Strictly '22 #15 Balls to the ⚽️. Its all about the Glitter Ball!

[xsquared]

Welcome to the shiny new thread.

One less day to wait for the next installment of Strictly!

Not checked the times though .

None of that is Helen's fault, is it? She just did the dance she was trained to do, and for me she did it really well. I find her way more entertaining to watch than either Molly or Fleur, who I mainly find rather dull.

I agree.

When she mouthed "You'll get on without me" I did wonder whether the ex had been having second thoughts and had been angling to come back.

Helen is really growing on me for some reason.

I think because I can actually see her improvement.

I love Hamza ...but I feel he may have plateaued .

To be fair I think we were spoilt last year with the dancers.

AJ and Rose were just incredible dancers and hard to choose from.

This year ....I think it will be between Hamza , Helen and who ever has the biggest fan base of Will and Fleur.

I'm glad Nikita wasn't paired with Molly. I couldn't stand him last year and a partnership with a ringer would have had me disliking him more. The connection between him and Ellie S brought out a different side to him and I warmed to him. Carlos needs to put in some hard work to convince me he's not just a gurning idiot who doesn't understand that it's about showing off his partner and not himself.

I've loved Nancy from the start and the partnership with Will is lovely. I like Will and I adored their foxtrot on Friday it moved me and I want either joy or something tugging on my heartstrings. Or hilarity. There's not been enough of that this year, for me anyway, which is why Hamza is my winner because he brings it all and nothing that he's done is in his comfort zone. I wasn't sure about the samba but watching it back a few times it was a thing of gentle beauty and really quite moving.

No, it's not her fault. Nor did I say it was.
Gorka's silly behaviour is definitely his though.

I'm another who didn't "get" Nikita last year at all. This year- just fabulous, on and off the floor. Likewise Nancy- last year all I can remember is the shrieking. Her partnership this year is much calmer and clearly really works.
I didn't think Graziano's partnership with Kym was going to work at all- but it really seems to have.
I'm wondering now (and may need to go back into the archives) has there been any professional who has clearly always always got on with and brought the best out of every single sleb? Some of them look like they do, but their eyes tell a different story. (thinking about poor Amy and Tom last year. I'm going to bet they didn't stay "friends for life")

Amy and Tom were my competent but dull and forgettable combination last year.

Some pros do seem to gel sooner with the audience than others. I think it took a couple of years for Giovanni to settle in properly if I remember rightly. I think Molly and Fleur have both suffered a bit from having brand new pros - I do think that the pro has an impact on voting too so if people are struggling to choose between two celebs they may just default to whichever pro they like best. I like Vito but I’m another who hasn’t warmed to Carlos. Hamza has Jowita and it’s her first year with a partner but she was on it last year so people already knew her a bit, so not quite the same situation.

I often wonder how people would get on if they had different pros. Would all the winners have won if they had a different pro? Would some of the shock boots not happened if there was a different pro? I do think a large part of winning the show is the partnership between the pro and celeb, as well as the dancing and entertainment aspects, so if they can’t ‘sell’ their partnership to the audience then they’re already in trouble before they even set foot on the dancefloor.

Tom and Giovanni had Amy to stay at their house to recuperate after she was ill and they were at her wedding...

"I'm wondering now (and may need to go back into the archives) has there been any professional who has clearly always always got on with and brought the best out of every single sleb?"

Oti, maybe? It's hard to think of someone she didn't get on with, and produce fab dances with. Even the year she was supposed to get a "dud", because she'd won the year before, she went on to win again with them (Bill Bailey).

@SolInvictus I'd say Oti always got the best out of her celebrity.

Cross post @XanaduKira!

Always had the impression Tom and Amy got on. I always wonder about the truth of when they say they will be friends for life etc such as Kym and Graz.

@MadameSzyszkoBohusz

When she mouthed "You'll get on without me"

I thought it was "you're better off without me" which puts an entirely different meaning to it.

I keep forgetting Will's in it until it's his time to dance!

Same here. Andwhile he's technically good he's not engaging

I feel like all the pros are gurning idiots the first year. Graz used to be terrible. He has improved, though I still wish he would stop putting so much product in his hair.

Jowita is an exception and has done so well.

Oh did they? That's good, I always felt last year he was "I'm the most important bit of this partnership" even given his "little face" when they were slaughtered for his big Les Mis moment.
Mind you, I think I didn't take to him because of his wife, like I didn't take to Tilly because of her Dad. Which I know is wrong of me!

Oh my lord, yes. The Goddess.
Just incredible.

Aliaj I think was just an engaging person from his first series partnered with Abby Clancey, and has never seemed to be anything other than lovely to his subsequent partners.

Oti, of course. I feel like Jowita is following in her footsteps.

Kai I think was just charming from the off last year with AJ, and seems to be a lovely, calm and patient partner.

Joanne Clifton, Karen Hauer and Jeanette Manrara all absolute troopers with whoever they were paired with.

I know Katya got a bad reputation over the affair with that horrible comedian bloke, but I think she's an absolute trooper too, brings out the best in her partners and doesn't take herself too seriously.

I think Kevin always got on with his partners, didn't he? In fact he seemed to enjoy himself most when he was partnered with someone who had no realistic chance of getting to the final.

Caught up with the shows, thought that was the best one this series. They were all amazing. Loved Helen's routine, thought it was fantastic. I love that song and Liza Minnelli. Wasn't sure who would be in the final 2 with Hamza second last. Shame for Kym as both performances were really good I thought but they were all brilliant.

Hamza and will and Helen not been in the DO
I hope Will goes soon.

I'm probably wrong , I can't remember H in the DO , but might have been earlier on?