SPOOK-TACULAR DANCING STARS
IT WAS the battle of the Halloween glamour queens on Strictly last night as TWO female celebrities tied on a near perfect score. First up, Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley Roberts and her partner Pasha Kovalev set the leaderboard alight in scary style with a score of 39 out of a possible 40 – only for Steps star Faye Tozer to do exactly the same thing minutes later with her partner, Giovanni Pernice.
The performances had the judges reaching for the superlatives and the audience on their feet as both used Halloween week to clock up the highest scores of the series so far.
Dancing in suits and glittering oversized bow ties, Tozer and her professional partner performed a couple’s choice routine to Fever by Peggy Lee in the style of theatre and jazz. During the routine, Tozer leapt from the judge’s desk into the arms of her partner. Craig Revel Horwood simply said: “Amazing.”
Dame Darcey Bussell added there was “so much I loved about it”, highlighting how the couple mirrored one another and calling it an “absolutely brilliant and stunning performance”.
The couple scored three 10s and a nine giving them a cumulative total of 39 out of a possible 40.
Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev danced an energetic Charleston to Witch Doctor by Don Lang.
Dressed as trolls and inspired by The Troll Movie, the pair’s routine earned them a standing ovation.
The judges were unanimously in favour of the routine, with Bruno Tonioli calling it “astonishing” and “action packed” and “one of the best Strictly moments of the season”.
Dame Darcey Bussell said it was a “terrific contrast to last week”, while Shirley Ballas said it was “one of the best choreography routines I have ever seen”.
Meanwhile at the lower end of the scoreboard, comedian Seann Walsh and professional partner Katya Jones were warned they “would end up in the dance off again” by judge Craig Revel after dancing a decidedly nonromantic Halloween Viennese waltz to I Put A Spell On You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
The couple scored a cumulative total of 20 points out of a possible 40, placing them joint third from last and in danger of being in the dance off.