Sunday Service: Week 7

Halfway through the competition, we means we must open the show with a moody 'I'm not ready to go home yet' montage.

Personally, I haven't yet picked a favourite. Every week I like a different couple. It's making for an interesting competition.

Hamza & Jovita kicked things off this week with a cha cha, which the judges went crazy for. The training footage showed that Hamza had really struggled with the timing, but that certainly didn't show on the dancefloor. Well, if you turn a blind eye to the obvious counting aloud from both of them. He is still also a little pigeon-toed. But the routine had loads of cha cha content, which was well executed. And the story was cute. I'm not 100% sure it was worthy of 39 points, but I definitely liked it more on second viewing.

Can we just take a moment so acknowledge Alison Hammond reading the T&Cs? She came dressed ready to dance, and I'm sure she spent the whole night hoping someone would get injured so she could leap in.

Ellie & Johannes' rumba was very disappointing. She has beautiful, long legs, but they were not very well controlled. Her knees were often bent when they should have been straight. Her hands often don't finish the line nicely. Her wrists are bent awkwardly, or her fingers splay out. The whole thing lacked chemistry for me.

Mollie & Carlos' foxtrot was a delight. I'm starting to feel that Mollie's problem is that she has been so good from the start that she has almost nowhere to go. Her heel turn at the start of the routine was spot on. The routine was lyrical and she performed everything beautifully. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if she flicked her toes up on the backward steps. But otherwise, it was perfect.

As expected, Ellie & Nikita's Charleston had a lot of lifts. A lot. I thought Ellie performed it well, but it lacked light and shade for me. It was a bit one-note. Ellie lacked swivel, and her timing was off in a couple of places as well. I think she has done enough to do through, but I'm beginning to wonder if Ellie has reached her plateau.

Tyler & Dianne's Viennese waltz should have been really hot, but it fell a bit flat for me. I liked the opening on the bench. And Tyler definitely captured the mood of a late night, one last dance before the band go home moment. His posture really let him down, thoough. His top half was too far forward, which made his bottom stick out. We've seen better from Tyler.

Kym continues to grow in confidence, and her Argentine tango with Graziano showcased her confidence brilliantly. It was intense and moody. It wasn't as packed with steps as Mollie's Argentine tango last week, but it didn't need to be. Instead it smoldered, and had greater intimacy. And beautiful lines. I really liked it.

I didn't have any strong feelings about Will & Nancy's quickstep. It was fine. There was one big where he looked a bit hunched over her, but I wondered if that was a chorographical choice. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad either. Just fine. I was most interested in Nancy's eye make-up than the dance.

Helen & Gorka's jive was probably the coolest we have seen on Strictly. It just oozed cool. I didn't even notice that Helen knocked her hat off at the beginning and had to mime throwing it away until the second viewing. I loved the routine. It had some nice staccato timing which Helen looked really at ease with. Everything about it looked relaxed and effortless.

I feel a bit bad for Fleur. Not a good week to get a dance as understated and forgettable as the waltz. It was a very nice, very competent routine. Fleur looked comfortable in Vito's arms, and her lines were nice. It was very elegant and temperate. Definitely one of Fleur's better routines. I think it's a shame that it might get lost among the good and the bad.

I definitely buy Tony more as a superstar DJ than I do as a dancer. The first few salsa steps he did alone looked fine, but where totally out of time. Unless Katya was directly in front of Tony, and sometimes even when she was, the timing was horrific. It's a shame, because the moves themselves are actually nice. He has a fluidity in his hips which is very watchable. 

Scores aside, the order of the leaderboard felt about right. For me, Helen and Kym were as good as, if not better than, Hamza. But the three were definitely the best of the night.

Tony and Ellie T were definitely the weakest. But I fear that we could see Will, Fleur or Mollie in the dance-off, as people vote to save Ellie. It really should be the end of the road for Tony, but he brought the entertainment last night, and he went last, and people will likely respond to that.