Did you confess??

I'm beginning to wonder whether there's something in Ed's contract that prepares him for Craig pulling villain faces, groaning, and undermarking him ridiculously without even saying why?

And not that they'd listen to me, but could they make it a rule that judges are only allowed to express their opinion after they've given some kind of critique and advice? (This goes particularly for Craig and Darcey, but Len occasionally, too. Bruno on the whole tends to say what he thought was wonderful or terrible.) I thought Ed was on time, dances well with Katya (rather than alongside her), did some good lifts and on the whole did a reasonable dance. Yes, a funny one, but even maintaining that degree of funny by dancing and while staying on time (rather than by falling over or whatever) requires a fair amoung of skill and poise. (And more musicality and readiness to laugh at himself than exhibited for instance by Greg, who does a job that is given to him.)

I loved Danny and Oti (what a surprise and what legs...) but have no thoughts on the rest, really.
Which is a measure of this series, in a way. But your slug and bird and cat stories have cheered me up considerably

Oh, and thank you to sofakat for another beautiful AT video. Can you just keep posting links to beautiful dances, please?

Would you??? lol
I told Jasper (the cat) to go round there straight away and apologize. lol

Hello all *mwah*

After spending Friday night and early Saturday morning in very close hold with a toilet bowl in moves that make The Exorcist look like a teenage girl discovering the Snapchat rainbow vomit embellishment feature for the first time and going a little overboard with it, I decided to miss out on the thread yesterday. Did watch the show though and it might have been the meds but I really liked just about everyone.

Can I first give credit to Katya? Even more than Kristina with John Sergeant, she knows just how to choreograph to her Komedy Kontestants strengths. There was recognisable Salsa in there in just the right amount. Ed is the worst dancer there but so far I'm still appreciating him being there if it means more clever Katya choreo. Think it'll be another week or so before the joke runs out but last night I enjoyed them.

Loved the Danny and Oti AT as a marvellous showpiece. Music jarred and dictated the speed but they dealt with that phenomally. Greg and Nat had a similarly fast pace Paso and he gave it a good try whilst Nat fiercely wafted that bag lady dress. To my surprise I really liked Ore and J'wann too, probably their best dance for me (yes, more than THAT *drink* Jive). PoorLouise seemed to enjoy herself too in her dance and it showed. Yes it wasn't the full out pizazz that Kellie brought in her AS last year but good effort for her standards.

Daisy danced to one of my fav 90's songs of all-time and I adored the choreo to that. Great touches of the video in there and a fun performance. She really is the most likeable person there, isn't she (Oksana?) Rinder foxtrot and Cloudia VW were both a bit saccharine for me and very forgetful. He might want to watch his speechifying a bit or he'll land in Greyson/PDuh territory for me and she is probably my most forgettable celeb this year. In the recap I had already forgotten her dance and only two dances had passed since.

Re the wildlife stories: I once had a bat in my house. Thought it was a leaf from a tree first but then it slowly moved... He or she didn't fly so I managed to catch it with a dustpan and brush and set it free outside. I imagine it lived a long and fruitful life after that and not be caught by a neighborhood cat or anything. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Your bat will have been predated fairly quickly. Once they are grounded they need to warm up and feed and have a boost to get into the air again.

😂😂😂

My cats dragged a dead pigeon up onto the garage roof and through the landing window. Also they like to bring mice back alive and then immediately get bored let them go IN MY HOUSE!!! And wander off for a sleep. Oh and last week it was a squirrel, I'm hoping the squirrel was scavenged (do cats scavenge?) as otherwise my cat is a brilliant hunter especially as he wears a bell to protect the wildlife and needless to say we don't have a cat flap for just the reason that we like to "check their pockets" before we admit them.

I've had cats like that in the past. The worst culprit was an awesome hunter - mice, voles, birds of various sizes - we had the lot loose in the house on a regular basis for nearly 19 years. When she died she was replaced by a golden retriever puppy and a semi-feral kitten. The kitten grew into a mighty hunter, but the dog used to take all his toys off him and chew them up so he learned not to bring his prey into the house. He gave some wonderful displays of mouse juggling in the garden (with the dog watching through a window and whining because I wouldn't let him out to join in) though.

I ask because I was nearly in a similar situation. I lived in a very small community on the west coast of Scotland. My neighbour, an obnoxious individual, had cats that were continually trying to climb into my cottage if I left the windows open even the teeniest crack. I have a greyhound with a very strong prey drive. You can imagine what the outcome would have been. And there were a number of near misses. . I spent much time imagining having to creep out to the bin in the dead of night with a maimed feline body, and wondering if I would have had the brass neck to own up to it. The greyhound and I would probably have been lynched....😯 😯😯😯😯. 😂😂😂😂

Stayed with a friend who lived on a small holding. They managed to hang on to the chickens, but the Jack Russell was a brilliant hunter and caught a cat whilst I was there, kindly sharing the kill with the Labrador.

A colleague has a cat with LD, whose ambition is far greater than his ability, so he often gets into scrapes, including falling in the bath.

My border collie just looks bemused by what the cats get up to. He does try and herd the mice they abandon though. 😂

My cat loves to bring back his catches. One summer day, I was hanging out the laundry when I spotted him trotting across the garden with a rabbit. I wasn't quick enough and he got to the open back door before me. He then promptly dropped the (live) rabbit in the kitchen, in front of our aged Staffie... Cue ridiculous scenes of dog and cat chasing rabbit round kitchen while I tried to catch the stupid thing. When I finally got it, it was missing a few patches of fur! I carried it across the garden and put it back in the hedge. The rabbit clearly had a death wish as 5 minutes later it decided to hop across the garden...

Wanders in here to find the thread in full on pet mode, not that I mind.

But is there so little to unappreciate this week ?

I'll start Cloudier never having height in her hair where as AJ goes for the show record.

Whoever thought Loizzze could do Fosse, a mismatch from the beginning.Also a stage school kid saying she feels foolish having to get into character.

Ore and Jo dancing a decent rumba as if they had just been informed that one of them had an infectious disease. That really is a non relationship those two have going there.

Rinder and his face getting all the face criticism allowing Greg to pull those faces every week. Poor Nat he tries so hard, but I think he has reached his natural top level and now each dance is about trying hard. Whereas JR IS improving and still is nit picked over his face.

Daisy and Aliaz having pissed off wardrobe it's her legs and lovely personality doing it, but though that was fun I think she us going to be bottom 2 fodder tonight.

I find I have little to complain about with Ed and Danny except the judges comments. Don't give them frantic music and complain about them being frantic


Returning to slugs do you know they have teeth ? Rows and rows of them like a shark.
Your welcome, get that thought out of your head somehow😀

Thank you. That's an image to haunt my nightmares. 😱.

Louise's mimsiness is beyond the pale now. Everything is uttered in a monotone, with no change of inflections, with the same slightly coy smile. Get some frigging character woman!!!!

I also share your unappreciation of the Jore relationship, and Ore's constant admonishment that they are best mates. I note that Jo never reciprocates...

Er, thanks for that slug fact

Love all the pet stories
My boy as a kid was the local Ripper. Regularly came home wet from a bucket of water with a closed eye and a swagger. Was barred from one vets because he leapt on him during the annual vaccination and made him bleed.*
Until mum decided one bad winter that if he was stopping out all night, he could have a bed in the shed. With a hot water bottle. He was never the same after that.

* we'd taken him in the car. We didn't have a proper carrier so he was in mum's shopping bag. He escaped through the zip and proceeded to run round the car like it was a wall of death with my dad batting him off as he zoomed by and me sliding about on the back seat, wearing thick gloves, trying to catch him (days before sets belts).. we were all exhausted after that one.

So basically, watch your back and don't let one catch up with you, it may bite your leg off

Jo looks like she is recalling the number of that really nice locksmith that James gave her.

I don't dislike Louise - because there is nothing to dislike. Everything about her is nice and everything she does is competent. She is Brown Owl.

I don't think she'd know pizzazz if it stood in front of her waving jazz hands, blowing a whistle with feathers on its bum. How can an Italia Conti be so lack lustre Fosse?

A hot water bottle. How very civilised.. I hope he insisted on the shed being rewired to accommodate the need for an electric blanket.

We used to have a pugnacious Westie who would disappear for days on end. Just as we were all mourning his untimely end, he would swagger through the back door caked in filth, having been terrorising the local rabbit population in their own homes.

If my cat (the one who lived to 19) were still here she'd doff her hat to your Ripper. She never quite managed that, but when she was neutered she did manage to pull at her stitches, resulting in swelling around the wound.* This necessitated several trips back to the vet for him to draw off the fluid. On one occasion she had me, the OH, his sister and the vet's free hand trying to hold onto her while the vet yelled "Hold her down! Hold her down!"

*She wedged herself in the airing cupboard, at the back of the boiler, and clawed chunks out my mne and the OH's hands as we tried to stop her.

Pet stories reaching Three Men in a Boat level Brilliant. (What dull cats I have )

I did appreciate Danny mouthing 'Nice one, Tess' after her groansome intro to his dance...that's the spirit.

But I unappreciate the judges saying how Kevin was showing off Louise and not outdancing her!
I noticed that when AJ did lots of fiddly footwork, so did Claudia; when Oksana made lots of little steps, so did Rob; and Danny and Oti moved their legs amazingly anyway - and then during TTF and Louise's dance I saw him doing lots of little fiddly steps occasionally while she was just swaying around beautifully. Ok, I'm not an expert, and I do know of course that sometimes the choreography does this for effect etc. - but I found it very noticeable.

I think she thought one of my black magic sacrifices had escaped.

Only surpassed by the rat they brought in to play with. It was ushered out of the front door with a broom, guess who was walking up the road at the time.

My favourite ever Facebook page is Batzilla the bat Denise has dedicated to her life to rehabilitating Australian giant fruit bats. I had no idea they were so beautiful and valuable to the ecosystem, or so threatened . A fair chunk of my charity budget goes her way.

I was somewhat confused during Ore and Joanne's Rumba, that he had obviously been schooled not to smile, and she was grinning her head off.

Yes TToad - Sol Cerquidas and Fernando Garcia are internationally known as two of the finest AT dancers. She's one of my absolute favourites, alongside the great Geraldine Rojas and Alejandra Mantinian. They are both utterly different, but both incredible to watch. Alejandra is also a fantastic teacher: she always cracks me up and has a wicked sense of humour.

I'm saving my rant for the next AT. I cannot imagine Greg doing one and I can't see Joanne managing to pull it off either. Let's wait and see!

Ed, maybe?

The story of the vet, jumping up and down with blood pouring from wounds yelling 'catch the little bleeder' while said bleeder sat under table licking a paw has passed into family folklore