It felt like a bit of a comedown this week after the fun and games of movie week, but there were lots of tunes to behold this week and some great outfits… and also Ellie dressed like a bizarre Little Bo Peep. But I’m getting ahead of myself. During the intro, Anton brought out his NTA award for judging - Craig must be fuming, the guy’s only been doing it for about six months!

On with the show!

Ellie & Nikita - Salsa

I wasn’t sure about the concept of this one, I wouldn’t salsa with my dentist. But the song is a tune and it really kicked off the show nicely. There were some fantastic tricks in the routine and it looked like Ellie had her confidence back. It felt a bit stompy in places, and maybe a couple of missed steps but mostly brilliant - and some good scores.

Will & Nancy - Rumba

Will sounded really rough on It Takes Two, I was a bit worried he wasn’t even going to be able to do the show. But he made it, even if he still didn’t look or sound very well. When the judges were commenting, he looked like he just wanted it all to be over! But the dance was good, not completely smooth but a great performance. Craig was super critical but Nancy defended him with some of the most sensible things I’ve ever heard her say.

Matt & Nadiya - Jive

He had lots of confidence and seemed to be having a good time which is good. I’m not sure the actual jiving was that great and the choreography seemed to take a while to get going. “I think you’re doing quite well,” says Shirley which, again, isn’t the compliment she thinks it is.

Jayde & Karen - American Smooth

Super emotional VT but I loved how it showed once again how close she and Karen are, this is a gorgeous friendship. Their dresses are beautiful and the dance was wonderful - it made me emotional… but I wasn’t the only one. Everyone was crying. Loved Jayde’s reaction to Craig’s thumb criticism.

Molly & Carlos - Cha Cha Cha

Incredible straight legs from Molly and she really brought the sass. It was kind of irritatingly good, really, for those that love the journey. Tess said it best: “You’re making it look so easy.”

James & Amy - Quickstep

Visit from the family is adorable. It felt like a risky start to the dance, trotting along the top and down the steps. It started out really well but both of them slipped on the floor and that seemed to put them off a bit. I do think it was his best dance so far and miles ahead of last week even with the slips. Amy was very vocal about the floor being like ice.

Fleur & Vito - Argentine Tango

First Argentine Tango of the series, I was quite nervous how this would go… but it was fantastic. Really good, although I was a bit offput by the start of the song, once it gathered momentum it was much better. Fleur and Vito seemed to still be really into it even when the dance and the song were well over. Motsi was so excited she broke her chair! Two 10s!

Kym & Graziano - Samba

I’m going to have to watch Waterloo Road now. The CG plane was horrific, outshone only by the gross yellow seats. If I got on a plane and it had seats that colour, I would step off and get a train instead. Pretty good dancing though, halfway to the right samba bounce but plenty of hips and rhythm. Was a bit careful but the right character.

Tony & Katya - American Smooth

Somehow this was so much better than I thought but also still terrible. It’s difficult in such a high standard week. The lifts were crazy ambitious, Katya will really let herself be thrown around anywhere. They didn’t always seem to work, but a good job overall. Anton: “Just think for a second about you in week one and you now.”

Hamza & Jowita - Salsa

OMG they’re dancing to Sash! I love Sash! Such a fun dance, such energy, great vibes. Had to watch this one twice - those lifts! Loved it. Anton’s comments had him almost rehashing the whole routine - how did he learn it so quickly, he only saw it once! Craig says everyone has taken a magic dance pill - 3 10s!

Helen & Gorka - Paso Doble

Have we seen a solo flamenco floor bit, with a microphone on the feet like that? I’m not sure it was great but a very good effort. Bit traditional and not sure it’s a crowdpleaser, but very good. “You make hard things look easy,” says Motsi, which is true of Helen’s whole career. “Believe in you, please” Gorka tells her. I want that on a t-shirt.

Ellie & Johannes - Viennese Waltz

No dancing in the VT which is always a concern. Better than I thought it would be but the vibe is just really cringey. The song and the outfits and then compared to the rest of the dances this week. Great comments from the judges.

Tyler & Dianne - Couple’s Choice

Tyler actually looked better than Dianne at certain moments here. I think it’s a bit odd that they’ve done Charleston and now Couple’s Choice which have both been choreographed by people other than Dianne, that’s two weeks where they’re both just learning the steps and doing them. Feels weird. But Dave Arch did garage for the first time, with MC Tommy, and the judges were all out of their comfort zones. Two 10s? I didn’t feel like it was 10s.

So ahead of the show, I was predicting Matt and James to be in the dance off, based on James’ performance last week. This week he did so much better so I started doubting myself, but then when he ended up middle of the leaderboard, I doubled down on the prediction. In the end, it was Matt and Kym, who was also in that middle of the leaderboard danger zone. Matt was voted out, though, which was the right decision.

It’s really getting to a point where it’s hard to see who is going to be in the bottom two, and that is surely the earliest in a season that’s happened - such a close field this year. Tony is probably the weakest link at this point, but even he is improving all the time. Next week is a bonus theme week when everyone is dancing to BBC themes and legendary songs. I honestly can’t wait.