Who's Boogying Their Way Into The Final On 'Strictly Come Dancing'? [Pictures]
With the semi-finals set to hit our screens in a couple of weeks, we look at our favourites among the 'Strictly Come Dancing' six remaining contestants.
Yesterday (December 1st 2013) saw 'Waterloo Road''s get voted out of the competition in their tenth week after landing in the bottom two with Ashley Taylor Dawson and Ola Jordan following their lively 'Lion King' routine. They performed a samba to the popular Disney hit 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' complete with lion inspired costumes and, alas, face paint.
However, their moves against Ashley and Ola's graceful rumba to 'Aladdin''s 'A Whole New World' left the judges with one unified decision: Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell and Bruno Tonioli all decided to send the duo home with Len Goodman admitting that that would've been his decision also. Nonetheless, they definitely won in the costume stakes!
They weren't the only ones to turn heads with their unusual attire as Craig Revel Horwood provoked a mixture of hilarity, shock and horror as he glided on to the stage in full 'Phantom of the Opera' gear in honour of the show's musical theme for the week. After a night of sensational swishing around, we think we have a good idea about who'll wear the winner's crown this year.
Next Page: Abbey Clancy gets highest score of the year
Underwear model Abbey Clancy impressed the judges at the weekend with her and her partner Aljaz Skorjanec's disco routine to 'You Should be Dancing' from 'Saturday Night Fever', scoring a baffling 40 marks out of 40 making them the first couple of the year to hit that top target. Remarkable considering that Abbey admitted at the beginning of the series that she had 'no stamina' and 'gets out of breath so easy'. Really, Abbey?!
Next Page: Patrick Robinson arrives in style
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__Patrick Robinson from 'Casualty' is the best gentleman in the competition having brought out a spectacular model of the car from Disney's 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' prior to performing a frenzied Charleston routine with partner Anya Garnis. The judges were clearly captivated and left them to ponder over their 38/40 score. It's not like Patrick's unfamiliar with the world of dance, however, having confessed before this series began to roping in his co-stars for an occasional film set boogie.
Next Page: Sophie Ellis-Bextor brought elegance to Musical Week
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__It was certainly 'Murder On The Dancefloor' for Sophie Ellis-Bextor who was quite frankly KILLING IT with her 'Sound of Music' Viennese Waltz to 'My Favourite Things'. She and dancer Brendan Cole could probably be described as the most graceful of all seven acts over the weekend, winning themselves a not-to-be-sniffed-at score of 36.
Next Page: Ashley Taylor-Dawson's flying carpet
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Ashley Taylor-Dawson from 'Hollyoaks' blew our minds as he flew in on a magic carpet to perform his sensational rumba to 'Aladdin''s 'A Whole New World' with Ola Jordan. He may have landed in the bottom two with 35 points, but the routine was undeniably sexy - leaving the judges a little hot under the collar and definitely ready to keep them in. Got to say, at the risk of sounding super-cheesy, he's always 'One Jump Ahead' in this competition.
Next Page: Natalie Gumede branded a 'Dreamgirl'
'Coronation Street' star Natalie Gumede looking stunning in blue as she and Artem Chigvintsev did an American Smooth to the song 'I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' from 'Dreamgirls'. Her scores have fluctuated a lot of the series and the weekend's score of 36 made it her poorest performance since week 5 - however, that didn't mean it was actually a poor performance, with Bruno branding Natalie herself a 'Dreamgirl'.
Next Page: Susanna Reid slips up and Christmas Special contestants announced
BBC Breakfast's Susanna Reid slipped up a few times with the tricky quickstep to 'Good Morning' from 'Singin' In The Rain' with Kevin Clifton and, although she managed to swiftly get back into the rhythm, the eagle-eyed judges spotted them straight away and gave her just 33 points for the night.
This season of 'Strictly' may be over soon, but we can still look forward to the exciting Christmas Special on December 25th which sees six new celebrities take to the floor in a spectacular dance-off. Among the celebrities for the festive edition are The Saturdays' singer Rochelle Humes, BBC Radio 1 DJ Sara Cox, West End star Elaine Paige, former Bros star Matt Goss, 'Eastenders' actor Ricky Norwood and comedian/presenter Rufus Hound.