I think she'll be just jiggling in the background, like what Erin did when Austin 'pimped' himself in front of the judges in the jive (BTW, I liked that solo number Austin did, I thought that was cheeky).


Yeah, James' cape action was so masterful. Nothing wrong with the cape. Yes, it's NOT for actual ballroom dancing competition, but Tom's not setting precedent in this, so...? I still think it's his perverted way of saying Tom's such a good dancer he'll be able to create the Paso mood without the cape. However, I do think Len's just being unreasonable in this season. Maybe he's suffering from piles.

I'm suffering from Len.

Tom isn't the only one to do it so I don't know why he had to make an issue of it. It's not like he had the flipping cape going for the whole 90 seconds.

It's within the rules I should think
These little things "extras" to help the celeb along (Ola getting Kenny in a kilt/Brendan allowing Kelly to use the cape/Erin buying an inflatable doll for Colin etc....all seem to go down better with the gbp than the judges.

Methinks Len will yet again be left seething with C & T, unless he's very good indeed But, it still takes the tradition away from the dance which Len won't like and as they haven't made it to the freestyle dance in the final yet, they are treading dodgy ground really. Good luck to them though

totally agree. I mean if he does that and no-one mentions the tap dance video he did then it will be like the elephant in the room because it's all over both forums. I just don't see how the video wouldn't be mentioned

I dunno just seems a slightly odd thing to do

Don't forget Tom is under 'the curse of Camilla' and is thus fated to make it no further than the semis - so he might as well get his kicks while he can

I would have thought that Camilla has the best chance to get into the finals this time. But she must not be too provocative to Len. After all last year, it seemed Len was very for Gethin, then when he's in the bottom two, Matt was picked over him.

Perhaps Camilla felt it's useless trying to please Len any more. Just get the public votes to allow them to stay far far away from the dance off, thus all these 'tricks and gimmicks'.

Then again, Billy Elliot, it's a tap-dance musical, so maybe, just maybe Camilla's trying to keep to the story of the music. And since Tom's a self-thought expert in tap dancing, why not?

how do you know he's self taught?

Just watched that YouTube of Tom's tap and two things struck me:

1) He's not actually a very good tap dancer
2) He didn't look at all smug while he was doing it

Hopefully 2) will cancel out the negative effect of 1) - but as his tap's only mediocre, I can't see it being a particularly good idea to include it if it won't dazzle the judges.

And while I can see what you're saying, my point is that Tom will only survive as far as the semis, after which there'll be three people the judges would rather keep than him and Camilla

self-thought, wasn't it?

He looked like he wasn't self-taught, but he didn't look very good - which seemed to be SCD-Observer's point, that he thinks he's better than he is

He said so many times, in ITT twice, I believe.

Of course you can call me a fool for believing him, but then again, the jury is still out there: i.e. whether the audience is going to like it or not.

If he danced a passable (but not brilliant) tap in the routine, then audience might not be 'moved' to vote for him, and if Len rubbished it, he might end up in the bottom two instead. Camilla is taking a gamble here, I am afraid.

Hmm, did you read my mind? Or maybe we were twins separated from birth?

1) Really? I only watched the first half before I couldn't stand any more of the drum kicking, but it looked very very competant to my non-dancer's eye. I think by the standards of the SCD celebs, with the swirly cameras so you don't see much of his feet anyway, it will look very good.
2) You're right, he isn't doing the face!! He looks like himself. If he can not pull the 'face' on Saturday, that will be the break-through for him.

Personally I think Tom is a cert for the final, especially if we manage to have a three person final this year. I doubt he'll need the judges. I don't like him but it will be nice for Camilla to break her curse.

Question to the dancers - so this presumably means he will have to do his whole QS in tap shoes? Will that sound strange?

Actually I think Len is a fan of Tom and is why he had a go about using the cape!

I think Len's point is that Tom is capable of a good standard of dancing and shouldn't need to resort to using a prop like the cape as a filler (which I understand is not used in competition Paso Doble, just in show dances).

And I agree Len has made it clear before he's not keen on celebs using the cape (especially when Kelly decided to have a go!), because it is 'not Strictly Ballroom' (waited ages to be able to use that phrase and you have to read it with an Aussie accent! ).

Ooh, good point. I imagine the better option would be for Tom to do the tap, but not actually in tipped shoes, rather than clunk his way through the rest of the QS in taps.

Have been watching rumbas on you tube (a bit strange for someone who finds them a bit uncomfortable to watch, but I digress) and came across Camilla's rumba with Roger Black from series 2.

Since am not a fan of either hadn't watched since it was aired live. Anyway in it she did a thing with her dress that turned it from black to red.

Jugdes hated it and the dance, unfortunately it didn't work with the public either as they were knocked out. She knows the judges don't like gimmicks (especailly the ever increasingly grumpy Len) and as the competion hots up when the celebs resort to them IMO it just comes across as a bit desperate.

That said I did love Kenny's kilt and thought that out of all the props a cape in the paso is the most appropriate. Thought Tom did a great job, despite his face.

can sooo hear that bit from the film in my head now!

I dunno - I thought Len was a bit unnecessarily rude about Tom's VW the week before, and I get the feeling he wants him to fail, gimmicks or no gimmicks. He doesn't comment when the pros use the cape, so why have a go when the celebs do it (as long as it's done reasonably competently a la Tom)?

I thought Len praised Tom for his 'reverse spin' (?) in the Paso, saying "the best a male celeb has done" or something to that effect?

I am assuming he's referring to the jumping sequence that up till Tom, I thought Mark Ramp did a fantastic job. Tom, in my opinion, his Paso face aside, did an arguably better 'jump' than even Ramps (Colin tried it but it was too 'balletic'!) did.

It's one of my husband's favourite catchphrases!

Len is definitely grumpy at the moment full stop!

I was surprised at his comment to Tom because Tom was okay with the cape, but then again he's been grumpy at so many celebs this year and yet still gives them good marks - he needs a long rest I reckon.

Yeah, Len should take a LOOOOOONG rest and not come back.

I dunno - I didn't like Tom's cape work myself - especially not the behind the back and the magician bits along the arm - I'm not biased against Tom (well as much as any Austin fan can be - I liked his AS and VW but then if Len - not my favourite person saw foot faults I'm inclined to believe him) or cape work in general - I liked Ramp's and James Martin's. I can see what's good about Tom's paso but the bad bits still put me right off it. That said I think Len can be wildly biased in favour of blokes who "dance like blokes".

Just saw his comments on 'airy fairy Colin' from Darren's rhumba clip. Gosh, I still don't see Darren's appeal? He's so full of himself? Like Gaz in Two Pints!

I just think that Tom and Camilla are taking real risks where they don't need to. This is how Camilla blows it every year, she doesn't seem to get what is good choreography and what's not and where it's acceptable to take risks and where it's not. She seems to think "ooh, he's good at that" whether it suits the dance or not and then sticks it everywhere and so it makes her celeb look like a one trick pony, how many knee slides did Gethin do last year? But that might be just me as she is probably my least favourite pro.

The judges could completely rip into them, especially Len, he hates you doing what he sees as peripheral stuff that stops you doing the actual dance.

I could understand them doing it for the show dance, but I don't see how the tap dance is going to help them get to the top of the leaderboard when there is more of a chance of it becoming a car crash of opinions.

Wouldn't it also have been more natural to put the tap dance in the American Smooth, I don't get what it has to do with the Quickstep, but I'm the first to admit I know nothing?!

Tbh I think the only way that either Tom or Austin might miss out on the final is if there's an injury to either of them or they're in the dance-off together...Which is not going to happen They're both the strongest dancers imo

As for Len, I actually disregard him these days...He's either stupidly generous or in a bad mood, or talking over someone else and staring down his nose like Sam Eagle from the muppet show I'm much more interested in Craigs view

Just for the sake of argument, actually Alesha and Matt did some tap-inspired sequence in her QS-flavoured AS last year. So, if the music calls for it, then go for it, I think.

BUT, if Camilla thinks she can get away with Tom breaking into a tap dance sequence in the MIDDLE of the routine, she might as well hand Len the shotgun now and save the trouble.

Also, I think, whether self-thought or not, Camilla may fine-tune Tom's tapping skills and if keeping in line with the music, it might, JUST MIGHT, work.

That's what I said! Wouldn't it be more natural to put it in the AS?