Strictly '22 Thread 5 — Grab your popcorn and snuggle up with Neil in the back row of the cinema...

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Previous thread here

As always, a reminder that this is a SPOILER-FREE THREAD, so please don't comment on the result before the result show.

Just watched the Jill Halfpenny jive. That was when Strictly was great.

I know what you mean about Shirley. You knew where you were with Len and he was consistent. He criticised poor choreo and routines which tried to disguise lack of content rather than being personal about the celebs. His criticism was constructive.

Aw move, sorry to hear that
Tis worth watching for Nikita and Carlos dancing to mad about the boy, though.
Erin would be a great judge but I will always have a soft spot for Natalie.
Janette would be there like a shot, given the chance.

Richey and Gio. Worst dance since they dressed up Gurner as Shrek and put that awful belly on him.

I really wish they would avoid costumes like that. They aren't funny. They are just a handicap that take away from the dancing.

I dislike Halloween week for that reason and pity the one couple who piss the producers off that week and get the short straw.

Nah, Len became a grumpy git, and has been dead to me since being so rude to Will Young. On DWTS he was inconsistent, putting up with atrocious faffing for the $$$. Shirley, however, led to Brenda leaving and I still had time for him.

I agree.

I was sorry to see Richie go. I actually enjoyed that samba. It wasn't a great samba but it was fun to watch. I think I enjoyed it most because it was good to see Giovanni being so silly. Obviously, with the two in the dance off it had to be Fleur who stayed but even before Shirley said that she'd have voted for Richie and Giovanni I'd guessed that she would. She's becoming increasingly annoying and horribly inconsistent. I've started to actively dislike her. Not helped tonight when they were up with Claudia and while the other judges clapped for the behind the scenes folk she didn't but then started clapping when Claudia called for applause for the judges.

Happily forgetting the result and enjoying Stanley Tucci on BBC2 now. Good lord, he'd be a dream on SCD. Obvs, he'd never do it but I would vote like a bastard for him every single week if he did.

He really wasn’t great compared to last week, who thought that was a good idea with the choreography and stupid onesies. I wanted to pull the string out of his mouth for him

I don't know why this made me chuckle so much, but it did

Certainly didn't expect Richie and Fleur to be in the dance off, especially the latter. I am pleased for Hamza though.

Richie's been given a hard time here for being annoying, but that's just his over enthusiasm and he's given everything in all his dances to be fair. The samba wasn't great and the costumes didn't help, but it wasn't the worst dance of the night.

Carlos and Nikita were elegant in the Mad about the Boy dance, and I enjoyed it/ However, I agree with posters about having same sex dancing being shown is not longer bold or cutting edge anymore. Surely it would have worked just as well if they were paired with a female pro?

Bloody hell Shirley. Fleur was head and shoulders better than Richie in that dance off (which neither pair should have been in). I think that comment could really knock Fleur’s confidence going forward.

I’m very pleased I will get to see Fleur and Vito dance again.

Also, I really, really fancy Carlos. He’s my new dirty little secret pleasure. Hi Carlos

I' like an extra judge and then that system where you remove the lowest and the highest scores - does that happen in ice dancing or something? Of course wouldn't happen...most of Craig's scores would be wiped off!
I agree 5 judges would make it fairer and I know that they wipe off the highest and lowest marks in Olympic gymnastics but then they have .0 scores like what would happen if it was 7s across the board. Who would you wipe out the scores of

Richie definitely deserved the dance off as he didn’t dance.

True philosophy mate

Carlos and Nikita were elegant in the Mad about the Boy dance, and I enjoyed it/ However, I agree with posters about having same sex dancing being shown is not longer bold or cutting edge anymore. Surely it would have worked just as well if they were paired with a female pro?

But isn't that exactly it, it's not bold or cutting edge anymore, it's just normal and accepted - and rightly so.

This!
They weren't the worst dancers in general but they were let down this week with bad costumes, odd music and a routine that pratted around more than danced properly.
Not sure who's responsible for those things. It does seem like a bit of a set up.

I reckon Shirley deliberately goes against the others when it will make no difference. She doesn’t like young females and Fleur is on her radar this year- very unfairly.

Shirley has grown on me. She's Cruella de Ville

Well... we don't know exactly what Gio was doing with her behind those leaves.

Like most people on here I thought that Fleur was by far the better dancer in the dance of. Even Craig justified his choice of saving her by saying she and partner were the more technically proficient. I am surprized that Shirley went against the other judges decision. Three out of 4 of the experts chose Fleur and probably 90% of people posting here. I know none of us are experts like Shirley, but being thought good by the public is obviously important, as well as professional opinion, for performers. I would hope that Shirley is too professional to allow personal favouritism to influence her judgement, but after her choice tonight I'm not sure. 😳

Natalie is one of my all-time favourite pros, too, but she would be far too nice and enthusiastic about everyone. It's a shame that Joanne Clifton's incumbency on ITT means we won't be seeing her on there.

That was a weird bottom 2, I was hoping for Matt and James or Jayde, but also thought Ellie T and Hamza were at risk so totally shocked at the outcome!

Fleur was one I thought would be great. I hope she does a salsa next week and really goes for it.

Here's this week's ramblings of a mad woman:

Movie Week blog

I feel like Gio and Richie were such a terrible coupling. I am such a Gio fan and as gutted as I am that he's gone so early I'm partly relieved because I just felt so uncomfortable watching them!
I feel like Richie was so excited and Gio was just like nah 🙈

I didn't get that from Gio at all.
There was nothing wrong with the coupling, and Richie really has come in for a lot of negativity on here for someone who loves Strictly and just wanted to do his best.