Strictly Come Dancing 2018, 10th live show: Faye Tozer tops leaderboard after lindyhop-athon descends into chaos
Strictly 2018's 10th liveshow saw seven couples dance a routine apiece, then all compete in a lindyhop-athon challenge
Faye Tozer topped the leaderboard with Lauren Steadman at the bottom
Results show airs Sunday at 7.20pm on BBC One
Talking Strictly: subscribe to The Telegraph’s new podcast with Debbie McGee and friends
Ballroom Bulletin: sign up to our Strictly newsletter, your essential weekly companion
The stakes were high as our seven surviving pro-celebrity couples danced for a place in the quarter-final and Strictly's first ever lindyhop-athon ended in shambolic confusion.
Here are all the talking points and social media reaction from Saturday's show...
Lindyhop-athon was fun but became an embarrassing farce
Well, there's bound to be a post-mortem production meeting after that unholy mess. Saturday night's show climaxed with all seven couples taking to the floor at the same time for Strictly's first ever lindy hop-athon. We assumed that with 14 people hoofing at once with limbs akimbo, any chaos would be choreographic. Oh how wrong we were.
Instead the drama unfolded behind the judges' table. The panel somehow mislaid the clipboard with their scores on. Or their tablet computer malfunctioned. They couldn't seem to decide what to blame it on.
Shirley Ballas, flapping around in her reading glasses, was forced to rank the couples from memory and scribbled notes. Confusion reigned. Wrong names were read out. Pro dancers looked offended. This was a watch-between-your-fingers shambles.
It's coming to something when Bruno Tonioli is the organised one, as he ran through the results again for clarity. Thank goodness for Darcey Bussell and Claudia Winkleman puncturing the fraught mood with self-deprecating wit. This was a reminder of the perils of live TV and a salutary lesson for Strictly producers. Sort it out next year, please.
Faye Tozer and Stacey Dooley were stars of show
Before the wheels came off during that final challenge, the night had been won by two standout routines, both scoring 39 points - just a Craig Revel Horwood "10" paddle away from Strictly perfection.
Despite losing a day of training due to her pro partner Giovanni Pernice suffering a back injury and having to change their dance to one without lifts, Faye Tozer's waltz was seamless, graceful and plain gorgeous. When it comes to ballroom, Faye is the best of the bunch this year.
Closing the show was Stacey Dooley, for whom partner Kevin Clifton had choreographed a brilliantly creative paso doble: black-clad, dramatic, powerful and stylishly executed. Before tonight, Stacey had scored a dozen nines but no perfect 10s. Now she got three and they were thoroughly deserved for such a stunning "Paso Dooley".
Faye edged ahead after finishing second in the lindyhop-athon pandemonium, compared to Stacey's fourth, but these two leading ladies are surely dead certs for the final in three weeks' time. They were also the only two to defy the Blackpool comedown and improve on their Tower Ballroom scores.
Lauren Steadman badly needs viewer votes again
Paralympian Lauren Steadman was bitterly disappointed to finish bottom of the Blackpool scoreboard after failing to conquer the tricky Argentine tango. The fiercely competitive sporting heroine was determined to bounce back strongly. Sadly, she failed to do so.
Her salsa was messily bland and Lauren also finished last in the lindyhop-athon, leaving her a hefty nine points from safety. Public votes lifted her clear of the dreaded dance-off last weekend. She might not be so fortunate this time.
Charles and Graeme in dance-off danger
They've both survived the dreaded dance-off three times apiece already, but it could be fourth time unlucky for Charles Venn or Graeme Swann.
Former cricketer Swanny opened the show with a sailor boy quickstep but made too many mistakes and was visibly annoyed with himself.
Casualty actor Charles had struggled with the tango in training all week. His passionate routine was performed with alpha male attitude but had technical flaws.
It would be unjust if Charles failed to make next week's quarter-final. Swanny vs Steadman, however, would make a tough-to-call Sunday night clash.
Ashley Roberts suffered inevitable dip
After scoring the first perfect 40 of the series in Blackpool, the only way was down for former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts. So it proved. Her firecracker samba needed softer knees and more continuous flow. Mind you, it still scored a mighty impressive 36 points.
She then won the lindyhop-athon, enabling her to catch up with Stacey Dooley and finish joint second overall. Yet by Ashley's sky-high standards - she's topped the leaderboard six weeks out of 10 and broken the Strictly record for 10s at this stage - this somehow still represented a disappointing week.
Joe Sugg's streetdance was brave but generously judged
This week's Couples' Choice came from YouTuber Joe Sugg and his pro partner Dianne Buswell, who opted for the street/commercial style. Lots could have gone wrong with their risky basketball-themed dance, which was packed full of props, but they pulled it off with aplomb to deliver a crowd-pleasing, kid-friendly romp of a routine.
However, it divided opinion with viewers and judges. Craig Revel Horwood said seven but somehow, Bruno Tonioli and Shirley Ballas gave it 10s. Big on entertainment but lower on credible streetdance content, this was a fun but Marmitey number. Either way, the popular and ever-improving Joe will surely sail safely through.
Show suffered from Blackpool hangover
The annual trip up north to Blackpool's Tower Ballroom has become such a hyped-up highlight of each Strictly series that the following week tends to feel like an anti-climactic comedown. That was certainly the case with this episode, which felt distinctly flat until the last routine and lindyhop-athon madness.
Several celebrities complained of fatigue and flagging energy. Five of the seven couples' scores went down. Bruno Tonioli was like an over-tired toddler, falling all over his neighbour Shirley Ballas and nearly taking the poor head judge's eye out with his scoring paddle.
Even the celebrity who appeared on Claudia Winkleman's balcony to read out the voting Ts&Cs, Coronation Street's Catherine Tyldesley, seemed slightly C-list.
Thanks goodness, then, for Stacey Dooley, Faye Tozer and that late flurry of lindyhop-athon lunacy.
Saturday night in full
Here's your routine-by-routine recap...
Credits roll
Recap on-screen. Voting lines are open. Claudia Winkleman punctures the tension hilariously. Stay with us for reaction and analysis. Keeeeeep dancing!
Scores are in. And it's a shambles
Shirley's got her specs on. This is a shambles, they've lost their board. Seventh and last place is Lauren Steadman, with Graeme Swann just above. In fifth place, it's Charles Venn, with Stacey Dooley in fourth. Joe Sugg comes in the bronze medal position and gets five extra points. Faye Tozer is runner-up. And Ashley Roberts is crowned the lindyhop-athon winner, scooping seven extra points. That was terrible. Confusion reigns.
Lindyhop-athon is go
All seven couples start lindyhopping, set to “Do Your Thing” by Basement Jaxx. Colour-coded costumes, like a twinkle-toed Teletubbies. It's fast, frenetic and manic. Swivel, jive moves, tap steps. Jazzy and jaunty. This suits Charles and Faye especially. Oti is covering from Swanny nicely. Lauren's struggling. And it's over. Phew.
Padding while the pairs get changed
Airtime to fill. Gratuitous chat. Aren't they in their new costumes yet?
How the lindyhop-athon works
All seven couples draw their starting floor positions out of a hat and will take to the floor at the same time. Lifts and tricks allowed, collisions penalised. The judges will confer and score the couples one at a time, with the winner gaining seven extra points, the runner-up six points and so on. It's a golden opportunity to earn more points prior to the viewers' vote and could potentially turn the whole leaderboard upside down.
Stacey and Kevin's paso doble
She won't be descending on a giant stick of Blackpool rock this time. Great tune from the Kill Bill Vol 2 soundtrack. They've been calling it "the Paso Dooley" in training. Stace looking fierce in black with smoky eyes. Fluttery fan-ography, swishy skirt-ography and flamenco feel. Plenty of drama and attack, lacking a bit of curved shaping at times but she's got great attitude and this is beautifully choreographed. Handclaps, Changes of gear. Imperious stamps. Brilliant.
Music: 'Malaguena' by Brian Setzer
Judges’ verdict: Craig says "economical, styled it out, Kevin you made Stacey look amazing". Darcey says "you ate up the dancefloor, dramatic, powerful, brilliant". Shirley says "you challenged her beyond a beginner, Stacey looked like a star, it was brilliant". Bruno concludes "100% genuine, fantastically choreographed, you killed every bull in your path". Tens en route?
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 for a total of 39 points. Her first 10s. Joint top with Faye. Olé!
Lauren and AJ's salsa
She was bitterly disappointed to finish bottom of the Blackpool scoreboard and is determined to bounce back strongly. Pool hall setting, for some random reason, and dancing on the table to start. AJ has adapted the armography cleverly for her but this is lacking hip action, sauce and spice. Spectacular lifts but it feels stilted and placed. She needs to loosen up and bring out the cheekiness much more. Not her dance but a sharp ending.
Music: 'Familiar' by Liam Payne and J Balvin
Judges’ verdict: Darcey says "intricate, complex choreography, the feet got messy, soften the knees but not bad". Shirley says "not your best number but I enjoyed certain parts, the feet seemed to be sliding around and not enough rhythm in the body". Bruno says "difficult and demanding but you managed well, give it welly, sell it, don't be hesitant, be a bad girl". Craig concludes "rather lacklustre and haphazard placement, pigeon-toed at times, a shame".
Judges' scores: 5, 6, 6, 6 for a total of 23 points. Lauren looks gutted. Bottom so far.
Charles and Karen's tango
They've had a rollercoaster of a contest but hit a high with their Blackpool samba. Now will their fortunes go up or down? He's had trouble with the technique in training. Green outfits, godawful version of the Beatles classic and he needs to get down in the knees more. Clunky, gapping and patchy footwork. Acquires some much-needed snap and staccato halfway through. Floor spins to finish. Passionate and dramatic but better out of hold.
Music: 'Eleanor Rigby' by Big Country (originally by The Beatles)
Judges’ verdict: Shirley says "elements were very good but timing was off, listen to the music". Bruno says "it was like a mean, moody soap opera, you were in leading man mode but you got too steppy, no light and shade". Craig says "lacked drive across floor, feet turned in, thumb popped up and it felt like a paso frame rather than a tango V-shape but you're exciting to watch". Darcey concludes "loved the serious side, clipped transitions, timing problems but I liked it a lot".
Judges' scores: 6, 8, 8, 8 for a total of 30 points. He'll take that but second from bottom so far.
Joe and Dianne's Couples’ Choice
This couldn't be a starker contrast to last week's Blackpool quickstep. They've opted for a basketball-themed streetdance. Lots of props: basketballs, benches, whistles, towels. Doesn't drop the ball, thankfully, and this is very good indeed. Floor slides, physically challenging. Some towel-ography like Charles Venn's hankies. Hip-hop swagger, breakdance shapes, bags of kid-friendly fun.
Music: 'Jump Around' by House of Pain
Judges’ verdict: Darcey says "old-skool hip-hop on Strictly, loving it, risky tricks and demanding floorwork but use your thighs a bit more". Shirley says "I loved it, you used different tools, you had small balls and big balls (oo-er) but in-sync and spot-on". Bruno says "inventive, witty, demanding but you made it look spontaneous like a born performer". Craig concludes "I could see you concentrating too much, got out of sync, needed more grunge, earth and homeboy but we all adore watching you".
Judges' scores: 7, 8, 10, 10 for a total of 35 points. A bit over-marked, maybe, but third so far.
Faye and Giovanni's waltz
They were going to dance an American Smooth but had to change because Giovanni is carrying a back injury and can't do lifts. Cracking song. She's in a gorgeous red frock, he's in tails, romantic mood and slow, graceful flow around the floor. Perfect pivots, effortless spins, classy and understated. This is lovely. Bravo.
Music: 'See The Day' by Dee C Lee
Judges’ verdict: Craig says "I loved it, graceful, elegant, gorgeous rise and fall". Darcey says "it all came together, divine rotation, seamless, beautiful work". Shirley says "you put long hours into that, brush steps and oversway, spectacular pivots, it was exquisite". Bruno says "effortlessly classic, refined, polished and poised". And then he spoils it by falling off his chair into poor Shirley's bosom. Oh, Bruno. But tens a-coming?
Judges' scores: 9, 10, 10, 10 for a total of 39 points. Top so far, unsurprisingly.
Ashley and Pasha's samba
Can last week's leaderboard-topper keep up her perfect 40 form? She's in a gold fluffy dress, bringing the Rio carnival to, ahem, Borehamwood. Some feather-ography to open, as camp as Christmas. Supple, fluid and good musicality. Lots of shimmies and hip-shakes. Hard to tell who the pro is at times. Very good indeed, if not quite as technically on-point as some of her previous routines.
Music: 'Hot Hot Hot' by Arrow
Judges’ verdict: Bruno emerges from behind his feathery fan and says "you've blown my thermostat, the isolation in your hips was criminally good, they're lethal weapons". Craig says "hit it a little too hard and became staccato but what you lacked in technique you made up for in performance, my darling". Darcey says "a full routine, wanted more bounce and softness but you sold it". Shirley concludes "personality and gyrations second to none but soften the knees".
Judges' scores: 8, 9, 9, 10 for a total of 36 points. Still a comedown, miraculously.
As Telegraph reader Debbie Mead writes: "So fed up with Ashley Roberts - who is BRILLIANT - but so NOT in the spirit of Strictly. Totally unfair to the others. Enough now."
Corrie lass on the Ts&Cs
Catherine Tyldesley from Coronation Street arrives to read the voting smallprint. Underwhelming, babes.
Graeme and Oti's quickstep
The Blackpool dance-off survivors with another retro routine. He's a sailor fresh off the boat, returning to his sweetheart. A bit ploddy and flat-footed in the solo section but better once they're into hold. Lots of Charleston steps. Frame wobbling, a few stumbles and doesn't look frothily effortless like it should. Still, showmanship is high and it's shamelessly old-fashioned.
Music: 'Sing Sing Sing' by The Andrews Sisters
Judges’ verdict: Shirley says "timing was good, recovered from the hiccups, frame got twisted and footwork suffered ". Bruno says "a cruise to remember but it wasn't always plain sailing, hit a few rocks but got safely into port". Craig says "like watching the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, footwork messy, threw the moves away, nearly slipped over, apart from that it was perfect". Darcey concludes "lots of content but keep focus until the end".
Judges' scores: 6, 6, 6, 6 for a total of 24 points . Dance-off danger.
Our Strictly stars
Here come the seven couples. Fairly low on fancy dress. Well, until we get to Joe Sugg's basketball kit and Graeme Swann's naval outfit. Hello sailor.
Disney villainess dresses for the female judges
Darcey Bussell and Shirley Ballas are in very flouncy frocks. Which we'll barely see behind that table.
Frockwatch
Time for our weekly fashion face-off. Claudia Winkleman's in a black shoulderless frock with asymmetric hem, Tess Daly's in a black off-the-shoulder jumpsuit. Claudia wins by virtue of Tess' mildly annoying neck detail.
And we're off!
Roll pre-credits VT recapping the Blackpool action and gratuitous tension-building jeopardy.
Joe Sugg goes streetdance
The Couple's Choice tonight is Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell's street and commercial routine. Quite the gear change from their old-fashioned Blackpool quickstep. Just five minutes to wait...
Unleash the Lindyhop-athon
As well as their regular routines, all seven couples will take to the floor at once for Strictly's first ever Lindyhop-athon. It could be choreographic carnage and with extra points on offer, could have a major effect on the scoreboard. Ten minutes until that ba-ba-da theme tune...
Who'll miss out on the quarter-final?
Graeme Swann is bookies' favourite for elimination this weekend, with Lauren Steadman or Charles Venn tipped to join him in the dreaded dance-off. Fifteen minutes 'til showtime...
Back to Elstree ballroom
After the lavish, expansive surroundings of the Tower Ballroom last Saturday, we're back in the familiar Elstree Studios ballroom tonight. Smaller dancefloor. Not sprung. No extra dancers. So will our seven surviving couples suffer a Blackpool hangover? Twenty minutes until we find out...
What happens in Blackpool stays in Blackpool
Well, except when it happens live on primetime television. Last week’s annual trip north to the historic Tower Ballroom was as eventful as ever, seeing the first perfect 40-point score of the series from Ashley Roberts, a veritable feast of 10s and newsreader Kate Silverton become the latest to depart the dancefloor.
Now the Strictly charabanc has trundled back down south and this weekend, our seven surviving pro-celebrity couples will be back on the smaller, less springy but more familiar dancefloor at Elstree Studios.
Routines to look forward to include Stacey Dooley getting serious for a paso doble, Charles Venn doing likewise for a tango, Faye Tozer’s waltz and Ashley Roberts’ samba. New bookies’ favourites for the glitterball trophy, Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell, perform their Couple’s Choice and have opted for a streetdance.
The next elimination looks likely to be between our sportspeople, Graeme Swann and Lauren Steadman, who dance a quickstep and a salsa respectively.
Anything could happen, though, especially since we’ll also be treated to Strictly’s first ever lindyhop-athon, which sees all seven pairs take to the floor at the same time. With extra points on offer, it could potentially turn the leaderboard upside down.
The 10th live show airs at 6.50pm Saturday on BBC One. We'll be liveblogging from 6.25pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, recaps, analysis and sequin-spangled sarcasm. Please join us - and join in too.
You can email me on michael.hogan@ telegraph.co.uk, tweet me on @michaelhogan or leave comments at the bottom of this blog. I'll keep an eye on them all and report the highlights here.
Nearly time to staaaaart quarter-final qualifying…
Solve the daily Crossword
