Critical Condition

Oct 21, 2022 by Rob

‘What just happened?’ Hamza asked Jowita at the end of their epic salsa on Saturday night. Well, Hamza, we can tell you exactly what happened. You just became favourite to win Strictly 2022.

That salsa has to go down in the Strictly record books as one of the all-time great routines. When the pair of them were interviewed on Monday’s ITT they expressed legitimate surprise at how well it went.

It was one of those rare occasions, not dissimilar to Jay’s jive, when a fast Latin number full of jeopardy all came together perfectly on the night.

We have seen the Outright react in a similar manner with leaderboard-topping routines from Will (week 1) and Tyler (week 3), but it feels like the latest move into favouritism by Hamza has more justification to it, with that crowd-pleasing salsa to potentially reprise in the final.

That said, there’s still a long way to go and in a strong year like this one, we may well see some different names appear at the top of the judges’ leaderboard in the coming weeks, and a few more twists and turns in the Outright market yet.

Hamza performed a highly competent foxtrot in week 1 so the return to ballroom in the form of QS shouldn’t set too many alarm bells ringing for his backers. He is, however, probably going to experience a come down from the rarefied level of that 39-scoring salsa.

Week 4 judges’ leaderboard:

Hamza and Jowita: Salsa – (10) – 9, 10, 10, 10 = 39
Fleur and Vito: Argentine Tango – (7) – 9, 10, 9, 10 = 38
Tyler and Dianne: Couples’ Choice (Street/Commercial) – (13) – 8, 9, 10, 10 = 37
Molly and Carlos: Cha Cha Cha – (5) – 8, 9, 9, 9 = 35
James and Amy: Quickstep – (6) – 8, 8, 8, 8 = 32
Kym and Graziano: Samba – (8) – 7, 8, 8, 9 = 32 – bottom 2
Jayde and Karen: American Smooth – (4) – 7, 8, 8, 8 = 31
Ellie S and Nikita: Salsa – (1) – 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30
Ellie T and Johannes: Viennese Waltz – (12) – 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30
Helen and Gorka: Paso Doble – (11) – 6, 8, 7, 8 = 29
Tony and Katya: American Smooth – (9) – 5, 7, 7, 7 = 26
Will and Nancy: Rumba – (2) – 4, 7, 5, 7 = 23
Matt and Nadiya: Jive – (3) – 3, 6, 5, 6 = 20 – eliminated

It was also a great night for Fleur last Saturday with her spellbinding Argentine tango. She appears to have the stronger chance of following up that 38-scoring routine with another high-scoring dance in the form of jive, with fast Latin looking her greatest strength.

Tyler’s ‘Street/Commercial’ routine was granted the pimp slot, and a couple of generous 10s on the night, but set to that UK garage megamix it wouldn’t have been everyone’s cup of tea.

His greatest test is going to be performing ballroom, recalling his underwhelming week 1, 22-scoring AS, so a tango to the Dr Who theme will tell us more about his long-term prospects in the competition.

His training this week has been disrupted due to the fact Tyler had to fly to Mauritius for best man duties at his brother’s wedding but Dianne was sounding quietly confident on Tuesday night’s ITT and at least has an iconic BBC theme tune as the canvas for this routine.

Ellie T is also on tango duties with the less appealing Casualty theme music. There was a bizarre dentist set up used for Ellie S’s salsa to ‘I Love Your Smile’ last Saturday so we see scope here for Johannes in scrubs using a defibrillator to try and revive Ellie T in an operating theatre setting at dance start.

Sadly, that only looks like coming half true. Let’s hope Ellie T’s not flatlining come the end of the routine but this does give off potential dance-off vibes.

Ellie S might come under pimp slot considerations with a paso set to the ideal paso music in the form of Prokofiev’s ‘Montages and Capulets’ used in The Apprentice. Pasos are so much about the music this should be an open goal for something dramatic.

Two Charlestons on the night with Helen and Gorka unsurprisingly given the Blue Peter theme to work with. It’s one that feels crowbarred in to fit a Charleston. It’s hard to envisage as the song has a strong nautical feel and conjures images of Morris dancing fused with the Highland Fling.

Jayde has a highly specific Victoria Wood comedy song which should lend itself to a funny routine, and one the judges can potentially laud.

It has been choreographed by Jenny Thomas, it will incorporate some crazy lifts, and is claimed to be ‘hilarious’ by Karen. Jayde is going to need the script to go her way on the night and some high scores to help her stay out of the bottom 2.

Kym was unlucky to find herself in the bottom 2 last Saturday. She was surrounded by much bigger show moments and routines that stole the limelight, Fleur preceding her and then followed by the hullabaloo of Tony, Hamza and Helen. ‘Ballroom Blitz’ is a gem for a QS and this should offer the chance for her to bounce back strongly from the dance-off.

Molly has been given Couple’s Choice which, as we all know, is the Strictly equivalent of playing your joker on ‘It’s A Knockout’. It will be ‘Street/Commercial’, inevitably school-themed, and should offer the judges the chance to provide Molly some leaderboard protection.

Now the judges have placed James on an improving ballroom narrative, a foxtrot to the theme of the long-running BBC soap he stars in, doesn’t look the stuff of a potential take down. Instead, there may be scope for him to improve on his week 4, 32-scoring QS with this.

Tony has the dreaded CCC but at least Katya has the chance to create something memorable with the classic Grandstand theme.

It looks like he’ll be seated behind the presentation desk at routine start before leaping on the table in his football shorts and socks. He may well find himself bottom of the judges’ leaderboard and relying on comments and scores to generate a big public vote.

Will has the least known song of the night in the Line Of Duty End Titles, a show he starred in. It’s an instrumental so Nancy can at least create something atmospheric. It’s often good news for a routine when there is no live singing to spoil the mood.

Given Will’s trajectory in this series of up, down, up, down, this looks like being a good routine for him, despite Will apparently not knowing (ahem) what a Viennese waltz is.

With Halloween Week to follow next week, you have to think there will be an Addams Family theme song foxtrot teed up for one of Tony or Jayde. So might one of these two be in line for the chop tomorrow night?

Long-term, it is looking a terminal prognosis for all of Tony, Jayde and Ellie T with the latter perhaps under greatest threat of receiving a do not resuscitate order tomorrow night.

Please do let us know who got your vote(s) on our week 5 exit poll which will open at the end of the show and can be found here:

Strictly 2022 Exit Poll – Week 5

Week 5: BBC 100 Week dances & songs

Ellie S and Nikita: Paso Doble to Montagues and Capulets, celebrating The Apprentice

Ellie T and Johannes: Tango to Casualty Theme Tune, celebrating Casualty

Fleur and Vito: Jive to Waterloo by ABBA, celebrating Eurovision

Helen and Gorka: Charleston to Blue Peter Them Tune, celebrating Blue Peter

Jayde and Karen: Charleston to The Ballad of Barry and Freda (Let’s Do It) by Victoria Wood, celebrating BBC Comedy

Kym and Graziano: Quickstep to Ballroom Blitz by Sweet, celebrating Come Dancing

Molly and Carlos: Couples’ Choice to Grange Hill Theme Tune, celebrating BBC Children’s Programming

Hamza and Jowita: Quickstep to On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons, celebrating BBC Nature Programming

James and Amy: Foxtrot to EastEnders Theme Tune, celebrating EastEnders

Tony and Katya: Cha Cha Cha to Grandstand Theme Tune, celebrating BBC Sport

Tyler and Dianne: Tango to Doctor Who Theme Tune, celebrating Doctor Who

Will and Nancy: Viennese Waltz to Line of Duty End Titles, celebrating Drama