Initial Thoughts:
It is safe to say that I am a major fan of Strictly Come Dancing, as is the majority of my family! It’s a show I always look forward to every year. I had attempted to blog about it last year but it didn’t quite work out, so I thought I’d give it another go. Just to say, I have no actual dance experience whatsoever, I am just going to discuss my own, completed uneducated reactions to the dances each week.
Couple by Couple
Anastacia & Brendan 
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 22 (5, 5, 6, 6)
Week 2: Salsa – My Score: 20 (5, 5, 5, 5)
Combined Score: 42
Thoughts: I was so disappointed. I love Anastacia as a singer and I really wanted her to do well. Obviously due to medical reasons, she struggled a lot and unfortunately it really showed. She wasn’t great but I still wanted her to get through the first week, just so she could give ballroom a go. Obviously, the way that she made it through wasn’t ideal but I hope that she is able to improve without injuring herself much further!
Claudia & AJ
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 28 (7, 7, 7, 7)
Week 2: Waltz – My Score: 32 (8, 8, 8, 8)
Combined Score: 60
Thoughts: Claudia is one of my early favourites. I really enjoyed her cha-cha. It could have been better but I thought for a first week dance it was great. I really enjoyed her waltz and thought she did an excellent job overall. One to watch!
Daisy & Aljaz 
Week 1: Waltz – My Score: 25 (6, 6, 6, 7)
Week 2: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 25 (6, 6, 6, 7)
Combined Score: 50
Thoughts: I didn’t think very much of Daisy really if I’m honest. She was alright but I didn’t see why the judges raved so much about her. I didn’t think either dance was anything particularly special. The cha-cha had promise but it didn’t really go anywhere for me. Still, she wasn’t the worst and will probably improve as the weeks progress.
Danny & Oti
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 30 (7, 7, 8, 8)
Week 2: Viennese Waltz – My Score: 32 (8, 8, 8, 8)
Combined Score: 62
Thoughts: Danny was excellent and a clear contender from the start. He showed he was able to do upbeat and slower routines well and I look forward to seeing what he has in store – and it will be great to see what Oti is able to do with her choreography (a promising start so far!).
Ed & Katya
Week 1: Waltz – My Score: 22 (5, 5, 6, 6)
Week 2: Charleston – My Score: 22 (5, 5, 6, 6)
Combined Score: 44
Thoughts: Ed isn’t brilliant but he is nowhere near as bad as I thought he would be if I’m honest. I appreciate the effort he gave to the Charleston, which was awkward but at least he threw himself into it. I hope he doesn’t go very far in the competition though, unless he improves significantly!
Greg & Natalie
Week 1: Jive – My Score: 23 (5, 6, 6, 6)
Week 2: Tango – My Score: 22 (5, 5, 6, 6)
Combined Score: 45
Thoughts: I didn’t think very much of Greg’s first two routines really. Again, they were alright but nothing special. I don’t understand the judges’ high praise of his jive, which I thought was awkward and quite clunky. Again, I’d want him to improve a lot if he’s to go far in the competition.
Judge Rinder (Robert) & Oksana
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 26 (6, 6, 7, 7)
Week 2: American Smooth – My Score: 31 (7, 8, 8, 8)
Combined Score: 57
Thoughts: What a surprise! Judge Rinder was actually pretty good. Yes, his cha-cha was a little out of control and his facial expressions are a little awkward. However, he can clearly move and I was very impressed with the lifts in the American Smooth. A potential dark horse for this year!
Laura & Giovanni 
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 24 (6, 6, 6, 6)
Week 2: Waltz – My Score: 24 (6, 6, 6, 6)
Combined Score: 48
Thoughts: Like a lot of the others, I thought Laura was just really middle of the road. Not awful, but nothing to rave over. Would like to see her improve but wasn’t overwhelmed with the first two dances.
Lesley & Anton
Week 1: Waltz – My Score: 24 (6, 6, 6, 6)
Week 2: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 23 (5, 6, 6, 6)
Combined Score: 47
Thoughts: Lesley has surprised me. Yes, her cha-cha was a tad awkward but at least she gave it a good go. She’s been alright but I don’t think she’ll go particularly far in the competition.
Louise & Kevin
Week 1: Jive – My Score: 26 (6, 6, 7, 7)
Week 2: Viennese Waltz – My Score: 32 (8, 8, 8, 8)
Combined Score: 58
Thoughts: I didn’t think much of Louise’s first dance really. Yes it was good, but was it as good as the judges said? I didn’t think so. But her Viennese Waltz was sublime. It was danced really well and she is one to watch this year.
Melvin & Janette
Week 1: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 21 (5, 5, 5, 6)
Week 2: Tango – My Score: 21 (5, 5, 5, 6)
Combined Score: 42
Thoughts: I felt quite sorry for Melvin. He really struggled but at least he did give it a good go. He was definitely on my radar of people to go in the first week but it was a shame the way that it played out really. Not anybody’s fault particularly, but a shame he didn’t get a chance to dance off.
Naga & Pasha 
Week 1: Waltz – My Score: 24 (6, 6, 6, 6)
Week 2: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 25 (6, 6, 6, 7)
Combined Score: 49
Thoughts: I thought the judges were quite harsh on Naga, particularly in week 2. I think she gave things a good go and although she’s not a natural from the start it will be interesting to see how she will progress in the coming weeks.
Ore & Joanne
Week 1: Tango – My Score: 27 (6, 7, 7, 7)
Week 2: Cha-Cha-Cha – My Score: 30 (7, 7, 8, 8)
Combined Score: 57
Thoughts: I thought Ore was fab! His cha-cha was interesting to watch and well-danced and although I wasn’t overly enamoured with his tango it was still danced very well. Definitely one to watch!
Tameka & Gorka
Week 1: Paso Doble – My Score: 22 (5, 5, 6, 6)
Week 2: Charleston – My Score: 30 (7, 7, 8, 8)
Combined Score: 52
Thoughts: What a difference a week makes. I thought Tameka’s paso was really lack-lustre but she more than made up for it with her Charleston! I thought her second dance was fun, well danced and was thoroughly enjoyable – definitely the most improved so far!
Will & Karen
Week 1: Tango – My Score: 29 (7, 7, 7, 8)
Week 2: Jive – My Score: 28 (7, 7, 7, 7)
Combined Score: 57
Thoughts: Will was great, as I hoped he would be. His tango was excellent and whilst I think there were a few mistakes with the jive it was still a strong dance. Another of my contenders!
So, what did my leader board look like?
| No. | Couple | Dance 1 | Dance 2 | TOTAL |
| 1 | Danny and Oti | 30 | 32 | 62 |
| 2 | Claudia and AJ | 28 | 32 | 60 |
| 3 | Louise and Kevin | 26 | 32 | 58 |
| 4= | Judge Rinder and Oksana | 26 | 31 | 57 |
| 4= | Ore and Joanne | 27 | 30 | 57 |
| 4= | Will and Karen | 29 | 28 | 57 |
| 7 | Tameka and Gorka | 22 | 30 | 52 |
| 8 | Daisy and Aljaz | 25 | 25 | 50 |
| 9 | Naga and Pasha | 24 | 25 | 49 |
| 10 | Laura and Giovanni | 24 | 24 | 48 |
| 11 | Lesley and Anton | 24 | 23 | 47 |
| 12 | Greg and Natalie | 23 | 22 | 45 |
| 13 | Ed and Katya | 22 | 22 | 44 |
| 14= | Anastacia and Brendan | 22 | 20 | 42 |
| 14= | Melvin and Janette | 21 | 21 | 42 |
Compared to the judges’ leader board? The scores in bold match with my own scores.
| No. | Couple | Dance 1 | Dance 2 | TOTAL |
| 1 | Danny and Oti | 31 | 32 | 63 |
| 2 | Louise and Kevin | 31 | 32 | 63 |
| 3 | Daisy and Aljaz | 32 | 30 | 62 |
| 4= | Laura and Giovanni | 25 | 32 | 57 |
| 4= | Will and Karen | 30 | 27 | 57 |
| 6 | Claudia & AJ | 26 | 30 | 56 |
| 7 | Tameka and Gorka | 26 | 29 | 55 |
| 8 | Ore and Joanne | 27 | 27 | 54 |
| 9 | Greg and Natalie | 27 | 26 | 53 |
| 10 | Judge Rinder and Oskana | 25 | 27 | 52 |
| 11 | Anastacia and Brendan | 28 | 22 | 50 |
| 12 | Lesley and Anton | 23 | 26 | 49 |
| 13 | Naga and Pasha | 23 | 23 | 46 |
| 14 | Melvin and Janette | 22 | 23 | 45 |
| 15 | Ed and Katya | 21 | 23 | 44 |
Overall Thoughts
I was slightly disappointed with the start of the competition this year if I’m completely honest, but it definitely improved in week 2. I don’t think there are many particularly awful dancers but a lot of them seemed very middling in the early stages. Interestingly, I only agreed with a handful of the scores and I thought some couples were over marked, whilst the judges were particularly hard on others. However, the series has officially kicked off and I look forward to following it through to Christmas!
P.S. The song I’ve chosen for this week was the music for Judge Rinder’s Week 1 Cha-Cha and is also a great song by Duffy! Enjoy 🙂
Adam's Random Ramblings 