Sunday Service: Week 6

It's a Strictly cliché, but I genuinely think this is one of the closest and most entertaining series in a long time. It's almost at the point where I don't want anyone to leave the competition.

The show got off to a slightly bumpy start with Clara & Aljaž's jive. You could see the potential in this dance. The jive totally suited Clara, and the Tina Turner track was spurring her on. Unfortunately, there were too many mistakes. There were flashes of brilliance, but then moments of dance disaster. Perhaps the occasion got the better of her. While I don't want to see Clara in the dance-off, I almost want her to have a moment of redemption with this dance, to show us how it was supposed to be.

Jamie continues to surprise me. After a number of fun, campy numbers, it was time for Jamie to come back to something more serious. I loved Karen's concept. The intense chess match, leading to an intense tango. Jamie totally embodied the character. He played it totally straight, and it was engaging to watch. He didn't break character until long after the music had ended. His timing is still questionable in places, but it was obvious that he had worked hard on his placement and footwork. I really liked it.

The more I see Couple's Choice routines, the more they bother me. They are too close to showdances in a lot of cases. What's the point of the showdance if we've already thrown out the rulebook mid-series. But it has brought us some good routines, and Harvey & Janette's contemporary flavoured version was another one. They were so in sync with each other. His body movements are wonderful to watch. It was a lovely routine, with a great story, and it was well-danced. There were some nice lifts too, even if he did plonk her down a bit hard on the last one. I feel a bit weirded out by Craig's 10 - he's really mellowed this series. I also found it odd that so few people in the audience seemed to know what G.O.A.T. meant, although it is quite an American phrase.

Ranvir starting the dance out on her own has become a motif of her dances with Giovanni, but it's still working. Their American smooth was romantic and sweet. It looked comfortable, and I think that perhaps Ranvir feels safer in hold. She had the advantage of having already done the foxtrot, so this wasn't too much of a stretch. I loved the story of this routine. Ranvir & Giovanni are such a joy to watch.

Our second jive of the night was from Bill & Oti, and while it was solid, I don't think it was one of Bill's best efforts. There were a few errors, and it lacked the flair we usually see from Bill. He kept the energy level throughout, but it looked a bit stompy in places. Loved the Cuban heeled shoes though! More power to Bill for wearing those.

JJ & Amy are the couple which do nothing for me. We had yet another sweet routine from them, which was all fine, but I was more moved by the VT with his wife and children than I was by the Viennese waltz. It was perfectly pleasant - they covered the floor well, it had a fleckerl, the timing was good, there were no errors. JJ works hard, his technique is good. I feel apologetic for not liking their routines more, but I just don't.

It was so good to see Maisie & Gorka have a great week after two weeks in the bottom two. I really hope they get a reprieve this week. Like all of their routines, the quickstep was full on. Lots of very fast, very complex steps. The only thing I didn't like was how much time was out of hold and on the bench. This wandered into American smooth territory. But it was still lovely. High energy, light, speedy and it travelled all over the floor. Her footwork and frame looked great. And I loved the cartwheel at the end.

My favourites this week were Maisie, Ranvir and Jamie.

Based on the dancing this week, my bottom two would probably, sadly, have to be Clara and Bill. Both made mistakes when no-one else did. However, the person I'd like to send home is JJ. I just feel like we have seen everything he has to offer. I'm not expecting any surprises from him and I feel that he has run his course in the competition. However, the judges seem keen on him and I think he would have a good chance of surviving the dance-off, depending who he ended up against.

Whatever happens, I think it is going to be a tough elimination tonight, and for the next two weeks too.