Saturday Catch-up: Week 12 - Semi-Final

The semi-final means our very tired participants now have to take on two dances. It helps to highlight who really are the most accomplished celebrities left in the competition. And for some, it meant that the two dances were not as drilled or as polished as they might usually be.

I found myself agreeing with the judges a lot this week.

Fleur and Molly have both had a rough ride through the competition. Fleur started her paso with a look of determination. Once again she was ready to fight for her position. She was channeling anger, passion and strength throughout the routine. I'm not sure I even noticed Vito that much. It wasn't perfect, but it was 100% Fleur.

Their Charleston was the opposite. It was pure joy and fun. It was quite lindyhop in style. Not for the first time this series, the thing that bothered me the most was Fleur's shoes! Those black shoes looked really heavy. I think red shoes would have looked so much better. But I loved the routine, and I admire Fleur's resilience.

A waltz can be a really difficult dance to sell to the audience. While it feels dreamy and warm to perform, it can look a bit dull from the spectator's perspective. Somehow, Helen & Gorka were able to translate that dreaminess through the screen. It was so sweet and romantic. Their chemistry shone through. I loved it.

After last weeks Couples' Choice, my expectations for this Argentine tango were high. I think Shirley expressed how I felt about it in a way I couldn't. It had the intensity, for sure, but it just didn't quite hit the mark. Perhaps it was her posture that was out. I was a bit 'walky' in places for me. Perhaps Helen was anticipating the choreography rather than letting Gorka lead, which is essential to making this dance pop. Great sorytelling, though.

Hamza & Jovita's Charleston was a Pencil Full of Lead and a box full of fun! I loved it. It as silly and bouncy. And there was a lift in there that we had never seen before. I'm not sure how that's possible after all these years. It was a great routine for smiley Hamza.

Their waltz wasn't quite as dreamy for me as Helen & Gorka's, but it was still a joy to watch. I think it's far too late for Hamza to fix his pigeon toes, which was really the only thing wrong with their performance. It was very sweet. Hamza led Jovita and presented her as well as he always does. His posture is comfortable to watch. You can't not enjoy watching him dance.

Molly & Carlos' American smooth was a delight. There's little to say about Molly's performance because it was so good. She is a technical dancer with fantastic musicality. He is the sort of dancer I love to watch. Everything looks so effortless. She breathes the music and expresses it through her body.

Molly's paso was also excellent. It had power and control. There was a small sequence of turns which didn't look right, I think she raised her shoulders and propelled herself with her arms in a slightly inelegant way. But that aside, everything else was spot on. She certainly is a Survivor.

Will had a bad week at the worst time. His paso was too small. He lacked shaping and extension. He looked as though he might pull himself over during the turns with the cape. He and Nancy have been pretty strong throughout the competition, but perhaps having two dances meant that he wasn't able to nail the details this time around. If this dance had come earlier in the competition, he probably would have gotten away with it.

The Couples' Choices hip hop 'Madchester' routine was definitely more comfortable to watch. I don't think it was Will's first time busting out some of those moves. I quite liked it. But 'quite liked' does not a finalist make.

I think it was right for Will to leave the competition this week. He had a bad week at the worst possible time, and had probably started to plateau. I'm relieved that both Molly and Fleur made the final, and that they never had to face each other in a dance-off. That would have been the worst possible scenario.