Live blog: Week 10 for Rio (that’s, er, Rose and Gio) on Strictly Come Dancing!

Posted on November 27, 2021 by



Tonight, deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis takes on musicals week, as she and her fellow dancers face their eighth public vote!

Charlie Swinbourne will be live blogging every dance and on the Twitter feed! And Rebecca-Anne Withey is back as guest dance judge!

Refresh this blog for regular updates, or follow our Twitter account!

Most recent updates posted first – scroll down to go back to the beginning!

19.55 – The scores are in and at the top of the leaderboard tonight is John, followed by AJ, Rhys and then Rose!

Now all the phone numbers for voting come up. Deaf viewers can vote online (hearing ones can too!) at this link!

A massive thanks to our guest judge tonight, the brilliant Rebecca-Anne Withey!

19.50 – Baker John Whaite dances with pro dancer Johannes Radebe.

They’re dancing the Argentine Tango to The 5th by David Garrett.

Charlie says: Love this duo. But the kicking stuff was a bit weird! Part Tango, part kung-fu.

Rebecca’s verdict: Striking performance from John tonight. It’s the first time I’ve seen him use real tension in those arms for dramatic effect and I loved that. A difficult routine given both dancers are of similar height which meant I felt the effort of the lifts and holds. Great to see John perform more intensely. Good job, but something was lacking to make it a perfect score. 9.

Judges scores: Anton says it was a beauty and it was as good as their week three dance. Craig says it was fantastic seeing the Tango being done in its original form, matched in mortal combat. Cynthia says it was gorgeous. Shirley says it was perfection, well done.

Craig Revell-Horwood 9
Cynthia Erivo 10
Shirley Ballas 10
Anton Du Beke 10

Total: 39

(wk 9: 32 | wk 8: 38 |wk 7: 35 | 6: 33 | wk5: 38 | wk 4: 29 | wk 3: 39 | wk 2: 31 | wk 1: 30)

Watch it:

19.49 – Daughter of Gordon Ramsey, TV presenter, chef, and social media influencer Tilly Ramsey dances with pro Nikita Kuzmin.

They dance the Samba to Levitating by Dua Lipa.

Charlie says: That was alright. Not the best, not as bad as Dan’s.

What the judges say: Shirley says she thought there were bits that needed tidying up. Anton says it wasn’t bad. Craig lays in again. He thought it was awkward and disconnected. Cynthia says she needs to stop thinking, she’s ‘got it’.

Rebecca’s verdict: Very enjoyable party-vibes from Tilly’s samba! It felt at times a little more like a salsa as it was loose in places. I love Tilly’s bouncy, happy vibes and as someone who doesn’t come from a performance background she does incredibly well with the routine. Great effort! 8.

Judges scores:

Craig Revell-Horwood 7
Cynthia Erivo 7
Shirley Ballas 8
Anton Du Beke 8

Total: 30

(wk 9: 40 | wk 8: 29 |wk 6: 36 | wk5: 36 | wk 4: 32 | wk 3: 27 | wk 2: 34 | wk 1: 21)

Watch it:

19.38 – CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson dances with Nancy Xu.

They’re dancing the Waltz to You Light Up My Life by Whitney Houston.

Charlie says: Ah Rhys. Like a breath of fresh air every week. That was brilliant – and he’s in tears. It means everything to him.

What the judges say: Cynthia says she loved the connection between them. Shirley says she felt his emotions. Craig lays into him, he’s in a really bad mood this week, says it wasn’t there technically.

Rebecca’s verdict: That was stunning. My favourite ballroom dance from Rhys. I’m not surprised he’s in tears – I have goosebumps. It was tender, loving, spotless footwork. It was the first time I’ve seen Rhys master a really gentle, intricate routine with grace. I loved it. 10 from me. Couldn’t fault it!

Judges scores:

Craig Revell-Horwood 7
Cynthia Erivo 9
Shirley Ballas 10
Anton Du Beke 9

Total: 35

(wk 9: 32 | wk 8: 40 |wk 7: 34 | 6: 33 | wk5: 32 | wk 4: 31 | wk 3: 37 | wk 2: 30 | wk 1: 27)

Watch it:

19.29 – TV presenter AJ Odudu dances with Kai Widdrington.

They dance the Couple’s Choice to Make Me Feel by Janelle Monáe.

Charlie says: That was so intense! Surely these two are a couple in real life… that was kind of steamy. Not sure how else to describe it!

What the judges say: Anton says how she does that is beyond him. Well done. Cynthia says she has a special place in her heart for AJ. Anton makes a series of unidentifiable sounds then says it was a really strong performance.

Rebecca’s verdict: Wow! Aj was sizzling hot tonight and their chemistry was through the roof! This routine was superb and felt more like a showstopper in the final. Sultry and sexy, fabulous choreography. A little clumsy at times but really impressive nevertheless. 9!

Judges scores:

Craig Revell-Horwood 9
Cynthia Erivo 8
Shirley Ballas 10
Anton Du Beke 9

Total: 36

(wk 9: 38 | wk 8: 28 |wk 7: 39 | wk 6: 37 | wk5: 35 | wk 4: 28 wk 3: 35 | wk 2: 31 | wk 1: 34)

Watch it:

19.19 – BBC Breakfast and sport presenter Dan Walker dances with Nadiya Bychkova.

They’re dancing the Rumba to Desperado by Eagles.

Charlie says: Dan guarantees dad-dancing vibes every week. Can someone let him go home, please?

What the judges say: Anton says some nice stuff. Craig just says he didn’t like it but can see he’s been working hard. Cynthia tells Craig she doesn’t know what he was talking about. Shirley also weighs in against Craig, saying Dan’s feet being ‘velcroed to the floor’ was a good thing. And he didn’t drift through the music.

Rebecca’s verdict: I really felt the nerves tonight from Dan. Sorry to say the rumba doesn’t suit him at all, his hips are far too straight and it was lacking the rumba smoothness and suaveness for me. I didn’t see a story being told within the dance either. Just a 6 from me.

Judges scores:

Craig Revell-Horwood 6
Cynthia Erivo 9
Shirley Ballas 8
Anton Du Beke 8

Total: 31

(wk 9: 31 | wk 8: 29 |wk 7: 28 | 6: 27 | wk5: 28 | wk 4: 26 | wk 3: 21 | wk 2: 26 | wk 1: 24)

Watch it:

19.07 – IT’S TIME FOR ROSE! (can you tell who we are supporting?)

Deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis dances with Giovani Perni.

They’re dancing the Paso Doble to California Dreamin’ by Sia.

Charlie says: That looked great, but a possible stumble at the end…

What the judges say: Shirley says she’s a class act, suggests a bit more breath through the body. After a lot of technical stuff, Anton says he loves watching her dance. Craig says it was a bit upright and stiff. Cynthia says she was fierce, and signs a bit again, says well done.

Rebecca’s verdict: Rose looked striking as the Spanish temptress in this dance. Gorgeously confident to start the dance alone. Beautiful precision in her steps! Some stiffness in her neck preventing her from really getting the Spanish curves. I would have liked more challenging choreography here! Shame about the stumble at the end too. 8 from me.

Judges scores:

Cynthia Erivo 8
Craig Revell-Horwood 8
Shirley Ballas 8
Anton Du Beke 9

Total: 33

(wk 9: 37 | wk 8: 39 |wk 7: 32 | 6: 40 | wk5: 37 | wk 4: 27 | wk 3: 36 | wk 2: 26 | wk 1: 22)

Watch it:

19.00 – Tess and Claudia come out. Craig, Cynthia, Anton and Shirley come out. As do the dancers, Rose and Gio dressed all in black, goth-style.

18.55 – As the show starts, a reminder that we are down to the last six couples!

Tom (right)was voted out last Sunday, following Sara, Judi, Ugo, Greg, Katie and Nina in leaving the show.

Robert withdrew due to health issues.

That leaves Rose, AJ, John, Rhys, Tilly and Dan in contention for the glitter ball.

Multi-award winning singer and actor Cynthia Erivo will return to the judging panel as a guest judge this weekend – with Motsi missing this time, due to having to isolate. Craig is back after having Covid.

18.40 – Tonight, deaf actor Rose Alying-Ellis returns to the dance floor for the tenth week of the show!

Our Deaf Guest Dance Judge this week is Rebecca-Anne Withey! See her in judging mode left!

This is Rebecca’s third turn in the hot seat this series, and she will be be giving her own score for each of the acts, as they happen!

What will this week bring? We’ll have all the updates here, written by Charlie Swinbourne.

We’ll also be posting videos of each dance shortly after they’ve left the dance floor, via the Strictly twitter account.

If you’ve missed our previous blogs, you can check out last week’s live blog here, week 8 here, week 7 here, week six here, week 5 here, week 4 here, week 3 here, week 2 here, week 1 here and the introductory week here.

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