Semi-Detached

Dec 7, 2018 by Rob

It was confirmed this week that all 5 of the remaining Strictly contestants will be joining the Strictly Tour next year. The Sun’s Dan Wootton claimed Lauren has been topping the public vote. We also learned the Strictly final will be a single show and all the indications suggest there will be no 4th place announcement.

While the Outright market reacted positively to Wootton’s words, Lauren still looks to face an uphill battle to win this year’s series. In the last 3 weeks she has finished last, or joint-last on the judges’ leaderboard. Two leaderboard ties last week made it easier for her to escape the dance-off but the fact remains she has not been receiving the treatment of a desired winner, and even a public vote topper isn’t guaranteed to avoid the dance-off in a semi-final.

Not only that but based on training footage, again it looks highly likely she will be propping up the leaderboard tomorrow night, and potentially a long way detached in last place. Samba, in particular, is going to be seriously testing for her, and exposing, more so given Faye’s samba technique has looked sensational.

Compared to the other ballroom routines on the night, Lauren’s tango also looks up against it. Joe, meanwhile, is going to be eclipsed in the battle of the Argentine tangos also by Faye, who has the perfect track for a powerful and dramatic routine.

Joe is a more solid conveyance in ballroom and has a nice song to sell his VW. Stacey also has VW to a suitable song but her trump card on the night will likely be her Charleston which has looked tailor-made for her in training and fun Charlestons are always well received by the Strictly audience.

Shirley has got stuck in to Ashley in the last 2 weeks, killing her vote stone dead by setting a critical and negative tone. Despite being given 38 for her QS last Saturday, it may as well have been 28 given the way it was delivered. It was understandable her pv was damaged as a result.

Having forced Ashley into the dance-off in the last 2 weeks, and visibly upset her, you might expect to see kinder treatment from the judges tomorrow night and a plan to place her top of the leaderboard. She has 2 routines which, on paper, have all the ingredients to be well received and highly scored but Shirley seems to be a law unto herself and cannot resist nit-picking Ashley in particular. If not Ashley, then Faye.

Ties are less likely tomorrow night given it requires 8 scoring paddles to total the same score twice, rather than the usual 4. The main thing to keep an eye on, is how each couples’ highest scoring dance is scored because this will be the dance they will reprise in the dance-off.

If Ashley is not at the top of the leaderboard and eulogised, she will be vulnerable to a third successive dance-off appearance but if we see an order of 1st Ashley, 2nd Faye, 3rd Stacey, 4th Joe and 5th Lauren, with no ties, Joe would look Lauren’s most likely dance-off opponent.

Should Lauren be eliminated tomorrow night it would be a third successive semi-final exit for AJ. That looks somewhat cruel but when you consider Kevin Clifton has previously lost in four successive Strictly finals, Kev would still have bragging rights in the Strictly Hard Luck Story Stakes.

Whichever way you look at it, it will be hard for Lauren to survive given she will likely be a long way last on the leaderboard after the judges have had their say, which will act as a vote dampener, and her highest scoring dance, most likely tango, looks like being scored less than the other 4 contestants’ highest scoring dances.

Semi-final songs and dances:

Ashley and Pasha – Paso Doble to ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’ by Florence & The Machine and American Smooth to ‘Ain’t That a Kick In The Head’ by Dean Martin

Faye and Giovanni – Samba to ‘I Go To Rio’ by Pablo Cruise and Argentine Tango to ‘La Cumparsita’ by Machiko Ozawa

Joe and Dianne – Argentine Tango to ‘Red Right Hand’ by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Viennese Waltz to ‘This Year’s Love’ by David Gray

Lauren and AJ – Tango to ‘Nutbush City Limits’ by Tina Turner and Samba to ‘Rock The Boat’ by The Hues Corporation

Stacey and Kevin – Charleston to ‘Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue’ by Spike Jones and Viennese Waltz to ‘You’re My World’ by Cilla Black

Quarter-final, Musicals Week, judges’ leaderboard:

Craig – Darcey – Shirley – Bruno

Faye & Giovanni (2) Charleston 10 10 10 10 = 40 (6)

Ashley & Pasha (4) QS 9 10 9 10 = 38 (5) – Bottom 2
Stacey & KfG (5) AS (Foxtrot-based) 9 9 10 10 = 38 (5)

Joe & Dianne (6) Salsa 8 9 9 10 = 36 (4)

Lauren & AJ (1) AS (VW-based) 8 9 9 9 = 35 (3)
Charles & Karen (3) Rumba 8 9 9 9 = 35 (3) – Eliminated