Strictly 2025 : Build Up To The Final

[EineReiseDurchDieZeit]

KEEP DANCING

clarity is needed

And some of us just don't care, particularly on a thread about the actual dancing on the show.

Some of you need to get yourselves to the live shows. Then you will see it's just a blast and nobody cares about who wins.
Yeah Gods, get a life.

Zoe has had a tough time MH wise recently, maybe the R2 job is too much. I suspect Strictly would be. I love Zoe and think she would be great but would hate it to break her.

I think Fleur and, especially, Janette have ruined ITT. Totally wooden and out of their depth. Neither the humour or intelligence to make the show spontaneous and fun. If any of the guests does make a joke or an unexpected remark neither of them can pick it up and run with it.

ITT has a dreadful script writer and it seems that the brief is to soldier on with the script whatever is happening. It leads to crap TV. At least we didn't get "treated" to the professional dancers playing beer pong this year.

A friend of mine met Layton when he was in Jamie on the West end. He waited for him at the stage door after the show to get a photo and autograph, as did about 10 others. This was before he was on SCD.
Says he was absolutely vile and just walked past them all.
Like, calm down Beyonce 😂

Oh god yes was thinking this the other day they're both awful but especially Jeanette. Can't believe she got such a huge gig tbh.
I met Zoe Ball the other day and she was absolutely lovely. Bring her back!

Wtf 😂

I stopped watching because of Fleur and Jeanette. Jeanette is doing the live tour hosting as well.

Anyway, the time is upon us! Shit, I forgot to put the time in the title!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/5462699-strictly-2025-the-final-who-will-lift-the-glitterball-george-amber-or-karen?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

I actually find Fleur worse than Jeanette. I've seen Jeanette react more naturally in interviews but Fleur doesn't follow anything up spontaneously, that I've seen (mind you, that hasn't held Tess back).

Very true. My sister put it very well when she said Claudia makes presenting look very easy and Tess makes it look very hard 😂

Sorry for the detail OP! My moneys on George winning but like others really not invested this year.

I’ll never forget Layton and Nikita’s sleazy pole-dancing style routine. I really disliked them, and usually I like Nikita.
I suspect Kelvin had had some experience beyond stage school - he was suspiciously good - but didn’t mind him, and I loved Oti.

Most years I have a general inkling as to who will win, but this year I cannot call it between Karen and George! It could be either.

I’ll be happy whichever one wins!

I can’t wait for the show tonight!
I’m banishing my children upstairs for the entire duration of the programme! 🤣

I’m the opposite of many on here. I love Halloween week ….but don’t really care about the final. 😆

I had two or three weeks in a row of having to watch later in the week on catch up and lost the plot a bit with these threads.

I was sorry to see Alex go, loved her and JoJo but she was practically asking to go and seemed to be struggling.

I’m glad Balvinder made it to the semis, she deserved better than all those dance offs. I don’t agree that she was the obvious leaver - I think she showed a better progression and journey than George.

I had a cynical moment in Musicals week where the dance off felt a bit set up. Both dances were choreographed by specialists (I think?). Lewis’s salsa bore little resemblance to a salsa, was much more a musical theatre number for which the judges seemed to mark him down. Having him do those grand pirouettes at the end - well they might as well have put sign around his neck saying “I’ve been a pro dancer, this was my move from Billy Elliot”. Amber having the Charleston was able to incorporate part of her previous routines (yes I know she didn’t choose this) in a way that fitted with the actual dance. I was struck by the judge comments on the choreography for both dances. I realise this is probably my conspiracy imagination in overtime 😀

I still don’t warm to Amber. I cannot quite work out why but I think its the lack of chemistry with the pairing. I don’t follow strictly stuff on social media so not seen the comments there.

I would like Karen to win - she seems to show far more progression than George. For the first couple of weeks George looked really promising but he just hasn’t really progressed as much and half way through seemed not even to be taking it very seriously. I’ve gone off Alexis as the series progressed - too much Ola style dancing and not enough George dancing.
That said, I struggle to see Karen beating George simply because of the size of his following - not one dance off despite some really weak weeks. For me if George wins it will be a “Chris Hollins” victory.

I agree this hasn’t been a vintage series, not sure I’d call it the worst ever. I accept there will always be at least one ringer and I don’t vote for ringers. Of the two this year I enjoyed watching Lewis, he would have been enough.

Its ready for some updates but one of the updates I’d like to see is a backdate - to when all the contestants did the same 2-4 dances, half latin, half ballroom, swapping each week. That meant the most challenging dances were done later in the series which was fairer, especially to the non ringers/complete beginners.

I would bin CC. I loathe the whole schmaltzy nonsense around them, especially the contempowaft “stories”.

I would be very happy to see Zoe presenting. I would like to see two women continue to present - its so rare to have one women let alone two. Alison Hammond might do well in the Claudia role. Please not Holly Willoughby and not La Voix but possibly Chris on ITT or similar.

I read an interesting interview with Chris after his departure where he said he was keen to use Strictly to be seen more as Chris rather than the character - I think its a shame he couldn’t compete as Chris. I agree he seems to be looking to broaden his tv work and the wit, comic timing and brain are Chris’s - I’d be interested to see what he could do on one of the affiliated shows as his passion for the show seems completely genuine.

Its struck me in previous years but the celebs who are tv/youtube presenters do have a natural advantage in presenting themselves sympathetically to an audience on screen (in the non dance bits). It is literally their job to present as likeable people who we want to watch. I suspect that also helps with the voting.

I still don’t warm to Amber. I cannot quite work out why but I think its the lack of chemistry with the pairing.

Looks to me that they have great chemistry!

Motsi’s on Blanketty Blanket- she’s cutting things a bit fine!

Honestly I just don’t see it. I can see she is technically strong, that she works hard and Nikita is one of my favoured pros. I’ve not read the SM comments about her so not sure what she was being accused of - I don’t think I’ve been influenced by any of that but equally I have no real sense of her.

I follow ballet (from the seats!) rather than ballroom and I’ve seen it often with ballet dancers progressing through the ranks. Sometimes they can be technically excellent, stars of the future but just don’t break through - there is something missing, they don’t connect with the audience and other dancers as the truly great dancers manage. They are missing that quality which makes them stand out amongst the corps and then amongst the soloists.

I’ve never seen her on stage in a musical - I’d be interested to know how she holds the stage in a performance.

Not usually a Gorka fan but he’s looking well!

Not at all pissy tonight!

😂

Tess looks sensational!

Couldn’t understand how Bavinder stayed in so long - completely wooden.