Scott Mills' Strictly verdict - Halloween week: The judges were unnecessarily harsh about Kirsty Gallachers’ slip
The Radio 1 DJ and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has his say on the frights and thrills of Halloween week
Halloween week brings back a lot of spooky memories – I’m not just talking about bad trick-or-treating experiences. This time last year I had to leave Strictly whilst dressed as Uncle Fester from The Addams Family. You couldn’t make this stuff up...
I feel like the atmosphere on Halloween is different to most other weeks on Strictly. There’s an extra chance to act, really dress up and go for it. So before we move onto the dancing, let’s talk about the incredible make up and wardrobe department. Having watched them work last year, I can confirm that they’re absolutely magical. They work extremely hard to make everyone look extra scary. This year, my personal favourites were Jeremy’s Thriller costume (can he just wear red sequins all the time? He comes alive in them!) and Anita’s 'magnificent Maleficent'. And did anyone else spot the glitter in Jay’s werewolf beard? That’s dedication to sparkle.
The judges weren’t exempt either – Darcey was a brilliant Morticia, and death clearly hadn’t taken the fight out of Craig, Bruno or Len as the judges switched between incredible enthusiasm and harsh criticism.
Katie and Anton opened the show with their ghoulishly graceful pasa doble. Set the to backdrop of the Phantom of the Opera, it started things off in just the right way. I think they did an absolutely brilliant job – especially as the openers over the past few weeks have been consistently great – and I felt for Katie when she let out a sigh of relief at the end of the dance. Trust me, I’ve been there!
Kirsty and Brendan’s Charleston brought out the first tricks of the show. From Brendan’s flying around, to the lift that turned into a roly-poly, and then finishing on a cartwheel. I was out of breath just watching it! I felt that Bruno was unnecessarily harsh when it came to Kirsty’s slip – she carried herself in exactly the right way afterwards and recovered from it brilliantly. I was really sad that it wasn’t enough to save her in the dance off against Jamelia.
The tricks definitely continued this week – Anita descended from the ceiling as Maleficent to deliver an unshakeable waltz. Kellie and Kevin went from spellbinding to electrifying, and triumphantly finished with more fireworks than the Weasley twins taking over Hogwarts! And let’s not forget Helen and Aljaz’s mummy-themed samba to the Scissor Sisters.
After Bruno’s ‘zombified’ comments last week, it was so nice to hear him say that he enjoyed Jeremy’s performance. His Thriller-inspired salsa definitely had the entertainment factor. The crowd went absolutely wild AND Craig gave them their first four this week. I told you, Halloween brings out a different mood in everyone!
It was great to see Georgia being crowned ‘the Queen of Halloween’ by Len for her Ghostbusters routine. She’s been consistently brilliant since the start of the competition, and she’s clearly putting her all into it.
And it was also really humbling to see Peter Andre’s response to the judges’ criticism of his foxtrot this week – the most important thing about Strictly is to keep pushing yourself every week. I think if everyone keeps pushing themselves, we’ll have a frightfully good show next time too! (Sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6:30pm on BBC1
