SCD 2015 #9 - Final musings, then the Christmas Special!

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

We still seemed happy chatting and filled up the last thread completely, so I thought we could have one more for the year. It should see us through the Christmas Special (which I'm really looking forward to!) too

Thanks Polka - great minds & all that Wow, 1000 posts for the Final.

Monkseal pretty much sums it up for me, only he's wittier.

Love his recaps of Bruno's comments And Iveta's back!

Who is in the Xmas Special?

Abbey "Me Neeeerrrrrrves" Clancy
Alison her on ITV - danced with Robin
Tom Chambers
Lisa Snowdon
Some bloke who won Comic Relief (?)
Harry Thing who won it with Aliona

Nothing like detailed info

Thanks Fiderer Not sure I can bear to watch Lisa Snowdon, she does my head in!

Aliona has announced she is leaving the show this morning. Saw it coming really, after two wins she was destined for a Strictly career of blokes with two left feet as partners.

So that's Aliona and Ola gone, Kristina is rumoured to be going as well. I think Kristina dislikes the constant intrusion into her personal life, the tabloids are fixated on her. But I have it on a good authority she's lovely behind the scenes, and she is a very good choreographer as well. I will miss her if she goes.

It looks like Gleb's wife is going to replace one of them. She's already been a pro on DWTS Australia.

If she is leaving, is it not more likely that that was the plan all along when she came back & filled in for Natalie? I'll do one or two series with a duffer, then give me someone decent & then I'm off.

Winning this year however oddly Agree with Guardian article will have helped her career.

Pan will be gutted though.

Aliona and I had a very long talk over the weekend, and we've come to the right decision, I think. We are very much in love and request some privacy. Thank you.
Am just curious about this bloke who papers call 'her husband'.

I didn't particularly like Kristina when she first started, but then I took to her over a couple of series. Presumably Jo will be a 'replacement' too, she's been hanging around enough this series!

I think I remember reading that Jo is dancing with Harry Judd on the Christmas special.

Yes, I'm looking forward to that - they're doing the American Smooth. I hope it'll be good - he was a very nice ballroom dancer.

I love Kristina, but I think it's probably time for her and Ola to move on. I didn't used to like it when they refreshed the dancers, but now I positively look forward to it.

I agree sometimes it's good when they refresh the pro line up, but God knows how Anton survives years after year?

Oh dear Pan, hmm.

Anton survives because he's good for ratings, I suppose. I've had waves of liking and waves of loathing him, and I don't feel particularly strongly whether he goes or stays. I would miss Brendan, though, and I hope rumours of him going aren't true.

What I most want them to do is replace 'sweetie darling you little sex kitten' Bruno (I'm finding him more and more distasteful each series) and simpering, mumbling Darcy with Karen Hardy and either Ian Waite or Arlene back again.

Does anyone else think Steph who does the financial slot on BBC Breakfast would make a good host? I've long wanted her to do it.

I had no idea Bruno was 60!
I've worked out a winning formula for this years top three. You need same initials - g&g, k&k, j&ay (ok that's stretching it I know). Abbey and aljaz followed that rule too

I'm not surprised to hear that Aliona is leaving but I will miss her as I think she is a lovely dancer.

Kristina, if she stays, is destined to get long married, much older partners like she did this year.

I think Aliona has been generally underrated both as a dancer and a choreographer. You don't get two partners to the finals and indeed winning without that, and given that they booted her and then brought her back in only to partner her with the likes of effing Greg Wallace she'd have been justified in doing a massive flounce.

F

Where did you hear that Aliona is leaving? I've missed that.

I've liked her better this year, but I don't think her choreography is consistently good. I think she could work to her partner's strengths better. When she has a weak partner then I can see that she has no choice about looking much better than him, but this year there were several dances where I though she could have given Jay more to do and not had so much of him supporting her while she shows off.

As I was dropping off to sleep last night, I decided then when if I'm a celeb on Strictly I will have it written into my contract that I get to waltz with all the male pros (not at the same time) after the season is over. I don't particularly want to waltz with either Anton or Kevin, but I will pretend I want to so as not to be seen as a bitch embarrass them.

Apparently Kristina is very nice; a work colleague spotted her on his flight a couple of months ago and had a brief conversation with her - said she was really lovely and chatty.

Aliona announced it herself on Twitter this morning.

I have some serious studying to do. This was the first series I have ever seriously watched so I want to learn all the pro's names and go back and watch again and again and again some of the highlights of previous seasons.

But first I need to learn something VERY basic. Ballroom v Latin. Some are glaringly obvious but not all.

Ballroom
Waltz
Viennese Waltz
Foxtrot
American Smooth (not really sure what this is TBH)
Charleston?
Jive??
Lindy hop?

Latin
Tango
Argentine Tango
Paso doble
Salsa
Rumba

And I'm sure I am missing some.

And why isn't the lindy hop one of the dances any more? I did think it was a bit ugly.

Oh and YAY for the new thread and the Christmas Special