Strictly Come Dancing final: 5 talking points, from Stacey Dooley's win to the return of Danny John Jules
Out of four finalists, it was Dooley and her partner Kevin Clifton that came out on top, despite Craig Revel Horwood's refusal to give her a ten for her showdance
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Your support makes all the difference.So there we have it, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton are your Strictly champions for 2018! They were bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, but the audience didn’t care. On this show, if you don’t have a journey you’ve got no chance of glitterball glory. Here’s what happened:
Kevin turned into Brendan Cole
The stakes were high for Grimsby’s finest Kevin Clifton. This was his fifth Strictly final and he was fed up of coming a close second. So perhaps that’s why he got so stroppy with Craig when he refused to give them a ten and poured scorn on Kev’s showdance choreography. ‘He does this to me in every final!’ moaned Kevin as Craig dismissed his masterpiece as ‘lots of running around’. Ouch.
The showdances!
The highlight of any Strictly final, amid all of the strung-out VTs and voting reminders, it’s the showdances we tune in to see. Faye’s was by far the best – an old school Hollywood number with glamorous, cinematic choreography. It oozed showbiz and Faye sparkled.
Joe’s attempt to be a rock and roller wasn’t quite as successful (although his trampolining was good) and Ashley’s contemporary routine was technically amazing but hardly a crowd pleaser. Stacey’s energetic jive-based number was full of commitment but it split the judges. Clearly it was enough to make people vote though.
Great dancing won’t win the glitterball
Ashley faced the dance-off for three weeks in a row and did her best to ignore a huge backlash about her dance background. Tonight, both she and Faye produced clean show-stopping performances, scoring a perfect 120 out of 120. But it wasn’t enough. Alas, it’s not just about the dancing ladies, but you did yourselves proud.
Look who’s back!
Let’s face it, Strictly is on telly for a long, long time every year. So it’s easy to forget who graced that dance floor until they reunite for a special nostalgic routine in the final. It was great to see Danny John Jules put his ‘show must go on’ smile on after boycotting It Takes Two when he got eliminated. And nobody batted an eyelid when erstwhile national villain Sean(n) Walsh recreated his Matrix number. Dr Ranj was great fun, Susannah brought back her ridiculous props and it was great fun to get the gang back together.
Naughty Brrrruno
Yet again Brrrruno said a naughty word on telly as he tried to talk about Stacey’s ‘Greatest Hits’. To be fair, it’s quite a minor slip-up for Mr Tonioli, he’s said a lot worse. The judges were falling over themselves to praise the contestants tonight, although for once Bruno didn’t actually fall off his chair.
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Fosse meets Strictly, this is such a brilliant piece of choreography, Giovanni doesn't get enough credit for these amazing routines. I missed the amazing Halloween face paint, but otherwise just as stunning as last time...
'LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!' says Craig, Darcey says it was one of her favourite dances of the series and Shirley calls Faye outstanding. Would love her to win, but it really feels like a two-horse race...
Faye and Giovanni: Couple's Choice Theatre Jazz scores
Craig: 10
Darcey: 10
Shirley: 10
Bruno: 10
Total: 40
Faye's so emotional, this has been a dream come true for her.
Are we flagging yet? Grab a Mars Bar, there's still 40 minutes to go. Here come Joe and Dianne with their favourite dance, a Charleston to Cotton Eye Joe - this should liven everyone up.
If nothing else I'm very happy to hear this song again (did I mention I have terrible taste in music?). This dance really isn't up to scratch if you compare it to the other three finalists, but Joe is all about charm, humility and that all-important journey. Could still see him winning, although I think Stacey's fans will come out in force after Craig refused to give them a ten.
Brrrrruno attempts a pun: 'You're the last man stunning!' he says. Just no. The judges are generally impressed but Craig thinks the routine lacked swivel...
Joe and Dianne: Charleston scores
Craig: 9
Darcey: 9
Shirley: 10
Bruno: 10
Total: 38
A huge improvement from week two. Joe is very magnanimous, says he'd be happy if anyone won...
So it's played out exactly as we thought: Faye and Ashley are the judges' winners, while Joe and Stacey are lagging behind on the bottom half of the leaderboard. But those scores count for nothing, nada, zilch. It's all down to the public. And the public LOVE Joe and Stacey.
If you're wondering what they're going to do with the next half hour don't panic. There's the group dance coming up and some Michael Buble too. Probably best I don't remind you of the endless voting plugs and sob story VTs though...
Oh wow, we've reached a new level of pointlessness in the VTs. Do you really want to know what people up and down the country have loved about this series? Somehow I doubt it. This is the moment to put the kettle on. Or possibly make a lasagne, you've probably got time.
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