Saturday Musings: Week 3

Better late than never, here are my thoughts on Week 3 of Strictly Come Dancing.

The competition is getting much more interesting now that everyone is pitched against everyone else.

Ray and Camilla danced a competent tango. Ray was very focused and did not display the nerves that some of the other participants do. Perhaps Camilla could have challenged him a little more, but it certainly showed what he can do.

Carol and Matthew's jive was interesting. I liked its cheekiness, but was not as good as the foxtrot last week. This couple seem to have great chemistry off the floor, and thankfully it spills off onto it. I think they could be around for a while. But she does need to keep her shoulders down. As an aside, I didn't think the dress suited the dance. It was too samba-ish and not jivey enough for me.

I really enjoyed Matt and Lilia this week. Matt's tango was strong and in control, a big improvement on the group swing the week before, where Lilia did all the work. I was really put off by the music to begin with. I didn't see how you could tango to the sweet Stand By Me. But they pulled it off. Matt has come on leaps and bounds this week. Good job.

Georgina and James. Hmm. Actually, I thought she was much improved this week. But she was the weakest on the night. I have to praise her for her arms, though. He second arm was held up throughout the routine, which helped the overall look of the routine.

Spoony and Ola gave a good performance. It was a shame they lost it with the heads in the middle, but they certainly weren't the only couple to make mistakes. Spoony led well, which is the key to the tango.

I thought that Claire and Brendan's jive was fun and energetic, but so untidy! It was as if they hadn't had time to really polish it. I liked the faux lift at the end. But there is a cockiness to this couple which I'm not sure I like. Hopefully the shock result last week will make them think twice.

Jan and Anton were a little disappointing, but as I've said before, Jan's strength will be ballroom. We all know that Anton is the ballroom master, but I wonder how he feels about the latin dances. If he doesn't enjoy them, it could rub off onto his partner. Even without saying anything, he might subconsciously give things away. Jan must really watch he second arm. It was dangled down doing nothing.

Mark and Karen gave the best tango in my opinion. Mark looked emotionless throughout, and really led Karen around the floor. The choreography looked more complex and more traditional than some of the other routines. But even a 9 from Bruno failed to get a squeak out of Mark. It's a good thing he's with one of Strictly's chattiest dancers.

Everyone expected big things from Emma and Darren. They delivered a clean, barring a mistake, well-rehearsed polished jive. What more can I say?

Peter and Erin continue to quietly get on with things. They put in another solid performance. Peter works hard on his technique and it shows. His work so far has been clean and precise.

Louisa and Vincent were fantastic and a great way to end the show. They were bouncy and full of energy. The jive routine was complex and exciting, and Louisa did it perfectly. It was my favourite jive of the evening, and probably second only to Jill and Darren in Series 2.

Spoony and Ola's exit was a shock to everyone. They did not deserve to go out by any stretch of the imagination. Spoony was one of the strongest men in the competition. Should Georgina and James gone out? In my opinion, yes. Although Georgina has displayed improvement, she is still not up to the standard of the rest of the group.

It just goes to prove that no-one is safe. Vote for your favourites, or they could end up like Spoony and Ola.

We've seen so many good couples leave because of sympathy votes over the years. I doubt we'll see anyone weak make the final again, but it's a shame that good dancers are forced to go before their time is really up.