Strictly Come Dancing dazzled BBC audiences with its first live show of the series on Saturday (September 27). As is tradition, the judges were powerless with their scores this time around, but celebrities be warned: they’re carried forward into Week Two.
Two Jives, two Sambas, two American Smooths, four Cha Cha Chas, one Quickstep, one Waltz, one Viennese Waltz, one Foxtrot, and one Paso Doble were on the menu for BBC One viewers, but some of the most enjoyable moments happened outside of the routines.
For one: Amy Dowden revealed that her partner Tom Skinner had been diligently doing his homework on the wrong type of dance right up until the end of the week. Apparently, the reality TV personality was immersing himself in Tango video highlights when they were actually on with a Paso Doble.
God loves a trier and all that.
Vito Coppola teaching Ellie Goldstein with the help of a whiteboard (BBC screenshot)
The self-deprecating Vicky Pattison wanted to transform herself from a “sloth” into a “turbo sloth” for Strictly, while Stefan Dennis said it was “a bit of a no-brainer” for him and Dianne Buswell to kick off their ballroom journey with a dance to the Neighbours theme tune.
In a touching insight, Ellie Goldstein’s partner Vito Coppola showed us how he’d tailored their training sessions to the disabled model’s needs. “Ellie is a visual learner, that’s why I decided to adapt my way of teaching,” he noted in their VT.
Footage then showed him placing cardboard cutouts of the judges and presenters around the studio space to help her understand where they’d be in conjunction to them as they moved around the dancefloor on the big night.
Let’s have a look at what else went down…
Nikita Kuzmin’s unemployment joke as Amber Davies saves him
Last-minute addition Amber Davies stood out in Week One (BBC screenshot)
Injured dropout Dani Dyer’s replacement Amber Davies “saved” professional partner Nikita Kuzmin from OCD cleaning and endless trips to the supermarket.
Following the couple’s elegant Waltz, Kuzmin showered the Love Islander in praise after she stepped in at the eleventh hour to become his celebrity for the series.
“Amber, I have so much respect for you,” he shared. “This is madness. You’re so brave! And frankly, I was unemployed for two days and I cleaned my house seven times and applied for a Tesco club card, so thank you. You saved me from all of that.”
During their pre-dance VT, Davies admitted that she was “very aware of the time limit” they were under before the opening live show. “I’m gonna just take every hour as it comes,” she said whilst travelling to her first rehearsal.
How does the Week One scoreboard look?
Karen Carney became the first footballer to top the leaderboard in 18 years (BBC screenshot)
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu (scored 31)
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones (28)
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley (27)
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin (27)
George Clarke and Alexis Warr (24)
La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec (24)
Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington (23)
Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell (22)
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe (21)
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer (19)
Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola (17)
Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon (17)
Tom Skinner and Amy Dowden (16)
Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova (14)
Ross King and Jowita Przystał (10)
Standout comments from the judges
Head judge Shirley Ballas was particularly impressed by Lewis Cope (BBC screenshot)
Doing his best Professor Snape impression, judge Craig Revel Horwood pushed back on Gladiators star Aikines-Aryeetey’s decision to bash out a few press-ups halfway through the Cha Cha Cha.
“For me it was all Boogie Nights and strut. Push-ups darling, are not in the Cha Cha Cha,” were his exact words, although Anton Du Beke clearly wasn’t against the gym bunny’s showmanship. So much so, the pro-turned-panelist stood on Aikines-Aryeetey’s back whilst he did some more in front of the judges.
Meanwhile, Neighbours legend Dennis was anointed the would-be “ballroom king” by Motsi Mabuse, but that was before she’d clocked eyes on fellow soap actor Cope.
She called his energy “dynamite”, adding: “You attacked that dance, I absolutely adored it!”
Carlos Gu and Karen Carney performed last yet received the best feedback (BBC screenshot)
Lorraine’s Hollywood correspondent King, who scored the lowest out of all the celebrities, was on the receiving end of a Shirley Ballas verbal slap during the feedback session.
“We had so many things for me that were off,” began the head judge. “Your feet turned in — they need to be at five to one on the ballroom clock — the balance was off, your toes were curling up, you looked hesitant when you’re moving.”
Then came the boos from the crowd. “I’m just being honest, he’s got somewhere to grow. He needs to grow,” she answered back.
Later, Horwood told YouTube influencer Clarke that he has “amazing potential for someone that has never danced”, yet his compliments given to Davies might’ve been backhanded. “You are naturally blessed with the neck of a flamingo darling; long, elegant lines which you can’t buy or purchase,” the 60-year-old sniggered. Was that a dig at her non-surgical facial treatments?
Ballas was blown away by the last-minute recruit, claiming her “mind boggles” at the thought of what Davies could’ve achieved with more training. Referring to the Waltz, she commented: “It had that elegance, sophistication and beauty. That was absolutely unbelievable, miraculous actually.”
But the best dance of the night was saved for last, according to Du Beke and Ballas, who couldn’t believe what they witnessed ex-Lioness Carney displaying in the ballroom.
Teary-eyed Gladiator’s dream moment
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey’s emotions got the better of him (BBC screenshot)
Immediately after completing his Cha Cha Cha with Karen Hauer, Aikines-Aryeetey fell to the ground with his face in his hands. Semi-composing himself for the interview with Tess Daly, the Gladiator revealed: “This time last year I wasn’t able to do anything like that and I never thought I’d be myself again. It just feels so nice to be myself.
“I had an injury and I didn’t know if I’d be able to walk. It’s just been emotional. I’ve dreamt of that moment and even though I did [the Strictly Christmas special last year] I wasn’t 100%. And I’m here, I’m 100%, so I’m thankful,” he continued, before a brief chat with Claudia Winkleman got him going again.
“However I look… I’m a soft cuddly toy on the inside,” Aikines-Aryeetey told her.
Pete Wicks in the house!
Former contestant Pete Wicks was spotted in the audience (BBC screenshot)
When it comes to famous faces in the crowd, this weekend’s show didn’t disappoint.
None other than Strictly 2024 semi-finalist Pete Wicks was spotted by the cameras clapping his friend Vicky Pattison after her and Kai Widdrington’s respectable Cha Cha Cha, and the X hashtag went wild for him as you’d expect.
Here’s just a handful of the tweets…
Strictly Come Dancing continues next Saturday (October 4) on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.