Strictly 2025 : Week Five. Can anything be as Iconic as the Tess/Claude duo? NO SPOILERS. 18.25PM

[EineReiseDurchDieZeit]

Getting it ready early as I am out this afternoon.

KEEP DANCING

Did they used to have 2-3 celebrities for plan B just in case the original line up had to pull out last minute? If they were not used, they were in the Xmas special

Now that sounds like a good plan. Rather than bringing an experienced dancer in.

Maybe they could do a Strictly with all the first to go out dancers from previous years that want to give it another crack!

That might help Strictly but the celebs won’t really want to do that. You would have to keep your diary free all autumn in case you were called up but then you might only got a brief slot in the Xmas Day episode rather than weeks of Saturday night prime time exposure.

I think the back up celebs were called up for the following year

Just caught up. Until this week I always gave a vote to Jimmy. So sad he’s gone. Was hoping they’d save him against Amber, based on his progress. I don’t mind a few ringers, but there’s still Lewis and plenty of really good dancers to keep the standard up. The show can do without Amber… but tbh I’d rather lose LV. His act is starting to wear a bit thin for me.

Re Rachel Zegler, publicly she made a few tactless remarks when Snow White was coming out, but DD worked on that movie for months (production) including when they had to go back and do great chunks of it all over again, and she said RZ was unfailingly nice, friendly and kind to everyone. Her rise to fame from nothing has been meteoric, so if she’s made a few gaffs along the way, I’d be inclined to put that down to her age. I thought she came across as gracious and unassuming on the show last night.

For me the thing with Amber is I don’t enjoy watching her dance with Nikita, they don’t look like they should be dancing together. I know she was a late replacement but she’s far too delicate for him. She needed someone with a similar body to Giovanni, (Rose has a very similar body shape to Amber.)

I was thinking exactly the same!

Male ringers are seen as great

On the contrary I said the same about Layton Williams. Couldn’t abide him. And Danny Mac didn’t win. You’d have to go as far back as Smuggy Tom to find a winning male ringer? Or have I missed someone?

Good idea!

Jay McGuinness.

Only speaking for myself here but there has never been a year where I've supported or particularly enjoyed the ringer. From Leyton, Danny Mac, Tom Chambers, Amber, Denise Van Outen, Natalie Gumede and so on. They all annoy me.

Forgot about him @Holluschickie can’t remember who I was voting for that year but it wasn’t him.

I liked Layton and thought he got horrible abuse - not all of it about his dancing - similarly Alexandra Burke. I adored Danny Mac. The contestant I could never abide that other people liked was Kelvin.

I do think Amber seems a bit devoid of warmth, perhaps. But she has nothing 'fun' to hang on her , unlike Hartlepool Lewis and his 900000 siblings.

First time chipping in on this thread but does anyone else feel that Ellie's dances are like a dad and daughter at a disco? Yes her energy is great, she's a role model for those with downs syndrome etc, but, as others have said, she's getting away with too much - glad Craig actually commented on technical stuff on Saturday night (hip rotation).
I think the choice of baby spice (of all the spice girls) was a poor choice and just made her look even younger/immature

Same. I voted for Layton, Alexandra, Danny Mac, Maisie Smith...but didn't vote for Kelvin.

Ellie has all manner of challenges, and Vito has had to develop a particular way to teach her. She has some physical limitations, and I thought this week she did try to push past them, it's the first time we've seen lifts, I believe. I don't think she's "getting away" with too much, as much as people are taking the above into consideration.

@HappilyDivorced89I was under the impression that she had chosen Baby Spice herself, but I do get what you are saying. I think she has about two weeks grace left. I can’t see her winning, truly, so she may as well enjoy herself

I would like to join this club. Voted for all of the ones you've listed. And I absolutely could not stand Kelvin.

If Alex makes it to the final, I will vote for her over Lewis. Which may be the first time I have ever voted for a non-ringer.

Yes, she won't make the final, but she's obviously getting votes and having a great time, so I think it's fine while it lasts.

I’m a massive Alex fan but I threw Balvinder a couple this week.

Yes I appreciate they were brought in late and both have professional dance experience but at least Lewis is engaging to watch. Amber just leaves me cold and so the prospect of her knocking out a good improver from the DO each week detracts from the show for me.

I generally vote for the non dancers who really seem to work and learn some skills through the run. For me that is the shows USP. A ringer is never going to demonstrate that growth through the series and so unless they are exceptionally entertaining I will never find them as enjoyable to watch as a “Jimmy” starting from zero but building up some decent skills.

Again people surprised that people in the entertainment industry have done a bit of dancing!

The celebs don’t only come from the entertainment industry. Sports stars, newsreaders and even tv actors quite often have zero dance experience.

Of the entertainers - anyone who has been in a boy/girl band or performed an acting role in a musical will probably be able to move in time and do a few steps. That doesn’t make them professional dancers.

The ringers mostly have professional dance experience with the experience of learning routines, understanding how to manage body movement, working in close proximity with other dancers etc. I can remember being astonished when Layton was selected as I’d seen him dancing not long beforehand and I thought he was a fabulous dancer. He wasn’t only a long term dancer but also a dance teacher. “Normies” could never compete with that and it diminishes the fun of watching non dancers build up skills as they lose their place to unpopular ringers in the dance off. Amber isn’t the first ringer to be unpopular with the public.