Strictly Come Dancing – as it happened: Halloween Week sees two couples top the leaderboard
Final 11 couples get spooky in the Halloween special
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Your support makes all the difference.Strictly Come Dancing's annual Halloween special saw the ballroom was covered in cobwebs, sparkly pumpkins and as much dry ice as they could get through the double doors at Elstree studios.
Bruno Tonioli was back after his week off and even more exuberant than ever. Claudia Winkleman brushed up on her seasonal puns. Fang-tastic!
Last week Stacey Dooley's samba wowed them even though she admitted on It Takes Two that she was "pretending to be a drag queen in Palm Springs". This week, the Glitterball favourite threatened to steal the spotlight as she performed a tango to the Doctor Who theme tune, dressed as Jodie Whittaker while Kevin Clifton played a Cyberman. Judge Bruno Tolioni thought it was an impressive routine, Craig called it a very strong performance and said they were an "unstoppable couple". Darcey loved it too. Stacey and Kevin can do no wrong, and we'll be shocked if they're not in the final.
Also getting into the Halloween spirit, Graeme Swann and Oti Mabuse paid homage to Michael Jackson with their cha cha to "Thriller" and Dr Ranj and Janette jived to "Monster Mash"… a brilliantly classic Halloween concept, or a demonstration of the producers’ lack of imagination depending on your point of view.
"I think the kids at home would love it but I didn't," Craig said of Dr Ranj's jive – calling it a "stompy routine". He agreed that the costume was hiding a multitude of sins. Darcey said the mistakes were "so clear'" but she was desperate to cuddle him. Too much character, not enough technique.
Kate and Aljaz, aka the Ice King and Queen of the ballroom, did a rumba to "Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man. Darcey took the easy route by just telling them how gorgeous they looked. Shirley was unimpressed and demanded more from a week six routine.
Ashley and Pasha received acclaim (and three 10s!) for their Charleston. Bruno called it "magnificent" and "spellbinding". Ashley and Pasha danced the Charleston, one of the technically "easier" dances. Bruno called it a "magically spell-binding, action-packed, musical comedy of a Charleston" and "one of the best moments of the Strictly season.
Last Sunday, the enfant terrible of Strictly 2018, Sean(n) Walsh found himself in the bottom two, but the judges saved him and sent Vick Hope home instead. He and Katya danced the Viennese Waltz this week, with the comedian as a toymaker and his dance partner as a porcelain doll. Craig was extremely critical, calling Seann out for his poor timing. Darcey, Bruno and Shirley all agreed. Will Seann end up in the dance-off a second time?
Meanwhile Charles finally got a reprieve after two weeks in the bottom two. But SCD aficionados will tell you they’ve seen it all before: the pattern tends to be two dance-offs, a sympathy save and then elimination the next weekend. Unfortunately, he disappointed the judges this week with a jive to "Time Warp", scoring a lowly 25...
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Faye and Giovanni blew the judges away with their Couple's Choice routine – a Fosse-inspired jazz/theatre number to Peggy Lee's "Fever". They got an a-ma-zing from Craig and a total score of 39, putting them at the top of the leaderboard with Ashley and Pasha.
Joe and Dianne impressed with a foxtrot, with Darcey dropping the "f" word as she congratulated Joe for his improvements week-on-week. The judges awarded the couple their highest score so far, with a total of 35
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Lauren and AJ closed the show after an underwhelming contemporary routine last week, with a paso doble to a Nicole Scherzinger song: Lauren starred as an evil queen and AJ was the huntsman. They scored a respectable 29, including two eights from Bruno and Shirley.
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THIS IS ONE BIG ADVERT FOR DOCTOR WHO!
I think someone needs to do a dance tribute to Question Time to even it up.
You can really see Kevin leading on this one, which was the exact opposite of what they were trying to achieve. Stacey's leg work is impressive, but I'm not sure this really has the attack you want from a classic tango, she looked like she was trying not to smile throughout the whole routine. Nice choreography from Kev though.
Amazing work from the costume department as per usual, Kevin seems to be their muse, from Minion to Cyberman, can't wait to see what's next. Bruno thought it was an impressive routine, Craig calls it a very strong performance and says they're an unstoppable couple. Darcey loved it too. Stacey and Kevin can do no wrong, I'll be shocked if they're not in the final.
Stacey and Kevin: Tango scores
Craig: 8
Darcey: 9
Shirley: 9
Bruno: 9
Total: 35
It's their highest score!
Dr Ranj absolutely loves Halloween, he spends up to four hours painting his face every year - I’ve seen the photos and they are genuinely impressive! Other couples want to get to Blackpool, he just wanted to get this far and revel in the spectacle. Tonight he and Janette are jiving to Monster Mash, a song originally banned by BBC as it was deemed too morbid. Luckily Dr Ranj never stops smiling, so this is unlikely to be particularly menacing...
Can you start dancing please instead of jumping around the bed? OK here we go. I would give Ranj a ten just for the costume, but wearing fluffy slippers is quite naughty when people are trying to judge your footwork. This is fun and there's some good basic in there, but difficult to take it seriously as a proper dance. Hmm...
'I think the kids at home would love it but I didn't' says Craig - calls it a stompy routine and agrees the costume was hiding a multitude of sins. Darcey says the mistakes were 'so clear' but she's desperate to cuddle him. Too much character, not enough technique.
Bruno tells Dr Ranj not to make mistakes next week. I'm sure he didn't plan to this week either! In other news, Darcey and Shirley's contact lenses are amazing. Can't help but feel Tess and Claudia should have joined in a bit more...
Dr Ranj and Janette: Jive scores
Craig: 5
Darcey: 5
Shirley: 5
Bruno: 5
Total: 20
'I don't know what happened, I didn't make those mistakes in rehearsals,' says Dr Ranj.
Time for Kate and Aljaz, aka the Ice King and Queen of the ballroom. They've got a rumba, which has the potential to be extremely embarrassing for everyone involved. Kate's going to give it her all, but says she's a bit despondent after seeing Ashley nail it last week...
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