Well, that was dramatic, wasn’t it? There is nothing like seeing two of your favourites plummeting into the Strictly dance-off to remind you of the fragility of human existence.
In the end, poor Lesley Joseph bit the dust, after putting up a valiant effort against Daisy Lowe. But then, the writing really was on the wall for her on Saturday night.
She started her tango well enough, summoning the anger-driven intensity that the dance demands as only a seasoned actress knows how. But unfortunately, her steps couldn’t keep up. They seemed delayed and sloppy.
Judge Bruno Tonioli chided the actress, telling her that she clung onto dance partner Anton du Beke “for dear life.”
He added: “Because of your attachment and intensity, you lost your neck.” And he wasn’t wrong. The whole dance just seemed very uncomfortable, as the 71-year-old star fastened herself to her partner like a hair clip.
Head judge Len Goodman was kinder than his colleague, telling Lesley: “It was all there. Steps, move, staccato and musicality”, but she herself admitted after the performance: “I went wrong in a couple of places.”
They were a popular couple, but 24 points from the judges couldn’t save them from the bottom two on Sunday night. And though her dance-off rendition of the fated tango showed improvement, it just couldn’t stack up to the more rhythmically gifted Daisy Lowe.
All judges voted in accord: Lesley was out, and Daisy lived to dance another day.
Speaking of, the model’s own placement in the bottom two drew gasps of shock. But, in honesty, I was hardly surprised.
Yes, she is very talented - and has proven she can deliver both ballroom poise and Latin sass well. But her Charleston lacked that one key ingredient it so desperately needs: goofiness. There was nothing silly about her and partner Aljaz Skorjanec’s performance. And that was the problem.
Her beaming smile never fell, but the whole thing seemed far too measured, restrained, calculated. Their dance-off performance also showed vast improvement, with Daisy keeping to the beat throughout and finishing on time, unlike her earlier effort; but still, I was less than impressed.
Perhaps Sunday’s close-shave will light some fire in the 27-year-old, and she will return next week guns blazing. Let’s hope for her sake, because the judges’ points (she scored 32) are clearly not enough to see you through. One has to endear him or herself to their home audience.
One contender, meanwhile, who is absolutely unstoppable is the glorious Judge Robert Rinder. He quite literally cartwheeled onto the dancefloor on Saturday evening (a one-handed cartwheel, I should add) with more energy than a lifelong Duracell D.
His Jive, judge Craig Revel-Horwood commented, was delivered with “reckless abandon”, while Darcey Bussell added: “That was one hard routine. The kicks were a bit wild but I loved it.”
Twenty-nine points may be a modest tally; but, five weeks in, i’m calling it: Robert Rinder is the people’s choice. He may not have the precision of actor Danny Mac or the natural flair of sports presenter Ore Oduba, but he is endlessly watchable.
The 38-year-old regularly outwits Claudia Winkleman in his one-liners, delivers cutting put-downs with more venom than Craig can muster and, when he takes to the dancefloor, pulls off some remarkable routines.
As Bruno said on Saturday: “You weren’t just dancing, you were erupting!” And long may it last - especially since, with Lesley gone and Daisy’s security in doubt, he is clearly the community’s strongest challenger for the trophy.
So, there you have it: the end of a very dramatic weekend. All that is left to say is: Farewell, Lesley; pull your sleeves up, Daisy; and Robert - apologies, Judge - keep doing your thing. Loving your work.
