(remember the opinions are mine as a viewer I have no actually knowledge in terms of the technical side of the dancing)

  Celebrity; Ashley Taylor Dawson, soap actor

  Professional; Ola Jordan

  Dance;  Viennese Waltz

  Judges Marks; 31

  What I thought;  The looked gorgeous, serious contender for costume of the week and this should have really suited them, it was nice, I wasn’t sure about the music choice as it has been over used on so many tragic stories of abuse, but even without that this dance just lacked the spark that makes this the most romantic dance that is performed on Strictly especially when compared to others.

 

  Celebrity; Mark Benton, Actor (starred in Doctor Who)

  Professional; Iveta Lukosiute

  Dance; Cha Cha

  Judges Marks; 26

  What I thought;  What can I say in theory I should have hated it, tacky costumes, cheesy song but I loved it.  If pure joy was what this competition was judged on he would win hands down.  Thought Craig’s comments were uncalled for Mark is not the best technical dancer but he is the best entertainer.

 

  Celebrity; Susanna Reid

  Professional; Kevin Clifton

  Dance; Samba

  Judges Marks; 29

  What I thought; Didn’t like the start but once the music got going I really enjoyed it.  There were a few moves that could have been a little sharper, she is certainly  improving each week and growing in confidence I do agree with Craig that at the minute she is stuck in the middle ground and while it is enough to keep her there at the minute as the competition hots up she may find herself in trouble if the WOW factor does not improve.

 

  Celebrity;  Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Singer

  Professional; Brendon Cole

  Dance; Foxtrot

  Judges Marks; 35

  What I thought;  I loved it that once more Sophie totally immersed herself in the whole feel of the dance complete with shopping trip to try on period clothing.  The dance itself was fantastic, once more a contender for dance of the week, the costumes were gorgeous a close runner for costume of the week.

 

  Celebrity; Natalie Gumede, Actress, ex-dancer

  Professional; Artem Chigvintsev

  Dance;  Quickstep

  Judges Marks;35

  What I thought; First I have to say as someone who has gone through serious spinal issues I have so much respect for her keeping going with a bulging disc, that said I hope that she is listening to her doctors because I know the risks involved with any spinal issues an it is not worth risking your long term health for a dancing competition.  Loved the dance but didn’t like her hair it made me think of my grandmas poodle, it is almost as if the are determined to make it look strange.

 

  Celebrity;  Ben Cohen, ex rugby-player

  Professional; Kristina Rihanoff

  Dance;  Salsa

  Judges Marks;31

  What I thought; Was great to see Matt Dawson pop back to give his mate some inspiration and show clearly he still has the moves.  Sadly I didn’t feel they rubbed off in this dance in terms of hip action but I did love it and the ease with which he threw her around excites me for some of the dances to come.

 

  Celebrity; Fiona Fullerton, Actress and Bond Girl

  Professional; Anton Du Beke

  Dance; Rumba

  Judges Marks; 22

  What I thought; Fiona looked great, and you can certainly see she still has Bond girl legs, but the dance itself lacked for me, there was no real spark or sensuality between them, I know in someways this is harder for older women to get away with but with Anton she could have achieved it without it looking as inappropriate as some other pairings.  Needed

 

  Celebrity; Dave Myers, Hairy Biker Celebrity Chef

  Professional; Karen Hauer

  Dance; Waltz

  Judges Marks; 23

  What I thought;  We all know Dave is not the best dancer but I think he actually put in a really good performance this week, his strictlification ensured he looked the part and it even looked as if he has actually lost a little weight since the American Smooth in week one.  Ballroom generally suits him better than Latin, hopefully he will be here for weeks to come but the competition is getting harder and everyone is improving.

 

  Celebrity; Rachel Riley, TV presenter and Maths Whizz

  Professional; Pasha Kovalev

  Dance;  Quickstep

  Judges Marks;26

  What I thought;  Technically the dance was good but it did not blow me away.   I think the problem was I didn’t like the costumes and music and really didn’t understand the need for all the messing about with the safe.  Disappointing because I know she can do so much better.

 

  Celebrity;  Julien Macdonald, Fashion Designer

  Professional; Janette Manrara

   Dance; Salsa

  Judges Marks: 23

  What I thought;  High energy, he was obviously having a great time dancing to a song he loved.  They looked great and as you would expect his costume was fantastic.  He is not the best dancer and his partner has tried to compensate for the fact he seems to have trouble straightening his legs

 

  Celebrity; Deborah Meaden, Businesswoman and Dragon’s Den Investor

  Professional; Robin Windsor

  Dance; Jive

  Judges Marks; 23

  What I thought;  Perfect song for this dance, fun, flighty and flirty but I am sorry to say I didn’t enjoy the performance, firstly I was distracted by the wig Robin was wearing and as Darcy said this just wasn’t Deborah’s dance, not enough bounce and kicks and flicks.

 

  Celebrity; Patrick Robinson, Actor

  Professional; Anya Garnis

  Dance;Cha Cha

  Judges Marks; 33

  What I thought;  I really enjoyed this, I admit he is not my favourite contestant sometimes I feel like he is getting there technically but the performance chemistry is missing but in this dance he came alive, he seemed to be totally enjoying it and he had relaxed into this dance,

 

 

  Celebrity; Abby Clancy, Model and Footballers Wife

  Professional; Aljaz Skorjanec

  Dance; Tango

  Judges Marks; 35

  What I thought;  Loved the fact she threw herself into the assault course to prepare,serious contender for costume of the week and the woman in red was amazing,  choosing dance of the week this week just got even harder, I love the tango it is one of my favourite dances and this is possibly one of the best I have ever seen on strictly,  if she could only get her Latin to match her ballroom I think she would take some beating in this competition.

 

My Dance Of The Week

Okay I couldn’t choose between these two for very different reasons one is fabulous, glamorous and sexy the other is fun, crazy and wrong on so many levels.

Costume of the Week

Love this, it reminds me of the monochrome costumes in the race track scene in My Fair Lady

Frocky Horror Picture Show

 

 

I may be biased because I don’t like the colour but I have yet to see anyone mustard really suits so mustard, red and leopard print I just don’t think it does anything to flatter her.

 

The Dance Off

 

The dance off sees Rachel pitted against Julien and I think to be honest we all know the dance off is pure formality, even Julien seems to know that as he prepares for it, and as I expected Rachel stays and Julien has to put away his sequins.