2 min read
Poor Daisy Lowe; she can’t seem to catch a break, can she?
Having been up for elimination last week, she came back on Saturday with fury in her feet and fire in her eyes.
But then Sunday rolled around and, once again, she found herself in the bottom two; up to dance once more to sway the judges in her favour against US singer Anastacia.
In the end it was unsurprisingly Anastacia who left the competition; Daisy is a far, far better dancer and her routine was superior.
Still, it must be disconcerting for Daisy to know that, while she racks up the points and positive comments from the judges every week, she fails to secure the public vote.
This puts her in a far more perilous position than, for example, Ed Balls, who collects measly points but, so far, has sailed through the competition. In the end, it is the public who choose the champion.
To be fair to Daisy, her performance really did not warrant such a blow. While last week, I thought her dance lacked character and charm, this week she totally embodied the mood and intensity of the Paso Doble.
The theme for the evening was Halloween, and so the model and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec took to the dancefloor painted as Mexican Day of the Dead ghouls. They performed a spicy and original routine that was brimming with flamenco stomps and beautiful shaping from head to toe.
The judges all voiced their approval, with Bruno Tonioli even handing out a nine, telling them he “adored the dance”.
So then, as Tess Daly revealed Daisy had sunk to the bottom two for the second week in a row, it was hardly surprising that the model’s face turned whiter than her ghoulish make-up. A scary end to a spooky weekend.
Indeed, Halloween week proved to be a scary time for a fair few of the show’s leading stars. Sports presenter Ore Aduba, who last week scored perfect 10s, fell from grace when he lost timing in his Charleston; likewise actor Danny Mac, who made a number of errors in his Foxtrot.
Still, there was consistency amid chaos, not least from Judge Robert Rinder, who yet again gave it his all in his own Paso Doble - dressed as a moth, no less.
The TV judge proved he can do gravity as well as slapstick as he flung partner Oksana Platero across the floor (like a matador’s cape, the dance demands) and performed knee walks towards the audience with operatic theatricality.
All the judges praised his aggression, with Craig noting it was the “strongest and darkest we’ve ever seen you”. Scores of eight across the board and a place in next week’s show followed; job done, Judge.
For me, the night could only belong to one performer, and that had to be Ed Balls. Past “joke acts” in Strictly gone-by (I’m thinking Ann Widdecombe, John Sergeant, to name a few) have been somehow offensive to the crop of talent they often out-lived.
But there is something so very watchable, so endearingly potty about Ed’s routines that you can’t look away, and Saturday night was no exception.
The politician took to the stage as a mad scientist, entering into an eye-wateringly hilarious Cha Cha of non-stop, wonderfully camp hip-thrusts and “shimmy-shimmy” waddles. You know what? The former shadow Cha-Cha-chancellor might just win this thing.
As for Daisy, who knows what next week will bring; but I would wager she comes back stronger than ever. In the meanwhile, she might want to brainstorm some ideas to trumpet public support, because her fancy footwork can only do so much.
After all, as Anastacia can attest, it is common knowledge that, on Strictly, you only have so many lives. Three strikes and you’re most likely out.
