Sunday Service: Week 13 - The Final

The final. The time when the judges scores and comments mean nothing, and we finally find out which celebrity has the biggest support.

Round 1: Judges' Choice

Ashley & Pasha were given the salsa to dance again. To be fair, Ashley was so good from the beginning, there really wasn't the need to revisit anything. The lift was possibly a bit neater than the first time, but other than that there wasn't much to improve upon. As I said last week, I feel relaxed when Ashley takes to the floor, because I just know she's got this.

Stacey & Kevin were given the foxtrot by the judges. The performance was slicker than before, but I don't think Stacey's footwork was quite as good as the last time. They looked to be having fun. It was Stacey's best performance of the evening.

Faye & Giovanni's Viennese waltz was a pleasure to see again. Faye's confidence has improved since she last performed this number. It was so dramatic, so smoldering, so sexy. I loved it even more than last time. It had drive and command. Such good work.

I'm not sure I would have picked Joe & Dianne's paso again, but they did a good job. Aside from some dodgy arm lines (vol-au-vont, anyone?) it was a solid performance, and certainly shows how far Joe has come in the competition.

Round 2: Show Dances

Ah the show dance. There are no rules. Although these days, there are pretty much no rules anyway. Kevin's "mine wasn't as 'out of hold' as some of the others - my sister checked" defense is pretty pointless. But I digress...

Ashley & Pasha proved why they deserved to be in the final. Their show dance was similar was similar to their contemporary Couple's Choice routine, but so what? The show dance allows the couples to showcase what they are good at. And Ashley is good at lyrical. I loved it. It was clean and precise, had great musicality and passion. The lifts showed the trust between them. Brilliant stuff.

Kevin had stated that the show dance would show Stacey's journey. Apparently, her journey involved a lot of running around. Starting in different rooms and not seeing each other was quite brave, but perhaps they should have stuck to dancing in their bedrooms. The whole dance was untidy and frantic. I think it showed off more of Stacey's flaws than her accomplishments. 

By contrast, Faye & Giovanni's routine was a show dance masterclass. Pure Hollywood, which of course is Faye's strong suit. Great musciality, great side-by-side mirroring and the return of wings from two feet. A great showcase of ballroom dancing, too, which is what the show is all about.

I loved Joe & Dianne's show dance. It wasn't as slick and Faye & Giovanni's but it had the same wow factor. I loved the surprises of the trampoline and bursting though the speaker (although when Dianne did all the turns and the camera followed her, I actually thought he was getting into a harness for some sort of levitation). I liked that it included the Shoot at the start. The whole routine was very Joe. And it included proper quickstep as well.

Round 3: Couples' Favourite

I was surprised that Ashley & Pasha chose the Charleston, as I thought they would have chosen the jive. But it was lovely to see it again. It was a fun routine. Great swivvel. Great lifts. A good fun routine for them to end on.

The paso was probably one of Stacey & Kevin's strongest routines, although for me their street/commercial was their best performance. The paso had lots of running, so maybe the show dance really was about Stacey's journey. It was a strong performance, though. Stacey's shaping could have been better.

I wanted to see Faye & Giovanni's Charleston again, but their theatre/jazz routine was a good option too. Once again, it was sophisticated and synchronised. Wonderful.

I wasn't a fan of Joe & Dianne's Charleston, but I can see why they chose to do it again in the final. It was high energy and fun. But I think I would have preferred to see a ballroom routine again.

For me, on the night, Faye was the winner. She's been a bit behind Ashley all series, but last night Faye nailed everything. Her three routines were flawless.

Of the final four, Stacey was the one I least wanted to win. This was cemented by their mess of a show dance, which didn't stand up to the other three. I don't begrudge Stacey the title, she worked hard and came a long way. She is a lovely woman, and I love her documentaries. I just felt that she was out-danced by the other three on the night.

But worse than Stacey winning was how the whole thing immediately turned into the Kevin Show. Stacey was practically nonchalant about winning, while Kevin was suddenly the centre of attention. It was Kevin who knelt in front of the trophy, and it was Kevin who was lifted aloft. The whole point about Strictly is how it is a partnership, but this didn't feel that way.

It has been a brilliant series, and despite quite a 'who?' cast, it ended up being as good as ever. There were definitely some routines that will go down in Strictly folklore.

I am bereft again at the thought of no Strictly until September. With a change of executive producer next year, I suspect some things may be a little different...