Needless to say that he was dressed as Freddie Mercury throughout.

(thanks... I think!)

In no particular order, safe are...



Joining them?



But the first couple to find themselves in the bottom two are...



Safely through to week five shall be...



And next?



Which means that we're left with two couples. The final pairing avoiding the dance-off are...



So, we have our final two. They will now compete in the dance-off, where the couple with the fewest votes from the judges will be eliminated. Let's dance-off this thang once more.

He only lasted as long as Julien Macdonald, you utter, utter bullies. Ahem.

Great show as always! I got a bit scared then as I mistook Adil's name for Alvin and thought we'd lost him. Then I saw it was Adil and didn't really care anymore.

Thanks - I've nearly made that error on a number of occasions. Don't worry, Alvin's safe to Paso to Whitney Houston for another week at least.

Oh, and I've updated the main post with the recap video, if that's a thing that... err... interests anyone. I guess.

13th. Adil Ray & Janette Manrara
Total: 88
Mean: 22.0
Danced: Cha-Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, Charleston, Viennese Waltz

14th. Ann Mitchell & Kevin Clifton
Total: 52
Mean: 17.3
Danced: Waltz, Cha-Cha-Cha, Tango

15th. Sheila Ferguson & Pasha Kovalev
Total: 37
Mean: 18.5
Danced: Waltz, Salsa

Who's next, I hear you not ask?

Paso Doble
Alvin & Iveta
Chris & Katya

Rumba
Ben & Anya
Sarah-Jane & Aljaz

Samba
Dan & Gordana
Hannah & Tristan
Monica & Anton

American Smooth
Kirsty & Brendan
Suzi & Keo

Tango
Boris & Natalie
James & Kristina
Jessica & Trent

(I'm a bit too busy to do the show tonight but I'll have it up tomorrow. I'm also planning to double some shows up at the weekend to move things along, so let's see how that one goes)

Goodbye Adil. Hope Suzi does a Caroline/Kimbot and gets a very large bottom two bounce! :s

Also a rumba set in the Colleseum to Barcalona is a thing of beauty...

Chris & Katya Paso Doble to All These Things That I’ve Done (The Killers): 6+8+8+8 = 30/40
Craig: It all felt rather… posey, darling. You’re supposed to be a strong and forceful bullfighter, not a limp-wristed catwalk model, I’m afraid. I imagine other members of the panel, and some of the viewers for that matter, wouldn’t object to you taking up a modelling career on the side, but I’d hope they’d rather you do so away from the Paso Doble. It really needed to have more power coming from your core, much, much more expression in the arms – they were more like the blades on a windmill than a dominating matador, dear. That said, you moved well across the floor and you placed yourself well, just not with the conviction I would have liked. Now over to Bruno for some comments about your chest or something.

Kirsty & Brendan American Smooth to The Importance of Being Idle (Oasis): 7+8+8+8 = 31/40
Bruno: Kirsty, what a gorgeous number! Never before did I think an American Smooth could be considered sexy but voila, you just did it. I loved the slightly twisted nature of it all, I loved the stuff with the canes – is there an official name for that? Canework? Caneography? Canecraft? Why haven’t I written my own dictionary yet? Anyway, I digress. You need to shift a little to your left when you’re in hold to create a better Ballroom shape between the two of you, but that’s so small a detail that I can’t even remember why I brought it up in these comments. My main point here is that you really know how to sell a dance, Kirsty, especially in this discipline. All we need now is for your Latin to get to the same level!

Monica & Anton Samba to Theme from I Dream of Jeannie (Hugo Montenegro): 3+5+5+5 = 18/40
Len: Oh, Monica. Oh dear. Well, you know, parts of it looked like they went to plan, but a bit like your Rumba last time, I have to say that I didn’t really get much of it. Okay, I did get that you were going with the whole I Dream of Jeannie thing, but don’t even get me started on why Monica was in fancy dress as Princess Jasmine and Anton was looking like a Ukip candidate… it was just a bit odd, you know, and I’ve partially learned to expect that from Anton’s Latin over the years, but this wasn’t to my taste much at all. Too much weirdness and not enough whamba. At least I think I saw some basic steps somewhere, and they weren’t done too shabbily. From what I did see, that is…

Ben & Anya Rumba to Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran): 5+8+7+7 = 27/40
Darcey: My, my, I feel as if my heart just skipped a beat! What a romantic Rumba, Ben, really. I think any woman would be lucky to unwrap you for Valentine’s Day, and I’m just saying that I’d put myself right at the front of the queue after that dance. Oh, stop it, don’t be so rude, I didn’t intend it to sound like that! I’m blushing here, honestly. But you do look beautiful in that shirt. I’m melting over here. I have no idea what Craig was watching, of course it wasn’t stiff! No part of that was. It was fluid, like butter in a pan, like chocolate over a fire, dripping down, all hot and… oh, it’s only an analogy, do get over yourselves. What I mean to say is that you could sweep me off my feet when my legs don’t work like they used to before any day of the week.

Hannah & Tristan Samba to Dirrty (Christina Aguilera): 8+8+8+8 = 32/40
Bruno: Dirty filthy Hannah strikes again, and I tell you something, that was one hundred percent my kind of Samba! Hot, hot, hot and spicier than any curry. I’m getting hungry now, don’t tempt me. The technique was so tight, so on point, and that’s what’s really special about you as a dancer. You go for it perhaps more than anyone, and so far, so good, because those risks that you take have all paid off up to now. And I tell you what, if you continue on down this path, I can just see them paying off again and again. Oh, and one more thing, once you’re finished with that dress, I think Craig might like it for his... work outside of Strictly. I’m sure there’s a spare weave knocking about backstage as well.

Boris & Natalie Tango to Kiss of Fire (Georgia Gibbs): 7+7+7+7 = 28/40
Bruno: Boris, that was a passionate, fiery kiss of a Tango, and I’ll be the first to tell you that it certainly left one hell of a bite! You really took our advice from last week and ran with it, and if there was any dance to apply everything that we’d told you and to really go out there and kick some butt with, the Tango would be it. Okay, there are a few small issues that you still need to iron out, mainly relating to the consistency (or lack thereof) where your posture is concerned, but it’s a definite step forwards for you. Last week’s Salsa was – well, it’s fair to say a bit of a dance disaster, I think, but as long as you’ve got Katya to push you the right way when you need her to, you’re as safe as houses.

Suzi & Keo American Smooth to Jimmy Mack (Martha & the Vandellas): 8+8+8+8 = 32/40
Darcey: 1960s girl group glamour personified is possibly the only way that I could describe that dance, Suzi! Gorgeous, just so gorgeous. You totally used your arms to your advantage, they were pretty much reaching all the way to China. Oh, and the lifts, the lifts! It really was as if you were completely weightless, Suzi, there wasn’t an ounce or a hint of struggle there. That’s the sign of a true professional, I’ve got to say. I did see you begin to slow down a little towards the end and you began to get just a tad hesitant, I’m aware it was probably in the run-up to the that last bold lift though so I’ll let you off the case there. Wonderful, anyway, just wonderful, and it’s a better way than any to come back from being in the bottom two.

Dan & Gordana Samba to Say Hey (I Love You) (Michael Franti & Spearhead): 8+9+9+9 = 35/40
Craig: Call it a clichéd comment, but hey, I loved that Samba, darling. Well, as much as I can loved one with pigeon-toed feet, that is… no, I’m kidding, I am, that was absolutely brilliant, Dan. You worked in absolute unison all the way through, and doing so made it seem as if you were travelling as if you were one, dancing as if you were one entity, and for me that just helped the whole thing seem that bit more compact, that bit more slick, that bit more professional. And you did look like a professional, that could have been danced by any one of our boys and that’s no word of a lie, I promise you. Do try to crack that smile of yours a little more next time, if I have to criticise you for anything. I must say that find it rather cute, darling.

Sarah-Jane & Aljaz Rumba to Jealous (Labrinth): 8+7+8+8 = 31/40
Len: Oh, I’m jealous of Aljaz on this one, I’m telling you, girl? Who was it out there tonight that I saw, was it Sarah-Jane Crawford or was it Cindy Crawford? Listen up, there was great amount of hip action and a great set of legs to go with it, long, flowing arms, a titillating connection between the two of you - regally Rumba-tastic, that’s for sure! Parts of it were nearing the border between Rumba and Contemporary dance, which I understand because you had a story that you wanted to convey and whatnot, which is absolutely fine, just as long as you make sure that it doesn’t get in the way of the good, proper content. And tonight, no, of course it didn’t. You did a marvellous job.

James & Kristina Tango to (I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone (The Monkees): 4+6+6+5 = 21/40
Darcey: I can tell that you’ve been working hard this week, much harder than usual, so first of all I must commend you on that. And it shows, yeah, James, it does show in your dancing. The faults are still there, I’ll admit, and you reminded me of a stompy toddler having a particularly rowdy session on the odd occasion, and there was some gapping between the two of you, yes, there were all of those things and I can’t ignore them as much as I might like to. But the amount of content that was in there has increased dramatically from the past couple of weeks, that is so noticeable. I’m really glad that you’re trying now, James, because if you carry on like this then I can see your scores going up, up and up.

Alvin & Iveta Paso Doble to Queen of the Night (Whitney Houston): 6+7+6+7 = 26/40
Craig: What a strange Paso Doble. It’s been that kind of night, hasn’t it, darling? Never in a blue moon did I think that I’d be sat here watching a macho, moody Latin dance to arguably one of the campest Whitney Houston songs – whether that can possibly be a thing or not, I’ll leave you to decide. No, I suppose it wasn’t bad, but it was so unique that I’m not quite sure how to judge it. Iveta in that pleather… combination, and then you looking as if you’ve just come off the set of a decidedly dodgy Matrix re-boot, and then you began to dance these chasse capes and promenade walks, and I still can’t quite tell whether my eyes or my brain are hurting more afterwards. Did I mention that I did quite like it, dear? Now wouldn’t be a bad time to do so, I guess…

Jessica & Trent Tango to Easy Lover (Phil Collins & Philip Bailey): 8+9+9+9 = 35/40
Len: Tutti frutti, what a beauty! That Tango just blew the rest of your competition right out of the water, Jessica, I can promise you that. It wasn’t the most traditional song choices, and I would rarely wish to associate with Phil Collins with much anyway, let alone a dramatic Tango – our Phil ain’t really the type – but somehow it worked and by jove, did it work! Dramatic flicks of the head, sensual glances at one another, that flicky leg thing that I like, it was all in there and you didn’t hold back one bit. Tonight’s been an odd night as Craig here pointed out, but between you and Dan… fine, and Monica, why not… it was a night to remember.

Week 5: Recap Video

Leaderboard

Results later tonight.

Absolutely love the songs for Chris and Kirsty.

The others' were good too, but I don't think anything will match the heights of 'Barcelona'.

Thanks. You'll love next week's group Barcelona-Off if that's the case.

In no particular order, safe are...



Joining them?



But the first couple to find themselves in the bottom two are...



Safely through to week six shall be...



And next?



Which means that we're left with two couples. The final pairing avoiding the dance-off are...



So, we have our final two. They will now compete in the dance-off, where the couple with the fewest votes from the judges will be eliminated. Let's dance-off this thang once more. Again.

Well, the dream dies here! </3

I'd be really chuffed if Sarah-Jane actually bows out in a few weeks.

I hope Sarah Jane does better next week.

I would have voted if I had time, I had relatives over to celebrate my birthday so I couldn't vote.

I will try next time.

Sorry, Danny (and James, I suppose!), I don't think there were many more directions to go in after a Italian Rumba to a song about Spain sung by a Tanzanian-born Englishman. At least she did better than Gregg. Sort of.


Sorry, I should have made it clearer - I wrote up much of the series in advance and partly so I could post it in a short amount of time (which hasn't exactly worked...), so there won't be public voting until the quarter finals. Anyway, don't worry about it.

I actually, properly, certainly was about to post a show last night, but my laptop thought it'd be a nice time to die, so I'll have to wait and see if I can transfer the file I've got it all on to this new laptop. So if not tonight, I should theoretically get James May's Salsa with you by tomorrow, don't you worry.

I'm assuming that's what caused the aforementioned death.

It's THAT hot!!??!?!

Frazzled by Jimmy's shimmy.

Bump :P

Come on Jessica and Sarah Jane!

I think I'll just leave this here for a bit...

(but seriously, I aim to get the stuff sorted as soon as possible, it just doesn't really want to work at the moment. At this rate, I'll be posting four shows a day...)