After week 1’s superb showing, I was overly excited to see what week 2 had in store. With the public vote looming and one pairing going home, it can often be a bit of a nerves fest. However, once I’d seen the dance styles and song choices, I was sure we’d be in for a treat of a show! Let’s get started with my Strictly 2022 week 2 review.
Will and Nancy
I’m not crazy for a Salsa this early on because with the armography and fast pace, it’s incredibly difficult! I wasn’t crazy about this choreography, there seemed to be a lot of walking around. Will’s footwork wasn’t great and he had some memory problems. It showed all over his face too. At least his hips were moving though! However, I think he did hold back a little bit when he messed up.
Judges’ scores: 6, 7, 6, 7 = 26
My score: 6
James and Amy
I had high expectations for this because Tangos and soap actors equal lots of drama. Another one where the male celeb didn’t get to do a great deal of dancing! It might have been the song (not an Ed Sheeran fan) but it felt a bit flat. I did appreciate James’ footwork though; he could’ve pushed through the floor a bit more but a fairly solid job.
Judges’ scores: 5, 6, 6, 7 = 24
My score: 6
Ellie S and Nikita
Oh Ellie, that was stunning. I had actual goosebumps. Her frame was beautiful, the footwork was neat, it was a real moment for me. So elegant and flowy. Nikita’s choreography really showed his pro off, rather than himself. However, I had the floor spins and any kind of floorwork in a ballroom dance! Also, what a gorgeous princess dress Ellie was in!
Judges’ scores: 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30
My score: 8
Helen and Gorka
It might just be because I don’t really like the Cha Cha but it’s another dance that’s fallen flat! Plenty of content in there and you can see Helen’s confidence building. She is great in hold but needs to work on the solo bits. Let’s face it, most of us were just looking at Gorka’s chest for the most part. Gemma Atkinson is a lucky woman (although she’s fit too)!
Judges’ scores: 5, 7, 7, 8 = 27
My score: 7
Tony and Katya
All the fun and it was fab to see Tony’s personality shine through. However, it was a bit of a hot mess but he went for it all the way through. Charleston is either incredible or a bit cringy. Unfortunately, this was a bit of the latter for me. I didn’t really see many Charleston steps in there either! The lifts weren’t great either. Good effort but poorly executed.
Judges’ scores: 4, 6, 6, 6 = 22
My score: 5
Ellie T and Johannes
Holy moly, Ellie T smashed it! She makes incredible lines and shapes with her body, especially her arms. Compared to the judges, I thought it was pretty good! I hate that we only get to see snippets of the dance because of the cameras though. If I was going to do the Paso Doble on Strictly, I’d want to dance it with Johannes.
Judges’ scores: 4, 7, 5, 7 = 23 (grossly undermarked!)
My score: 8
Richie and Giovanni
Yep, that was my kind of Quickstep, mixing the traditional with some contemporary elements. Richie absolutely went for that! Totally got the style and essence of the dance. I’d have loved a little bit more in hold but other than that, phenomenal job! Was it Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly? No, but he really captured the old-school vibes!
Judges’ scores: 8, 8, 8, 8 = 32
My score: 8
Fleur and Vito
This feels more like a contemporary dance in style with a bit of Viennese Waltz thrown in. I enjoyed the choreography but wasn’t stunned by the performance. Again, I thought Fleur was a bit too heavy on her feet but her acting was beautiful and the musicality was lovely too. I don’t know if she was playing it safe this week because of the ‘too much energy’ critique she got last week. Also, her costume was far too plain!
Judges’ scores: 7, 8, 6, 7 = 28
My score: 6
Kaye and Kai
Charleston is always the one dance where you get to have tonnes of fun. Kaye’s swivel was pretty good and I loved her acting skills for this one. The solo stuff was better than when in hold. She’s still much better than I thought she would be! However, Charleston is the one dance you can completely let loose and it could’ve done with a bit more punch.
Judges’ scores: 4, 6, 6, 6 = 22
My score: 6
Hamza and Jowita
Another routine that wasn’t for me. It felt like a sexy jive, which isn’t my cup of tea! The choreography was a bit stop-start, whereas I think a jive needs to flow more. Not a fan of that song either! Hamza is very light on his feet but he needs to work on his ankle strength and point his feet. I adore this partnership though and feel like this was a blip, rather than a complete flop.
Judges’ scores: 4, 7, 6, 7 = 24
My score: 6
Kym and Graziano
The Viennese Waltz is the one dance I wouldn’t want to do, I’m definitely not a natural turner! Kym has a beautiful ease when she dances and is really easy to watch. The footwork was good but there is a lot to improve on. She needs to be much more expressive in her face and body when she dances. They used a lot of floor and travelled miles in this dance! Also, Runaway is a classic.
Judges’ scores: 6, 7, 7, 7 = 27
My score: 7
Matt and Nadiya
Yeah, another hot mess. Firstly, the singing wasn’t great so that doesn’t help. Don’t try to sing Bee Gees if your falsetto isn’t very strong. It seems a very odd song choice for a samba too. Matt was more confident than last week but I need him to attack each dance a bit more. The disco bits worked though! Also, Nadiya looked INCREDIBLE in that jumpsuit!
Judges’ scores: 4, 6, 6, 6 = 22
My score: 5
Tyler and Dianne
I was hoping for Bonnie & Clyde for musicals week! I really loved the style of this jive. Tyler wasn’t perfect but I thought everything was good: footwork, performance, energy! I mean how can you not have fun dancing to that epic song? I always wanted to do my tap solo to it but quit before I got the chance to compete it!
Judges’ scores: 7, 8, 8, 8 = 31
My score: 8
Jayde and Karen
Okay, the acting in that one was off the charts! Sexy, dramatic, intense. I adored the entire storyline and Jayde performed it so well. The frame was solid and the footwork was strong. Yep, I more than enjoyed that one! The fact that they did a traditional Tango and it made the homophobes uncomfortable makes it a winner in my book! One of Adele’s best songs too (the Glee version is epic too).
Judges’ scores: 6, 7, 6, 7 = 26
My score: 8
Molly and Carlos
Saving the best ’til last! Another sensational quickstep. Showstopper! The whole dance was a vibe. Molly kept up with Carlos in the energy department and technique too! That was packed full of content too, she might be a ballroom girl after all! As the key changed, Molly and Carlos took it up another level! The suits were spectacular too, big Heather McNamara vibes from Molly.
Judges’ scores: 8, 9, 9, 8 = 34
My score: 9
A mixed bag tonight for my Strictly 2022 week 2 review. Some shone, some made mistakes and were pretty average, and some were a hot mess. My 3 online votes went to Jayde, Molly and Richie. The two Ellie’s round out my top 5!
If you enjoyed my Strictly 2022 week 2 review, be sure to come back every week. I’ll be updating these posts on a Sunday night with the results too. Follow along on my Twitter live tweeting too!
