Strictly '21 #2: The Launch, and 1st live show

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Unless we talk too much of course!

Previous thread

@covetingthepreciousthings

I was so pleased to see Gio partnered with Rose, I think that's a complete testament to how far he's come from his first series.

I really hope it's his year for winning, he definitely deserves it.

I agree! I think he's always very respectful and supportive of his partners. That really struck me with Debbie McGee and Ranvir. It's less about showcasing himself, more about the performance.

@PamDenick

I hope they get AJ to do a dance dressed as a Suffragette...

Brilliant!

Tess seems more relaxed reading her autocue when there’s no audience,
I love Graciano he’s lovely in real life just such a naturally happy chappy, so bit annoyed he got annoying, unfunny for a supposed comedian Judy, no wonder she loves loose woman , money for old rope comes to mind.

Tom from boy band is v skinny, hope his wife is not in audience every week banging on about her boys as if they are the only parents on the planet!
Agree with others Tilly Ramsey needs to stop mentioning her dad, another child of tv personality ( see Bradley Walsh son) whose only claim to fame is talking about them!

Love Sarah! Looking good she’s lost weight already, and I noticed Motsi has too, pleased Sarah got Aliaz.

Nadia, they really don’t want her to ever win do they?

Was there no audience?

Nadia, they really don’t want her to ever win do they?

Has she been in 4-5 series now? I can't remember any of her choreography or dances.

Nadia has been a bit unlucky, she's been given quite young sportsmen, but they've turned out to be not very good dancers. Dan Walker has potential, we'll see.
He's a sabbatarian so they'll have to stop pretending that there's a "Sunday" dance off.

I'm not a fan of Dan Walker at all - wish Nadiya had been given a different partner.

Hoping either Dan, Tilly or Robert Webb go in the first few weeks.

I thought there was an audience last night? I got a rejection email from the BBC for attendance at a show on 11th September so had assumed that was when last night was filmed. (Also got a rejection for next Saturday 25th! Gutted!)

My thoughts of Nadia are her just doing alins and licking her leg out and arm up.
I feel she never really makes the dances about the person she has been paired with and kinda just dances around
I also feel like I never see her, like she just appears for 2 or 3 seconds and disappears again and rarely talks
I have no clue what she is actually like

Spins and kicking!!

I 'think' (trying to remember from deleted emails) the launch show was filmed on 11th Sept. Audience members are being seated in groups of four... when I applied for tickets it was the only option. Anyone who gets tickets this year will be very lucky indeed!

Tilly looked uncomfortable on the dance floor I thought... if she does well I take my hat off to her cause she looks like a complete beginner and will have to work hard! But if I was a betting woman I'd say she won't be around long once the Ceebeebies/Gordon fan vote wanes...
I thought Motsi looked fantastic - I do love her in a quality st number 😄

NOTE TO MUMSNETTERS: If you havent heard of a Strictly contestant, they will be an influencer/YouTube/ tiktoker or play a sport that you aren’t into...

Yes on the interweb fame people but as DH would say there's no such thing as a sport I'm not into.
It's the soap stars and reality TV people who are always a blank for me. I don't watch soaps but know that millions do so recognise that people who are in them are "properly" famous even though I don't know who they are. While the same logic should apply to reality TV bods my brain doesn't seem to acknowledge them in the same way.
Some of my favourites over the years have been people I'd never heard of and I've ended up not enjoying some people that I was really looking forward to.
This year's bunch look like a good mix and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the deaf contestant fairs.

I think Motsi had had a baby not long before last series hadn't she? I do still think it's a bit weird they picked a judge that doesn't live in the country, but I suppose in later series Len and Bruno were flying to and from America all the time, so Germany isn't so bad!

After last year's smaller series, 15 seems a lot of people to get the hang of! Do we know if there's a Sunday show next week yet? They usually do two dances before the first elimination don't they?

CaveMum I can't believe your DD is 7! Get her into juvenile lessons and we can see her as a pro on Strictly 2040.

Very restricted audience I think last night, Dan can’t train on a Sunday ? That will make Nadia job harder, she only seems to get duffers which is why she’s never in long. Dan might be the first but I’m not that hopeful.

Nadiya did fairly well in her first year - she came 6th with Davood - but has hardly been in it since then. I suspect people though Lee Ryan would do better than he did.

I like Nadiya. She's got a quiet personality but she seems lovely. She was good with Davood, Lee Ryan fell flat for some reason and I think she did pretty well with David James despite the fact that he was not naturally talented. I got the impression that she relished dancing with a really tall athletic bloke who could sweep her off her feet. She's got a challenge on her hands with Dan though.

I don't think Adam has much natural ability, but he seems willing to give it his all and I think Katya will get the most out of him by any means necessary. Presumably they'll be able to do some big flashy lifts.

I think Rob is overcompensating for embarrassment with ironic whackiness which may or may not pay off.

Rhys is the second coming of Karim obviously, but better looking, and without being held back by the very unsexy partnering with Amy (I love Amy, but that partnership never worked in the romantic/sexy dances). History would have him losing in the final to an inferior dancer, but I'm not sure who. Possibly Tom whose social media game is very well honed.

Greg, Ugo, Dan and Judi aren't going far.
AJ looks competent.
Tilly might improve.
Sarah will aim for mid-table respectability.
I've forgotten Corrie woman already.
Rose will have everyone rooting for her, could go far but didn't see enough of her in the group dance to know.
Nina looks actually quite good, quarter final material.

Bake-off John is a bit of a ringer and I think he's got real chemistry with Johannes. Worth an outside bet for the win actually.

I'm seeing John and Rhys in the final with two of Rose, Tom, Robert, Nina, Adam.

Dan looked very wooden. My bet he’s first to go.

Thanks polkadots

Ooh is John a ringer?? He looked so nervous last night. I hope he gains the confidence otherwise that could really hold him back.

Oh I forgot to mention - I went to see Kevin as the comedy sidekick in Singin' In the Rain at Sadler's Wells. He was OK but Faye Tozer stole the show as Lina Lamonte in a non-dancing comedy role.

I didn't go specifically for Kevin you understand - I just love SITR and was curious to see Adam Cooper (now a world class Silver Fox) as the lead.

I enjoyed that. First opening show I’ve enjoyed for a long time

Loving John and Johannes and am liking Tilly as well

Think this might be a good year especially with no Bruno

@JasonMomoasgirlfriend

Tess looks bloody fantastic.

I thought her lip fillers looked overdone.

I find it a bit annoying how Tilly is constantly bringing her dad into everything - I hope she knocks that on the head.
I think Giovanni is due a win, he’s come close a few times now and has done some amazing dances with his partners. But we’ll see. I like Graziano but his partner is pretty annoying so he may not last that long.

The ringer stats according to one of the tabloids:

Tom Fletcher -attended the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School, which specialises in performing arts including dance and music. Admits to "having done ballet in a unitard"

Robert Webb - Flash dance.

Katie Glynn -participated in The Greatest Dancer for Sport Relief in 2019.

Eastender and Goodness Gracious Me star, Nina Wadia confessed to having some dance training when she was younger. “I did some Indian dance training called Bharatanatyam from ages four to nine, then when we moved to Hong Kong from 11 to 16 I did tap dancing.”

CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson has had street dance lessons.

Great British Bake Off winner, John Waite first began taking dance lessons at five years old he disclosed: “Between 10 and 14 I did ballet, modern, and tap.”

Chef Tilly Ramsey and Eastenders’ Frank Lewis star Rose Ayling-Ellis, both attended ballet school as children.

Ninth constant Ugo Monye took part in The Real Full Monty in 2018.

More than half the group have some dance experience varying from one offs for Let's Dance/Full Monty to years in dance classes. I guess finding celebs that have zero experience is really impossible and the fews of years of ballet/tap I did age 5-8 40 years ago certainly wouldn't be of any help to me!
I just wish they would acknowledge that it's not a level playing field - it feels really disingenuous when they try to claim that someone doesn't have an advantage when they have danced professionally.

Excellent summing up @EvilRingahBitch !