager.

www.list.co.uk/article/120239-strictly-contestant-bill-bailey-had-dance-lessons-as-a-teenager/

how did bake off manage their bubbles does anyone know

they said on radio 4 it is unlikely she will be invited back next year!

@Impatiens

Surely the point was that there was nothing to get excited about. Nicola and Katya made a great dancing pair and the fact that they are both women really didn't seem worth any comment.

Then really, what's the point at all? They made a big hoo-hah about it being a first but, as you rightly say, it didn't matter in the end. Also, why were they both dressed 'as men' when they're both women?

They weren't dressed 'as men'. They were in trousers. A dress does not a woman make.

hasnt Ranvir had some sort of experience, mention was made of a dance teacher

google told me Ranvir did it at aged 7

I’m not a huge SCD fan but I appreciate all the hard work that has gone into it this year in order to provide licence payers with a bit of weekend cheer. I hope that there are no more problems.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/20/pizza-by-paul-flowers-by-prue-how-great-british-bake-off-built-its-covid-bubble

Googled it for you @GabsALot

Massive SCD fan here and I feel really sad they’re out. Not that Nicola was proving to be an amazing dancer - as others have said, she wasn’t - but they barely got to scratch the surface of what they could have achieved as a same sex couple. The bbc made such a big thing about it but I felt the dances the girls got to do seemed really quite “safe”, lots of matey matey contemporary side by side type dances. I’d have loved to have seen them do something properly challenging - a romantic ballroom, sexy Latin etc, something properly in hold.

Although that said Nicola could well have been voted out anyway this Saturday, having been bottom two last week, so who knows whether they’d have been able to do much more anyway.

But I really hope the series can carry on without too many more hiccups. SCD is always a lovely glittery bit of escapism from real life and even more so this year.

The bake off isolation hotel sounds like it was huge fun.

Wild how many people still don't understand the concept of a bubble. It doesn't make you immune to covid!

@Impatiens

Surely the point was that there was nothing to get excited about. Nicola and Katya made a great dancing pair and the fact that they are both women really didn't seem worth any comment.

Then really, what's the point at all? They made a big hoo-hah about it being a first but, as you rightly say, it didn't matter in the end. Also, why were they both dressed 'as men' when they're both women?

In what way were they dressed as men?

Well in fairness they were both playing a male role from Grease

I was disappointed by Nicola's dancing - I had expected her to be lighter on her feet, but by watching Bill I think that the thing that she lacks and he has is musicality, the ability to place the emphasis in exactly the right part of the beat.

Which comes not from a little bit of dance training 40 years ago but from the classical music training in his background so he really understands the music. Aled Jones was similar - his dancing was much more enjoyable than his level of technique should have made it.

I think it is easier for Oti to teach pure technique and rely on Bill's feel for timing than for the other pros who have to try to teach the feel of "when" within the beat the move starts and finishes... His rap demo certainly showed rhythm!!!

Wouldn't say that the two pop musicians have the same level of training in the nuts and bolts of music and especially complex cross rhythms...

@DynamoKev... However, squibs rarely are! (my pet hate, too)

Nicola is a local hero and that smile! Sad to loose her. I think people always assume athletes etc will be amazing but it seems it is a far greater learning curve than those who have been to stage school. Remeber Louis who had one of the best show dances ever with much missed Flavia?

I have fallen in and out with Strictly and Bake Off over the years but this year both are just such a shot of sunshine in difficult times. I have been re-watching Debbie Mcgee's tangos on YouTube. Just sums up the joy of strictly really. An older woman, still very much grieving for a husband she adored (although much ridculed) obviously having the time of her life. And she was bloody good. I accept she had a dancing background but even so- she was incredible. It was just a lovely thing.