Tonight the finalists will be revealed on ITV’s Grease Is The Word, but over the course of the three days at Bootcamp there are tears, tantrums, and some romance along the way. With only 16 places available in the live shows for eight Sandy’s and eight Danny’s only the most talented will survive.

For Judges David Ian this stage of the competition is crucial as he has millions of his own money riding on this production, “They (the roles) are as famous as Romeo and Juliett as far as casting couples are concerned, if the chemistry between Danny and Sandy isn’t there, the whole show won’t work and I could lose money.”

The Bootcamp day one

It’s high spirits on the seperate boys and girls coaches as they set off for Bootcamp, and once there it’s a chance for the 30 potential Danny’s to meet for the first time our 30 potential Sandy’s. It’s the start of three intense days of vocal and dance training as they compete against each other for a coveted place in the final.

At the end of day one half of the 60 will be going home so they only have a few chances to shine and make that all important impression.

Split into separate boy and girl groups on the first day they will be judged throughout the day on their singing and dancing abilities, whilst

coached by industry professionals. But they really need to impress our Judges if they are to remain at Bootcamp and proceed to the live final.

David Ian and Brian start their day in the dance room with the boys, while David Gest and Sinitta are initially in the singing room with the girls.

Can Joanna realise her dreams and perform through her tears?

As the day progresses the pressure of impressing the Judges is beginning to take its toll on a few. One person really feeling the nerves is 22 yr old promotions girl Joanna Powers from Essex. In the first round auditions she won the Judges over with her personality, but the realisation that her survival depends on her performance today means its all getting too much for her as she breaks down in tears before trying to perform. “I just got so nervous and I was singing with tears running down my face, I just can’t control it. I cannot believe I have got this far then blown it because I can’t handle the pressure”. An anxious Joanna faces a long wait ahead, knowing her only chance of survival at Bootcamp rests solely on her dance performance later in the afternoon.

Can the ex glamour model prove her family wrong?

Back in the singing room it’s a nerve wracking time for all the girls and one person particularly eager to prove herself is 19 year old Essex barmaid and ex glamour model Jade Barnes. At the London auditions she struck a chord with the Judges when she described to them how little support she had received from her family. “I never thought I’d get this far, I never even thought I would get through the first audition. Now I need to start believing in myself and believe I can do this. It is something I’ve wanted for a long time but I never thought I’d ever achieve, I just hope the Judges see something in me.”

It’s the boys turn to impress.

As the first group of boys get their chance in front of Judges David and Sinitta it’s a case of singing for survival. And someone who is finding overwhelming is 20 year old Ben from Hertfordshire. At the London auditions he really impressed David Gest and made it through to Bootcamp with sister Kelly. “It is such an intense nerve wracking experience, much worse than what you see on TV.”

Can pop star Kavanagh cut the grade?

Next up is ex pop star Anthony Kavanagh, but he fails to impress David Gest in the singing room with David describing his audition as “monotonous” and going on to say, “it is a hard thing to have some pop hits and then the career goes, I had it all then, it came and went, all of us, myself included have gone through the good times and the bad times, but when you have an opportunity to make it big, like you could in this show, an opportunity that could regenerate your whole career, you had better kick booty, if you want to continue in this competition you need to kick ass because so far I’ve not seen you do that. I want everyone here to be frightened of you and by the look of it they’re not at the moment.”

Outside the audition room with Zoe Ball, David Gests comments have obviously affected Anthony, “It’s been so nerve wracking, once you walk in there you think it’s going to be a breeze but it is so intense, everyone is sat there watching you and tearing you apart and they were quite blunt with me and I got nervous.”

Can the love birds make it through the day together?

One pair hoping to recreate the magic of Sandy and Danny are engaged couple Vicky and Ben from Leicester, and the duo are hoping to be as magical on stage as well as off. Vicky is first up to show off her singing skills, hoping to secure herself a place in the next round. For this inseparable couple time apart is hard but they are never far from each others thoughts and in between auditions they both track each other down to compare notes and give each other advice. But will Vicky’s tips for the singing room help Ben out when he goes in to face the Judges and can he prove himself enough to secure his place in the Grease Bootcamp?

The dance class.

The pressure is on and at the end of day one half the contestants will be asked to leave. With only a few hours left to impress, all the contestants need to show off their dancing as well as singing skills.

Brian Friedman, “Danny and Sandy in this musical have to dance and Danny wins a dance competition in the show so he has to be a great dancer, Sandy has it slightly easier but there is nothing worse than watching an awkward girl move, so they all still need to prove their dancing skills.”

As the girls strut their stuff Brian quickly becomes dissatisfied, “You are ladies yet I can walk better than any of you, you need to sit into your hip when you walk!” But Brian’s advice doesn’t seem to help and it soon becomes clear that the standard is not as high as they were expecting, with even a few of the girls not being able to walk across the room without falling over.

As the Judges get together during a quick tea break David Ian confides in the other Judges, “The biggest worry for me at the moment is that the dancers can’t sing and the singers can’t dance. What I haven’t seen yet is one person that looks fantastic and can do both.”

Can the girls deliver in the afternoon session?

After a nervous performance in the singing room earlier Joanna Power knows she just has the dancing left to prove she can hold her nerve. “I really want to keep going, I don’t want to go home tonight, I just want to get through so badly and I’m praying they don’t send me home.”

Judging the next group is David Gest and Sinitta and with the first cut only hours away someone feeling the pressure is Ben’s sister Kelly, “the dancing was such huge pressure, if you muck up on move it ruins the whole routine and has such a knock on effect. It was really hard and intense but I’m hoping I’ve done enough.”

Despite the pressure the girls find a way of relieving the tension for David Gest by pulling out their sexiest dance moves, which certainly brings a smile to David’s face!

It’s the boys turn to strut their stuff.

Now it’s the boys turn in the dance room and choreographer Stacey puts them through their paces. The dancing exposes some of the boys, especially 26 year old Wayne from Preston, who manages to completely split his trousers in his routine exposing his briefs, much to the enjoyment of Sinitta!

Next up is Vicky’s fiancé Ben and after his singing let him down he tries to pull out all the stops in his dancing to try and impress the judges. But has he done enough to ensure he gets through to day two? He certainly feels confident enough “I’ve done good today, very happy”.

After his stinging critique from David Gest in the singing. Kavanagh only has one dance performance to progress to that all important next stage, but despite that showbiz pedigree he’s struggling to keep up with the amateurs. Criticised for not putting enough into his performance he knows he’s got to raise his game. “I’ve really struggled in the dance, but it is Bootcamp and really intense”.

David Gest loses it.

With only hours to go before the Judges decide who will make the final 32 and with the standard lower than he expected, David Gest loses his patience. “This is really crap, I’m going to tell you its not good, I’ve worked with tons of dancers, I was married to a dancer. This is not the way you dance or do it, you need to listen to her (choreographer), none of you yet could fill this role. I am leaving the room for 10 minutes and you need to get it together because this is really not good.”

Outside the room David continues to rant, “The dancing is terrible, I’ve never seen such worse dancers in my life. I’ve worked with all the great dancers in my time from Michael Jackson to Usher, even Liza was a great dancer. But I’ve seen monks that dancer better than these people!”

Who will make it through to day two?

As the classes for the day end the Judges need to send half the group home. With the competition fierce this time it is all about talent and only the very best will survive.
For some, they have exceeded the Judges expectations but for others its bad news as they’ve not made the grade. And for fiancé Ben and Vicky, and brother and sister Kelly and Ben, it’s the end of their dreams of making it through together as only one from each pairing makes it through to day two.

Party time!

With their dreams shattered half the group prepare themselves for the long journey home, meanwhile for the final 32 David Ian has some important news for them. “Congratulations for getting through to the final 32 and in celebration I am throwing a prom party for you all tonight.”

So in true Grease style the final 32 will celebrate at a 50s themed night, and in the tradition of all proms, everyone is going with a date. And it is down to the 16 Danny’s to pick their own Sandy for the evening. So as the ladies line up the boys take their pick. Once everyone has a partner all the hopefuls change into their 50s gear and dance the night away.

And some couples seem to hit it off better than others, but is Vicky worried what fiancé Ben would think of another man taking her on a date? After she is picked by Danny Bayne for the prom party, “I think he’d understand but I can understand if he does get a bit funny with me.” Another person who is happy with his partner is 28 year old Brett Misselbroke from Southampton who picked Susan McFadden to be his date for the night, “As soon as I looked at her and she looked at me I felt a bit of chemistry so I was really pleased with my choice”.

As the potential Danny and Sandy’s dance and drink the night away it’s only hours before they are back once again to sing for their survival.

Day Two and the pressure increases but is love in the air?

It’s day two of Grease Bootcamp and the competition for who makes the live shows is hotting up. Thirty two remain and before the day starts David Ian has something to tell them: “ Today you are going to be working as a duet in the same couples you chose for yourselves at last nights prom party. My advice to you all is to be different, bold positive and creative and convince us you could be a West End star.”

Each couple must prepare to sing and act out some classic Grease songs and scenes in front of the Judges.

One couple hoping to stand out is Ben Craig (brother of Kelly) and 25 year old fitness instructor Hayley from Birmingham, “Ben has all these moves and ideas and at the moment I am going with the flow and seeing where it takes us.” And Ben certainly seems happy with his choice of Sandy, “There is something very sexy about her and I do have a crush on her”. But will the spark between them be enough to light up their performance in front of the Judges?

At this early stage the Judges are looking for couples with a natural chemistry as without it, Danny and Sandy don’t work, so Zoe Ball goes on a mission to find out who’s getting on better with who. 25 year old Bradley from Herts is more than happy with his partner Michelle, 24 from London, “She is drop dead gorgeous so of course it helps, I am trying to portray the character Danny and I am obviously attracted to Michelle so the chemistry is real which makes it easier because I don’t have to put it on”.

Working well as a team is Kavanagh and full time mum Cherrill, 24 from London, “We just feel so comfortable around each other” says Cherrill “He is a lovely guy and he genuinely wants the part and we believe in each other so that makes it that more magical”.

Can Danny overcome the restraints from his stammer to make it through?

Two people with a real challenge ahead of them are 22 year old Danny Rhodes and 25 year old Alison Crawford from Liverpool. Danny had a mountain to climb at the London auditions when he thought his stammer might impede his progress but his raw talent saw him put through to Bootcamp, however partner Alison has concerns his stammer may affect their audition, “If we manage to act something out and his stammer doesn’t affect that performance than I say we have succeeded”. But will the Judges believe they have the right chemistry as a couple?

Can Vicky cope with partner swapping?

Danny and Sandy are inseparable in the movie and this is a quality the Judges are looking for in each of the pairings, but for Vicky this is easier said than done after fiancé Ben was sent home by the Judges, “It is really strange to go from Ben to another person because I am so used to having him there, but it’s a challenge now working with someone new.” She’s partnered now with 19 Danny Bayne from Kent who has been a Judges favourite right from the start. And Danny is taking control of proceedings, “When I sing a song and I’ve been told to try my own arrangement I like to try and do something no one else will do.” But will the duo deliver?

Has McFadden found a love interest?

Also hoping to deliver is 27 year old stationary salesman Brett Misselbroke who at last nights party picked 24 year old Susan McFadden from Ireland to be his partner. Susan, sister to pop star Brian McFadden, has some stage experience of her own under her belt, is taking control of the partnership with Brett, “I am letting Susan take control but to be honest I need that because as far as acting is concerned I’ve never acted in my life”. With the Judges looking for a romantic energy on stage, this Danny is more than happy with his Sandy, “she’s pretty and lovely, what more can I say. We find it really easy to sing into each others eyes and mean it, I haven’t bought the ring yet but you never know!” says Brett. But Susan is concerned with Brett’s lack of experience, and with the Judges ready to see their routine it’s Susan that cracks under the pressure. “We’ve not had any cross words, she just started crying. It must be difficult for her having a famous relative and being compared to them, but she is incredibly talented” says Brett.
Susan, “I’ve just put this pressure on myself and it all got to me, but I’m going to give it my all.” But will it be Brett’s lack of training that let them down?

Crisis Meeting

While the Sandy and Danny’s wait nervously in the holding room David Ian calls a crisis meeting to discuss his concerns about the pairings. “Think about it guys, not once today have we had a couple walk into the room and we have thought, there is Danny and Sandy. I’ve not seen any package that makes me go wow. What we need to see is sparks to fly because so far we’ve just been seeing damp squids.”

Drastic action is called for so the Judges decide to split up the existing couple to form new rooms, with the hope of sparking off some chemistry. After hours of deliberation the Judges summon the finalists to reveal the new pairings. But will the Judges be right, and will the new pairings work, or would they have been better staying as they were?

With only one more performance each in front of the Judges left, can the new pairings prove they have the sexual chemistry and talent the Judges are looking for, or is it the end of their Grease journey?

Sixty hopefuls came to Bootcamp with one shared dream, to star in Grease, in London’s West End. Within a day half were on the way home, the remaining contestants have now had their final performance and only 16 will make it through to the live shows. The Judges are waiting and the finalists will be revealed, but who will make it through?