Laila and Anton, with their classic Foxtrot - score of 34 … are the only couple to have beaten both Ricky and Natalie, and Ali and Brian in Week 4 …
They tied with Ali and Brian with a score of 33 in Week 7 … and I thought their superb Blackpool Paso Doble was under-marked with a score of 30 in Week 8.
If Laila’s ankle clears up completely … and if they could improve their consistency … they could close the gap …

They could ....anything is possible.......but have they got rock n roll this week ??? and she still has the Salsa to do aswell .

Thanks for posting these statistics - I had forgotten about their pre-injury scores. Here's hoping.

I hope they don't just close the gap, but crush it. Each year there is one celebrity who you want to win from the start. For me it is Laila.

Laila to win!
But haha my favourites have changed every year, at the start of last year I was routing for Tom *physically vomits* before quick stint with Lisa and then finally ending up with my favourite strictly contestant ever. Rachel.

I do hope so! Laila is the only contestant this year who has made me feel something for the dance, and I aboslutely LOVE watching her and Anton. I feel if she wasn't injured her Rumba could have been something special.

She'd have to seriously improve her Latin though!

I think if Laila somehow got to the final and redid her Paso Doble without the lifts it could be 10 worthy. I fell in love with it the first time so it could only get better..

Hmm. I didn't think it lived up to the promise that the wonderful opening had, personally. It was by far her best latin, but I think it lost too much momentum to be 10 worthy. I'd like to see what Anton would do should we have a "rechoreograph a routine!" round...

I know Laila peed a lot of people off with the shennanigans surrounding her ankle, but she and Anton have delivered a handful of pretty decent dances during their time in the competiton and are by no means the weakest link.

Their Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz and Paso were all pretty damn good.

Rock n Roll will be am almighty challenge, but if they are lucky enough to get the Charleston then they stand a chance. The dance suits Anton's character perfectly - he just needs to get Laila into it as well!

I loved Laila's Foxtrot and VW. Not so sure about her other dances though.

I fear this week may be the undoing of her as both the Charleston and RnR are faster than she seems comfortable with. I do hope the get the former though...I don't want to see either of them rocking and rolling. Plus the costume dept will be in seventh heaven with a charleston and fringing on Laila

LAILA TO WIN!!!
I am rooting for her, she has come along way what with the press stories and injuries but shes a trooper, maybe this dance off is a wake up call and they will come back FIGHTING just like Ali did, I am still voting for her and still will!

So have they got two dances this week? I know that Laila still has the AS and the Salsa to do, then they usually add the AT in for the semis/finals don't they so will it be:

Next week (5 couples) - AS & Rock & Roll
Quarters (4 couples) - Salsa & Charleston
Semis (3 couples) - Group Dance and AT
Finals (2 couples) - best latin & ballroom & showdance.

or

Next week (5 couples) - Rock & Roll & Group dance
Quarters (4 couples) - AS & Charleston
Semis (3 couples) - Group Dance and Salsa
Finals (2 couples) - best latin & ballroom & showdance.

I am so confused, will they all do a R&R & a Charleston over the next two weeks? Surely it has to be two dances each from this point on, last season it was two dances each from when there were 6/7 couples left I think, and now we only have 5 with the departure of the lovely Jade.

Anyone?

Well I haven't seen too much evidence of her being a trooper so far but I'm willing to be convinced. Neither dance looks like it's made for her this week so she'll have to come out fighting. I'd love to see her have a bit of a lightbulb moment and rediscover her early form. She's the only one from the bottom three that I think has anything like the natural ability to begin to challenge the top two. I don't think she's got the will but I'd love to be proved wrong.

Last week the show was planned to be danced with 7 couples, and was 90 minutes it length (one dance each). This week the show was planned to be danced with 6 couples and is 95 minutes in length. I'm guessing it's still only one dance each.

I would love Laila to win and she can outperform the two favs in ballroom but even though Anton is not to hot with the Latin, I think it is also Laila's weaker dance. Whether she would have been better with an all rounder like Matthew or Brendan we will never know.

Hmmm I am very interested to have come across this thread. My interest post-Tuffers/Jade has been so low I have felt genuinely empty because I care so little about what happens now!! I even stopped caring whether i caught ITT

However, this thread makes for interesting reading and I am thinking- I wonder if Laila & Anton could actually grab a hold of the competition now... I think I will be checking out ITT this week to see if their progress this week suggests that they themselves believe that they are really in with a chance. Their own belief is the key. If they do, then I am coming round to agreeing, they COULD do it...

Its still only one dance this week.......Brian was asked how many dances on twitter and he said 1 ......I think they are doing a group dance too.

They MUST be going to 2 dances soon previous series had started already ( I think it was week 10 last series but not absolutely sure)

They're doing a group dance that Katya choreographed I think.

Excellent transitions. (I liked Rachel too.)

I want to like Laila, but sometimes - not only in the dance when she was stopped by her ankle - she just seems to give up.

...who take separate holidays during the show ??

PFFFFFFFFTTT.

Laila nad Anton are the only saved couple not to appear on ITT on the Tuesday after they were saved. Is there any reason why they weren't on last night ? Was Laila nursing her 'injured' ankle again?

No she has work commitments in Morocco and will be back later today or Thursday.

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