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

Well it is Halloween and you all know how much I love dressing up so I expect to be highly critical of the outfits lol last year this week was amazing with not only great costumes but great character performances will this lot live up to it?  I think certain people will shine at this theme others I fear will be left looking haunted rather leave lingering memories….love the opening number ‘The Timewarp’ it was fun while still keeping some of the original moves in.

  Celebrity; Ashley Taylor Dawson, soap actor

  Professional; Ola Jordan

  Dance; Tango

  Judges Marks; 33

  What I thought; The costumes were really good, and the music suited the dance really well.  I did enjoy parts of it and technically it was quite good but I am going to have to admit I am biased against him. I just see parts of his Darren persona come through each week and as it was a character I really disliked in Hollyoaks it is putting me off him on this, I can appreciate the technical side but I am not sure any more where Ashley finishes and Darren starts and if he can really play any other parts

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

  Professional; Iveta Lukosiute

  Dance; Pasa Doble

  Judges Marks; 25

  What I thought; Loved the idea and the twist on the interpretation sadly the dancing was not quite as good as the dancing, but it was real fun.  It is great to see him play to his strengths and if he had tried to do a classic Pasa I think he might still have put in a decent performance not sure how this will go down considering that the alternative version of a dance didn’t workout to well last week for Deborah.

  Celebrity; Susanna Reid

  Professional; Kevin Clifton

  Dance; Charleston

  Judges Marks; 34

  What I thought;  Right lets start with the outfits loved him as a werewolf hated what they put her in.  Susanna is a real woman with curves so why cove the curves with tassels that made her look bigger than she is?  Plus she missed out on getting into the scary spirit but onto the dance, I did enjoy it not as good as Sophie’s which is obviously the benchmark for this series Charleston’s but it was fun, flirty and fast my only issue was the lifts.  I mentioned last week my concerns given Kevin is barely bigger than her and I think it did show in the lifts during this dance and gives even more cause for concern should they need to perform a show dance.

  Celebrity;  Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Singer

  Professional; Brendon Cole

  Dance; Jive

  Judges Marks; 28

  What I thought; I really loved the outfit, the music and the story telling of the performance but and it is a huge but the actually dancing was yet again a disappointment, Sophie’s long legs and laid back style just didn’t suit the jive my dogs lift their legs higher than she did in her kicks and it was like watching slow motion at times. the energy was there it just looked like someone had pressed a button and slowed down the action, really not sure how she is going to change this but feel she really needs to to have a real chance at lifting the glitterball.

  Celebrity; Natalie Gumede, Actress, ex-dancer

  Professional; Artem Chigvintsev

  Dance; Viennese Waltz

  Judges Marks; 38

  What I thought; Well what can I say except I loved it, unusually I loved everything about it, the music was romantic and haunting, the costumes were perfect for the dance and the occasion and the dance was exquisite.  A definite contender for dance of the week. It was brilliant Natalie let the dance speak for its self and cut out the pulling faces this week.

  Celebrity;  Ben Cohen, ex rugby-player

  Professional; Kristina Rihanoff

  Dance; Pasa Doble

  Judges Marks; 32

  What I thought;  Okay they really seem to have missed the whole horror/Halloween theme but I guess Ben stripping to the waist does compensate for that, over all I really enjoyed it though I think he did twirl his cape for a little bit too long.  I am really enjoying watching his transformation from rugby player to dancer and can only image how much he could throw Kristina around in the show dance.

  Celebrity; Fiona Fullerton, Actress and Bond Girl

  Professional; Anton Du Beke

  Dance; Charleston

  Judges Marks; 28

  What I thought; Okay was not tot.ally convinced by the ‘scarecrow’ costumes as a choice for halloween they were more comedy scarecrows than scary and reminded me a little of Judy Garland dressed up in one of her films but overall I enjoyed the dance, there were serious timing issues when they were supposed to be in sync and it certainly was no where near as good as Sophie’s Charleston a few weeks ago but it was fun and Fiona looked to be enjoying herself rather than being petrified, I don’t see her making it to the final but am glad to see she has conquered her nerves.

  Celebrity; Dave Myers, Hairy Biker Celebrity Chef

  Professional; Karen Hauer

  Dance; Jive

  Judges Marks; 19

  What I thought; I confess I did cringe when I heard he was doing the Jive because I knew this would be another car crash.  He brought fun to the show and brilliant entertainment but sadly once again the actual dancing was lacking.  As much as I love him I do think his days are numbered and that the first time he finds himself in the dance off he will be on his way home unless his competition falls flat on their faces.

  Celebrity; Rachel Riley, TV presenter and Maths Whizz

  Professional; Pasha Kovalev

  Dance; American Smooth

  Judges Marks; 30

  What I thought; I really liked the outfits and the concept behind this dance, most of the dance was lovely but there were just the odd moments where you saw the clumsy girl peep through, things like not quite finishing arm movements but it was quite fun and a big improvement on last week but I do think that the next time she finds herself in the dance off unless she is facing Dave she may be heading home.

  Celebrity; Patrick Robinson, Actor

  Professional; Anya Garnis

  Dance; Quickstep

  Judges Marks; 32

  What I thought; I know last week he had hurt his hand but I am starting to get a little fed up with them going on about his injuries, they said in week one he has dodgy knees why keep reminding us get on and dance or go home.  Music choice was good, costumes were okay but nothing outstanding and sadly I felt the same way about the dance, there were some really good sections but overall I was left feeling very underwhelmed. I do think the judges scores are possibly because they don’t want to see him in the dance off like last week but we shall see.

  Celebrity; Abby Clancy, Model and Footballers Wife

  Professional; Aljaz Skorjanec

  Dance; Rumba

  Judges Marks; 34

  What I thought; The costumes were brilliant and she looked stunning, the song was one of my favourites and perfect for a spooky Rumba.  I think it was pretty amazing but maybe could have done with just a little more wiggle and hip action not easy I know for a size zero with no natural curves but she certainly has the flexibility to twist to add the illusion of curves.

My Dance Of The Week

Really close between this and Abbey’s number but this just edged it for me

Costume of the Week

I totally loved this dress it moved so beautifully as she twirled and whirled around the floor

Frocky Horror Picture Show

Sadly this costume made me think of the turkey wrapped in foil at Christmas more marshmallow man than spaceman.

The Dance Off

This will be close and as I wait to see who will be in the dance off I really can’t call it if we were going on dancing I would have to put Dave and Rachel at the bottom for me but will the general public agree lets see…..

first into the dance off we have Abbey which is a huge shock to me she is joined by Rachel and now it becomes a real question of whose nerves hold out, if both repeat early performances Abbey should be safe but she gets very nervous.

Both couples danced even better than earlier, Abbey stays and I have to say before they danced Abbey showed what a sweet girl she was with getting so upset about having to go against Rachel.