Strictly Come Blogging: Monday Musings: Week 7

Here my thoughts on Week 7 of Strictly Come Dancing.

I'm afraid I had to agree with the judges about Emma and Darren's cha cha. It was good, but I'm now expecting to be blown away, and they're just not doing that. Emma still needs more hip action, especially on those sexy latin walks.

Claire and Brendan did another great job. I thought their tango was really clean and well-performed. Claire's head turns could have been way sharper, but it was a great effort. Brendan didn't seem to confident earlier in the week, so I was impressed when they hit the floor.

Mark and Karen didn't set the floor on fire this week. Mark seemed to get over his intimacy issues with the rumba, but there was just something missing. Perhaps they just didn't connect quite enough. I liked the repetition of the outward round kicks towards the end, it looked lovely.

I didn't agree with the judges' "waterfall of praise" for Carol and Matthew this week. I thought they were over-compensating for last week's harsh comments. Like Emma, she needs more hip action, and she needs to relax her shoulders more. But they still work together well as a couple and I liked the routine. It just left me a bit cold.

Peter and Erin were back in their comfort zone of ballroom this week. His left hand was pretty ugly on the beginning bit, and it took a bit long to get into hold for my liking. But once there, it was classic classy Peter.

Louisa and Vincent were excellent on Saturday. They had a fantastic tango song choice in Sweet Dreams. The routine wasn't so packed with steps and they performed it very well indeed. The Evita tango lesson worked wonders on Louisa's giggles. Tango tends to favour the longer-limbed dancers for elegance, but Louisa and Vincent looked great. It was beautifully staccato, and had a few of Vincent's Argentinean-style flourishes. It was Louisa's best performance since the jive.

Matt and Lilia's waltz wasn't quite as special as the American smooth last week, but it was still much better than earlier weeks. And the waltz doesn't quite have the same wow-factor as the smooth anyway. It was classy and well-performed. I loved the lift at the end.

I don't think the result was a big shock to anyone this week, although seeing Emma and Darren in the bottom two was. This series has had so many twists and turns. It again proves that no-one is safe. Not even those the bookies have tipped to be in the final. I think every elimination from hereon in will be hard to take. Everyone deserves a place in the competition now, and it's going to be touch to see anyone else go. But that's the nature of the competition.

I have to mention the amazing pro quickstep. I loved it, especially the beginning with the guys performing solo. It was fabulous.

Here are the videos.

Emma and Darren