Hagan Vs Logan

People say stupid things and most of us get away with it, but not Gabby Logan.

Gabby was on BBC1 show ‘Room 101’ and discussing what her pet hate in television is. She replied ‘scripted reality shows’ – which is perfectly fine, they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, but then she added ‘shows like TOWIE, Made In Chelsea, Geordie Shore…’ – oops!

Watching the show at home Holly Hagan wasn’t all too happy and took to Twitter to vent her annoyance…

Now like we said, it’s perfectly fine to not be a fan of ‘scripted reality shows’ but perhaps Gabby should of maybe tried watching these shows she so dislikes before slating them on the ol’ telly box. At least that way she’d have known Geordie Shore couldn’t be any more different to the likes of TOWIE; different but equally as great.

Gabby would probably have gotten away with her misinformed judgment if sassy Holly weren’t watching. Unlucky Logan. Her only comment in response so far is ‘I still don’t like it but thanks’.

The X Factor - Bootcamp - The Groups

Last but not least, it was Louis’ turn to make decisions. That sentence alone should have prepared us for the shambles that ensued, if he can’t send it to deadlock he just hasn’t got a clue; and it really showed.

The Groups – Final Six

The Brooks

The twins were the first up and the first act to grab a seat, normally that’d mean one hell of a nervy wait, but thanks to some made up rule about contestants under 16 not being able to have their seat taken away, they were sitting pretty. We’ve only really had fleeting glances of them throughout the series but from what we did hear they could actually sing. Huge potential.

New Boy Band

The new 8-piece boy band made up of the chaps deemed not good enough to be solo only went and stole the bloody show. We didn’t see why they all got an initial no, but clearly that was madness. Their vocals were impeccable, particularly James, Tom and Barclay; James gave the band that all-important wow note, Tom went from Bambi to Simba and Barclay shocked us completely, we only thought he could yodel!  Each one of them managed to stand out, Charlie gave the song his own stamp, Reece has the voice of someone twice his age, Jake is some kind of twitter god to girls, Chris added a sprinkle of vulnerability and Casey, oh Casey (we might love him) There are a lot of them, but somehow it works, the further they got into the song the more and more it felt like a true moment, the moment something huge began.

New Girl Group

Unlike the new boy band the new girls didn’t quite have the impact they’d have hoped. It was a no for Abi, Abby, Saffron, Mini and Leah and it was sad faces all round; the audience certainly didn’t agree. After all hell broke loose the girls were back for a sing off and although we didn’t quite hear them over the ‘what the frick is going on’ comments from our viewing acquaintances they did enough to take that final spot. It’ll be interesting to see how they fair after having had a bit longer together to prepare.

Conecpt

We have a giant soft spot for these chaps. They’re not only talented and ridiculously handsome but they’re also honest. Honest in how much this means to them and honest in their performance. We only got a peek of their rendition of Run (Boo) but it was more than enough to confirm they’re bloody talented. They looked the part in their matching black and broody outfits and no doubt deserved their spot at judges houses. We can’t wait to hear a full song from them.

Blonde Electric

They definitely sounded better than their original room audition and they’re definitely different, brining a wild bit of fun to the show, but considering the acts that didn’t make it to judges houses we’re a little bit bemused. Maybe they come across much better in person? But that’s not much use for the live shows is it.

Only The Young

Before they took to the stage there was a whole heap of drama and we could of easily been distracted and not paid complete attention to them. But within moments of them taking to the stage they had us hooked, they’re unique, they’re talented and they’re most importantly likeable. Their energetic, full throttle performance gave Louis no choice but to hand them a seat. We find ourselves really intrigued as to what they’ll do next. We want more!

If you thought Friday night was dramatic it didn’t have a patch on Sunday’s, when Louis decided to take Overload’s seat they weren’t leaving without a fight and unwittingly dragged the poor Pow Pow Girls out of their seat too and into a sing-off where the discarded New Girls also came back. Oh the drama!

Now bring on judges houses!

The X Factor - Bootcamp, The Overs

Next up it was Simon. Now Simon is normally the unflappable sensible type, but even he got swept up in the drama of the six-chair challenge! The Overs category is traditionally packed full of ageing misfits but this year they should probably come up with a new name for this bunch of attractive, talented, charming folks!

The Overs – Final Six

Ben Haenow

We might be a little bit in love with Ben. His voice, his charisma, his personality, he just has it; whatever it is. Even though he must have been nervous he looked so at home on the stage, sauntering around like he was born to do it. We can’t wait to see what he’s got under his sleeve for judges houses.

Stevi Ritchie

It’s no real shock Stevi’s made it to judges houses, what would X Factor be without a loveable nutter, and we mean that in the nicest way possible. If he’d have just stood on the stage in front of the judges and sung a song we’d have felt cheated, cheated out of what’s possibly the most wonderful thing we’ve ever seen. Stevi possessed by the spirit of Patrick Swayze.

Lizzy Pattinson

Lizzy has gone somewhat under the radar since her room audition and other than being R-Pattz’s sibling we don’t know much about her. Oh other than the fact we adore her voice. It’s completely different to what anyone else in the competition offers, she’s almost got a little bit of country in her, a UK friendly amount. Hopefully we’ll see much more of what she’s got to offer.

Jay James

Another beautiful performance from Jay. The amount of emotion Jay puts into each performance is mesmerising to watch, no matter what he sings he finds a way to connect to the lyrics and deliver them with honesty. Just imagine the kind of moment Jay could have if he ever sung something he’d written himself (I wonder if he writes songs?). There was no way he wasn’t getting a seat.

Although we did have to wait 23 hours to find out his obvious fate, still a nicely timed cliffhanger though.

Fleur East

Another all round performance from Fleur, Brian Friedman must be bursting with joy at the thought of getting his creative hands on her. The fact she can move around with confidence is a huge bonus and will definitely help her stand out, it’d be nice to hear a stripped back performance at judges houses though so we can really hear her voice.

Helen Fulthorpe

What a voice! She also gets huge bonus points for picking one of our fave songs. There’s no denying Helen can sing, and when we say sing we mean belt out a song with diva worthy vocals. We’d definitely pay to see her in a starring role in Wicked.

Simon had a bit of a Cheryl moment when one minute he was taking Lizzy’s seat then the next changing his mind to Raign. Speaking of Raign, we feel a bit sorry for her, the disdain Cheryl clearly has for her was initially a bit amusing but the further along Raign got the more unprofessional and rude Cheryl became; all a bit uncomfortable to watch in the end. Nonetheless Simon has himself a talented bunch of Overs. 

The X Factor - Bootcamp, The Boys

Saturday was the boys’ turn and a big chuck of the Overs category. It wasn’t quite as dramatic and erratic as Cheryl’s attempt at decision-making but it sure had bags of talent.

Mel was up first to pick her final six boys and her approach couldn’t have been any more different to Cheryl’s, she was straight in there with the yawns, whispers of boring and no’s (please read with word No in Mel’s accent – thank you)

The Boys – Final Six

Jake Quickenden

If Jake hadn’t been given a seat the whole nation may well have rioted, or at the very least Mel would have been on the receiving end of some bad words. He gave another authentic and emotional performance that was perfectly on par with his other auditions. If he remains this consistent and then goes on to get better and better you’d be mad not to tip him for the big win.

Jordan Morris

We haven’t seen all too much of Jordan and the time he has been shown it’s been more of a fleeting glimpse. From what we can tell he’s pretty damn talented though and his song choice was refreshingly original. He’ll need a mind-blowing judges houses performance to catch-up with those we’ve known for a few weeks now. He does already have a huge fan base though so votes will never be a problem.

Danny Deardan

Danny is another we’ve barely seen, from memory I can’t even recall us getting even a peek of him during the early rounds. Even at bootcamp we’ve only heard a snippet, which is a shame, he sounded bloody great! We’ll assume his room and arena auditions were fantastic though as he seems to have done more than enough to impress Mel.

Jack Walton

He bonded with Mel during his room audition so he really lucked out having her as his mentor. We remember liking him the first time around but he’s already improved leaps and bounds. With that much improvement in just a few weeks, imagine what he’ll be able to do with a bit of guidance and more experience. Could be one to watch.

Andrea Faustini

The boys sitting at the side of the stage faces said everything. The moment Andrea started singing one of those seats was his; they were right to be worried. His voice is like heaven, if heaven were a growly delight of wow. A definite front-runner amongst the boys’ category, despite the fact we couldn’t spot a single piece of pug attire!

Paul Akister

How cruel to the other boys leaving Paul until last, there was no way he wasn’t getting a chair, in fact he deserved a specially upholstered thrown over one of those measly chairs. Two syllables in and you could picture Dermot announcing his name as the winner at Christmas, it’s his year, it has to be.

All in all Mel did a pretty damn good job; there was no faffing and no ‘to me, to you’ style chair changing. There was however one huge flaw in Mel’s final six boys, it lacked the beautiful Charlie Martinez-Hernandez; how could she deny the nation of his face?

The X Factor - Bootcamp, The Girls.

We’ve just about recovered from the bumper dose of epic bootcamp action, our nerves may only just make it through taking a look back.

Yes it’s hugely influenced in the edit, yes it can be completely contrived and biased but you can’t deny its bloody wonderful television.

The three nights of action gave us literally everything the X Factor has to offer; talent, tears, tantrums, shocks, sobs, wow’s, woe’s and drama aplenty!

Friday’s installment quickly breezed over the first challenge where the contestants were whittled down, with the drama to follow you can kind of see why, but it’d have been nice to see some of the performances all the same. We may never know how awesome some were or why some got sent home, for the most part we were left wondering who actually made it through the cull.

Then came the good stuff. It was time for Cheryl to pick her six girls, normally an emotional and difficult task but it was made all the more harder with her inability to say no, dishing out chairs like she was getting them from DFS.

The Girls – Final Six

 Lola Saunders

It wasn’t Lola’s best audition we’ve seen, for some reason things just didn’t quite connect, maybe the nerves got the better of her this once. Regardless her talent is undeniable and she’s done more than enough in past rounds to earn her spot.

Chloe-Jasmine

Things didn’t exactly go smooth sailing for Chloe. She gave a novel version of a Backstreet Boys track that we couldn’t help but love and took a seat, then someone else came along and we had to wave bye to Chloe (we were heartbroken). But that wasn’t that! Cheryl uttered the words “I’ve made a mistake” and back she came; woohoo! Judges houses would never have been the same without her, that’s for sure.

Stephanie Nala

It all went perfectly for Stephanie, she performed a delicately cool version of Wicked Games and there was no doubt she was getting a seat. Despite how obvious it was she was born to be in Cheryl’s final six (probably amongst other things) Stephanie looked the most nervous as they sat waiting to learn their final fate; bless.

Emily Middlemas

You’d be forgiven for thinking Emily was just giving a pressure free performance in front of a bunch of polite mates with how relaxed she seemed. Her performance was pretty perfect, it was fun and screamed her, at such a young age it’s mind blowing that she already seems so confident in knowing what type of artist she is.

Lauren Platt

Possibly our favourite bootcamp audition out of all the girls. At such a young age Lauren has her own style and her own mind. Her performance of Man In The Mirror is something we’d love to have on our iPod and it’d make it into every play list; we liked it. Definitely a frontrunner for the girls.

Kerrianne Covell

Another flawless performance from Kerrianne made sure Cheryl had to make another tough decision on whose seat she was to take. Having not given a single dodgy audition we’d have shaved our dog if Kerrianne hadn’t made it through. Another one to watch in the girls’ category.

It wasn’t the best of episodes for Cheryl, although it did make a nice change from the usual love-in. There was some seriously miffed boo’s being heckled in her direction and she didn’t exactly deal with it all to well. It was like Gamu all over again!

SCD - Week One (Part Two)

Friday night was a bloody brilliant warm-up for Saturday nights Strictly extravaganza! We really enjoyed part one of our week one dancing action and part two definitely didn’t disappoint. Having seen the first batch of celebs in action these really seemed to up their game; the competition is well and truly on!

The opening routine from the wonderful pros was a visual treat, the perfect start to the show. Tess has slipped nicely into her promotion taking over from Brucie and we’re fairly certain we love Claudia Winkleman inappropriate amounts. The judges dancing entrance aside it was time to take to the floor…

Mark & Karen

Cha Cha to ‘I’m Your Man’ by George Michael

An encouraging first dance for Mark, as Essex meets New York in a full on, full gas Cha Cha Cha. We had the best fun watching Mark’s routine and he was technically pretty strong as well as hugely entertaining. He had great hips, good coordination and lines and maintained the high energy levels throughout. He was actually, dare we say it, better than we ever thought he could be! He does need to slow it down a couple of gears and channel all that energy as that will allow him to control his footwork, but that could be down to first night nerves.

Scored | 24 |

Our Score | 7 |

Alison & Alijaz

Cha Cha ‘I’m Every Woman’ by Chaka Khan

Confident, joyful and incredibly infectious. What vigour, energy and character! She brimmed confidence and has a natural ability and sense of rhythm. Craig was massively complimentary other than her flat feet and Len agreed she was ‘bold and bouncy.’ As a performance it was fabulous, heart and soul. We absolutely love these two as a dancing duo.

Scored | 26 |

Our Score | 7 |

Steve & Ola

Tango to ‘Born To Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf

For the first few steps (half of the dance) we may have been a little distracted by the guns Steve was smuggling onto the dance floor! Steve may not have looked as natural as some of the others but he clearly gave it a good shot. Strong, sturdy, in complete control and cleanly executed. He had some serious passion and character with aggression etched across this face throughout his tricky Tango. He also led Ola around the dance floor really well and was great in hold. Ola’s belief that she can turn anybody into a dancer has never been truer.

Scored | 26 |

Our Score | 6 |

Jennifer & Tristan

Jive to ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams

A bit of a closed book going into this competition, we really had no idea how Jennifer would get on. She and Tristan sure make a cute Irish duo but that’s not enough to win over the judges. Jennifer did well to keep up with Tristan in what was a tricky routine. Kicks and flicks were not as sharp as they needed to be and the detailing could have been more refined. Looking at the routine as a whole, she went out and did the required steps without fault and for that Jennifer should be applauded. Len criticised her footwork but praised her spirit and we couldn’t really argue with that.

Scored | 18 |

Our Score | 5 |

Thom & Iveta

Waltz to ‘You Raise Me Up’ by Secret Garden

This partnership has been getting hot both on and off the dance floor if reports are to be believed (and who could blame them) so we were excited to see the chemistry between Thom and Iveta. Thom looked like a Disney Prince sculptured from the ‘stone of phwoar’ in his costume, which may have distracted us ever so slightly. He was elegant and light on his feet and demonstrated some nice lines. He did come across as a little nervous and uncomfortable and we’re not sure it flowed as well as they perhaps intended. A good test is goosebumps and this gave us goosebumps, it was delicate and transported us to a whole other place. Great potential.

Scored | 23 |

Our Score | 6 |

Sunetra & Brendan

Tango to ‘Bad Case of Loving You’ by Robert Palmer

Any partnership including the amazing Brendan Cole gets our vote but we were still interested to see how Sunetra faired when dancing with this Strictly stalwart. This Tango had all the sharpness and attack that it needed, but Sunetra’s frame was weak and wobbly in hold and needed the guiding hand of Brendan to try and put her back into place. Just like Jake her acting ability really shone through and will be a huge asset to have going forward.

Scored | 24 |

Our Score | 6 |

Gregg & Aliona

Cha Cha to ‘Hot ’n’ Cold’ by Katy Perry

He looked as though he was giving his Cha Cha his best shot but did let a couple of mistakes and moments of hesitation spoil his enjoyment of the routine a little. It was flat throughout and timing was way off but you have to admire Gregg’s hard work and effort. Bless him, he really did try! Len worried he might have let over-practice ruin his flair and urged him to give it more next week.

Scored | 18 |

Our Score | 5 |

Frankie & Kevin

Waltz to ‘Someone Like You’ by Adele

Romantic, elegant, graceful – a beautiful, dreamy Waltz. She flowed exquisitely around the floor with neat footwork and stunning upper bodylines. It was light and immaculately placed throughout - we were certainly not disappointed with her one bit! They compliment each other perfectly and are without a doubt the ones to watch!

Scored | 30 | (Highest score overall)

Our Score | 8 |

Simon & Kristina

Cha Cha to Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard

Simon danced this Jive with ease and confidence and it all looked impressively natural. It was lively and full of rock ‘n’ rolling attack and character. Simon looked as though he was having fun so in turn the audience did too. Craig did point out a couple of areas for improvement but even he was impressed by Simon’s brilliant week one efforts.

Scored | 27 |

Our Score | 7 |

Quite possibly the strongest opening week of Strictly, ever! There’s nobody that doesn’t have the potential to improve and there’s a large handful that could easily be lifting that glitterball. Bring on next week!

By @GeorgieLazzari & @StrictlySteven 

SCD - Week One (Part One)

It's been the longest year's wait ever but finally... Strictly is back! After the excitement of the glitzy launch show three weeks ago we were teased with this years line up and couldn't wait to get started with our double dose this weekend.

As it usually does, Friday’s show felt a little like a warm up test for the Saturday night extravaganza, however we were still treated to some gems. Claudia made her debut (we might love her), the group routines were their usual levels of amazing and then it was time to get dancing. First up was...

Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovolev

Cha Cha to ‘Can You Feel It' by Jackson 5

A total vision in sparkling gold, her and Pasha performed a lively and energetic Cha Cha. Caroline has a great sense of musicality and is full of rhythm. She made it look effortlessly easy, with great co-ordination and character, as well as being on the money with her arm and legwork; just a pity there wasn’t more hip action. ‘Sweet Caroline’ can definitely move and, as Darcey stated, she’s a natural performer who has the potential to go far! Brilliant opener, nice one Flackster!

Scored | 27 |

Our Score | 7 |

Tim Wonnacott and Natalie Lowe

Cha Cha to ‘Shop Around’ by The Miracles

Tim has embraced all aspects of Strictly and poured his personality into this routine. The Bargain Hunt legend played his part really well and was nimble on his feet and obviously having an absolute whale of a time. He had personality, charisma and brilliant energy for a, ahem, slightly older contestant. His footwork was stompy throughout, but he went out and gave it a good go. Craig wasn’t all too complimentary telling Tim; it looked as though he was wearing a 'soiled nappy'. It may not have been perfect but, as Darcey said, so entertaining!

Scored | 18 |

Our Score | 5 |

Jake Wood and Janette

Tango to 'Toxic' by Britney Spears.

Dramatic, tense, sharp, staccato, plenty of attack and strong in hold. Full of aggression and passion, his acting ability is already shining through and adding that extra bit of wow to the choreography, it makes for an exciting Strictly future for this duo. Jake certainly surprised everybody with this incredible Tango, even Craig was impressed labeling him ‘one to watch’. We definitely love a bit of Jake ‘snake hips’ Wood!

Scored | 28 |

Our score | 7 |

Judy Murray and Anton Du Beke

Waltz to ‘Mull of Kintyre’ by Wings.

Tennis coach turned twinkle toes Judy took to the floor for a very Scottish waltz. There were kilts, tartan and bagpipes galore. However it seemed to be one big battle for Judy – frame, posture, footwork, nothing really seemed to connect together. It was clear she was really fighting the nerves and unfortunately it showed but just like Tim you could also see she’s determined to do well. It was a complicated routine but she was elegant and looked the part, Judy has it in her to do it, she just needs to believe in herself.

Scored | 18 |

Our Score | 5 |

Scott Mills and Joanne Clifton

Cha Cha to ‘Rock DJ’ by Robbie Williams.

We kind of thought he would be more of a natural than he turned out to be. Don't get us wrong, it was alright and there were no disastrous moments, but it was a little awkward in parts and it’s not the sort of dance you can easily do if you're somewhat uncoordinated. Scott went out and gave it a good go and credit to the lovely Joanne for showing he does have some elements of timing and rhythm. We liked the cheeky character Scott played and Darcey agreed but as Len said, it was perhaps better suited to radio!

Scored | 16 |

Our Score | 4 |

Pixie Lott and Trent

Jive to ‘Shake it off’ by Taylor Swift

What a way to end the first show – a fashion-themed jive from Team Trixie! We have to agree, this pair do look alike. They dance alike too, you can barely tell who's the pro and who's not! The armography was amazing and her timings were spot on. It could’ve have had a bit more bounce to it but the energy levels throughout were so high. We spied a teeny mistake with a side flick and kick in the centre, but what a start from this pair, we’re going to be seeing them until Christmas!

Scored | 27 |

Our Score | 7 |

By @GeorgieLazzari, @StrictlySteven & @jane9668