Strictly Come Dancing final: 5 talking points, from Stacey Dooley's win to the return of Danny John Jules
Out of four finalists, it was Dooley and her partner Kevin Clifton that came out on top, despite Craig Revel Horwood's refusal to give her a ten for her showdance
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Your support makes all the difference.So there we have it, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton are your Strictly champions for 2018! They were bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, but the audience didn’t care. On this show, if you don’t have a journey you’ve got no chance of glitterball glory. Here’s what happened:
Kevin turned into Brendan Cole
The stakes were high for Grimsby’s finest Kevin Clifton. This was his fifth Strictly final and he was fed up of coming a close second. So perhaps that’s why he got so stroppy with Craig when he refused to give them a ten and poured scorn on Kev’s showdance choreography. ‘He does this to me in every final!’ moaned Kevin as Craig dismissed his masterpiece as ‘lots of running around’. Ouch.
The showdances!
The highlight of any Strictly final, amid all of the strung-out VTs and voting reminders, it’s the showdances we tune in to see. Faye’s was by far the best – an old school Hollywood number with glamorous, cinematic choreography. It oozed showbiz and Faye sparkled.
Joe’s attempt to be a rock and roller wasn’t quite as successful (although his trampolining was good) and Ashley’s contemporary routine was technically amazing but hardly a crowd pleaser. Stacey’s energetic jive-based number was full of commitment but it split the judges. Clearly it was enough to make people vote though.
Great dancing won’t win the glitterball
Ashley faced the dance-off for three weeks in a row and did her best to ignore a huge backlash about her dance background. Tonight, both she and Faye produced clean show-stopping performances, scoring a perfect 120 out of 120. But it wasn’t enough. Alas, it’s not just about the dancing ladies, but you did yourselves proud.
Look who’s back!
Let’s face it, Strictly is on telly for a long, long time every year. So it’s easy to forget who graced that dance floor until they reunite for a special nostalgic routine in the final. It was great to see Danny John Jules put his ‘show must go on’ smile on after boycotting It Takes Two when he got eliminated. And nobody batted an eyelid when erstwhile national villain Sean(n) Walsh recreated his Matrix number. Dr Ranj was great fun, Susannah brought back her ridiculous props and it was great fun to get the gang back together.
Naughty Brrrruno
Yet again Brrrruno said a naughty word on telly as he tried to talk about Stacey’s ‘Greatest Hits’. To be fair, it’s quite a minor slip-up for Mr Tonioli, he’s said a lot worse. The judges were falling over themselves to praise the contestants tonight, although for once Bruno didn’t actually fall off his chair.
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This used to be the point where we would lose a couple from the competition, but they've stopped doing that now. And therefore here comes Ashley again. She and Pasha are resurrecting their troll-themed Charleston, which was a huge hit first time round. A fun choice to finish their Strictly journey.
This series has been a great publicity exercise for Kimberley from the Pussycat Dolls, constantly popping up to rave about Ashley. Sorry, is that too cynical?
Personally I would have loved to see Ashley's beautiful foxtrot, such a slice of old-school Hollywood glamour. But if she wants to wear a blue wig and trainers, good luck to her... This is an athletic, energetic and fab Charleston, pretty irresistible stuff.
Shirley doesn't have enough good words for Ashley and Craig says he wishes he could dance like her. This is where the finale starts to get a bit tedious - we've got an hour of platitudes to go before we get a winner...
Ashley and Pasha: Charleston scores
Craig: 10
Darcey: 10
Shirley: 10
Bruno: 10
Total: 40
A perfect score, no surprises there! Everyone's telling each other they are amazing. Getting bored now.
Time for the Paso Dooley! Stacey and Kevin loved this routine, it was packed with clever choreography to show off Stacey's strengths and hide any weaknesses. Fingers crossed she brings the same drive and attack tonight.
Stacey and Kevin raving about each other. Hurry up with the dancing! Oh here we go... It makes such a difference when they have traditional music for the paso, it adds so much drive to the performance. I still think Stacey could have given better Spanish lines, but the drama makes up for it.
'That's done, it doesn't matter what happens now, I've had the best time,' says Stacey. Still think she's going to win. Brrrruno loved the power and passion, says the dance was everything he liked. Craig agrees and Darcey calls Stacey a fierce lady.
Stacey and Kevin: Paso Doble scores
Craig: 9
Darcey: 10
Shirley: 10
Bruno: 10
Total: 39
They never got a 10 from Craig. Stacey doesn't care, she's loved it.
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