Strictly Come Dancing Week 9: Louis Smith Hits The Top

As the competition enters its final few weeks things are hotting up. It was Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace who took week 9 by storm as they topped the leaderboard after scoring 37 with their Charleston.  Dani Harmer with Vincent Simone and Kimberley Walsh with Pasha Kovalev were joint second and Denise Van Outen dropped to fourth as she and James Jordan  slipped up in their Salsa. Michael Vaughan and Nicky Byrne were in the bottom two positions with Lisa Riley just above them. The results show should be interesting.

Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev opened the show with a Jive which scored a 34, with Craig giving Kimberley a nine – her first from Craig this series.

Dani Harmer and Vincent Simone had a Venetian theme this week as they danced a Viennese Waltz that earned a  rapturous  Bruno to break into Italian. “Italian flair and enchanting” he gushed. Craig liked it as well, “full of musicality and sweet“. “You are beautiful and elegant” commented Darcey.  They earned a score of 34.

Michael Vaughan and Natalie Lowe danced the Samba. Michael said he had to put lots of work in this week as he has struggled with his Latin dances. “Not completely dreadful but it looks very awkward” grumped Craig. “The improvement is outstanding, you’ve worked hard” countered Darcey.  “A one hip wonder” said Bruno – “You’ve got to swing both ways“. When the scores were in it was a painful 24.  A bottom two spot beckons. Get on those phones if you want to keep Michael.

Nicky Byrne and Karen Hauer danced the Argentine Tango to the James Bond theme to “Skyfall”. “Perfect intensity but I would have lived a more lustful  Nicky. A great performance, you went for it” said Darcey. Len thought it was too much ballroom tango “it could have been a bit more fluid movement but I loved the lifts“. “The lifts were excellent” agreed Bruno. “Superb storytelling but too aggressive and stompy” commented Craig. A score of  30 left them in the bottom two.

Lisa Riley and Robin Windsor danced the quickstep to “Bring Me Sunshine”. “A bit of sunshine. It was fast and fun” said Len. “Your personality is very sunny” said Bruno. Craig’s comment: “A bit messy but the energy was incredible“. A score of 31 kept Lisa out of the bottom two on the leaderboard.

Denise Van Outen and James Jordan danced the Salsa. “Hot and spicy with some hot edges but a couple of near misses” advised Bruno. “The best spins I have seen from a celebrity” was Craig’s view. “You went wrong but recovered well” said Len as James blamed himself for a minor mishap. A score of 32 dropped them off top spot for the first time in weeks.

Louis Smith and Flavia Cacace closed the show with a Charleston. “At long last some personality” beamed Craig. “You performed, you were brilliant” said Darcey. “You came out and performed” agreed Len. “Fun characterisation. The making of a true contender” said Bruno. The scores reflected it and a 37 took Louis to the top of the leaderboard. Is he coming good at the right time? We shall see.

 

For full detail on the judges scores see Strictly Come Dancing Results.