Holly did a brilliant (but undermarked) Argentine Tango but what cost her a trip to Blackpool was the dreadful Charleston music, a very unflattering outfit and odd choreography.
With traditional Charleston music and traditional Charleston dress she would probably have had the edge on Jason.
Sorry, Artem, but it just did not work. Professionals should know by now that the right music for the right dance makes all the difference! It was a costly mistake

Artem's wrong dancer cost him the trip. Holly should have danced with Brenda.

She may have gone out regardless. Jason was bottom two last week which usually leads to a bounce, Holly has previously been bottom two a couple of times suggesting that her fanbase isn't as strong as it might have been, the three finalists, over the course of the whole series, have been better dancers than her so would have been more likely to get the 'dance purists' vote. The charleston didn't help her but I doubt it was decisive.

Loved the Charleston music! Very cool, very fresh and full of energy. I don't think it was the music. It probably didn't help that Holly was quite so leaden-footed in picking up the dance. The Charleston just wasn't her thing. Ultimately tho, it's simply that the three who went thro are better or have captured people's imagination better.

Personally, I really liked Holly and enjoyed her deadpan course thro Strictly. Artem too. Their combative/off-beat relationship has been one of the highlights for me

Unflattering outfit ? Those 1940's style shorts suited the dance and she looked stunning as she always does. I really liked their performance and she did really well considering she hated it so much ! I think she didn't have the fanbase the other 3 had and that's what didn't get her to the final - just not enough votes. I always gave her a vote because I loved her personality - and such a beautiful girl too.

I think Pet Monkey's right - Charleston's just not Holly (or Artem's ) thing. I think the music and cool take on the dance was right up their street. If they'd gone the 'traditional' route along with all the gurning and FUN it would have been totally against character - horrendous probably . Unfortunately, Holly didn't make the best job of it - I think exhaustion just got the better of her - but I admire them for being true to themselves. I really liked it anyway - it just needed (lots) more energy!

......and I liked the shorts





(......the top not so much )

I think Artem is way too earnest for Holly.
How much fun was he to work with? Not so much, I think.

All very well for Kara. She seemed to be quite a serious character and desperate to please.

I'm sure Holly would have done better with someone else. Preferably Ian Waite. Now they WOULD have been good.

I agree with the comments made above. I loved the concept for their Charleston! It was original and cool - a very innovative choice. Artem is nothing if not forward thinking, and with the right dancer partner I think that it could have been a real show stopper. Unfortunately, however, the Charleston was never going to be a good dance for Holly. She never looks comfortable during the faster paced dances, and last night she appeared somewhat tired and uneasy throughout the routine. Tbh, I don’t think that it would make any difference if she was dancing to Yolanda Be Cool or Cole Porter - she just didn’t feel happy doing the Charleston, and it showed. It’s a shame that they had to go so close to the finals though. I'll miss both Holly and Artem next week

What a nice post. I agree.

I thought Artem outdanced her. It was especially obvious when they were dancing side by side. He really should have reigned it in a bit more

Also, when they did the argentine tango, it just didn't look right that Holly was taller than Artem (in her heels). However good the dance was, that slight height mismatch just spoilt the overall effect IMO. I don't understand why they didn't pair her with a taller pro.

Artem has been under par since his injury and I feel he was not at full capacity after his week off. He seemed terrified he was going to injure himself again and it made for quite uncomfortable viewing IMO.

Loved both the choreography and the music, but I think Holly was just too tired to have the lightness of foot that a Charleston needs.

Gutted to see her go out though, as I do feel her AT was better than Jason's, and deserved more than 4 9s (political voting, anyone??)

Its funny how we can percieve things so completely differently!
Kara a serious character?? She giggled her way through most of her training and wanted to work hard and do well but hardly 'desparate to please'. Artem and Holly developed a great bond and understanding and worked well together and I am sure they had fun in between all the hard work


I know you have said this before but I really can't say I saw this at all. He seems to have recovered well and was in great form and dance brilliantly, no sign of injury at all


Would agree with this.
Loved the music choice and don't think it had anything to do with them leaving. Hollys struggled with the dance full stop. Considering their music was changed on Tuesday they did well to pull together such a great routine. Will miss them from the show.

Agree with both these posts. Unfortunately the Charleston was just the wrong dance at the wrong time for Holly.

Been a HL for me too


I dont think she had as big a fanbase as the other three, I also think Jason may have had a bounce vote through being in the bottom two last week


Nonsense Artem was just as good the past couple of weeks as he was at the start


I look forward to Artems choreography, hes not stuck in the last century
and I agree even with different music and more gurning and happy slappy charelston Holly would not have been comfortable
I must admit I thought it was good and would rather watch their charleston than some of the others that were highly praised

I don't think Artem could choregraph to Holly. Deadpan and laidback ought to have allowed him to create a house style. Australian and beautiful could have been incorporated. Holly can play funny but Artem can't write it. He seems to prefer unusual music to the well loved and well tried, and the beautiful and complicated to the easier and vote grabbing. The Charleston was made for that style, and Ola got 40 for it with a weaker dancer and actor by going simple and familiar and funny. If he had established a house style based on his celeb's personality (as actually the top 3 have) Artem could then have got brownie points by veering off into dramatic and dynamic and balletic dances in key weeks - which she did cope with with style. It was when she didn't have such a strong character or an exaggerated version of herself to play she lost impact. The costumes might have made more sense if she had had a style to demand rather than a different creation every week - which seemed often to fit nothing much. Artem also didn't seem to choregraph to Holly's limitations - unlike almost everyone else did this series. Aliona shielded Harry for weeks and still was hiding him in the QF when needed. Jason has come unstuck before trying to do too much, but Kristina kept her second SF dance to a minimum for him if he could manage the lifts. Holly kept on being sent out with ridiculously long complicated routines and was put out there alongside her partner trying to do the same moves for longer - while even Jason and Harry spent a lot of their time just watching Kristina and Aliona, and no comparisons could be drawn. Artem also seems not to have choregraphed to take account of the workload on his celeb, both in training and on stage. No one else has their celeb trying to do so many moves, and even cartwheels, in the second dance of a week where they have to learn two dances and perform them . Kristina clearly pulled back on Jason's content for their second dance and it worked. It might have all worked anyway for Jason, but Holy doing a funny easier routine in a more obvious costume might have puled in the votes too.

i think he worked with Kara because she is a different style of actress who plays very different characters - while Holly plays it more as Holly in a wide range of abnormal situations and can do it because she's credible in those roles herself. The romance added the house style last year. Kara physically was a better match and also showed on her documentary that she habitually learns things by massive repetition which works with Artems style and difficulty but might easily wear anyone else down.

I do not believe that Artem's choreography or choice of music/genre for Charleston is why Holly did not make it into the final.

Don't get me wrong - the Holly/Artem team delivered two of my favorite dances of the year - the Swan Lake ballroom, and the Paso Doble.

Yet all season Holly has not had the popular support compared to many others, including Jason. She would have had to finish two spots ahead of Jason to overcome that bias, and it was unlikely that Holly was going to upstage Chelsea tonight (and given that Harry was a shoe in for first, and frankly for winning next week.)

Either Jason or Holly would have been fine as the third finalist, and I think it was simply the order of the music calendar that assured Jason over Holly (since the AT is one of those dances highlights the man's acting ability, of which Jason has oodles.)

To my mind thenetworkbabe has produced the definitive assessment.

I'd recommend everyone to go to #16 and read it.

I thought that Holly had gone backwards with the charleston and it wouldn't matter what Artem created for them both to dance - Holly ain't the charleston. She was heavy footed & lost timing at times.

I felt that their AT lacked connection. The leg moves were great.

It's plain that Holly and Artem just didn't connect and probably clashed most of the time until Holly decided that she did want to win.

Artem's supreme artistry is evident. He has brought a breath of fresh air to the programme.

Sad they have gone but I felt it was on the cards.

Holly simply not being popular enough cost Holly a trip to Blackpool, not Artem, not the poorly performed Charleston, not the AT not receiving enough overmarking. Holly, lovely lady, beautiful, seems quite good fun in a laid back way, but off our TV screens for such a long while and out of sight is out of mind.

Someone had to go out, the public have decided to vote for other contestants and not Holly.

Disagree, I think Artem did create a house style for Holly: cool, sophisticated with a hint of passion where possible. It was evident in the cha cha, salsa, tango, jive, foxtrot and charleston at least, can't really remember all of their dances.
Half of the time he got slated for veering off the more traditional interpretation of those dances.
Also to say that Holly kept on being sent out with ridiculously long complicated routines is very unfair, I think, his routines this year bar 2 (quickstep and charleston) have been very light on content, and again, he got slated on here for time wasting.
The quickstep was just terrible, but I think the Charleston wasn't far off. Had they taken the stupid cartwheel and lift out and calmed it down just a tad it would have been amazing.

The best and most perceptive summary yet

and I suggest timing was also the problem

If Holly had gone out on the AT which was different in and Artem sort of way she would not have been so undermarked for that

Jason did his worst dance first, and that samba was really not very good,and his best dance last leaving an impression that he was better than he really was though I hated that dance and the judges seem to have decided it was an acting not dancing competition.

Holly had her best dance first, it was different beautiful and moody and the dance she was least suited too, being not true to her nature and rather leaden footed last leaving an impression that she was inconsistent

If the luck of the draw or the producers hadn't been dead set on Jason being in the final if we believe they colluded, we could have had a different final 3

I think his contemporary choreography lead to her breakthrough. She didn't seem to enjoy the classic dances as much and seemed to like a challenge or to personalise them. I don't think she would have got as far in the competition as she did without her partnership with Artem.

It would have made a cracking showdance. In fact any Artem showdance I reckon would have been good in the final. But it wasn't meant to be. Well done to him and Holly though for getting as far as they did.