Strictly 2025 : Week 7. Hurrah! No Theming, Just Dancing! 18.25PM NO SPOILERS!

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Keep Dancing!

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Good points, @EsmaCannonball , I agree. I quite like that LaVoix does a bit of harmless banter, it breaks it up, sometimes it gets a bit earnest and intense. I don't mind Lewis, and it's obvious how hard he's working.
I've seen Amber on stage in a musical - she was great, but that has coloured me slightly

It's always good to have a mix of people, different backgrounds etc.

I agree the judges waffling on is boring. I rarely watch it live and we fast forward those bits. More pro dancing would be great

'I agree the judges waffling on is boring'

Agree, and very annoying. Anton needs to shut up and wait his turn instead of butting in during Shirley's comments. Motsi needs to take a breath and put brain in gear before speaking. Shirley needs to tone down the perving

I generally enjoy Craig, the miserable git 😁

I miss Darcey Bussell - she was elegant and gorgeous and gave them constructive feedback instead of bellowing nonsense and making it all about herself

The judges are better individually on ITT talking about the dances/show the results show is just chaotic.

I like it when they talk on ITT, it's often very informative, and you get more of a sense of what they're looking for.

I really miss the pros doing demonstration dances. Flavia and Vincenzi’s ATs were always incredible. I agree the Sunday show is likely to stay. It was originally a handy way of pulling several million viewers into the Sunday night schedule, I imagine that still works to some extent.

I’m bored with the schtick from both La Voix and Vicki. Its the same routine with the same outcome every week and in La Voix’s case is given them a lot of extra performance screen time compared to the other celebs who have just their dance and VT. I agree on the odd clap back but they are funny when they are unexpected and occasional, not predictable and tired. Vicki is at least improving, I think Chris has plateaued and would have gone by now without being able to do all the “extra” routines.

I’ve found Shirley very irritating as a judge this time with her favourites even more obvious than usual. I miss Darcey Bussell - she and Craig give far more practical info and advice than the others. I’d slot her into Shirley’s spot rather than Motsi who may overmark but is more evenhanded.

It's funny - I only remembered the Upside Down part of the song. Didn't even realise it was a mashup haha. Thought I had the wrong dance!

I think the difference between Amber and Lewis, is that he doesn’t go on about being nervous and writing things down in a notebook. He’s had experience, of course, but less so recently. Amber does musical theatre. That’s her job.

I agree that Motsi overmarks, but her comments are more relevant in general this year. Shirley tries to blind everyone by trotting out the technical terms that most of us don’t know and only care about insofar as they affect whether the dance was done well. Her clear favouritism and fawning is annoying. Craig is less harsh than he used to be and Anton is becoming a caricature of himself.

I would argue though that if Amber didn't appear nervous , posters would say she was 'arrogant'. It's pretty hard for a dance experienced woman to find an acceptable personality .

I know what you mean, but she has a lot of stage experience in musicals, so it doesn't ring true. She seems like a nice enough person, she should just be herself. I find her ok on ITT.

I like Vicky , their dance to use the judges well worn expression was the dance of the night for me! I think she’s just a very excitable person, and she was as tough as nails in the jungle doing the trials she just got in with it, so I like her.
I find Karen very wooden , she’s good at spins but it’s like spinning a pole so therefore Carlos puts loads of spins in every week she does have great energy but lacks any fluidity for me, yes I know I’m picking up all of the judges expressions now.

Absolutely agree.

I remember the hate Alexandra Burke got. If she seemed pleased with her performance she was accused of being arrogant. If she seemed unsure of herself, she was obviously putting on an act.

Amber clearly has some anxiety and perfectionism issues that go well beyond the scope of this show. Not nice to be judged on those imo.

'It's pretty hard for a dance experienced woman to find an acceptable personality .'

Agree, and even harder if she's a pretty young woman. As mentioned, Alexandra Burke was a spectacular dancer but couldnt do right for doing wrong as far as some people were concerned

Yup, AB was exactly who I was thinking of.

I liked Vicky in the jungle too. She's just so OTT here.

Alexandra Burke was great. She got a rough ride as I recall, and bearing in mind she was partnered with Gorka the year he got off with his now wife (Gemma something?) and her mother had recently died, it must’ve been really tough.

I really enjoyed Alexandra Burke on Strictly but she had the misfortune of being in the same year as Debbie McGee, possibly the most retro-camp Strictly contestant of all time and, to this date, the celebrity I was most obsessed with. There was no way I was voting for anyone else if My Debbie was at risk.

(I was also obsessed with Daniel O'Donnell, especially his bizarrely chilling Godfather demeanour, to the point where if I see Kirsty Gallacher on television I think 'Sliced carrots in paella?!' and immediately switch over. Never forget. Never forgive.)

Apparently the Blackpool Results Show is going to feature a dance using former 'iconic' Strictly celebs. I like the idea but I do wonder if the producers idea of iconic is the same as mine. They do have a tendency to jettison anything that came from earlier series. I'd like to see Ramps do a bit of AT or Austin do that opening bit of his Paso. Even John Sargent imperiously dragging someone across the floor. It might be a bit like that 'vote for your favourite ever Strictly routine' show they once did, where they limited the field to twenty dances they had chosen and a lot of them were good but not exactly legendary.

Debbie was fabulous. I loved the scenes of Gio visiting her at her home and she had a hostess trolley 👌

And she had a little motorboat called The Lovely Debbie McGee!

She did! 😃

Judging by Icons Week, the producers’ idea of an icon is not the same as mine!

And let’s face it, it will come down to who’s available/still dancing rather than any reasoned approach to who is seen as iconic!

Another week when anyone could go but I reckon it,s most likely to be Bal Vs Amber. Bals dànce was a bit boring for me and Amber is competent but joyless.

Loved Lewis again. It felt very Dirty Dancing for me. I would pay to see him a stage version.

Really hope Bal gets through without dancing off this week - that dance was a triumph and I don’t recall seeing anything like that before

La voix has been great generally but I think she and Alex are possibly the most vulnerable atm. Alex will get the 40 and 50+ female vote though which I think counts a lot. She has been terrific but wasn’t on top form last night

really hope Karen stays too.

I do know what you mean. I don't have anything against Amber personally it's just her dancing bores me (in the nicest possible way) because she's a bit too polished. To be honest I also find Lewis also a bit too ringer-ey and I feel like he's also becoming a bit cocky. But other people feel that he's this year's darling. So I guess that we can only like what we like.

Also on the topic of the Sunday shows, I miss it when they'd do an excellent content filled pro dance. Not this shrouded in darkness, Minecraft bollocks their currently churning out. The pro jive to Rebel Yell is my favourite (did try to add YT link but MN hates me and will never allow it).