That's how I feel, I am not sure he is enjoying this experience at all. I think he's going to hate doing the charleston this week. He never seems very thrilled to be saved each week, although I am sure he wants to do the best for Kristina.

I thought his training looked remarkably nimble. Ben might be a very big bloke but he could move like s**t off a shovel on the rugby field - he looked like he might be able to bring that mobility to the Charleston.

I think it's the facial expressions he is going to struggle with. He needs lessons from Mark

He does have the air of someone who has signed up for evening classes in car maintenance but got the room number wrong, so is learning to dance by accident but is to polite to say anything

First time I've posted in this thread, so here goes..

Favourite Celeb(this week)- Susanna, for being part of my favourite dance of the week.

Least Favourite Celeb(this week): Ashley, although I suspect this was because I wasn't impressed by the theme of the paso - not his fault, I realise.

Favourite Pro (this week): Kevin for storming it with that paso.

Least Favourite Pro (this week): Ola, I wish she could up her game re. choreography.

Favourite Dance (this week): Susanna and Kevin's paso. Replaces Sophie's Charleston as my most memorable dance this series.

Least Favourite Dance (this week): Difficult, because I enjoyed the whole show, but I will say Fiona and Anton's

Favourite Couple (this week): Mark & Iveta - loved the fact that they managed to get the dinosaur move in this week.

Least Favourite Couple (this week): Fiona and Anton

They already share the same kind eyes.

Welcome. SR.

Thanks Jan.

Hello hello.

Favourites:

Celeb - Mark, putting on a big smile and entertaining us week after week.
He's aware he's there as the entertainment rather than be pandered to and put on a pedestal. Fiona take note. Ohhhh, too late

Couple - Patrick & Anya for defeating the near customary wardrobe malfunction and braving it through with style and smiles. Loved seeing Patrick squirming in delight at judges comments.

Pro - Iveta I must choose for that beautiful dance with Anton. Dreamy. Tender. Mesmerising.

Dance - Sophie & Brendan's QS. Doesn't match up to Patrick & Anya's Man With The Hex (Halloween) but it was playful, stylish and well danced. Sophie looked most confident I've seen her yet. Great music.

Judge - Craig for not getting his ten paddle out. And he spoke to Ben like a fellow being for a change. Good man.

Least favourites

Celeb - Fiona. Heart was in it, head was still out there in a field somewhere playing with a goat. rofl. true She never stopped smiling though and I'm happy she was happy.

Pro - Brendan. Have to. It's the gushing you see. He's gushing over Sophie, the set, the makeup, the costume makers, the band, the audience....and anyone else he is near. He'll be a new band member in Wet,Wet,Wet at this rate
Realise Brendan is bigging up the show but no need.
It's coming across as vote-grabbing and mildly creepy. He's better than that so leave it to someone else to flatter the producers Brendan. It's not his job xx

Judge - Darcey for being blinkered. I bet - nay hope! - when she watches back those '10' dances she'll give herself a slap on the bum. She of all judges must know precision is key. that's all.

Couple - Hate to lump Ben in here, but Kristina is still grabbing the spotlight and not sharing it. The audience clap addiction is overpowering to her and she can't help herself taking the 'moment' in her dances all for herself. Ben needs more exposure and not in the topless sense.

Dance - Abbey & Aljaz - Liked the energy but thought it was 'tatty' and too bouncy. Good team performance and great outfits.

Outfit - now don't beat me too hard, but it's Kevin from Grimsby Them trousers looked like they could walk all by themselves, like The Wrong Trousers in Wallace & Gromit Laughed I did, thinking of him being lowered into them. Joking aside, What a flaming dance - performed with real gusto and attitude and a proper treat.

Music - Kev & Susannahs. Of course !

BsIB: hee, hee to two of them and to the one about Patrick. I think DiamondBetty was right when she said Patrick was dancing with pride. I think he's discovered something about himself and his talent for dancing and it's making him proud in the best sense of that word.

On ITT last night they mentioned Kev's outfit but didn't say if it was a Vicky Gill creation or a bought in one. I would say it was bought in myself.

I would say it was made on his mam's foot pedal operated Singer, and I love him all the better for that. A man who can wear curtain material is all right with me.

Still loving this thread!
Welcome to StrictlyRed.
Mimi made me laugh with her wrong evening classes post.
Molo made me agree with pretty much everything.
But what's best of all is the spirit of the thread. I remember it last year too: anyone can say anything and you're not to mind if your favourite isn't praised. That very simple rule has somehow made a really great thread. Long may it continue

Written down laughter always looks creepy but imagine me really laughing - that description is brilliant.

I'm wary of commenting on last week's because - as I was for once watching it on my own recorded with control of the remote - after a bit I started ffing through almost everything apart from the dances, so I don't know what the judges said and if anyone was annoying in the VTs I missed it. But fwiw:

Favourites: Mark and Iveta (always)
Favourite other than Mark: Sophie
Dance of the night: Susanna and Kevin (even if I have reservations about it, it was an event)
Best music: Susanna and Kevin
Best costumes: Susanna and Kevin
Favourite thing about Blackpool: you could feel the contestants' excitement and I like how the 'less good' dancers can have 'got to Blackpool' as a way of feeling a success.
Best pro dance this series: Iveta and Anton, even if I don't much like that violinist - sorry can't remember his name.

Least favourite thing about Blackpool: the crazy marking and the whole feeling that probably if you were there live it was much better than watching it on TV, but most of all the other dancers padding out the dances - hated them.
Least favourite celeb: nobody. They veer from the absolutely lovely to the sweet and inoffensive.
Worst music and costumes: Ashley (and I can't shake a feeling he was set up to make Susanna and Kevin look even better, which is probably what takes the shine of S&K's paso for me)
Disappointment of the night: torn between Ben and Natalie. My fault - I was expecting too much of both. I thought Ben's AS would be liftastic but a great dance for him, and all I remember is Kristina being lifted by the other dancers. And I always think I'd love it if someone did a really cool speakeasy kind of Charleston and I couldn't tell you why I didn't love it, because they danced it beautifully, but it was sort of starting and then it was over, but it was never 'there' - I can't explain what I mean.

The marking was just nuts. Almost as though it had all been decided before hand & they were ploughing on with them regardless.

I am not a conspiracy theorist really even though I am sure the judges have a certain amount of an agenda even if it's only in their own heads, but some of the scores really made no sense.

Just noticed this, and I think I'm going to have a go at naming my faves over the next couple of days.

It could be a hard ask though, because there is likely to be some bias involved.

Yes and me but it needs some thinking about & I probably don't have favs for some of the dances.

ach, sorry to see SCD and poena 'inactive', looks like a bit of targeting to me, neither of them posted anything as offensive as some, but clearly attracted a lot of negative attention

anyway, on topic, favourite dancer at the moment - susannah. anyone who can evoke the amount of bile / ire she seems to on this form is clearly doing something right. i expect she's getting a lot of projections from b streamers who were always last to be picked for netball and were rubbish at latin.

and ben. i quite like him. he seems like such a nice bloke, and he's a better dancer than some imagine. His lines are good, his footwork is competent, and he knows how to deliver a dance in terms of the partnership with kristina, which is great.

Trying to think of something positive for this week.
Favourite celeb - Abbey. She did so much better than I expected in the paso
Least favourite celeb - Susanna. Everything was so overdone.
Favourite pro - Iveta. Her choreography is brilliant and she seems to be a lovely personality as well.
Least favourite pro - Kristina. She could have done much more with Ben.
Favourite couple - Mark and Iveta. They have a lovely relationship.
Least favourite couple - Sophie and Brendan. I don't think they gel at all.
Favourite dance - Ashley and Ola's waltz. It was beautifully danced.
Judges - why didn't they start clamping down on errors weeks ago?

I found the whole thing a bit underwhelming this week to be honest, but in the spirit of this positive thread:

Favourite Celeb - Sophie and her non-sexy Rumba (and the Let's get ready to Rumba joke) - what a great role model for young girls, Miley Cyrus please take note!
Least Favourite Celeb - Susanna - I found it all a bit overwrought - as if the judges would let her go out at this stage
Favourite Pro - Iveta - she redeemed herself a bit this week with very nice choreography
Least Favourite Pro - Kristina - to be brutally honest she hasn't really done Ben any favours - it would have been interesting to see him paired with someone like Natalie Lowe who did such a great job with Audley Harrison a few series back
Favourite Couple - Ola and Ashley - there was just something about them on Saturday
Least Favourite Couple - Natalie and Artem - they are brilliant dancers, but they just seem to have no chemistry at all since her illness. Artem's smile doesn't reach his eyes which speaks volumes
Favourite Dance - a tie between Ashley and Ola's Waltz and Sophie and Brendan's Rumba
Scariest Moment - Brucie's fluff at the beginning - I was a bit worried for a minute there...

Favourite Celeb(this week)- Mark, his time is nearly up I think, but what a lovely man.

Least Favourite Celeb(this week): Difficult, I don't really want to put anyone here, and they all got a tough time from the judges so I think I'll duck this one.

Favourite Pro (this week): Iveta, for being the other half of a lovely partnership.

Least Favourite Pro (this week): Kristina, for similar reasons to Alleycat666.

Favourite Dance (this week): Ashley and Ola's waltz.

Least Favourite Dance (this week): Ben and Kristina's Charleston. Poor Ben.

Favourite Couple (this week): Susanna and Kevin - it was her least favourite dance, but gave it a good effort nonetheless, and they always seem to get on so well with each other.

Least Favourite Couple (this week): Don't have one.

Susanna & Kevin - oh dear a complete opposite from last week, but contrary to many other threads, she knew it wasn't going to be good, went for it anyway & was relieved the scores were not as bad as she feared. Their vote was tested & held up thankfully.

Ashley & Ola - perfectly acceptable waltz but we are nearly at the end o it should be. They don't light my fire but perfectly nice

Natalie & Artem - that was the most baffling Tango I have ever seen. The music was awful & there was something flee that I couldn't put my finger on. She is a great dancer but something's going wrong.

Mark & Iveta - sweet sweet man lovely lovely Iveta. Did they foxtrot. I don't care frankly. Love them to bits.

Sophie & Brendan - ooh controversial. I like Sophie but she isn't performing & it wasn't brilliant I didn't think. Also didn't like her dress either.

Ben & Kristina - lovely man but he just wanted to go home & he got his wish. It wasn't great & only Kristina & his most ardent fans could think it was.

Abbey & Aljaz - it was lovely but a bit too soft. I don't think it was the fault of the dress or the music (which has been used before for Paso) it was Abbeys dancing, she wasn't bold enough.

Patrick & Anya - I find him to be the invisible man. It was quite nice but very odd ending.

Mark was shocked to be saved. Ben was grateful to get the boot. Roll on next week

I was out gallivanting at the weekend so didn't see the show and still have not bothered to watch it. Mot sure why. Have watched 'Don't trust the b**** in apartment 23' instead, so cannot comment.

Have watched it now......no danced had the WOW factor, but they were all lovely.