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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Eek can't see Craig holding back when it comes to Kate's hands in this routine. It's missing that gorgeous fluidity the can make a rumba zing, Kate is clearly trying but the dance feels stilted. It's such a hard style for mere mortals to get right...
Once again Darcey taking the easy route by just telling them how gorgeous they look. Irrelevant! She says there were glimmers of hope and it was a good try. Shirley unimpressed, says she wants more from a week six routine. Bruno standing up again (obvs).
Kate and Aljaz: Rumba scores
Craig: 4
Darcey: 6
Shirley: 5
Bruno: 5
Total: 20
'I loved it, it was the best dance we've done,' says Kate. Erm, OK then.
Danny and Amy next! They got the first ten of series last week, will be interesting to see if they can maintain that standard with the American Smooth. Danny has been struggling with the lifts, let's hope it comes together. Amy says Danny 'won’t be leaving the dance floor in a normal way' - a bit of Halloween magic perhaps?
How much do they pay Anton to hang around getting himself into these VTs?
It's difficult to combine the effortless ease of the American Smooth with zombie-esque choreography, but this is just about working for me, getting better as it goes on. Once again Danny looks very serious, you can see the concentration all over his face. Smile, Danny! That ending was an anti-climax...
Shirley heaps on praise for the lift and says Danny is consistent, Bruno loves his showmanship, calls it a commanding performance. Craig says it wasn't smooth enough. Which is awkward when you're doing an American Smooth.
Danny and Amy: American Smooth scores
Craig: 6
Darcey: 8
Shirley: 7
Bruno: 9
Total: 30
Saved by Bruno at the end there, a bit of a comedown from last week's ten, but not at all bad.
Here come Ashley and Pasha. Oh Pasha, what have you let them do to you? He already played Shrek in a routine a few years ago, but a fat troll is a step too far. Tonight these two are doing the cheeky Charleston, one of the technically easier dances. Ashley will be going all out for the second ten of the series...
This is a very saccharine Charleston to a cringey song, but undeniably strong execution. Can't help but feel Ashley could have coped with more exciting choreography - the lifts were impressive but the build up not so much. Perhaps Pasha was held back by the paunch...
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