Saturday Service: Week 2

A busy weekend for me, so an early review of this week's dances. Week 2 is where things start getting real for our celebrities, as they realise that someone is leaving the ballroom. Not sure why every training VT had the couples sitting on the floor. Bit odd.

Will & Nancy kicked us off with their salsa. Will looked really at home with this dance style. Down into the floor and relaxed, it suited his personality. The lifts looked pretty good. There might have been a little mistake early on, but I really liked this routine. I really didn't mind that it wasn't perfect.

I liked everything James did out of hold, or even in the close hold, but his tango frame wasn't quite there. Anton was right, he was too hunched over Amy. The storytelling and intensity was great, but the frame killed the routine a bit. He has potential, though. I think it'll come over time.

Ellie & Nikita's waltz was really lovely. A very sweet routine, romantic and controlled. I'd like to see Ellie take more care with her footwork, as it was a bit up on her toes. Her arm lines are really nice. She understands the music, and feels it too.

Helen & Gorka's cha cha was good, but it had its flaws. She could have straightened her legs a bit more, and straightened her arms too. She seemed to be looking to Gorka for something, reassurance perhaps. She needs to believe in herself more. She's got it, but I don't know if she knows she's got it.

The Charleston was probably the best choice for Tony & Katya. It was fun and it didn't require any technique, aside from the swivels which were not great. Sadly, it lacked pretty much anything else. The timing was dodgy, there was a lift error in the middle. The performance wasn't dazzling enough to make up for everything else. Tony's a nice guy, but that's not enough to stay in.

Ellie's paso was very good for someone who is new to dancing. She looked at Johannes with intensity. I agree with the judges that something was missing, but I really couldn't put my finger on what. I still believe she's got lots of potential.

Such a massive improvement from Richie & Giovanni this week. The quickstep was light, controlled and in time. His hold was good. It was clear that he had really put the effort in. I thought it would be a car crash and it was anything but. I was really surprised.

A much better performance from Fleur & Vito this week. I wasn't mad about the overly long contemporary break in the middle, it would have been better put in an American smooth. But Fleur's performance was very good. She totally nailed the storytelling.

I enjoyed Kaye & Kai's Charleston more than Tony & Katya's, but it wasn't the best. Yes, it was an improvement from last week, but the timing was off here and there. Brave lifts, and she looked as though she had more fun than last week. The parts in hold were better than the side-by-side sections.

Hamza is actually quite light on his feet. I wasn't that keen on the choreography, it seemed very stop and start and lacked flow. Hamza needs to get his eyeline up off the floor as he was looking down a lot. But I still love watching him and Jovita.

Kym & Graziano's  Viennese waltz was pretty inoffensive, but a bit vanilla. Something weird happened at the end of the flekerl, and she stuck her bottom up in a very odd way. But it was mostly fine. And she acted it very well, I liked the storytelling.

Well, Matt & Nadiya's disco samba was not too bad out of hold, which was most of the bloomin' dance. But this was far from a samba. There were barely any recognisable samba steps. Some of the walks were really mincey. It was not easy to watch. I really expected more from Matt, but he's not delivered so far.

I enjoyed Tyler & Dianne's jive a lot. It was by far one of the most confident performances of the evening. He was a little flat footed in places, especially at the beginning, but he knew the choreography and it was all in time. He performed very well.

There wasn't too much wrong with Jayde & Karen's tango. Great hold, great storytelling. A better performance than last week

I can totally see why they saved Molly & Carlos until the end of the show. It was light, bright, colourful and delightful. They covered the floor and there was no dead time in the routine. Easily the best of the night.

Molly was my favourite of the night, followed by Ellie S with an honourable mention for a much improved Richie. My bottom two are Tony and Matt. I can't expect anyone but Tony departing.