james and ola jordan© Photo: HELLO!

Ola and James Jordan's Strictly verdict: Tyler's epic Charleston, Helen's Waltz and one 'horrendous' performance

Who will be the couple to leave on Strictly Come Dancing's third week?

Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
October 9, 2022

Lights, camera, action! Strictly Come Dancing returned with its fan-favourite Movie Week on Saturday night, as the 13 remaining celebrities battled it out in the ballroom to some of Hollywood's most famous soundtracks.

READ: Tyler West secures first 10s of Strictly 2022 after London Marathon success

Weighing in on the highs and lows of the evening, former Strictly professionals and champion ballroom dancers Ola and James Jordan sat down with HELLO! to give their predictions for the dance off ahead of Sunday's Live Show.

WATCH: Will Mellor makes emotional tribute to his mum

From Helen Skelton and Gorka Marquez's whimsical Waltz to Hopelessly Devoted, to Tyler West and Dianne Buswell's Flash Bang Wallop of a Charleston, the bar was set incredibly high as the first tens of the season were handed out.

Scroll on to read James and Ola's weekly column, Strictly Speaking…

MORE: Will Mellor gives emotional shout out to mother after family trauma

© Photo: BBC

Jayde Adams dazzled viewers in a glitzy leotard with joyful a Flashdance routine

James: Ah, Movie Week. It's always the week where the theme runs the risk of overpowering the dance. We saw it on a couple of occasions last night where I felt the quality of the dance suffered because a couple was in a silly costume, or the music didn't match the style of the choreography.

I know that might sound grumpy, but I just feel that during Movie Week the focus is more on the theme than it is about the dancing!

Ola: Sometimes if the theme doesn't suit the dance it can put that couple's scores in jeopardy, but it's not always the case! Towards the end of the evening we saw so many exceptional examples of the theme complementing the dance.

STORY: Ellie Taylor moved to tears with surprise family message – watch

MORE: Watch Strictly star Molly Rainford's breathtaking Britain's Got Talent final performance

James: I agree, they worked so much better. I'm thinking of Jayde and Karen, Helen and Gorka, Tony and Katya and Will and Nancy. The last four were bang bang bang, the most powerful themes were left to the end.

Ola: When we were on Strictly, it was the producers who decide what songs you use week on week.

James: Sometimes they would really suit you, sometimes they wouldn't.

Ola: Like Tony and Katya's Samba to You Sexy Thing suited them SO much. We loved it.

James: That was my second favourite dance of the night.

Fans left divided over Richie and Giovanni's Samba

James: People on Twitter were divided over Richie and Giovanni's opening number. Some people thought it was highly entertaining, other people thought it was horrendous. I, personally, thought it was the latter.

Ola: It really wasn't a strong performance. It was a great one for the kids to watch, but the dance wasn't good. Richie was shimmying a lot in the choreography, which seems to be a theme for him. We've seen him do that same move week on week.

James: It's almost like they've become the novelty act, and I think it's a shame. It's really difficult to take them seriously in the competition.

© Photo: BBC

Giovanni and Richie's Samba to Hakuna Matata didn't impress all the judges

Ola: There are so many excellent couples this year that it's far more competitive than usual, so I don't think 'funny' dances are what are going to get them to the final.

James: It's not anything to do with them being a same sex couple, either. Take John and Johannes last year, now they were competing. They took the competition seriously and came out with stunning, technically excellent dances week on week and they deserved their place in the competition. This time, I feel like Richie and Giovanni are playing on the comedy factor rather than the quality of their dancing. We just didn't love it this week.

Ola: They also wasted so much of the music with their acting section in the beginning. There were two eight counts that were dedicated to them messing around the judges. The routine was very average.

Tyler West throws a curveball with the first 10s of the season

James: Oh my god. Tyler and Dianne.

Ola: That was THE BEST performance of the night by far.

James: Usually, I'm not a fan of when the judges give out 10s too early in the competition. But Tyler's score was well deserved. It was exceptional.

Ola: It was just brilliant. It wasn't just the footwork, it was the timing, his movement, the way he uses his back and shoulders, the characterisation, their chemistry together. It was a 10 for me.

© Photo: BBC

Tyler West came out on top with his explosive Charleston

James: Dianne did an incredible job with the choreography. It's lovely to see her doing so well too, as I feel she often gets paired with celebrities who have much weaker dance skills. Tyler clearly out-danced our favourite Will Mellor last night. He's catapulted himself into the final I think.

Ola: I agree. He's definitely the powerhouse of the competition.

Tony Adams might be at the bottom, but he's an underrated performer

Ola: Kym Marsh clearly impressed the judges this week with her Charleston, and her performance was a big improvement from what we've seen so far.

James: I would have probably scored her a 7 or 8 this week, she's definitely going in the right direction. But I do think there's a little bit of awkwardness about her movement. Her Charleston technique was fantastic, especially the way she was swivelling from her knees.

Ola: I think you could tell she was more confident in this style of dancing, it was clear to see she loved being up on that stage. However, I think she needs to be careful now when she gets the more classical ballroom dances to keep up that energy and commitment to the movement.

© Photo: BBC

Kym Marsh embraced her inner showgirl for a Fosse-inspired routine

James: The Charleston is one of those dances that I wouldn't consider to be a Ballroom and Latin dance, I feel it's in its own category. Having said that, I agree she looked comfortable doing it and she brought character to her performance. It didn't top Tyler's Charleston, but it was still good.

Ola: At the other end of the leaderboard we saw Tony Adams at the bottom again. The thing is, I was so happy he had the guts to do that dance because not everyone would. He threw himself into it and showed himself that he wants to be in the competition.

James: Tony is invested in the show, which makes me love him even more than I already did. It was actually very much improved from last week too. He might have been at the bottom of the leaderboard, but he was in my opinion the second most entertaining dance of the night.

Ola: He's improving and he's immersing himself in the show. You can tell he's loving it too. Katya did an amazing job on the choreography too. There's no way he's going home this week.

James: I was gutted for Hamza. His Rumba was really bloody good. I don't think anyone at home, besides a trained dancer, would have been able to understand just how good it was. His hip action, his arms, the way he led his partner, the rotation… I just thought it was really good - the song didn't match the dance at all.

© Photo: BBC

The duo danced the Rumba to a Jurassic Park-themed routine

Ola: The production was amazing, we couldn't believe how impressive the set was. But then it's not always about that, the music fell short for the style of dance. I don't think it worked for him. He had lovely feet and beautiful arms, I can't believe he only got a 5 from Craig.

James: Never was that dance only worth a 5. If he had a really romantic, classical Rumba soundtrack to dance to I think he would've scored far higher. The Rumba is dance of love, not Jurassic Park! I think the judges need to go back and watch his dance without the music.

Ola: They couldn't be romantic or passionate with that music. I felt sorry for him in a way - he deserved a far better song choice.

James: This is where I would have got into trouble when I was on Strictly. If I didn't think the music fit with the style of dance, I would've said something!

Ola: I felt like Gorka and Helen were in a different league last night. Gorka is such a great choreographer. When he choreographs, it's always seamless and timeless. I love them as a duo.

© Photo: BBC

Helen Skelton became Sandy for the night with a Grease-inspired routine

James: What an iconic soundtrack too. Helen needs to work on her posture slightly, but that will come the more she gets used to the style of Latin and Ballroom. Two more celebrities face the dance off James: If we had to pick a couple for the bottom two this week, I would say James Bye and Amy Dowden could see themselves in danger .

Ola: I also think Ellie Taylor could also see herself in the bottom two.

James: How about Richie and Giovanni? I really didn't love that performance, but then I got the impression that it was quite popular with viewers.

Ola: It's a tough week to say who will be in the bottom two. I would say Matt Goss could actually see himself saved because he was in the dance off last week, which can often win over the viewers.

James: For me personally, I think it's between three. Ellie T, James and Richie who are in danger this week. It's clear to see who will be in the final.

James and Ola predict their favourite four

James: I have to say, I was a little bit disappointed with Will Mellor's performance last night. I've been singing his praises from Week One - but I was a little bit let down!

Ola: You better not be talking about my Will!

James: I'm disappointed with Ola's favourite… I'll tell you why. Anyone could have danced to that song, because it's so iconic and nostalgic, people are always going to love it. But when I watched him in hold from a ballroom dancer's perspective, I noticed it wasn't actually that good. The judges should have picked up on the technical aspect when he was in frame and moving across the floor. Tyler wiped the floor with him this week, but I do think Will is still my favourite to win!

© Photo: BBC

Will Mellor followed in the footsteps of Patrick Swayze 

Ola: Will is lovely and I loved him. He's a great mover, he has charisma, but I agree he does need to work on his posture and footwork. I'm looking forward to seeing him tackle a 'proper' ballroom dance in the weeks to come. His arms were beautiful, he's got the talent, he just needs to work on refining his technique.

James: I think Will is a 'shoo in' for the final. But I would argue that Tyler is now too. If he can prove that he's good at the ballroom as well, I think he's almost guaranteed a spot in the final.

Ola: I'd say Will, Tyler, Helen and Molly are heading in the right direction to be in the final.

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