November 19th, 2006 by Gerard McGarry.
We have said goodbye to Peter Schmelchel and Erin Boag, having seen them dance for the last time. Although we enjoyed their dancing, having earned 26 points, judges Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Arlene Phillips said Peter danced pigeon-toed, entrance not good, poor lines but fabulous when in hold (Craig). Len said Peter messed up his foot work in parts but otherwise quite good. Bruno criticised his hands and said he was awkward, with Arlene saying it was cumbersome. He will be remembered by all for his ‘1-2-3 shake that body down’ Schmelchel Shake. Happy Birthday Peter!
Matt and Lilia scored the highest marks in the series with 37 out of 40, which was well deserved for their waltz, described by Craig as phenomenal, graceful, and elegant with good rise and fall. Len said it was the best dance he had seen of the whole series and rewarded them with full marks, a 10. Bruno excitedly declared it sensational with Matt improving week by week and both he and Arlene said the couple would be in the final if Matt continued this improvement. All remarked on the incredible change in Matt and his dancing as he has leant to smile and enjoy it more. We loved it.
Louisa Lytton (17) and Vincent Simone came second with 35 points dancing the Tango. They were greeted with much excitement from the audience, screams and cheers, as they took to the floor. Craig said he absolutely loved their dance routine and performance. He congratulated them on their maintaining the body contact. Arlene commented ‘some dreams are made of this’ but told Louisa to work on dramatic, strong facial expressions. Len thought it was great. Bruno found the choreography impressive remarking ‘Full Bloom tonight’.
Emma Bunton and Darren Bennett danced the Cha Cha Cha earning a 30. Emma was amazing in her shimmering, short silver dress. A pleasure to watch. Craig remarked that it was top Choreography (Craig is a top choreographer) but too many ‘still’ moments. Arlene (West End legend) agreed with Craig and added that Emma’s footwork needed attention and they needed to engage more. Len, the Ballroom expert, said they did not come out and wow him. Lastly, Bruno thought it was ‘very naughty and very nice’ but Emma did not raise her leg once. Was it because of her concern over the very short skirt? We thought you danced beautifully Emma. Plenty of hip action.
Carol Smillie and Matthew Cutler earned a matching 30 with Craig saying he really liked the amazing routine and Carol had improved but needed more hip action. Arlene said there was a remarkable improvement and liked the way they came bursting out onto the dance floor. Lens comment was ‘dark horse of the competition’, much better, very well done but sell it more. Bruno said it switched him on and Carol’s arms had improved.
Claire and Brendan wowed us with the Tango and deserved more than the 29 they were given due to Grumpy Len (has he not forgiven Brendan for his earlier attack on the judges?) giving them a ridiculous 6 against Craig and Bruno’s 8s. Disappointing Len, put personal things behind you and judge on the dancing alone. He tried to justify his low points with ‘all the aggression and passion was left to Brendan, not Claire’ and this followed with Craig hotly disagreeing saying it was dramatically excellent. Arlene felt they had nailed it and were very sexy. Bruno found their dancing strong and positive.
A heated argument pursued amongst the judges until halted by Bruce Forsythe’s whistle.
Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy received the undeserved, second to lowest points of 27 due to, in our opinion, Craig giving them a ridiculous 5 against Len and Bruno’s 8s. Craig tried to justify this by saying he did not like their dance as it was passionless, disappointing, with only occasional action. We thought it was marvellous. Len said he liked the great long lines, held the time well but needed to act the dance more. Bruno found it sexy, raunchy, smouldering and passionate. Arlene felt it did not show all the aspects of love and needed more hip movement from Mark, as performed in the past.
The dancing, all round, was of a very high standard and beautiful to watch. The entertainment was very classy and fast moving and the music superb. Next week we will see the remaining six couples dance it out in an attempt to reach the prestigious finals.
This article was written by Evelyn Lewis, our newest contributor at Unreality TV. Welcome aboard Evelyn. We’re thrilled to have you with us!
