Strictly 2022 Thread 2 - Who's your favourite...

[xsquared]

Hello folks,
Last one filled up and I was surprised another hadn't been started for a while.

First thoughts:
I like this year's cohort and I recognise a few faces.

• Jayde reminds me of Dawn French. Wasn't expecting her to be paired with Karen.

• Carlos and Vito will be interesting to watch in their debut. Molly went to Sylvia Young Theatre, so she could be a ringer.

• I've seen Jowita in The Greatest Dancer and she was phenomenal. Hamza looks like he'll be good fun.

• Luba looked amazing during John Legend's performance and it's a shame that neither her celebs went very far. Maybe she's better suited to dancing in the background.

• When Helen Skelton mentioned needing someone who could understand a northern accent, I immediately guessed it was Gorka.

• Ellie and Johannes look good together. She's absolutely delighted with him, and I hope we get to watch them for a good while.

• Matt Goss seems rather subdued, but I think he'll have a good work ethic and deliver a good performance.

Echo the worries for Nikita, I’d wondered how they were going to manage in hold and that didn’t look great for him last night.

I did wonder if they were going to manage it by having her not actually do any ballroom at all. But if she is popular and stays in a long time she will run out of dances.

I liked Hamza, graceful dance and light on his feet for a big guy,

also thought Helen Skelton danced well.
Don’t like Gio and partner they don’t mesh, I loved John and Johannes last season but I’m guessing similar personalities? Johannes and him together might be too much!
Did not like Kay’s hair, it aged her terribly, and she was wooden, I’m sure she can do better.
Why is Shirley standing up all the time, it’s week 1?!

Matt Goss is a strange man.

It all felt a bit lacklustre.

Terra Jole was 4 ft 2, dancing with 5.7 ft Sasha on DWTS

She came fifth. Did jive, QS, VW, samba, contempowaft, paso, foxtrot, cha cha, salsa DO, charleston, rumba, tango trio and made the semis.

The VW was lots of armography. They couldn't do that much in a traditional hold as such, because of the height difference but if you watch all their dances back, there were some very clever choreo choices. Also, Terra does emulate a decent frame in a couple, even if there is gapping. Sasha very rarely bends or stoops, it was only noticeable on a couple of occasions. Terra was amazing, especially given she did the series on the back of a tricky c-section iirc.

I would have liked her in top four that year (gymnast Laurie won, James my favourite came second, then a popular NFL vote Calvin, finally Jana was eliminated and came fourth. I would have placed Terra above Jana - and think the judges did - but Jana had Gleb doing Gleb things that season and in fairness, her quarter final paso trio was fire).

Oh, and for anyone without Disney+, dances from DWTS this season are on youtube. I didn't see Harry Styles's As it was as a jive, despite it having sme similarity with Aha, but Val makes it work.

Ah - you will have to see it on youtube then!

Terra was amazing. Thanks for sharing. Ellie is 4ft though and Nikita is 5ft 9 which is a bigger height differential than Terra and Sasha. We shall see.

Another poster questionned why Shirley was standing all the time. I agree, Standing ovations in week 1? If she had just done one or two wouldn't be so bad but the amount she bobbed up and down was ridiculous.

Also her and Motsi leering over Will was out of order in my view. Shirley fanning herself and both of them pretending they were too flustered to talk. Just pathetic.

If Anton did that after Fleur danced there would, quite rightly, be complaints.

I would be happy if they replaced both Motsi and Shirley. Both seem to want to make the show all about them, especially Shirley. They should both be more professional in their judging even if it is an entertainment show.

I liked the previous format where one half did ballroom and one did Latin. It all felt a bit like we were well into the series last night with the high ish scores and standing ovations. Didn't feel like the first show at all.

Yes I agree - 9s in the first show are ridiculous. If nothing else it’s demoralising for other less advantaged competitors.

Terra looks phenomenal but the additional 4inches with Ellie & Nikita does create a much bigger differential. Hope they can make that work - I'd happily watch them recreate Terra's dances as they're fab.

From watching that reel though, what is obvious is that Sasha doesn't bend over as such, but stands up straight. Think Nikita needs to do the same as it was the bending over that made it look awkward & painful for him but Sasha & Terra look amazing together. Thanks to @SequinsandStilettos for posting.

I miss DWTS - loved watching it when we were living in the US (although not a Tyra fan, so not sure if I'd still like it but do love Gleb, Mark Ballas (is he still there?), Julianne & Derek Hough (even if they're now judges!)

Watched the last hour this morning. So many questions!

WTAF so many 8's and 9's. I quite liked nice Craig but nonsense for week 1
Why was Amy hanging off Carlos I'm the Clauditorium and next minute he was crying?
Did Matt and Nads fall out as he dragged her back by the arm when Ellie T was squealing?

Dance wise knew Fleur and Will would be great and Tony would be a stiff as a board.
Kaye was better than I thought.
Hamza great presumably he will use a hairnet when he needs to. He obviously does at work
Love both the Ellie's but worried about the height difference with Nikita
Suprised by Jayde and Karen hope they get a chance to work together
James and Amy are cute but sadly I suspect he has very little ability

Couldn't really care less about Helen, Molly, Ritchie or Matt

Interesting first show from a purely entertainment pov. No dance knowledge other than from watching SCD from day 1

Mark Ballas is back (with long hair in a man bun/top knot).
Tyra co-presenting with Alfonso, who won a few years back.
Channel called DWTS dances has all of last week's bar a couple poorly recorded.
Louis van Amstell has been dragged back to pair with Cheryl Ladd.
Gleb has drag queen Shangela.
Artem still on there and Val.
Emma and Sasha, despite their alleged split, still both pros.
Derek is a permanent judge.

Hamza's dance my favourite.

Not liking Matt just wierd , what's with all the hats? and jeans for training ? Loves himself too much.

Katya he should have gone with Katya ! I do get it feels more natural for Ritchie to dance with a man but KATYA .

Is it on Disney+ ?

Hasn't Shirley said she stands to get the best view of their footwork? I'd like Motsi more if she could string together some slightly more coherent constructive criticism.

Whoever put Gio with Ritchie needs to hang their head in shame ! 😂
Although , who would he be better with

Neil Jones. He'll do camp. Gio can't do that.

I thought Nicola and Katya were a great partnership truncated too soon - although I think their CC would have been better if it has stuck to Nicola's real strength in street dance rather than insisting on contempowaft.

And John and Johannes were also a great couple give or take slight reservations about Johannes' tendency to upstage his celeb by sheer power of Extra!

Neither are in my list of fave ever partnerships, but they were well worth watching. I don't mind Ritchie too much...yet, though he's new to me so hasn't had , and I'm rooting for Jayde and Karen to do well because I like them both though I think they'll struggle massively with ballroom.

Google says that Nikita is 5'11" - either way it's a big difference. It will be interesting to see ow they get round it - he can't crouch down for it all. I was also concerned for his back! They should have found a shorter pro (AJ was 5'7")

I'm sure they've thought it through and have a plan though.

he can't crouch down for it all. I was also concerned for his back!

Yes I thought that

Admittedly he probably has a fantastic set of core muscles that will support it but still...

Googling Jayde I saw we have seen her fella live at a comedy show near us last year. He was very funny and the best on the night.

Yes it is embarrassing

Young Man

Agree @mydogisthebest - double standards and sleazy behaviour from the female judges