Welcome to a new series of SCD 5 Thoughts. I am hoping to the enjoy the whole series this year unlike last year where I had no internet or TV throughout November!

The purpose of this thread is to post your five initial thoughts of each weeks show either after the Sat or Sun show - not both. Thoughts should be posted as one post.

For this week only up to 10 Thoughts will be allowed across the two nights (i.e. you can post twice - 5 for both nights) or just wait until after tomorrow's show to post up to 10.

Thanks to all those in past years who have contributed to these threads and made them an enjoyable read with interesting insight.

Here's to another great year of SCD/5 Thoughts.

1) This was the first ever time there hasn't been either a Waltz or Cha-Cha-Cha (or both) as the first two dances of the series. Yes, I notice things like that. I apologise in advance.
2) It wouldn't be Strictly without bizarre scoring...
3) ...or ridiculous theming. Thankfully it seemed to get less ridiculous as the night went on, if you ignore the first ten seconds or so of Anita's dance. Shudder (Pasha riding down on a thunder cloud doesn't count as ridiculous because, well, it's Pasha riding down on a thundercloud).
4) Probably would have been better to say hello to Gleb's wife before the entire female population of Great Britain had coated him in their knickers, Claude.
5) All in all, a good start to the series.

1) Loved the excitement and buzz from the audience at the start of the show and there seems to be a great vibe between the pros and celebs.
2) Nothing higher than three 7s should be given in the first week - thought Helen stumbled a lot so didn't understand her 8?!
3) Daniel and Anita were the most enjoyable and surprising - think both will outstay Carol which I didn't consider happening.
4) I wonder if Van Outen and Jordan were seething at their Week 1 song being re-used - incidentally I watched it a few hours ago to reminise.
5) How is Anthony going to do any of the ballroom if his arm doesn't improve drastically? I think he will be eliminated by Halloween or will withdraw.

1 - Anthony was a bit under marked in my opinion, Oti is great
2 -The weather puns with Carol are already too much
3 - Anita was great like I thought she would be
4 - Danny Dyer sitting uncomfortably in the audience will be great
5 - Looking forward to tomorrow but 6:15 PM is a bit early now?
And just for the hell of it
6 -Claudia is still great

1. Tess is useless.
2. The judges are useless.
3. The audience are brain dead and useless.
4. Anthony's arm is useless.
5. Carol is useless.

Forgive me as I still do not know all of their names.

1. Aljaz and his partner, I had a feeling of his and Abbeys waltz, their first dance. Will it be a good omen for them?

2. Anita had a lot of heel leads in her cha cha, not one judge mentioned it, I think it's pretty important to know going forwards, she has potential.

3. Daniel doesn't appear a a real person to me, more an animated maniquin.

4. No way would any pro chose to do a tango to the kinks, one of the worst song choices for me ever. I thought she was doing a jive when she walked out.

5. Helen was a little stumbling for me, even though I think she has amazing potential to be in the final at least.

1) Love Anthony and Oti's partnership
2) Daniel was sweet but will struggle with latin
3) wish they'd call her Trixie instead of Helen. She looked beautiful in a porcelain doll kind of way
4) still don't like Kevin, him and his sister seem fame hungry to me
5) Love carol's smile, hope she gets to stay a bit as she's enjoying herself

1. Tess gets worse and worse.
2. Anthony is nice eye candy but shouldn't be on the show with his injury. It isn't fair to Oti.
3. I thought I might like Kellie but she's irritating me already.
4. Helen was my favourite.
5. Welcome back, Strictly!

1 Tess & Claudia are still wonderful together
2 Helen, Kellie, Anita were lovely; best of the night
3 Bless Carol, she's one of my favourites regardless
4 The men for me, were a little bland; I'm loving Oti's partnership with Anthony though
5 The choreography from Gleb for me was a little too posey

1. It's back !! Yeah !!

2. Really enjoyed Anita and changed my opinion of Gleb, thought he was far nicer tonight, a smile or two works wonders

3. Tess and Claudia seem really relaxed and comfortable with the partnership now

4. Not sure about some of the singing ? or the music not matching the dances - but then, nothing new there

5. Can't wait for tomorrow

An extra #6 - there was a little too much partner-floor-mopping tonight in the Waltzes, wasn't there?

1. Good re-use of props - we had Scott's door, Matt's straw bales and Dani's telephone box
2. War Drobe in half-decent outfits shock!
3. Get your Pasha fix now, he's not going to be around for long.
4. Judges scoring is still bizarre (Daniel as good as Helen? Yes Len, of course)
5. Someone needs to FF when Daniel is on to get him up to normal speed

The waltz was reused when Denise did it, Ramps and Karen had done a waltz to it before them too.

Nice to know you're enjoying it

1. Gleb loves himself too much. He is good looking but hardly looked at Anita.

2. I think Daniel's had some work done on his face. It's like a mask.

3. Loved Helen's waltz.

4. Anthony and Otie are lovely together.

5. Carol is sweet but ..................

Oh no Kevins back hogging the camera and his sister was there lurking in the pit otherwise really enjoyed tonight's show.
Just one more comment Hello Gleb....what a super dancer made my night

Didn't Susanna open the series with her Jive?

It was Ashley and Ola's hippity hoppity Cha-Cha that year (and Series 7 opened with a Tango, but that was followed by a Waltz).

It is odd that she appears at the end of the opening title sequence and as you say looks to be staying lurking around in the pit for the series?

1) A good mix of talent, so the show didn't fall flat, rather than having all the gems at the end.

2) Carol might yet do some nice Ballroom, but... not Latin.

3) Kellie's Tango gets a 8/10 for technique, a 6/10 for performance, and a 0/10 for music, styling, and theme.

4) The Waltzes were both... nice, in different ways. Helen was beautiful from the knees up, Daniel from the knees down. No, seriously, Daniel killed Helen stone dead in the footwork department; he just did it while looking like he was made of Babybel.

5) Bookmakers will have a tense, sleepless night, thinking of all the bets laid on Anita Rani winning at astronomical odds...

No Ashley and Ola did with Cha Cha, Suzanna was 4th according to Wiki

1. I'd be surprised to see Kellie in the final, honestly. As I've already said I think they've made a mistake in giving Kevin a third good partner in a row and he needed a quieter series this year and I don't think he'll bring out the best in her personality-wise.
2. I also thought their Tango was rubbish as a concept, awful music and lacked drama.
3. Anthony was rubbish.
4. Helen and Anita are lovely.
5. Interested to see how the relative lack of duffers this year affects the public vote, as I'd expect them to see Carol to safety more than once.

1. Why oh why! does Kevin always have to theme every dance in the 50's or 60's (remember last year with Frankie)?

2. Kellie is good but the theme/song was so so wrong for a tango. Shame!

3. Helen's waltz very dreamy and lovely, not sure how she will cope with latin though.

4. Wardrobe being kind to everyone so far, some lovely dresses tonight.

5. Carol, oh dear!

1 - All the theming and random 60s bopping in Kellie's tango was.... odd. Like, I know Kevin really likes his 50s/60s vintage choreo, but yeesh, put it away occasionally.
2 - I was screaming my head off in Carol's dance (especially Pasha descending like Zeus on a thundercloud).
3 - Helen's dance was stunning, and she's such a nervy delight. I think she could be one of my favourite contestants ever at this rate. Although I don't think this whole 'being a ballet ringer just makes it harder, I promise, turned feet turned feet turned feet' is that viable a strategy.
4 - Anthony was pumping his fist straight from his crotch at one point in that dance (I can't decide if it was intentional or not)
5 - Daniel really reminds me of a cross between the Godfather (that immovable face) and one of the Magdalene Sisters.

Agree wholeheartedly; Kellie would've been top of the leaderboard with a proper Tango song.

This week also cemented my opinion on Kevin; he's not actually that good a choreographer. He relies too much on themes, even in non-theme weeks. The technique and content's there, I don't doubt that, but it all gets lost.