Walker reiterated his argument that Strictly is meant to be for people who haven’t danced before. That split was reflected in bizarre scores: just a 4 from Revel Horwood, up to 8s from Ballas and Mabuse and a 9 from Du Beke. Only Revel Horwood was unmoved: he bemoaned the lack of style in the number, which needed much more swing and sway. Mabuse praised Walker’s concentration on getting everything right, while Du Beke said he went from Dan the man to Dan the dancer. Ballas delighted in his journey from beginner to tails and a cane in this Fred and Ginger-styled American smooth (with a pit stop at jiving lobster), saying that he represented all the men out there who can’t dance. In contrast, it was surprisingly smooth sailing for Dan Walker. The presenter was dancing to Game of Survival – let’s hope this season-long frontrunner isn’t stuck battling for her Strictly life in the dance-off. We’ve seen better from Odudu, but their scores still seemed disproportionately harsh for what was a passionate and action-packed routine: just a 6 from Revel Horwood.
Motsi Mabuse said this wasn’t a good dance for Odudu, while Du Beke thought it was too stiff. Revel Horwood was deeply disappointed with her paso doble, which he felt lacked that all-important Spanish line. She’s been a favourite with the judges for weeks, but this was a shockingly tough night for Odudu. At this tough stage of the competition, that might not be enough. But it was just 29 for her quickstep, with the highest an 8 from Du Beke. The strongest element of the routine was the Charleston Ramsay previously scored well with that dance. While all thought her frame had improved, Anton Du Beke still wants her position in hold to be further to the left, while Shirley Ballas and Craig Revel Horwood felt her erratic footwork led to some heavy moments. Her family surprised her in rehearsal to celebrate her 20 th birthday, and dad Gordon was in the studio too – perhaps hoping to intimidate the judges into submission.īut he won’t have been too pleased with their mixed comments for Ramsay’s quickstep. It was a week of mixed fortunes for Ramsay, who was hoping to avoid a second trip to the dance-off. Are we in for a shock elimination? Or will viewers upend it all with their votes? Join us for the results show at 7:20pm on Sunday night on BBC One to find out. It leaves us with a bizarre leaderboard: Odudu, usually atop it, is dead last, with Walker and Ramsay just above her. Dan Walker, who is generally more people’s champion than teacher’s pet, received a 9 from Anton Du Beke for his middling American smooth - although that was countered by Craig Revel Horwood’s 4. It’s not unusual for the panel to get strict in the latter stages but it wasn’t consistently applied in fact, the first two dances were much more harshly judged than everything else. Rhys Stephenson also had a great night, just beating Ayling-Ellis to the top of the leaderboard with a perfect 40 for his Charleston.Įlsewhere, some celebrities experienced a dramatic fall from grace, with former favourites AJ Odudu, Tilly Ramsay and Tom Fletcher all receiving tough critiques - and scores - from the judges. It created an unforgettable moment: one that will certainly come to define this season. Watching our first deaf contestant negotiate Strictly has been absolutely fascinating, but this week Rose Ayling-Ellis gave viewers special, and extremely moving, insight into her experience, while also stressing the joyfulness of her world in an upbeat Couple’s Choice.