Strictly Come Dancing 2020

[LennyBriscoe]

I can tell you when I saw the tour when Alexander was in I was in an area and the people booed her. She was also at the bottom on the score board plus she didn't lift up the trophy on tour from what was said. I don't like Alexander way fussy for me.
I know in Blackpool with a rumour said that Gemma had a little fight with Gorka over something but thats just a paper rumour. Gorka didn't see Gemma go on dates till after the show ended. Their were getting to know eachother. Of Alexander thinks that Gorka didn't pull his weight cause he was thinking of Gemma then thats bs. Gorka worled so hard and you can see he was having problems with her. Just cause she won x factor she thought she can win SCD. Plus the reason Gorka didn't dance last year is he was a new dad and wanted to spend enough time with his new family. Gorka said he just do pro dancing and he didn't want step in for Neil who by the way asked for Kevin as Neil knew Gorka wanted to spend time at home. Plus it's not the first time pros have stepped in for other pros Brandon stepped in twice one year with in weeks of one pro hurting himself and anotjer one coming down ill. Kevin was asked. He actually didn't want to as.he would at stick but their needed someone for Alex. Who was mich better with Kevin than Neil.
Soz rant over.

That wasn’t the reason Gorka wasn’t there last year. He said on Instagram that he had no choice in the matter, the producers told him he wouldn’t have a partner.

ETA - snap @Bellamerrell, I didn’t read to the bottom before commenting

 

[LowCalCalzoneZone]

I think both Gemma and Gorka said it was not his decision https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/...de-decision-strictly-come-dancing-no-partner/

Yes, he said in some insta comments that it wasn't his choice, and I think he RT'd some stuff on twitter when Kevin stood in for an injured Neil that indicated he wasn't too happy with that decision either.

Tbf, the way some people were going on you would have thought he had a mass Brendan-style rant which wasn't the case at all (although I do think he should have stayed off twitter!). And later on in the series, him and Karen were on Lorraine and he was quite diplomatic about it, saying that if he had to be benched then it was the ideal time for him.

The whole benched pro thing is just so weird in general. I'm no Neil fan for many reasons, but having him benched for 3 years was just so awkward. And then when a pro gets injured or is I'll, they just go and use an eliminated pro anyway. Makes no sense

As for Alexandra, I'm inclined to think it was just what it looked like - she was a bit jealous of Gorka getting close to Gemma, and used that an an excuse for them not getting the votes on the show and could therefore blame him? Not excusing the abuse she got on social media, just that I don't think she can blame Gorka for being unpopular

 

[Lilykins]

I don’t think there is Stacey Dooley thread so is it ok I post this here? But I really don’t like her, wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her. Her and king kev are

I don’t mind Stacey (although in any of her docs and Stacey sleep over series she always makes it about herself which bugs me) but I cannot stand Kevin and never had. He was pushed front and centre right from the start of being on Strictly, always got good and likeable contestants and you could tell he was pissed the year he got the one less good one. I also find him very fake and OTT - all his reactions I just cringed over - the fake ‘yessssss’ and open mouth amazement when he got high scores
He was all over Stacey day one - I remember watching them on the One show and it was clear he fancied her.
Lol you can probably tell I’m glad he is gone!

 

[lizzolyn]

I honestly don’t think it is an audience member, I think it must be part of the team. Nobody knows until the Saturday morning who will be in the audience so how would Dave Thorpe get the info from them? The year we were there, the warm up guy mentioned it a few times, to the point I thought it was him...I just don’t get why they’re running with the Sunday night show.

I think a lot of people will enjoy the smaller audiences because there will be less cheering and clapping. We were told to make as much noise as we could, and in the pre-recorded bits, if they were doing another take we would be told again to keep the noise up

Dave has stated its always an audience member not a member of the staff; no-one knows how he gets his moles but it's obviously effective as he's been getting them for years now.

See Amy’s trying to get into Shirley’s good book before the weekend by claiming she’s reading her autobiography, which of course is amazing

I remember watching strictly last year and wondered why Shirley made a fuss of Amy doing well with Karim and congratulating her for getting to her first final; I didn't see her congratulate Dianne for getting to her first final in 2018 for example. Then I watched Amy's Chron's disease documentary last week and Shirley was featured in that has her niece has crohns then it clicked. Hopefully she won't be as favourable to her this year but she may go easier on the judging with JJ anyway as he is a disabled ex-soldier.

 

[Chilli pepper 19]

Dave has stated its always an audience member not a member of the staff; no-one knows how he gets his moles but it's obviously effective as he's been getting them for years now.



I remember watching strictly last year and wondered why Shirley made a fuss of Amy doing well with Karim and congratulating her for getting to her first final; I didn't see her congratulate Dianne for getting to her first final in 2018 for example. Then I watched Amy's Chron's disease documentary last week and Shirley was featured in that has her niece has crohns then it clicked. Hopefully she won't be as favourable to her this year but she may go easier on the judging with JJ anyway as he is a disabled ex-soldier.

I also think with Dianne, the fact Shirley massively fancied Joe but he got with Dianne played a massive part in her obvious bias to her too.

 

[lizzolyn]

I also think with Dianne, the fact Shirley massively fancied Joe but he got with Dianne played a massive part in her obvious bias to her too.

Just to add to the point I made before I haven't seen her congratulate any other pro on getting to the final so I definitely think she probably has a bias towards Amy. Yeah she did like Joe so that probably helped Dianne

 

[glasgow27]

The whole benched pro thing is just so weird in general. I'm no Neil fan for many reasons, but having him benched for 3 years was just so awkward. And then when a pro gets injured or is I'll, they just go and use an eliminated pro anyway. Makes no sense

I'm not convinced that they were that invested in Neil and think that he came as a package deal with Katya back in 2016. After 3 years on the bench, they probably felt that they kinda had to give Neil a partner for the 2019 series and saw Pasha's departure as the ideal opportunity for Neil to get a spot. What they probably didn't anticipate was that they only signed 7 female celebrities and most of them were taller than Neil, Kevin, Gorka & AJ.

With their obligation to give Neil a partner and the other two being pros that have always made it far, that left Gorka out in the cold. As it stood, Neil didn't really 'take off' as an audience favourite and with both AJ & Kevin out this year, Gorka got his spot as a main pro back. I am kinda surprised that Neil didn't get a spot this year but if it was a choice between him & Gorka, it's easy to see why they chose Gorka for a number of reasons. He probably got Maisie as a 'reward' for being on the bench as whilst she is annoying, she is probably a golden ticket to the final.

Don't like the benched pro thing either, should only be for the newbies who need a year or two before being ready to have a celeb.

 

[lizzolyn]

I'm not convinced that they were that invested in Neil and think that he came as a package deal with Katya back in 2016. After 3 years on the bench, they probably felt that they kinda had to give Neil a partner for the 2019 series and saw Pasha's departure as the ideal opportunity for Neil to get a spot. What they probably didn't anticipate was that they only signed 7 female celebrities and most of them were taller than Neil, Kevin, Gorka & AJ.

With their obligation to give Neil a partner and the other two being pros that have always made it far, that left Gorka out in the cold. As it stood, Neil didn't really 'take off' as an audience favourite and with both AJ & Kevin out this year, Gorka got his spot as a main pro back. I am kinda surprised that Neil didn't get a spot this year but if it was a choice between him & Gorka, it's easy to see why they chose Gorka for a number of reasons. He probably got Maisie as a 'reward' for being on the bench as whilst she is annoying, she is probably a golden ticket to the final.

Don't like the benched pro thing either, should only be for the newbies who need a year or two before being ready to have a celeb.

To be honest Neil technically was never 'obliged' a partner. When he, Chloe and Aj signed up in 2016 they were only signed up as 'part time pros' to be there for group dances, it takes two appearances and to be there if a pro got injured, they were told they were never guaranteed a celeb (this is from an interview chloe did after she was not asked back in 2018). AJ only got a partner in 2016 as they at the last minute got Claudia as a contestant and hence they give her AJ. I think it was more the fact that more of the audience wondered if Neil was ever going to get a partner after being on the show for 3 years and also I truly believe it was a PR move after the whole katya/seann kiss gate.

I felt for Gorka as he therefore got caught up in the middle of the whole 'give neil a partner' scenario as he was the pro chosen as the one to be benched which can seem unfair as he was hired as a full time dancer in 2016 but I guess he could spend more time with Mia and Gemma in the end so it had its upside. I'm just glad were back to Gorka dancing and Neil being benched.

I wonder how it going to go next year as they more than likely be hiring a male pro to replace Kevin & AJ (which looks like it will be Kai Widdrington). I would like to see Graziano get another shot after the whole Vick Hope mess which may mean Kai might be benched for his first year with Neil.

 

[glasgow27]

I wonder how it going to go next year as they more than likely be hiring a male pro to replace Kevin & AJ (which looks like it will be Kai Widdrington). I would like to see Graziano get another shot after the whole Vick Hope mess which may mean Kai might be benched for his first year with Neil.

I wasn't impressed with Graziano's standard of ballroom and he danced off-time, I'm a bit wary of him getting another celeb TBH.

That said, only 5 men have partners this year, there will presumably be at least 7 (maybe 8) spots for male pros next year so I guess I'd give him another chance to see if he can step it up but not at the expense of Kai who was a far better pro over in Ireland (and the same for Gorka, Giovanni, Johannes & Aljaz, wouldn't bench any of them for Graziano).

I wonder if Neil is back next year at all, no partner this year despite a lot of shorter female celebs, recent bad press and will also be 39 next series which is pushing it for a dancer.

We could be looking at a shakeup of the pro lineup next year with a few newbies joining on the male side and I also think Janette will be leaving after this series which creates a vacancy on the female side. If there are any benched pros I hope get a partner, I'd say Nancy, let's give her a shot, she seems fun.

 

[LowCalCalzoneZone]

To be honest Neil technically was never 'obliged' a partner. When he, Chloe and Aj signed up in 2016 they were only signed up as 'part time pros' to be there for group dances, it takes two appearances and to be there if a pro got injured, they were told they were never guaranteed a celeb (this is from an interview chloe did after she was not asked back in 2018). AJ only got a partner in 2016 as they at the last minute got Claudia as a contestant and hence they give her AJ. I think it was more the fact that more of the audience wondered if Neil was ever going to get a partner after being on the show for 3 years and also I truly believe it was a PR move after the whole katya/seann kiss gate.

I felt for Gorka as he therefore got caught up in the middle of the whole 'give neil a partner' scenario as he was the pro chosen as the one to be benched which can seem unfair as he was hired as a full time dancer in 2016 but I guess he could spend more time with Mia and Gemma in the end so it had its upside. I'm just glad were back to Gorka dancing and Neil being benched.

I wonder how it going to go next year as they more than likely be hiring a male pro to replace Kevin & AJ (which looks like it will be Kai Widdrington). I would like to see Graziano get another shot after the whole Vick Hope mess which may mean Kai might be benched for his first year with Neil.

I've wondered if they would have let Neil go along with Chloe in 2018 if he hadn't been married to Katya at the time. They clearly had no intention of giving Chloe a partner so thought it best to end her contract, yet still kept Neil on the bench

 

[lizzolyn]

I wasn't impressed with Graziano's standard of ballroom and he danced off-time, I'm a bit wary of him getting another celeb TBH.

That said, only 5 men have partners this year, there will presumably be at least 7 (maybe 8) spots for male pros next year so I guess I'd give him another chance to see if he can step it up but not at the expense of Kai who was a far better pro over in Ireland (and the same for Gorka, Giovanni, Johannes & Aljaz, wouldn't bench any of them for Graziano).

I wonder if Neil is back next year at all, no partner this year despite a lot of shorter female celebs, recent bad press and will also be 39 next series which is pushing it for a dancer.

We could be looking at a shakeup of the pro lineup next year with a few newbies joining on the male side and I also think Janette will be leaving after this series which creates a vacancy on the female side. If there are any benched pros I hope get a partner, I'd say Nancy, let's give her a shot, she seems fun.

I think Graziano was unfortunate with his partner but from what I've see of him from Burn the Floor and even the group dancers this year I think he is a good dancer who deserves a second chance. Kai may get a partner next year just based on the fact that there is only 2 british male pros left with only 1 having a partner this year so they may give Kai a shot next year, plus he is on the professionals tour as well next year so this could be the buttering up beforehand.

I personally would like to see Neil leave after this year but who knows more pros will probably be clinging to work after what happened this year but it's ultimately strictly's call and they may want a couple of new boys next year.

I would like to see Nancy get a chance next year especially if Janette leaves she can take her spot.

I've wondered if they would have let Neil go along with Chloe in 2018 if he hadn't been married to Katya at the time. They clearly had no intention of giving Chloe a partner so thought it best to end her contract, yet still kept Neil on the bench

Maybe they did for that reason plus Neil was older and more experienced so they probably keep him as a 'just in case' as well.

 

[sleepflowers]

It's a bit weird how there's always fanfare when they announce some new dancers eg. Nancy, but then they don't get a partner and just end up in the group dances, but then others they don't announce at all who also end up in the group dances

 

[glasgow27]

It's a bit weird how there's always fanfare when they announce some new dancers eg. Nancy, but then they don't get a partner and just end up in the group dances, but then others they don't announce at all who also end up in the group dances

Some of the extra additions to the pro dances are members of Jason Gilkison's choreography team and the show probably doesn't intend to give them celebs whereas Nancy's job is as a main pro and they'll probably give her a celeb in future (likely next year).

 

[Restless Native]

To be honest Neil technically was never 'obliged' a partner. When he, Chloe and Aj signed up in 2016 they were only signed up as 'part time pros' to be there for group dances, it takes two appearances and to be there if a pro got injured, they were told they were never guaranteed a celeb (this is from an interview chloe did after she was not asked back in 2018). AJ only got a partner in 2016 as they at the last minute got Claudia as a contestant and hence they give her AJ. I think it was more the fact that more of the audience wondered if Neil was ever going to get a partner after being on the show for 3 years and also I truly believe it was a PR move after the whole katya/seann kiss gate.

I felt for Gorka as he therefore got caught up in the middle of the whole 'give neil a partner' scenario as he was the pro chosen as the one to be benched which can seem unfair as he was hired as a full time dancer in 2016 but I guess he could spend more time with Mia and Gemma in the end so it had its upside. I'm just glad were back to Gorka dancing and Neil being benched.

I wonder how it going to go next year as they more than likely be hiring a male pro to replace Kevin & AJ (which looks like it will be Kai Widdrington). I would like to see Graziano get another shot after the whole Vick Hope mess which may mean Kai might be benched for his first year with Neil.

What was the story behind him and Vicki Hope? Did they just not like each other

 

[Bellamerrell]

What was the story behind him and Vicki Hope? Did they just not like each other

She blamed him for her going out early and his choreography saying if she was with Neil she would of got further. She also said the show was a fix as the judges saved Sean over her and she thought Shirley didnt like her!

 

[Chilli pepper 19]

She blamed him for her going out early and his choreography saying if she was with Neil she would of got further. She also said the show was a fix as the judges saved Sean over her and she thought Shirley didnt like her!

Its amazing how many celebs go out early and its never to do with their own dance abil

 

[FairyOfTheBells]

Just to add to the point I made before I haven't seen her congratulate any other pro on getting to the final so I definitely think she probably has a bias towards Amy.

The UK dance world isn't that big either — it's quite possible that she's taught her, and she'll have almost definitely judged her. Ben and Amy have been British national champions, so she probably has a bit more professional interest in them than some of the ones who didn't have their competitive career in the U.K.

 

[Bellamerrell]

The UK dance world isn't that big either — it's quite possible that she's taught her, and she'll have almost definitely judged her. Ben and Amy have been British national champions, so she probably has a bit more professional interest in them than some of the ones who didn't have their competitive career in the U.K.

is Ben her OH? I wonder why he didnt get a spot on Strictly, i used to love the pro's in the earlier series when they were all couples or dance partnerships

 

[lizzolyn]

The UK dance world isn't that big either — it's quite possible that she's taught her, and she'll have almost definitely judged her. Ben and Amy have been British national champions, so she probably has a bit more professional interest in them than some of the ones who didn't have their competitive career in the U.K.

If that's true she needs to stay impartial regardless, there's no harm congratulating her backstage; anytime the judges are reacting, commenting, scoring a performance it always needs to be about the contestant not the pro as they know what they're doing (there's always the pro dances for them to showcase themselves). Many of the pro's say themselves that they always try to showcase their contestant to the best of their ability and not make it about them but I think some pros like Kevin or Amy do like to take some of the shine themselves. I'm just glad that now Kevin's won it and gone and Amy's who's made it to the final they can stop taking some of that spotlight.

 

[Bellamerrell]

I wonder who will be Shirleys favourite this year (is their a celeb from Liverpool way?) and which of the female celebs she will have a vendetta against