Angela’s Ashes
The curious treatment of Angela S continued last Saturday. Denied the pimp slot once more, she ended up enduring the wrath of Craig for ‘unforgivable gapping’, before Layton stole the show with his pro-level, 39-scoring AT.
It felt like ‘unnecessary roughness’ from Craig, to coin an NFL phrase, his harsh assessment leading the way and pouring cold water over things. All Angela S’s strongest routines across the series – Charleston, paso and waltz – have been thoroughly muted. Is that by accident or design?
For those holding Angela S green, there is still some legitimate straw-clutching to be done because after Craig’s mauling there was Motsi saying she thought it was her best dance of the series. Shirley then said it was some of the best footwork for a waltz she has ever seen, adding ‘you are on a great track’. And this theme was followed up by Anton who was keen to highlight her gradual upward trajectory across the entire competition.
It felt like ‘unnecessary roughness’ from Craig, to coin an NFL phrase, his harsh assessment leading the way and pouring cold water over things
She now has AT and the sharp staccato lines should suit. AT is both intimate and intricate and works best in a compact space so the big Blackpool floor isn’t ideal and if it has extra backing dancers they may look superfluous. You can envisage ‘Back To Black’ working well but if Angela S performs from the 3 slot, then be afraid, be very afraid.
In stark contrast to Angela S, Ellie can do no wrong and she negotiated the rumba via glowing praise and a high score of 35.
Week 8 judges’ leaderboard:
Layton and Nikita: Argentine Tango – (8) – 9, 10, 10, 10 = 39
Ellie and Vito: Rumba – (5) – 8, 9, 9, 9 = 35
Nigel and Katya: Couple’s Choice – (4) – 8, 8, 9, 9 = 34
Angela S and Carlos: Waltz – (7) – 7, 9, 8, 9 = 33
Angela R and Kai: Paso Doble – (3) – 8, 8, 8, 8 = 32 – bottom 2
Bobby and Dianne: American Smooth – (2) – 7, 8, 8, 9 = 32
Annabel and Johannes: Samba – (6) – 7, 8, 8, 8 = 31
Krishnan and Lauren: Samba – (1) – 5, 7, 6, 7 = 25 – eliminated
She may find herself opening the show tomorrow as Charleston looks the most obvious uptempo start to the evening.
Layton hasn’t scored less than 36 since week 4 and a freestyle CC routine for him looks a potential 40. Craig denied him this last Saturday but has previous for dusting off his 10 paddle in Blackpool.
The other most likely looking candidate for a perfect 40 looks to be Nigel dancing QS which is a dance genre tailormade for the vast and sprung Blackpool floor. Helen got 39 for her QS in Blackpool last year and Nigel could come under consideration for the pimp slot. It will be a classic top hat and tails routine to the ideal QS song.
Bobby has a slightly odd Wham! song for his jive. Anyone with long limbs usually struggles with the kicks and flicks and speedy timing the jive demands. He looked ok in last night’s training footage but he has been dropping down the leaderboard, joint third last week, so he might find himself in the dance-off equation tomorrow night.
It all offers a potential feel-good narrative for Angela R. A feel-good farewell, or a highest score of the series for her so far, which would need to be 35?
Between the two AS routines, Annabel may well find herself taking the earlier slot. Three lifts were mentioned by Johannes on ITT this week and Annabel has generally looked graceful and at home performing ballroom routines.
The Blackpool ballroom was the venue for Come Dancing back in the day presented by Angela R. You can imagine her VT being entirely focused on that piece of nostalgia and they may incorporate something in the routine to directly reference it.
It all offers a potential feel-good narrative for Angela R. A feel-good farewell, or a highest score of the series for her so far, which would need to be 35? As always, you are trying to predict the script but given the deadly executions carried out across the series, and after two consecutive dance-off appearances, it looks a more likely ‘thank you and goodnight’.
Please do let us know who got your Blackpool Week (Week 9) vote(s) when our exit poll opens during tomorrow night’s show.
Blackpool Week (Week 9) dances & songs:
Angela R and Kai: American Smooth to Tea for Two by Ella Fitzgerald
Angela S and Carlos: Argentine Tango to Back To Black by Amy Winehouse
Annabel and Johannes: American Smooth to Unchained Melody by Benedetta Caretta
Bobby and Dianne: Jive to Wake Me Up Before You Go Go by Wham!
Ellie and Vito: Charleston to Love Machine by Girls Aloud
Layton and Nikita: Couple’s Choice to Ain’t No Other Man by Christina Aguilera
Nigel and Katya: Quickstep to It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing by Duke Ellington
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The remaining glimmer of hope for AS well be gone if she is dampened in anyway again this weekend.
If she doesn’t get pimp slot and it’s the death slot she gets, all hope is unfortunately lost.
No backing dancers for Angela and Carlos. Which is positive. Although there did appear to be red and black lighting again, which is negative and has me slightly worried.
She didn’t seem her usual self and her body language was telling me she was unhappy about something……perhaps she’s aware she getting stitched up?? If that’s what we believe to be happening aswell? The only person to have a dramatic dance, no backing dancers (which for an AT is a positive however, theres bound to be negative comments from the judges re the dance getting lost on that huge floor) and a performance I feel will get easily forgotten amongst the other dances, especially if performing early like she did was that Paso
Looks like full red and black staging for Angela again tonight. Mediocre praise and she’s likely to be bottom 2. Whether she goes or not is questionable but she won’t be winning from this point.
I’m praying she doesn’t get thrown under the bus. I’ve become quite fond
Although if she corrects the gapping as she has corrected every other bit of feedback there is still an argument that they get her to the final and present her as the perfect dancer and push her to victory.
For this to happen I see them letting Nigel eat into Ellie’s vote tonight.
I love a conspiracy theory
I love a conspiracy theory that slowly becomes a reality 🙂
It’s happening isn’t it 🙂
I was on tenterhooks throughout the whole show! I didn’t think Layton or Ellie were as fantastic as they have been the last couple of weeks and thought Nigel was going to pull something put the bag but no, he didn’t! Angela by far the best imo and that performance was just wow!
I have only just rewatched tonight as I have been at the darts. It will take a lot more than Red and black staging to dampen that performance tonight. Incredible. The show must go on!
It was brilliant. Wonder what dance she’ll get next week? I hope the upward trajectory carries on!! Bobby and Angela R in dance o off. Angela gone.
Annoying cos as previously said I had my money on Bobby going tonight. Was always likey to be against AR which meant he was unlikely to go. But at then odds it was worth the punt.
Next week will be CC, quick step, or Rhumba and her upwards trajectory must continue.
Can’t stop watching our girls dance from last night. Been waiting an age for her breakthrough dance 🙂
Still been backing her at 50s so now I can hopefully sit back and watch her odds start to tumble.
Yes me too. Its mesmerising isn’t it. Be interesting to see the updated odds when they’re posted. Also looking forward to the next dance and song reveals. Angela is due pimp slot still, pimped rumba next week perhaps? Nigel and Ellie are due early slots.
50s were still available last night which is mental. That one dance has got her within touching distance of the leading pack now. Imagine a Rhumba followed by a quick step, she will have moved past them. I still fully believe the public will be bored of seeing Ellie doing top end leader board dances from about week 3 to the final. There is absolutely no progression.
Nigel has huge support, but they will look to engineer him into a dance off with Layton. The ones to watch for me at this point are our girl, and Annabell.
Poor Nigel, they aren’t happy with his vote are they.
The public support for Nigel is a slight concern!
4 weeks left to the final. How do you see each week panning out?
Bobby for DO next week but with who? What week do you see them engineering a DO with Nigel and Layton?
I agree re Annabel, another dark horse
Layton is their get out of jail free card on he will be scored higher than any of the targets then knock them out in a dance off. He must have only just finished above Bobby in the combined scores last night. As things stand I can see a Layton, Ellie, Angela final. However if Nigel is topping the vote and hard to get out, I could see Ellie being sacrificed.
Angela is dancing the Salsa to Gloria Gaynor, I will survive :/
Presumably CCC – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_47MSC8Zfaw
Thanks Rob! I heard them mention the song but not the dance, someone on DS mentioned the Salsa.
Will a CCC play to her strengths?
I think she has to dance one of CCC or salsa, and likely to duck the other completely. CCC preferable to salsa for her, but could well be scored last on the night. Depends what they give Annabel, who is also due a fast Latin.
She’ll miss one of either Quickstep, CC or Rumba then? That’s a shame. Wasn’t aware that she’d have to do a salsa or CCC?
I think it’s rare for a contestant to manage to duck 2 fast Latins. But if Angela S makes it through, she can do all those other 3 – one in the qf, 2 in the sf.
Thanks for the clarification 🙂 May the upward trajectory continue
Looks like next week will possibly be another test of her vote, which thanks to this weekend has just increased considerably. I can see her and Annabell mopping up the floating voters at the moment. Fingers crossed for the Ellie deramp to continue (this week’s music and outfits were awful).
Then with quarter final and semi with those dances left up her sleeve we can seriously start to believe she can still win this.
Why bring her back down next week if they are planning on putting her back up? She’ll loose momentum and people Will switch to Annabel maybe? (she danced the samba better than Angela did so assume she’ll dance a fast latin better next week aswell if we assume she also gets one)
We don’t know that they will bring her down. I assumed that red and black was going to be negative for her this weekend and it was anything but.
There have been a few dances she has done that have been ok but torn apart by the judges, what’s to say she doesn’t do an ok ccc and get praised to high heavens now it suits the agenda?
Very true Stoney, thank you for the positivity 🙂
People backing Ellie at 1/4 need their heads testing. The only chance she has at winning is if they decide to push the showmance story and no one else emerges to compete. All the plan A’s (apart from Rose) have had blatant deramp weeks in the past series. The fact that she is clearly someone with lots of dance experience, who has been at the top end of the leader board for 2 months now, should be a red flag to gamblers who know how things work.
I think if Angela can pull off the CCC or Salsa (which ever one she gets) then hopefully the judges will continue the journey narrative and praise the fact that she learnt from the comments they gave re her Samba and score her highly? Let’s hope so! Depends on the treatment of Annabel I guess as its her or Angela they’ll push further imo
I see the Ellie deramp is set to continue
Angela looking good in the training vid but is favorite to be out this weekend.
She didn’t sound overly confident on ITT did she
Don’t think she’s that type of person. Sounded pretty confident when asked about making the final though.
The favourite to go has always been right so far this year
She was practically favourite the Samba week if I remember right, especially after dancing.
Yes but there were more people left in then, there’s only 6 now so she’s more at risk. Especially if she lands bottom of the leaderboard again. The only way she’ll be safe is if they score her highly and she’s in the top half
As long as she isn’t bottom she’ll be fine. I see no reason why she will be bottom though. As I said she looks pretty decent in the vids so they should be able to continue the praise on from last week and how she has continued to correct her earlier flawes.