Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Ola and James Jordan's Strictly verdict: Why we disagree with Hamza's scores

The former Strictly professionals reflect on their dancing days at Blackpool

james and ola jordan
Georgia Brown
Senior Lifestyle & Fashion Writer
Share this:

Another week, another night of Strictly Come Dancing glamour as the likes of Helen Skelton, Tony Adams, Hamza Yassin and more battled it out on the ballroom for their place in the competition.

READ: Strictly's Kym Marsh in tears after making mistake in emotional dance

Chiming in on the race to the final, former Strictly professionals and World Champions Ola and James Jordan give their verdict on week eight of the competition. In a week that saw raw emotion from Will Mellor, a sizzling Samba from Fleur East and an unexpected mistake from Kym Marsh, who has done enough to make it through to Blackpool?

WATCH: Strictly's James and Ola Jordan reveal big bonus celebs get for Blackpool

Read on for James and Ola's Strictly Speaking column below…

DISCOVER: How much are the celebrities paid on Strictly Come Dancing?

MORE: Strictly star Helen Skelton gave birth alone ahead of split from husband

strictly judges

The judges are yet to give a unanimous perfect score

Ola: I think it was an incredibly tough week for the celebrities because there was so much pressure on them to make it through to Blackpool.

James: We know exactly what that feels like, having danced there on the show and during our competitive years. Blackpool means so much to us, we used to compete there and it's where we fell in love. It's a magical, special place.

Ola: Of course, you'd always want your celebrity to make it to that stage in the competition. There's so much history at the Tower Ballroom, and the sprung floor makes the world of difference to your dancing.

James: You can actually feel how much it springs when you dance around the floor, and it feels like you're in an arena with the balconies and everything - it's very special. One couple will be unfortunate enough to not make it.

James: I didn't think the show was as good as it was last week, but you can definitely tell it's getting to that stage in the competition where the strongest dancers are starting to pick up the pace.

Ola: There were a couple of dancers that shined last week that were nowhere near as polished in their performances last night.

James: I agree, I didn't think Tyler was as strong last night. The music was great, he had power, and the production value was immense, but his Paso Doble wasn't as strong as I would have expected from him.

Ola: The actual Paso steps weren't brilliant. His posture could have been better, the way he moved was a bit stilted. The music, the tricks, the costumes and the fire were so impressive but all the extras helped to mask one of his weaker dances I think.

HELLO!: Who was the dancer of the night for you?

James: There were still some exceptional dances last night, however. For me, Fleur East came out with probably the best Samba the show has ever seen. I thought she had a eureka moment last night.

Ola: It was a really difficult dance as well. She deserved to top the leaderboard. Samba is notoriously one of the hardest dances.

fleur east

Fleur East enchanted with a fiery Samba

James: Fleur added the softness we've been waiting to see for so long. She can be quite aggressive with her movements but her musicality last night was exceptional. I thought it was fantastic - I don't remember a better Samba on the show.

Ola: Fleur has been in the bottom two several times now, but I think if all her dances are that good then she'll sail through to the final.

James: I'm not sure if we can say she'll definitely be a winner yet though. In fact, I would argue it's unlikely she'll take the crown because she's been in the bottom two more than once.

Ola: Don't forget Abbey Clancy won in 2013 after bouncing back from the dance-off!

James: That's true… Either way, there's no way Fleur will be in the bottom two this week because she's at the top of the leaderboard. The public often forgets the leaderboard does have a say in who dances in the dance-off.

Ola: Will Mellor was very good last night. I wouldn't say it was his best dance, but it was easy to get lost in the emotion. I loved seeing him do a classical dance in a smart suit - it was pure Ballroom dancing from beginning to end which we always enjoy watching. It was beautiful.

James: It was stunning, I thought they did a fantastic job. Naturally, if you compare a slow Ballroom dance to a fiery Latin it is going to feel a little boring, but the quality was there. I really enjoyed it.

Ola: Molly also gave one of her best performances for me last night.

James: I agree, I just can't understand how she's been in the bottom two several times.

Ola: I think it may be that Carlos is a new professional on the show and it can be difficult to warm to their partnership sometimes. They lack the same rapport that some of the others have.

James: I'm sure they have a great off-screen rapport but I agree, it may not be coming across on TV. We've said before that Tyler and Dianne have a great partnership, it's easy to connect with their energy.

molly rainsford

Molly and Carlos delighted the judges with a romantic Rumba

Ola: But Dianne has also been on the show for a long time. It's easy to fall in love with their journey and root for Dianne as much as Tyler considering she's never got this far in the competition as a professional.

James: I wonder if Molly just doesn't appeal to the public as much as some of the other contestants - she's young, beautiful and a great dancer and it might not be what the Strictly viewers want to see.

Ola: That being said, she did a stunning Rumba, which is an incredibly tricky dance.

James: The Rumba can easily highlight people's weaknesses because it's so slow, but she carried herself really well. I loved it.

HELLO!: Who gave an unexpected performance?

Ola: I wouldn't say Helen Skelton gave her best dance last night, it's a very rhythmic dance that showed she's not as strong of a dancer. I much preferred her Jive.

James: You don't need to have as much natural rhythm in a Jive, it's more about pumping the legs. A Salsa requires far more softness in the spine, and I think she was lacking that last night. Gorka makes up for it though - I still love their partnership.

Ola: It was still great though, if the judges had given her a nine I wouldn't have disagreed with that. The choreography was great, but it wasn't her best performance.

helen skelton

Helen looked pretty in pink for her sizzling Samba

James: I do think the judges can be quite harsh with Helen at times. Hamza, for example, didn't deserve three tens in my eyes - I agree more with Craig's eight. I felt there were some synchronicity issues at the beginning of the dance that the judges didn't pick up on.

Ola: A ten is a perfect score, and there were definitely a couple of mistakes. The lifts, however, were amazing.

James: For the lifts, I would have given it a strong nine. Some of them we've never seen on Strictly before and he made them look so effortless. I have always championed Hamza saying how brilliant his performances are, but I don't think last night was one of his best.

Ola: I agree, his Cha Cha was unforgettable. He has so much natural rhythm.

hamza yassin

Hamza paid homage to his African heritage

James: Ellie Taylor has really impressed me the last few weeks. Originally I wasn't so keen on her dancing, nor her partnership with Johannes, but she's really proved herself recently.

Ola: Ellie is one of the celebrities on the show that hasn't had any previous dance training, and she has consistently improved every week.

James: The choreography from Johannes was unreal. I loved the bit with the jacket, I though that was really clever and I'm not usually a fan of prop work. It worked within the dance and I thought it was a really fun Charelston - she should be very proud of herself. She definitely deserves to be in the competition.

ellie taylor

Ellie and Johannes performed a cheerful Charleston

HELLO!: Could it be the end for football star Tony Adams? He's been at the bottom of the leaderboard nearly every week…

Ola: I didn't feel it was Tony's best week, sadly.

James: Me neither. I felt the Jive may have been a step too far for him. He's always been so entertaining and his commitment to his training makes it so easy to love him. I've always said I haven't cared so much that he isn't the best dancer, because he's always been the most entertaining.

Ola: You can still see how much he's improved and it's clear to see he's still putting his all into the competition, but it could be the week he's in trouble.

James: It's particularly tough now because the standard of the dancers is so good. He does deserve to get to Blackpool, but he could also be at risk of facing the dance-off.

Ola: Tony is always at the bottom of the leaderboard, which makes me think it could be his time to go now.

HELLO!: Is there anyone else likely to be in the dance-off?

James: Kym may also see herself in the dance-off again this week. I thought the theme of her dance was great and her music was stunning but unfortunately, I didn't think the choreography suited her.

Ola: You could tell it meant so much to her to perform such a poignant dance, but she did make some mistakes - particularly when their lift went wrong. It's a shame really.

James: I found the whole routine quite disjointed and it lacked a flow.

LOOK: Craig Revel Horwood's plush bedroom is a homage to Strictly Come Dancing

SEE: Strictly's Hamza Yassin's home is so off-grid he has to ferry essentials in

kym marsh

Kym was devastated after making a mistake in her performance

Ola: Given they all had the same scores, I think Kym, Ellie and Tyler could be in danger of being in the bottom two this week.

James: If Tony is in the bottom two it would be so difficult for the judges to save him. There's just no way he's going to get through unless someone else really messed up their second dance.

Ola: It's interesting that there isn't a clear winner yet… this time last year it was so obvious that Rose and Giovanni were heading in the right direction to take the Glitterball. Every week our favourite changes.

James: I totally agree. The only person who comes out week after week and smashes it is Hamza. If he wins, I think that will be the first time a new professional has won the show!

Like this story? Sign up to our Strictly Come Dancing newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

More TV and Film

See more