I have now watched the Blackpool live shows and below are my post-Blackpool week favourites and least favs:

Favourite celeb (this week): Sophie! Her smile in that QS was enchanting. Speaking with her mum helps I think.

Favs this week, Honourable mentions: Natalie and Susanna.

Least Favourite celeb (this week): Ben. He even let three pro male dancers helped him do half of his AS lift. In terms of him performing the dance (nevermind actually mastering the dance itself) I think he regressed rather than progressed (compared QS where he smiled, this time he just looked very tensed).

Favourite Pro (this week): Kevinfromgrimbsy. He just did a two fingers up detractors' backpassage orifice by doing that stonking Paso with Susanna, unapologetically so. He reminded me of the Josh Groban's character in the 90s series Ally McBeal, when the geek who's like a doormat stunned his mates when he opened his mouth to sing on the prom night.

Least Favourite Pro (this week): Ola. She misjudged the Cowboy Paso and her knee slide shoe-in choreography as predicted. Ashley is better than THAT kind of treatment. Poor man.

Favourite Dance (this week) : Tie between Susanna's Paso and Natalie's quirky Charleston. Natalie looks like Betty Boo and she looks cute and didn't make those usual pro template faces which helps a lot. But I don't like the music. Susanna didn't do the Paso face very well but she 'went for it' with Kevin, love th music and what a triumph!

Least Favourite Dance (this week): Fiona's AS. I felt Fiona couldn't let herself go and trust Anton. For the first time, I felt a little sorry for Anton, especially the last lift where she just didn't help and became a dead weight for Anton to pick her up like this.

Favourite Couple (this week): Mark and Iveta. I think they just felt it was their last dance so Iveta let Mark have some fun with the Dino move, and though their jive was predictably sub-par, they seemed to really enjoy it.

Least Favourite Couple (this week): None!

Well it was an interesting evening. I still have no one outstanding favourite at this stage which is unusual for me.

Favourite frock - Natalie's. And Artem in a hat - be still my beating heart! Less keen on the routine although I know it has delighted many.

Favourite style of dance - quickstep squared! Two great ones, though I wish Abbey and Alijaz had done a few more straight lines - they seemed to go round in a circle quite a lot. And even though I can imagine why they did it I would have preferred (at least some of) Sophie's hair tied back.

Favourite 'Blackpool' moment - I liked the opening number even though I'm normally immune to slush. There was a good deal more proper technical stuff in it (at least at the start). They've been getting a bit too 'general theatre style' with the pro routines lately which I don't feel shows them at their best.

Least favourite outfit - Ashley's 'Woody' affair

Least favourite style of dance - yep, Charleston again.

Least favourite 'Blackpool' moment - anything with props that didn't play an active part in the dance.

Favourite celeb (this week): Patrick, again. The man is having the time of his life. He was rocking it in the opening number on his plinth and when he opened the samba he winked at the camera. He is coming out of his shell and fast. When Anya's heel got caught in her dress he was calm and unflustered for the rest of the routine. I love watching him and wouldn't have believed that from week 1.

Least Favourite celeb (this week): Ashley. I can't take to him at all.

Favourite Pro (this week): Kevinfromgrimbsy. Has to be.

Least Favourite Pro (this week): Ola. I find her ... boring.

Favourite Dance (this week) : Susanna's Paso followed closely by Natalie's QS.

Least Favourite Dance (this week): Tie between Ashley's Paso (poor tasteless) and Fiona's AS (awful lifts).

Favourite Couple (this week): Susanna and Kevin. The bond between them on the dance floor was strong and the way she looked at him when he was leaping from knee to knee - well no wonder Karen had to remind Kev of her presence when they got back to the tesspit! HM goes to Mark and Iveta - she choreographed a very suitable jive given Mark's limitations and they were together throughout.

Least Favourite Couple (this week): Tie between Ashley/Ola and Fiona/Anton, though Ben isn't that far behind.

Hehe, did you see what you did there?

I didn't when I write it, but I do now.

I will do my weekly thoughts tomorrow.

Thoughts this week

Favourite Celeb: Mark – he’s had 3 difficult dances in a row and I think he thought this would be his grand finale and he was determined to go out in style and really went for it. That he didn’t go is of course a bonus but I hope he doesn’t now go next week on a poorer dance.

Mentions in despatches also for Susanna and Natalie – both danced superbly.

Least favourite Celeb: A tie between Ben and Fiona – but I think probably Fiona tips it – she should know by now to trust Anton – he’s not going to drop her is he? – and what should have been a triumph for them turned into a real damp squib.

Favourite pro: KevinfromGrimsby – almost a Paul Potts/Susan Boyle moment – collective intake of breath from the whole Blackpool Tower Ballroom and millions of sofas round the country. I really didn’t expect that…

Least favourite Pro: Ola – Ashley should be wowing us by now because he’s clearly got the ability but her ‘same-old’ (knee-slide) choreography is starting to look very tired (especially when you see what Kevin did).

Favourite Dance: Susanna’s Paso – dance of the series for me so far, closely followed by Natalie’s Charleston.

Least Favourite Dance: Ben’s AS – just underwhelmed me completely I’m afraid.

Favourite Couple: Susanna and Kevin.

Least Couple: None of them.

Judges: What was Abbey’s scoring about – I really didn’t think she deserved the 10s – even I could see the gapping – but it was also better than Craig’s mean 7 – should have been an 8 and 3 9s for me.

Overall Blackpool Summary: “Didn’t they do well?”

This week's school report
Favourite celeb - Mark. It may not have been the best jive ever danced but it was so joyous and he deserved to stay in.
Least favourite celeb - Ben. He did next to nothing,
Favourite pro - Aljaz. He choreographed a lovely QS for Abbey.
Least favourite pro - Ola. Her choreography is so predictable. I know Ashley has limited training time but surely she could be a bit more imaginative.
Favourite dance - Sophie's QS. I loved the colour of her dress, the fact that she came alive at last and the smile on her face.
Least favourite dance - Susanna's Paso. It was all about Kevin and Susanna was an optional extra. The introductory Spanish music didn't gel with the Franco-Spanish music of Bizet to my ears.
Favourite couple - Mark and Iveta. I love their relationship and the way Iveta manages to create original dances taking into account Mark's limitations.
Least favourite couple - Susanna and Kevin. They were not a couple but 2 individuals.
Judges - they all had a funny 5 minutes.
Presenters - Bruce, please bow out gracefully.

Don't get me started on school reports lol

I really enjoyed the Blackpool show. Don't know if it was that famous springy floor, but there was an extra fizz to most of the dances and a joy that was palpable.

Favourite celeb: Mark. I love his attitude, his musicality, his timing and his absolute refusal to encourage us to laugh at him - rather, we laugh with him. I ♥ Mark Benton.
Least favourite celeb: Ben. Honestly, I have to be reminded that he's on the show. He's got a lovely personality, but that and a hunky chest oughtn't to translate into as many votes as it does. I really would like to see him do some, you know, dancing.
Favourite pro: Has to be KevinfromsomewherenorthofWatford. He deserves the accolades he's received for that utterly OTT bonkers paso. I loved it, but probably for all the wrong reasons.
Least favourite pro: Anton, again. He phoned it in, didn't he? I know the rules of this thread require me to be generous but can I be excused, just this once? Pretty please?
Favourite dance: Watching them back again, the Charleston that disappointed me on first viewing now impresses me. Perhaps it was just coming on the heels of the mad-as-a-box-of-snakes paso. Standing on its own, it's a mightly fine cool as a cucumber authentic Charleston.
Least favourite dance: Fiona and Anton's American Smooth. We've seen lots of great American Smooths but this was simply forgettable. It's not a surprise to me that the Great British Public agreed.
Favourite couple: Has to be Susannah and Kevin. That partnership is really working well and they are going from strength to strength.
Least favourite couple: Fiona and Anton. Byeeee!

Ahhh, love this thread... So refreshing

Favourite celeb (this week): Sophie. Partly for starting to move in the right direction once more and partly for sassing Brendan during the results show. I want to kick whoever it was who had her wear her hair down though - it really exaggerated the weakness in her top line and made the dance look very bouncy

Least Favourite celeb (this week): Fiona. Bruno's "Where's my handbag?" comment was his most astute description of a celebrity's style of dancing since he accused Fern Britton of "dusting and polishing".

Favourite Pro (this week): Anya. Yes, it's lazy to compare her to Pasha but she reminds me of his kind, sweet and earnest nature. Sadly I have no idea how Patrick actually danced his samba as I was too busy focusing on her dancing which was amazing, even with the wardrobe malfunction.

Least Favourite Pro (this week): I would say Ola but apparently the cowboy theme wasn't her idea so we'll let her off the hook.

Favourite Dance (this week): Susanna's Paso. Usually I find Susanna and Kevin too OTT for my liking but I guess the Paso is a dance that lends itself well to the overblown and dramatic.

Least Favourite Dance (this week): Ben's AS. Sorry, Ben, you're a sweetheart but your look of dogged concentration just robs every dance of any feeling.

Favourite Couple (this week): Mark and Iveta. Nice to see them getting back to just having fun on the dance floor after having silly themes foisted upon them.

Least Favourite Couple (this week): Fiona and Anton. It was her time to go.

Have some FCUK shopping for you, check your PM Pet...

Is it truly foolish that my greedy opportunistic heart went 'pressies!'

Sorry, did the pressie exploded on you with horse poo?

Shameless bumping!

Any more entries of your favs this week?

Favourite Celeb- Patrick he surprised me this week with his samba it was a really good attempt

Least Favourite Celeb: Fiona her dance was was the worst and her time was up

Favourite Pro (this week): Artem because I loved his solo bit at the beginning of the dance and loved his choreography he did because he showcased Natalie well

Least Favourite Pro (this week): Anton i dont like him and disliked his dance

Favourite Dance (this week): Natalie and Artem Charleston I loved the modern twist and loved the song they danced to and its my favourite dance they have done with my favourite being the rumba

Least Favourite Dance (this week): Abbey and Aljaz Quickstep because it was overmarked and too much gapping

Favourite Couple (this week): Natalie and Artem because they danced well together and I really like their partnership

Least Favourite Couple (this week): Fiona and Anton

Thanks, Hannah, for your input!

I am wondering it's now the tenth year of SCD (the 11th series), do you have the favourite dance of all time for each type of dance? Admittedly I only watched SCD from series four onwards (and saw some series 2 and 3 dances via youtube, which was taken off from the site now ) so my favourite dance of all time (subject to slight amendments after this series end, there might be some dances in it that might replace my all-time favs thus far):


BALLROOM
Waltz - Matt and Flavia (series 5), honourable mentions: Alesha and Matthew, Gethin and Camilla (both series 5), Susanna and Kevin (series 11);

Foxtrot - Lisa and Brendan (series 6), honourable metions: Alesha and Matthew (series 5, even when they forgot their steps!), Tom and Camilla (series 6), Dani and Vincent (series 10);

Quickstep: Colin and Erin (series 3), honourable mentions: Kara and Artem's 'cartwheel' (series 8); Chelsee and Pasha (series 9), Harry and Aliona (series 9);

American Smooth: Colin and Erin (series 3), honourable mentions: Alesha and Matthew (series 5), Kelly and Brendan (series 5) and Matt and Flavia (series 5);

Tango: Zoe and Ian (series 3), honourable mention: Scott and Natalie (series 8);

Viennese Waltz: Alesha and Matthew (series 5), honourable mentions (there are many!): Mark and Karen (series 4), Lisa and Brendan (series 6), Austin and Erin (series 6), Alli and Brian (series 7), Scott and Natalie (series 8).


LATIN
Rumba: Rachel and Vincent (series 6), honourable mentions: Cherie and James (serires 6), Kara and Artem (series 8), Chelsee and Pasha (series 9), Natalie and Artem (series 11);

Samba: Matt and Aliona (series 8), honourable mentions: Mark and Karen (series 4), Chelsee and Pasha (series 9);

Cha Cha Cha: Alesha and Matthew (series 5), honourable mentions: Louisa and Vincent (series 4), Lisa and Brendan (series 6), Ricky and Natalie (series 7);

Jive: Scott and Natalie (series 8), honourable mentions: Austin and Erin (series 6), Louisa and Vincent (series 4), Jill and Darren (series 2);

Salsa: Mark and Karen (series 4), honourable mentions: Matt and Flavia (series 5);

Paso Doble: Chelsee and Pasha (series 9), Mark and Karen (series 4), Louisa and Vincent (series 4), Susanna and Kevin (series 11).


OTHERS
Charleston: Chelsee and Pasha (series 9), honourable mentions: Kimberly and Pasha (series 10), Sophie and Brendan (series 11), Matt and Aliona (series 8);

Argentine Tango: Mark and Karen (series 4), honourable mentions: Rachel and Vincent (series 6), Kara and Artem (series 8), Dani and Vincent (series 10);

Fusion: Kimberly and Pasha (series 10), honourable mention: Dani and Vincent (series 10) (note: fusion was only introduced in series 10);

Showdance: Tom and Camilla (series 7), honourable mention: Matt and Flavia (series 5);

Mambo/Salsa: Louis and Flavia (series 9)

I am going shopping shortly but promise to do it later

Love this thread

I owe it to the OP SCD-O to try & keep this going.


Favourite Celeb- Susanna - loved that Pasi

Least Favourite Celeb: Fiona - very dull

Favourite Pro (this week): Kevin from ** Grisbly - inspired & knew exactly what was needed at Blackpool

Least Favourite Pro (this week): Ola - I know they say they didn't choose the theme but she is responsible for the choreography.

Favourite Dance (this week): KFMFG & Suz Paso - One of the best dances ever on Strictly for me.

Least Favourite Dance (this week): Ben & Kristina AS - it's not all about how strong you are.

Favourite Couple (this week): Mark & Iveta - because they always are

Least Favourite Couple (this week): Fiona and Anton

I was glad Mark was saved in the dance off as any extra week we get is a bonus. They could of course just film them in training even after they are eliminated so I can have a laugh every week. They are so funny together.

Favourite celeb (this week): Sophie. Mostly for her comment to Brendan, but her QS was a great show-opener

Least favourite celeb: Fiona though she left graciously

Favourite Pro (this week): Kevin, of course, even though he wore his mam's curtains

Least fave Pro (this week): N/A

Favourite dance: I'm being partial. Was Patrick and Anya again. Full of errors. Had a Highland Fling in the middle, but loved it all the same

And my non-partial choice: Susanna and Kevin's amazing Paso, closely followed by Artëm and Nat's cool Charleston

Grumps and grudges: too many bloody props, extra dancers, weird unnecessary scenarios.

Favourite celeb: Mark. He could've easily crumbled after being in the bottom two, especially after Len's claim that he would've saved Dave, but he came back determined to have a laugh and put on a good show. I love that.

Least favourite celeb: Ben. Because fancy lifts do nothing for me.

Favourite pro: Iveta because she let Mark have his signature move in the routine, regardless of how silly it is, and she did it with him. Sweetheart.

Least favourite pro: Kristina. She choreographed a routine that basically had Ben following her and a group of support dancers around the stage for fifteen seconds. He looked like a spare part.

Favourite dance: Patrick and Anya's Samba - costume malfunction and all. They kept it together. I'm sure there are a few celebs (and pros) that would have gone into meltdown mode had that happened to them!

Least favourite dance: Natalie and Artem's Charleston, but only because I was disappointed by it. I had really high expectations but it just fell flat for me, but I forgive her because obviously she's had to slow down a bit. Hopefully they'll be firing on all cylinders again this weekend.

Favourite couple: Ashley and Ola. Too cute in their western get-up.

Least favourite couple: Ben and Kristina. Sorry Ben.

I think Ben is a very sweet man but he's a bit on the dull side. I could forgive his lack of dance technique if he was a bit more animated.

He seems more and more nonplussed about the experience. I love him but I don't see him loving dancing...