Strictly Come Finalising
This post is so late because it’s been a different but busy few days, and I had a lot to say.
On Friday, it was announced that AJ and Kai were pulling out because of her injury. ITT in the Strictly studiogot a bit emotional, although Rylan and Janette’s ‘showdance’ was surprising fun, and if they’re both back next year (I think she’s come on heaps, and I feel her connection to all the contestants is more genuine than Rylan’s, who lets his favouritism slip and is sometimes really jarringly not simpatico with some interviewees) could be built on. I was left presuming the show proper was going to have a lot of filling to do. My suggestion would have been asking Rhys and Nancy to reprise their Charleston.
Finals!
Big Opening with the pros trying to catch the camera, Rose, John and partners were showed off, and I started feeling sorry for AJ (especially because the continuity announcer had said whoever won would be historical, which they wouldn’t have been able to say if she’d been dancing. So: true, but callous.)
Big white gown (strong silhouette) with, predictably, a slit, from Tess. More modest glittery dress from Claudia. (A viewing public rejoiced that it wasn’t a black trouser suit.)
Nice things were said about AJ, sitting there watching with Kai and there was a supportive cheer from the studio audience (surely they’ll ask her to do next year’s Christmas special if possible.)
Shirley was wearing a dress in the same hues as the outfits worn in the opening routine, Motsi had gone even bigger than usual, and I liked that her dress was in that waxy African material (I believe). Anton had gone for a gold jacket, surprisingly, while Craig was all in black.
We then got another welcome for the contestants in the traditional manner, which felt unnecessary.
Round 1: Judges’ choice, and Rose was up first. Three of the judges proposed a dance, all ballroom, natch, although as we all knew what they would be dancing because we’d just seen the outfits even if we hadn’t been watching ITT, there was no tension. Craig, who hadn’t proposed anything on camera, came to tell Rose and Gio, and of course, he hadn’t seen their Frozen quickstep live. So, they were tasked with sorting out The Mistake.
And it was a glorious reprise, it’s such a joyous dance, and I thought Rose had improved. Positive comments, a score of 39 (‘What’s Craig’s problem with it?’, everyone wondered.)
They used the three suggestions from the judges again in the nextVT, with none from Motsi who would be sent to deliver the decision. Shirley bucked the trend by proposing a ballroom. I had, frankly, forgotten John’s tango, but I was amused by Craig wanting to see the salsa again with the lift done properly.
But it was the rumba, and I thought John did even better at showing Johannes off (though I still felt a teeny bit that you could tell who the pro was. But, hey, it’s a rumba.) Shirley pulled the ‘I want to dance with you’ card that Anton has used about three times. 39, and a studio again asked ‘Why, Craig?’, but that means that there’s still been no rumba that warranted a full score on the show ever.
I got snarky aout Ed Sheeran reading the terms and conditions.
Perhaps Round 1 should be renamed ‘The shape of their hearts’ given how Rose and Gio’s dance ended and the lyric of John and Johannes’s rumba.
The voting lines opened and I’m basically going to have to not look at my next phone bill.
Round 2: Couples’ pick.
I thought Rose danced THAT couples’ choice even better, showing off how she’s improved as a dancer after a few more weeks. Also what Motsi said. After conceding she’d improved, Craig had to give Rose a 10, and did. WOO!
I felt that in the VT John possibly didn’t recognise how learning instils confidence too (although IIRC he would refer to this later.) So, they were reprising their Pirates of the Caribbean paso, and I had the cynical thought that this was a good night for Disney, with two of their properties showcased. But the paso is my favourite John dance, and seeing him do it all these months later showed how much he’s improved as a dancer too. His first 10 from Craig (might have been more satisfying if it had come before the final, but I don’t think they cared in the moment, and he’s had that gaining confidence/lifting off the brake narrative.)
Round 2 could be renamed The Round When Craig found his 10 paddle, then.
Okay, getting the ‘Christmas cast’ to read the Ts and Cs this time was nice (I am looking forward to what the lady celebs do so much more than the gents, TBH. I expect Mel to be funny, I want Moira Stewart to have a classy, good time and expect young Anne-Marie to be the best.)
Round 3: SHOWDANCE
For a change, the VT didn’t involve ClaudnTess paying a visit and going ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’, but making it all about Jason Gilkinson coming in and choreographing the dance for them, which may perhaps be better, because this round can be quite iffy (I was underwhelmed by Bill’s last year and I still get sniffy about Kevin and Stacey’s terrible one.)
Rose and Gio PULLED IT OFF. The storytelling was a given, but I loved the balleticism, and the way the lifts made it such an aerial dance, and most importantly she delivered. It was just breathtaking and certainly they transported me into the dance again. (I’ve rewatched it, and I think that putting in the highest lift first, when the song shifts gear adds something, but I could also take in what Anton had said about Rose’s serenity as a dancer.)
Too right it got a 40, I thought, reminded a little of Carline Flack’s showdance. (I mean it totally blew through any Romeo and Juliet plus an abundance of roses plus quite a sentimental song concerns.)
Very John showdance (Gilkinson played to both finalists’ strengths) and I wonder if they decided on the running order because this ended with an explosion of shininess. I’ll caveat this by admitting that, if you hadn’t guessed, I was voting for and rooting for Rose, but I did notice one or two dodgy bits, one of them when Johannes juddered into a backbend, so I quibbled with this getting a 40, but Craig didn’t see it. Claudia, again tasked with recapping the leaderboard, finally reached for the phrase ‘even stevens.’
Bill Bailey read the Ts and Cs, which felt fair enough (although I can’t have been the only one who went ‘..Chesney Hawkes’ after ‘the one and only…’)
Round 3 could be renamed the round in which Claudia stopped urging any restraint from the public about voting. I mean, I think most people have decided who they supported before the final, I nearly always have, (although I have descended to tactical voting in the past.) I wonder if I’d have voted less if there had been more dances.
It was a fairly emotional final, with the finalists clearly tired and emotional, and Anton falling to bits over Rose (and going on and on, making Craig bitchy. Though the Austin Power swipe was just lame, and it was all more entertaining when it happened in the Clauditorium in the semis.) But I intermittently felt so, so sorry for AJ and Kai watching all this, so thank goodness it was Claudia interviewing them, not Tess, because as AJ said, it was terrible to have to watch and not be able to participate. Anton and Craig could have stood to applaud her.
So, Ed Sheeran sang and Aljiaz and JANETTE showdanced (and in the moment, I was all ‘Aww!’ but I now feel for the pro who is employed to dance who didn’t get a spotlight in the final because of it. As it probably always does, it felt as if the pros didn’t quite get their dues in the finals, even though I feel the audience were including Giovanni and Johannes in their calculations.
Time for the previous contestants to turn up, except for Robert (shame, but fair enough) and Tilly (shame, although fair enough if she was prioritising being at uni. I just hope it was that and not COVID and that both are well.) I thought their group dance was a nice enough recap of the highlights. Rhys (who I would have thought about more if AJ had danced) came across as the fourth best dancer, and we’ll excuse them ending with Judi’s twerking instead of him.
Oh, and somewhere in the middle of that we had ‘The people’ recap the series and talk or sign about what Strictly has meant to them/us this year (one could say that the barely subtext was ‘Hands off, Strictly/the BBC’ although I think Strictly won its place last year.) Nice touch to have all the contributors appear as a Zoom screen, because 2021.
Results: ROSE AND GIO won!!! And I cheered (I think there was just a moment where I got choky all finals.) From my biased perspective, she was the slightly better in the showdance. In hindsight, I should have been more confident that she would win, because she’s so charming, although I’ve thought John has been really gracious recently, but she delivered a real moment, the one that will end up being used in clips about Strictly, with the couples choice, and the news media really humped on her win as a good news story against a backdrop of bad news stories on Sunday and Monday, where she emphasised how important representing the Deaf community was for her.
I was always fascinated by their journey, how she posed a teaching challenge, more than a choreographic challenge, for Gio, who, as she mentioned, has always been the bridesmaid, and had more finals history than Johannes, Kai or Nancy put together. And he was up for it, I thought as a non-native English speaker and as Rose said by being an animate personality, which ties into the expressiveness of signing. I saw Giovanni say that he knew she had potential to get through in to the finale after the foxtrot i.e. their first ballroom, and certainly that Titanic routine was the first time she captivated me, and, again in terms of Gio’s history, it’s hilarious that Rose continued Mr Jive’s recent run of celebs who are better at ballroom, but Rose had that something extra, and being able to bring it out does him and the show credit. I think that was when we all knew she was good and could be a contender, but Sara, AJ and Tilly had all produced good ballrooms too. Halloween’s tango 40 maybe elevated her from that pack (and Gio’s previous partners), but it was the couples choice that made her the favourite, I believe.
I was made to feel stupid when it came out in interviews that Rose had played the factory worker who befriended the sister in Summer of Rockets and I hadn’t remembered/recognised her (I’ll plead my poor eyesight.)
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/480333.html.
On Friday, it was announced that AJ and Kai were pulling out because of her injury. ITT in the Strictly studiogot a bit emotional, although Rylan and Janette’s ‘showdance’ was surprising fun, and if they’re both back next year (I think she’s come on heaps, and I feel her connection to all the contestants is more genuine than Rylan’s, who lets his favouritism slip and is sometimes really jarringly not simpatico with some interviewees) could be built on. I was left presuming the show proper was going to have a lot of filling to do. My suggestion would have been asking Rhys and Nancy to reprise their Charleston.
Finals!
Big Opening with the pros trying to catch the camera, Rose, John and partners were showed off, and I started feeling sorry for AJ (especially because the continuity announcer had said whoever won would be historical, which they wouldn’t have been able to say if she’d been dancing. So: true, but callous.)
Big white gown (strong silhouette) with, predictably, a slit, from Tess. More modest glittery dress from Claudia. (A viewing public rejoiced that it wasn’t a black trouser suit.)
Nice things were said about AJ, sitting there watching with Kai and there was a supportive cheer from the studio audience (surely they’ll ask her to do next year’s Christmas special if possible.)
Shirley was wearing a dress in the same hues as the outfits worn in the opening routine, Motsi had gone even bigger than usual, and I liked that her dress was in that waxy African material (I believe). Anton had gone for a gold jacket, surprisingly, while Craig was all in black.
We then got another welcome for the contestants in the traditional manner, which felt unnecessary.
Round 1: Judges’ choice, and Rose was up first. Three of the judges proposed a dance, all ballroom, natch, although as we all knew what they would be dancing because we’d just seen the outfits even if we hadn’t been watching ITT, there was no tension. Craig, who hadn’t proposed anything on camera, came to tell Rose and Gio, and of course, he hadn’t seen their Frozen quickstep live. So, they were tasked with sorting out The Mistake.
And it was a glorious reprise, it’s such a joyous dance, and I thought Rose had improved. Positive comments, a score of 39 (‘What’s Craig’s problem with it?’, everyone wondered.)
They used the three suggestions from the judges again in the nextVT, with none from Motsi who would be sent to deliver the decision. Shirley bucked the trend by proposing a ballroom. I had, frankly, forgotten John’s tango, but I was amused by Craig wanting to see the salsa again with the lift done properly.
But it was the rumba, and I thought John did even better at showing Johannes off (though I still felt a teeny bit that you could tell who the pro was. But, hey, it’s a rumba.) Shirley pulled the ‘I want to dance with you’ card that Anton has used about three times. 39, and a studio again asked ‘Why, Craig?’, but that means that there’s still been no rumba that warranted a full score on the show ever.
I got snarky aout Ed Sheeran reading the terms and conditions.
Perhaps Round 1 should be renamed ‘The shape of their hearts’ given how Rose and Gio’s dance ended and the lyric of John and Johannes’s rumba.
The voting lines opened and I’m basically going to have to not look at my next phone bill.
Round 2: Couples’ pick.
I thought Rose danced THAT couples’ choice even better, showing off how she’s improved as a dancer after a few more weeks. Also what Motsi said. After conceding she’d improved, Craig had to give Rose a 10, and did. WOO!
I felt that in the VT John possibly didn’t recognise how learning instils confidence too (although IIRC he would refer to this later.) So, they were reprising their Pirates of the Caribbean paso, and I had the cynical thought that this was a good night for Disney, with two of their properties showcased. But the paso is my favourite John dance, and seeing him do it all these months later showed how much he’s improved as a dancer too. His first 10 from Craig (might have been more satisfying if it had come before the final, but I don’t think they cared in the moment, and he’s had that gaining confidence/lifting off the brake narrative.)
Round 2 could be renamed The Round When Craig found his 10 paddle, then.
Okay, getting the ‘Christmas cast’ to read the Ts and Cs this time was nice (I am looking forward to what the lady celebs do so much more than the gents, TBH. I expect Mel to be funny, I want Moira Stewart to have a classy, good time and expect young Anne-Marie to be the best.)
Round 3: SHOWDANCE
For a change, the VT didn’t involve ClaudnTess paying a visit and going ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’, but making it all about Jason Gilkinson coming in and choreographing the dance for them, which may perhaps be better, because this round can be quite iffy (I was underwhelmed by Bill’s last year and I still get sniffy about Kevin and Stacey’s terrible one.)
Rose and Gio PULLED IT OFF. The storytelling was a given, but I loved the balleticism, and the way the lifts made it such an aerial dance, and most importantly she delivered. It was just breathtaking and certainly they transported me into the dance again. (I’ve rewatched it, and I think that putting in the highest lift first, when the song shifts gear adds something, but I could also take in what Anton had said about Rose’s serenity as a dancer.)
Too right it got a 40, I thought, reminded a little of Carline Flack’s showdance. (I mean it totally blew through any Romeo and Juliet plus an abundance of roses plus quite a sentimental song concerns.)
Very John showdance (Gilkinson played to both finalists’ strengths) and I wonder if they decided on the running order because this ended with an explosion of shininess. I’ll caveat this by admitting that, if you hadn’t guessed, I was voting for and rooting for Rose, but I did notice one or two dodgy bits, one of them when Johannes juddered into a backbend, so I quibbled with this getting a 40, but Craig didn’t see it. Claudia, again tasked with recapping the leaderboard, finally reached for the phrase ‘even stevens.’
Bill Bailey read the Ts and Cs, which felt fair enough (although I can’t have been the only one who went ‘..Chesney Hawkes’ after ‘the one and only…’)
Round 3 could be renamed the round in which Claudia stopped urging any restraint from the public about voting. I mean, I think most people have decided who they supported before the final, I nearly always have, (although I have descended to tactical voting in the past.) I wonder if I’d have voted less if there had been more dances.
It was a fairly emotional final, with the finalists clearly tired and emotional, and Anton falling to bits over Rose (and going on and on, making Craig bitchy. Though the Austin Power swipe was just lame, and it was all more entertaining when it happened in the Clauditorium in the semis.) But I intermittently felt so, so sorry for AJ and Kai watching all this, so thank goodness it was Claudia interviewing them, not Tess, because as AJ said, it was terrible to have to watch and not be able to participate. Anton and Craig could have stood to applaud her.
So, Ed Sheeran sang and Aljiaz and JANETTE showdanced (and in the moment, I was all ‘Aww!’ but I now feel for the pro who is employed to dance who didn’t get a spotlight in the final because of it. As it probably always does, it felt as if the pros didn’t quite get their dues in the finals, even though I feel the audience were including Giovanni and Johannes in their calculations.
Time for the previous contestants to turn up, except for Robert (shame, but fair enough) and Tilly (shame, although fair enough if she was prioritising being at uni. I just hope it was that and not COVID and that both are well.) I thought their group dance was a nice enough recap of the highlights. Rhys (who I would have thought about more if AJ had danced) came across as the fourth best dancer, and we’ll excuse them ending with Judi’s twerking instead of him.
Oh, and somewhere in the middle of that we had ‘The people’ recap the series and talk or sign about what Strictly has meant to them/us this year (one could say that the barely subtext was ‘Hands off, Strictly/the BBC’ although I think Strictly won its place last year.) Nice touch to have all the contributors appear as a Zoom screen, because 2021.
Results: ROSE AND GIO won!!! And I cheered (I think there was just a moment where I got choky all finals.) From my biased perspective, she was the slightly better in the showdance. In hindsight, I should have been more confident that she would win, because she’s so charming, although I’ve thought John has been really gracious recently, but she delivered a real moment, the one that will end up being used in clips about Strictly, with the couples choice, and the news media really humped on her win as a good news story against a backdrop of bad news stories on Sunday and Monday, where she emphasised how important representing the Deaf community was for her.
I was always fascinated by their journey, how she posed a teaching challenge, more than a choreographic challenge, for Gio, who, as she mentioned, has always been the bridesmaid, and had more finals history than Johannes, Kai or Nancy put together. And he was up for it, I thought as a non-native English speaker and as Rose said by being an animate personality, which ties into the expressiveness of signing. I saw Giovanni say that he knew she had potential to get through in to the finale after the foxtrot i.e. their first ballroom, and certainly that Titanic routine was the first time she captivated me, and, again in terms of Gio’s history, it’s hilarious that Rose continued Mr Jive’s recent run of celebs who are better at ballroom, but Rose had that something extra, and being able to bring it out does him and the show credit. I think that was when we all knew she was good and could be a contender, but Sara, AJ and Tilly had all produced good ballrooms too. Halloween’s tango 40 maybe elevated her from that pack (and Gio’s previous partners), but it was the couples choice that made her the favourite, I believe.
I was made to feel stupid when it came out in interviews that Rose had played the factory worker who befriended the sister in Summer of Rockets and I hadn’t remembered/recognised her (I’ll plead my poor eyesight.)
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/480333.html.