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

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Unless we talk too much of course!

Previous thread

Oh sorry Colin!

Oh and Denise VO - I knew there was another one.

I think its a good mix of celebs this year.

I particularly like Greg Wise, Robert Webb, Adam Peaty and John Waite.

Also like Nina Wadia and Sarah Davies. AJ I don't mind but she is a bit loud. Don't know the soap actress.

Judi Love annoys me. So over the top and loud and not the slightest bit funny. I think she may be the first to go

@RedRec

Just watching it now. Cringed a bit for Giovanna when McFly sang 'It's All About You" and put Amy's name in it.

That's bizarre. Why would Giovanna care about that? It was just a bit of PR puff the band were told to do.

@ChequerBoard as she seem to be OK with her husband and his mate singing about loving her she can probably handle them singing someone else's name.

[quote Runningupthecurtains]**@ChequerBoard* as she seem to be OK with her husband and* his mate singing about loving her she can probably handle them singing someone else's name.[/quote]

That's what I said - why would she care?

Despite never having heard of them before I've instantly warmed to Rhys, Sara and AJ, although they all have the kind of loud personality that could send me running in the other direction pretty quickly.

Like Nina and Adam but their partnerships have burst my balloon.

Kai is strangely attractive. Looks about 45, but a very pleasing 45.

I suspected from his GBBO appearance that Greg would be pretty cringey, and he is being pretty cringey. However, he is so cringey it's kind of fun.

Feeling sorry for Graziano. Think Sara or Judi are candidates for First Boot, and Judi is a bit much.

I like this board being fun and I don't want to drag stuff from the feminist board over here but the treatment Robert is getting from some sections of Twitter is aggravating me. All because he wrote a book about sexist stereotypes negatively impacting his childhood.

I miss Bruno. His Can't Take My Eyes Off You routine was purest Strictly.

IRL, same-sex couples do exactly the same routines as mixed-sex couples so I hope they don't impose side-by-side stuff on John and Johannes.

I fear the effect on a generation of women if J&J do an absolutely sizzling Argentine Tango

And then there was his bit in the Times (or similar paper) many years ago (one of those “day in the life” type things) where he described waking up on a Sunday morning and letting his toddler female child play with his penis

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!

That's just horrible!

The first bit about cameras I recall.

The sunday morning stuff? No.

@Runningupthecurtains

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.

None of those are professional dancing in my opinion. Doing 4 years of ballet or tap as a child doesn't really count.

Everyone has had some dance experience, whether it's shuffling about on the dancefloor at a nightclub or "sitting on a chair" in Chicago at the West End. I haven't done much digging but I bet most of them are not experts in Latin and ballroom which is what Strictly is about. I am not counting Couple's Choice or contempowaft in this!

FWIW, I don't mind the ringers, it makes it entertaining and most of the time, the ringers don't win.

@EsmaCannonball totally agree with you about the baying mob going after Robert Webb. The irony is they’re just as bad as the homophobes that say they won’t watch while there is a same-sex couple on the show.

Does ITT start tomorrow? Or will it be in a week?

I also agree with the comment by PP about not minding ringers, I don't think the show would be worth watching if they were all complete non dancers with 0 experience, I think there's got to be a mix.

@covetingthepreciousthings I can’t see ITT on the TV Guide for tomorrow so am guessing it will start up after the first live show. Do we know if there is an eviction next week, or are they all safe for the first go?

I don't mind a ringer either, but the amount of dance Nina and John have done should give them a significant edge both in the actual training and the fact that no one continues with extra-curricular dance lessons past primary if they've got two left feet. It's indicative of some level of talent/rhythm, which you could actually see in the group dance.

I can't see a Sunday show, so I think there'll probably be two weeks before anybody goes out. They've done that for the last few years as well, so it wouldn't be strange.

Does anyone else think it could turn on the two professionals who have reportedly refused the vaccine?

I don't think it'll be long before they are "outed" personally I don't give a hoot whose had it or not on the show, but I can imagine them being given some stick for it.

@xsquared
I agree no loudly clanging ringers. The headline in which ever scandal rag it was was "Strictly Fix". Quite how they think over 50% of the contestants having had some sort of previous dance experience is a fix or indeed who they thought it was fixed in favour of wasn't clear. The playing field is never going to be level, even if they found 15 people who had literally never so much shuffled across a nightclub floor or danced at a wedding then age, fitness, performance skills and popularity would still tip the balance in favour of someone.

Theilled its back

Rooting for Rose and Gio. ISL users here and fantastic to see sign language in this. I like most of them though

coveting I can't decide how I feel about it — on an individual basis I'm technically fine with it, but I don't think I could partner a vaccinated celebrity knowing that if I caught it everybody would blame me for ruining their chances.

Am surprised they have not said who the covid positive pro is, when they announced Nadiya had it in August. Allegedly, away from two unvaccinated, the BBC had
confirmed an unnamed pro was positive. I thought they had not said who because of launch show but no mention today. Surely they cannot perform on Saturday? Unless a benched Pro.

@SequinsandStiIettos

Am surprised they have not said who the covid positive pro is, when they announced Nadiya had it in August. Allegedly, away from two unvaccinated, the BBC had confirmed an unnamed pro was positive. I thought they had not said who because of launch show but no mention today. Surely they cannot perform on Saturday? Unless a benched Pro.

I think this news seems to have surfaced from the 14/9, so the people could have potentially had symptoms days before the test and so will be well out of the 10 day isolation by next Saturday? I'm surprised they've not been named though.

Doing a bit of detective work, I would guess at the pro testing positive as being Nancy..

Initial report said a pro tested positive on the 12th but sleb didn't. That surely means out til the 22nd at the earliest so not able to practise with pro until this Thursday? Would have made more sense to use Luba or Jowita, surely. That's what the subs bench is for.

Digital Spy also thought Nancy because of a photoshopped photo, rather than a new one.

Not much on her twitter but there rarely is. Manchester is still quite coviddy, mind (am allowed to say that as I live here).

I do not follow insta stories, so no idea if there has been training footage or not of late but some had said not.

They cannot say symptoms pre Sunday or eyebrows will be raised as to why they were at launch show or anywhere for that matter if symptomatic.

Unless they had symptoms but the lat testing was negative for a few days first (happened to a colleague), in which case am amazed sleb came through unscathed tbh. But then again, so did Nicola last year.