Saturday Suppositions: Week 7

 Icons Week. Oh dear. What a mess. Let's get into it...

Oh Pete. The salsa was a dance disaster. I almost wanted him in the bottom two to give him a chance to do it again correctly. The lift in the middle was good, but he didn't quite get hold of Jowita at the end so it was a bit messy. And he spent the rest of the dance just not really doing much. Not an exciting routine. I am warming to Pete, though. He seems to have found a love of dance and it's cute.

I really don't understand what the judges see in Wynne. They shower him with parise, and I don't know why. His rumba was competent, yes, but it lacked fluidity in places. He's trying hard, no doubt about that, but I don't enjoy the shapes he makes with his body. Perhaps Craig was right, it had too much attack. Too much emotion to the point of being affected. Katya was phenomenal, though.

Sam & Nikita's American smooth was very sweet. It had elegance and poise. Sam looked steadier on her own feet than perhaps she has up to this point. The hold was good, the footwork was solid. One of her better dances.

Chris & Dianne's tango was a bit hampered by the song choice, which wasn't staccato enough for a tango, nor did it have any kind of crescendo. The tango is a tricky dance to understand if you have never seen it, because it's hard to understand the drama it requires. I felt this was the first routine which might have suffered due to Chris disability. Everything else was there, as always. His timing was great, he led Dianne well.

Did anyone feel nervous seeing a Madonna track starting with a cape and a set of stairs? I love Sarah, but her cha cha was a little too 'upright' for me. Her legs are so straight and balletic that the cha cha lacked a bit of movement for me. She doesn't have much action which the dance needs to give it dynamism. Otherwise, she is amazing. And Vito's "What is wedgie?" question will live on in Strictly lore. 

JB's couples' choice was 24-karat magic! I loved it. And I think JB had a bit of a touch being partnered by Lauren for this number. I love Amy, I really do, but I don't think this dance would have been quite this good with her partnering JB. It was so wonderful to see JB finally shine.

Montell & Johannes' waltz was cursed. This arrangement of I Will Always Love You was not good. How Johannes made something of it shows what a fantastic pro he is. Montell is a beautiful dancer, and I think she was just unlucky to be in the dance off. The waltz is not a wow dance. As a Whitney fan, they should have given Montell an uptempo dance instead.

I don't get why the judges love Wynne, yet they seem to always give Jamie a hard time. Jamie had some really nice shaping in the samba, lovely hip action, nice footwork. The promenade runs were delightful. He and Michelle are becoming a good partnership, and I disagree with the judges that they lack connection.

The contemporary, lyrical type of couples' choice (or showdance) is not really my bag unless it's done really well. Tasha & Aljaž did do it really well. The lift section in the middle was professional level. But I'm afraid it didn't make me feel anything. It was beautiful, I just didn't connect with it emotionally.

I don't really know why they decided to end the show with Shayne & Nancy. There was quite a lot of gapping during the fast-moving sections of their quickstep. There seemed to be a lot of dead time where they were not in hold. I don't really understand why he needed to take off the jacket. I don't think it was hiding his body or getting in the way. It was a big moment in the dance which served no purpose.

Icons Week was a bit underwhelming. I don't like that we have had two theme weeks in a row. JB was my favourite of the week by a mile, and the only one I would want to watch again. The bottom two for me were Pete, because he messed it up so royally, and possibly Chris because he wasn't able to get the drama of the dance. But I voted for both of them because I wasn't ready to see either of them go, and I was hoping that Wynne might end up in the dance-off.

It's a shame that Sam got knocked out on what was quite a strong week for her, but we're getting to the point where everyone is pretty decent. Every dance-off is going to be tough. Montell was just unlucky, and hopefully she will absolutely nail the paso this week.