SCD '20 #8: Notpool week is coming to an end, as is our last thread and one celeb's Strictly journey...

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Previous thread

I'm not sure 9 pages will last us, so I'm getting prepared a bit early! Check the last thread first before posting here — we might still be over there.

I wonder if wearing the kilt will show his injuries to his leg?

I doubt it, given that we've seen plenty of film of him practising in shorts.

I wonder why people assume that, if Craig came on, he would replace Motsi or Bruno? I think he could equally replace Shirley, with Craig becoming head judge.

@GarethSouthgatesWaistcoat

Have you sequinned the cat, Schaden?

No - and I have no intention of adopting what would doubtless be a novel and unpleasant method of committing suicide.

He has attempted to disembowel me for less than that.

.

I could support that.

@MoonJelly

I wonder why people assume that, if Craig came on, he would replace Motsi or Bruno? I think he could equally replace Shirley, with Craig becoming head judge.

Sorry - I thought I'd added a quote.

This is what I could support.

I think there’s an unspoken rule that Head Judge has to have genuine Latin/Ballroom credentials (ideally judging as well as dancing). That’s what gives them the authority to overrule the others, because they do actually know what they’re talking about when it comes to what makes a perfect waltz or cha cha as opposed to dance in general ....even if they choose in practice to keep that knowledge to themselves and talk about pickled walnuts and hot flushes.

Well! SO pleased for Clara. Her samba was rubbish but I like her and Aljaz.
I thought Maisie's routine was a cross between a hen night and a football match. Lairy, arm-swinging, drunken. I'll give her credit for her energy though and for listening to the judges; her lift landings were much better in the DO.
HATED Caroline's routine. Does she call that acting?!? She goes on like she's bloody Olivier or something but she's shit. You were only in a two-bit sitcom, pal. And if a male sleb behaved like that with one of the young female pros, licking her arm and perving, he'd get his arse handed to him. So horrible. Her face when she was in the DO and then kicked out was priceless. She seriously reckons herself. Johannes must be relieved.

Adored Bill and Oti as ever, although I think his timing went out with the cane bit and he was slightly overmarked. JJ was sweet but is a bit dull, but I love Amy. Jamie was ace; so much energy, so keen to be there. Ranvir wasn't top-notch but lovely atmosphere and mood and they looked great. Harvey is just boring and the song was terrible. Janette's frock was nice though.

Quite liked Anton as a judge. Motsi at home looked beautiful – nice hair –and is actually pretty likeable when she's not SHOUTING.

The only clearcut case of a pro loathing their celeb, IMO, was Aliona with Gregg Wallace, and I couldn't blame her for that.

Remember (a hundred years ago) Brendan and Sarah Manners? I always got the impression that they properly hated each other and I’m sure he made her cry once.

In fact, I think he had a bad relationship with Lulu and Anastasia too...!

I really wanted to like Maisie. I've always supported the EE cast on Strictly so automatically supported her at the start. I can't warm to her though. To me, she comes across as a stereotypical teenage girl & I've yet to see anything that makes me feel like I know more about her than that stereotype. It just feels a bit shallow, not in a judgy way, it's just that I'm sure there's more to her than that. I've never been remotely like the stereotypical teenage girl, couldn't care less about clothes/makeup/pink things... I just can't relate to it at all.

As far as C&J go, I've never understood the love for him on here. Before he had partners & was just in some of the pro dances I couldn't stand him. He always looked like he was sneering & seemed to play up to the camp/bitchy stereotype. That was just my initial impression of him from the way he danced & his facial expressions. I've warmed to him a bit this series, mostly after watching him talking about his upbringing & how much dance means to him. I wonder whether the whole him not liking her thing could just be his face & not intentional. I also suspect that he knew she wouldn't win Strictly & he was disappointed not to even have a chance of winning, no matter how hard he worked to train her up. It must be hard if you're a pro who's worked their entire life to win competitions to be landed with a partner who hampers that ambition. Then again, that's just part of being a pro on Strictly, sometimes there will be celebrities who aren't amazing dancers & someone's got to dance with them!

Oh, also, the closest I've come to smoking anything is when I leave the kitchen window open & my neighbour's smoking a spliff just the other side of the fence. It makes my whole house smell!

@ScotchBunnet

The only clearcut case of a pro loathing their celeb, IMO, was Aliona with Gregg Wallace, and I couldn't blame her for that.

Remember (a hundred years ago) Brendan and Sarah Manners? I always got the impression that they properly hated each other and I’m sure he made her cry once.

In fact, I think he had a bad relationship with Lulu and Anastasia too...!

Brendan has been disliked by a lot of his partners! Sarah Manners seems terrified of him, Lulu couldn’t stand him and he was pretty damn unpleasant to poor Fiona Phillips - the comments (after the show) about being crap on the dance floor = crap in bed were uncalled for.

All that said, I think Brendan is a very driven character, he puts 100% into his dance and won’t tolerate his partner doing anything less. Ruthless, but it’s how you win competitions.

I do think that with the move away from “proper” competitive dancers on the show it means you get less of the ultra competitiveness that we saw in early series’.

Don’t get me wrong the current Pros are great, but there are few championship dancers between them with an awful lot of them coming from the West End, which is where those that can’t cut it at the very top level competitions end up.

I'll just leave this here, shall I?

With Brendan though, a lot of his peers were also championship dancers (Ian, Matthew, Erin and Anton, I think, although happy to be told if I've got them wrong) and yet were not tossers.

@ScotchBunnet

The only clearcut case of a pro loathing their celeb, IMO, was Aliona with Gregg Wallace, and I couldn't blame her for that.

Remember (a hundred years ago) Brendan and Sarah Manners? I always got the impression that they properly hated each other and I’m sure he made her cry once.

In fact, I think he had a bad relationship with Lulu and Anastasia too...!

And Fiona Phillips. And Claire King. Seemed to get on pretty well with Jo Wood, iirc. She's one of the few he did seem to genuinely 'click' with.

Karen Hardy and Gary Rhodes didn't get on well at all. And, of course, Lilia & Dominic Littlewood. Poor Lilia

Oh, and didn't Steve Backshall make a formal complaint to the BBC about Ola? I think one of her former partners (Andrew Castle, maybe?) alluded to having had a similar experience too.

The 'ooooh, pretty sparkly, one big happy family' branding is extremely well maintained, but while they all insist that they've made a 'friend for life', it's just as fractious as any workplace: some great friendships, some polite toleration, some vicious personality clashes, and plenty of backstage hook-ups.

Who was Kate Garraway with, Anton or Brendan? And that wasn't a good relationship either Iirc

@jambeforeclottedcream

Who was Kate Garraway with, Anton or Brendan? And that wasn't a good relationship either Iirc

She was with Anton. I thought they got on ok, to be honest.

Jan Ravens, however .....

@IntermittentParps

With Brendan though, a lot of his peers were also championship dancers (Ian, Matthew, Erin and Anton, I think, although happy to be told if I've got them wrong) and yet were not tossers.

Indeed. Most of the earlier pros had fairly illustrious competitive careers, and the majority were wonderfully supportive of their celeb partners.

Darren and Lilia were still competing when they filmed some of the earlier series, and I remember them saying they sometimes had no sleep between competing then driving back to train with their celebs. Funnily enough, despite that we never saw them throw a tantrum or make their celeb partners cry (obviously Lilia vs the dance machine doesn't count! ).

No, Darren and Lilia were consummate pros and a real gent and a real lady to boot.

I remember Erin, who was known for being ambitious and tough, showing a gentler side when paired with Peter Schmichael, who was patently a no-hoper. I really warmed to her.

@IntermittentParps

No, Darren and Lilia were consummate pros and a real gent and a real lady to boot.

I remember Erin, who was known for being ambitious and tough, showing a gentler side when paired with Peter Schmichael, who was patently a no-hoper. I really warmed to her.

Peter Schmeichel's samba is one of my all-time favourite Strictly dances. For all the wrong reasons ...

I don't even remember him doing a samba I must have blanked it.

@IntermittentParps

I don't even remember him doing a samba I must have blanked it.

Oh, it was special. Very 'special'

@FuzzyPuffling

I'll just leave this here, shall I?

No the wonder you could only give me 30,000 sequins* for Winifred the Orchid, lavishing that lot on the cat.

I hope they both make the final

*Every single one is being sewn on by hand . . .

To be fair Linda Bellingham hated Darren. I don’t think he was mean to her, he just worked her ruthlessly hard and she didn’t have any fun. She was bitterly jealous of other older ladies who’d got the Anton Du Beke Experience.

CONGRATULATIONS ARTEM!
Delighted for him, first pro to win glitterball on both sides of the pond.

Hooray for Artem!

So pleased for Artem. I loved him on Strictly