Episode 17 Strictly - It Takes Two

Hello and welcome to Tuesday's It Takes Two. Tonight, she nearly faced

the final countdown but stole the show in the dance-off, Rachel and

Pasha are here. He came out all guns blazing with a spicy salsa, it's Ben

and Kristina. She's back with a mission, to make a dance dream come

true, it's the gorgeous Natalie Lowe. And keeping the choreography

corner shop open while Karen is away, it's Vincent and Flavia. Oh!

Old friends. This is Strictly: It Takes Two.

From London, this is Strictly: It Takes Two. Please welcome your host,

Zoe Ball. Hello and welcome to It Takes Two,

another Saturday gone and it's onwards and hopefully upwards as our

couples prepare for their next dance, hoping for a reversal in

fortune after finding themselves in the bottom two for the first time

are Rachel and Pasha. Here's a reminder of what happened.

Rachel, you tricky girl. You just about got away with it. You started

off terrific. I thought this is going to be your best dance. As it

went on you lost posture a bit. Work on the control. Control and

strength. That was hard and you did a very good job, strengthen that

core and everything will have much more improvement. We got through

learning steps before we got time to polish. That's the nature of

Strictly. You get a few days and you are out there in front of millions.

We will find out which of you will be back to dance next week. Rachel

and Pasha. Rachel and Pasha. Rachel and Pasha. Please welcome Rachel and

Pasha. We're back! Thank goodness for that. You made it through after

the bottom two shocker. Were you as shocked as we were watching at home?

I saw my Strictly life flash before my eyes, I thought we were going

home. She was like, I don't want to go home. You have to go home tonight

anyway! You don't want to go home, home. We are laughing at your

serious face waiting for the results. I can be serious sometimes.

It's a serious business. It's horrible. We can see how emotional

you were, first after the dance-off and then getting the vote to go

through. How much did it mean to stay in the competition? I wasn't

expecting it. I know what we have coming up, there's so many more

dances I want to do and I felt like I let him down because I did a bad

performance on the night and I was gutted. I am loving it so much, it's

taking over everything. I have fallen in love with it, I have the

bug and couldn't imagine going home so soon. You didn't want it to be

over yet. What happened, why do you think you were in the bottom two?

Well, I guess there are a lot of reasons. Starting with me doing

choreography, making it very, very difficult. You see he's admitted it,

difficult choreography. You obviously think Rachel is capable of

dancing that. It's all about... I could do it, it was a bit hit and

miss. It's about the limit every week. If you dance something simple,

it's good. There is no challenge. She's capable of pulling it off. I

absolutely loved it. It was beautiful to watch. We loved the

outfits, we loved you doing a bit of acting, being Bonnie and Clyde? I

loved the choreography, we were bank robbers, being sneaky and dancing

and twirling. Good acting. Then acting out a little bit in training,

as well. Look at this. What did you do now? I have no idea.

That's an original approach to the quick-step. I have been practising

that one. I like that you have every time with every dance your own

version going. Something for me to look at.

I want to get that in somewhere. Pasha taught me that. That's what we

have been doing in training. We should put that into the routine.

Dave already took it. Dave used that move. It's all right. Will you take

any of Rachel's moves into your choreography? The paso. Does it have

a name? We will give it one. The Dave. So you are doing the paso this

week, how is it going in the training? I love it. It's just my

favourite dance to watch on Strictly. I adore it and we have a

man-eater. I am the man. OK. There are elements of anger and aggression

in this fiery dance. Is there anything from the weekend you can

use in that dance? Yeah, it was quite traumatic for me, I have to

say, and I needed a good liedown in a dark room and we went strain --

training the next day and I did bring that and focus and try and get

the character in and get everything together. I think it's working. Good

luck this week. Rachel and Pasha! So with cars, canes, costume reveals

and a bottom slap the weekend's choreography could not have been

more packed. With Karen away we thought we would need twice the

help. How we have missed those faces!

Please welcome back Vincent and Flavia! Can I just say it is so good

to see you back. We have missed you so much. Are you missing us? Of

course we are. Absolutely. It's impossible not to. I am missing

myself so much Can't bear it. He has been looking at himself on camera,

going I look so good. How can that be possible? What do you think of

the line-up of celebrities? Really good. Every year they're getting

better. The girls are up there. Yeah. I am planning to come back

next year as a celebrity. Flavia can be my partner. The level is there,

you know. Let's talk about the saved couple. Rachel and Pasha and the

quick-step. Len and Bruno said the performance had plenty of content

but lacked quality. What steps did you notice? Absolutely. It was a

routine I would say was hoppety-skippety. One side that we

have. There wasn't a lot of swing action. When it's a complicated

routine you are going to lose a little bit of quality of the

posture. And the footwork and things like that. That's really what

happened. It was a very tricky routine. She did well to keep up but

you are going to lose on posture and things like that, I think that's

what happened. I agree. Just saying, hashtag! Natalie and Artem. They

loved t fusion. She's amazing. She could be the best celebrity we ever

had on Strictly. In a way Artem has a hard job, he can do almost

anything with her. Brilliant. I am happy that you are here, Vincent.

Brilliant. Fiona and Anton and the rumba. She struggled with balance

and fluidity here. What did you think? We all know now that the

slower dances are the hardest. The rumba for the ladies is very

difficult. I like the way she was straightening her legs on every step

which is a difficult thing for girls to do. She has a natural ability to

do that. To get that stability on her feet she needs to use the floor

more. We have to glide our feet and keep toes in contact with the floor

all the time. What was happening she was stepping and picking the foot

off the floor like you would normally when you walk. That makes

it slightly an uneven flow to it. She needs to make sure she knows the

ground is going to be her best friend and ruse it with -- use it

with her feet. OK, enough now! Ask me something. Is the - it is the

dance of love, Vincent, which is up your street. Let's remember how well

you did with Rachel. Let's not! Why is this a special dance? Because I

usually get involved when it comes to the rumba situation. I have to

say with them I didn't really feel the love. Everything was too fast

and the rumba is a beautiful dance when it's really slow so you can see

the details. I love that. I love that. With that fine Italian face.

Let's talk about Ashley and Ola. How do you think he could have given

this waltz more? It looked beautiful, he looks great. It was

fluid and elegant. The problem he has, which is actually quite a good

problem is he is back-weighted, so to get that drive you need to see in

most ballroom dances, you need to drive and move more. It needs to

come from the hips. Can you demonstrate for us? It's exciting!

Let's do it together. You will feel left out. Warming up! You will

complain otherwise. We dance with our knees flexed which gives us a

small base. The knees come together which allow us to work our tops away

from each other which gives a beautiful topline. Most guys tend to

be forward-weighted and have hips back. What happens is your hips, you

can see they're restricted. You can't get basically this leg swing

which is what we want. In Ashley's case he is back-weighted. Even

though that's good because it's creating this big topline... And

also is having a lovely moment. It's restricting his hip flex. That's

what I would have liked to have seen more power, more movement. But

that's to be so that the hips are neutral so that you can really swing

the leg. It all makes perfect sense. I love it. I enjoyed that so much.

Will you come back for a second helping? I will, not sure about

Flavia. APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

How we missed them. On Saturday Ben proved he could more than handle the

salsa and drove the judges crazy scoring his highest marks yet. He

will be here in a moment with Kristina. In case you missed it here

is a quick recap. Dirty, oiled mechanic. It's ticking every box.

You are having fun, I love it! Surprisingly smooth for such a big

Brucer. -- bruiser. You have the guns and now you have the

ammunition, that was terrific. Yeah, not one, not two, three 8s! I think

it's safe to say Kristina is quite excited. From now on he will be

known as snake-hips Cohen. Never going to live that down. You were

brilliant at ballroom, then you do a brilliant rumba and salsa. You are

like Latin lover. How pleased were you with Saturday? It was hard work

last week. It was great. I enjoyed it. It was fantastic. I felt more at

home chucking someone around, poor Kristina. I have bruises everywhere.

Were you in fear of your life, because some moves were incredible.

He whipped you around and your teeth were that far from the floor. I am a

bit out there person, you know, and I realised he can handle all those

tricks. He didn't drop me once in rehearsals. We did them over and

over again. He was amazing with that. Well done. Thank you. Did you

imagine she was a rugby ball? I thought it's easier to catch. This

is true. You didn't even drop her once, impressive. Obviously to go

from 28 the week before up to 31, you must have both been pleased?

Yes, very pleased and I am so proud of him. He worked so very hard. I am

quite tough on him. He is amazing. We have noticed that! Would never

have noticed that. D'Arcy got a juicy smackeroo, are you going to

work your way through the judges and the audience? No one's going to

complain. It's completely spontaneous. I have to say that I

probably won't do any more. People might think it's a dirty trick or

something, but it's not. It's nice to get good comments after a hard

week's training. We work so hard and put in nine hours a day. To get it

right on the night is different pressure completely. It was great to

get three 8s and a 7. Really good scores. Bruno's obviously devastated

now he might not get a kiss. He will never get a kiss. The thing is

obviously your good looks can be distracting for some people. The

team have decided maybe you could do training in this so that we can

concentrate on your dancing. There's no escape. Do I have to put this on?

Put it on and now imagine him dancing. Isn't he handsome! This

weekend it's the quick-step for you. It takes a lot of stamina. You are a

sportsman, surely this could be a good dance for Ben. I think it's

going to be his dance. He picked it up really quickly on Monday. In

rugby you did a lot of warm-ups and quick footwork so he was excited to

learn. There's no lifts. How can you still go out there and wow? It's all

about progressing. It's a race against yourself in this

competition. You have to show people you are improving, you are working

hard. As long as he does that and dances better than before we are

good. She's pleased with you. She's working me hard. I am proud of him.

I want to do the quick-step right and get it right and posture and

frame are my next big work-ones. Just try and get that right.

Whatever it is you are doing, you are doing it right. Keep going.

Don't forget the bucket. Ben and Kristina!

We are four weeks into the competition and our celebrities are

falling in love with dance. From day one I fell in love with the show.

It's given me a new perspective on dancing and I am loving it. You

become immersed in the world of Strictly. You have to embrace it

all. Strictly is definitely - it's given me a love for dance. You can't

describe the feeling. It's like being invited to the best party in

the world. One day you can't do anything and a couple of days later

you can do a dance. It's a rush and I love it. When you are out there

doing it everything else falls away and it's so addictive. That's what

you are chasing, that feeling. People are saying I put a smile on

their face and it makes you feel great. I am enjoying the learning

and being part of the Strictly family. I don't want to even imagine

having to walk away. Oh, gosh, I love dancing in the arena, as it

were. It's learning to dance properly with somebody who knows

exactly what they're doing. You don't get moments like that often

and we are given the opportunity and it is like magic. It's amazing.

Oh! Millions of people, including me, were heartbroken when an injury

meant our next guest couldn't take part in Strictly this year. But

there was no point in her laying low, we love her too much, please

welcome back Natalie Lowe! Hello, darling. I missed you. We have been

missing you. It feels weird. We are thrilled to have you here. First of

all, most importantly, how is your foot? It's good. It's getting

better. I had a second MRI last week and they said about three weeks'

time... Two or three weeks you can be dancing? Back in group

rehearsals. Yeah! I can in the wait. Go easy, don't do anything daft. We

have set you a little mission. What can you tell us? I have been

assigned by the team to teach a lovely couple the ultimate wedding

dance. I love this! It's cool. I was like, when I heard about it, I was

like yes, I can't be part of the show, obviously. To be doing

something behind the scenes with It Takes Two is amazing. Let's meet the

lucky bride and groom, Melanie and Gordon. I am Gordon. This is my

fiancee, Melanie. I am a massive Strictly fan. When I met Melanie I

realised the fandom went to another level. I have to go to sleep every

night with a picture of my fiancee with her arm around Anton Du Beke

above my head. Night, Anton. We are getting married on Friday 13th

December, we didn't want a Saturday because I knew it would be the

semifinals of the Strictly show. Dancing is not really my forte. The

guys I work with think I am going to embarrass myself on national

television. I am petrified by the thing in all honestly. For me it

makes the wedding and I can't believe it's happening, to be on

that dancefloor and do something like they do on the TV. I can't

believe this is happening. Oh! Aren't they lovely. Two things that

strike me, slightly concerned about the Anton picture above the bed, and

the fact she won't get married on ap Saturday but will get married on

Friday 13th. They're dedicated. They're so lovely. They don't have

any dance experience. Is that of concern to you? I am used to working

with a blank canvas but normally I am in control, this is more scary.

Neither of them know what they're doing! Normally I can lead it in a

way. But I just pray it's going to be OK. Last week you met up to have

your first little dance session with them. Let's see how they got on. I

can't believe we are actually doing this, it's mad. I am not going to be

easy on them but we want it to be fun. I hope it's the ultimate

wedding dance and their guests remember it forever. Wish me luck.

Hello! I am Mel. Lovely to meet you. I feel like I know you already.

Hello, Gordon. Are you up for it? You have your work cut out. I have

heard! Shall we get started? Let's do it. Let's go. One, two, three and

back. Two, three. Look up. It's a surreal experience to have Natalie

teaching us how to dance. She started off with a waltz which we

were having difficulty practising at home. You need to feel like you are

sitting on the toilet, truly that's the feeling. That's my level, you

found it. Sorry. There we go, the first toe. It's strange watching

Natalie dance with him but I am loving it. I don't mind. The waltz

definitely suits them. Look at them. Salsa is easy. Just think one, two,

three. You did it in the waltz, which is really good. I can't put

into words how surprised I am that he is a secret salsa dancer. More

hip action. That's it. Gordon's got really good hip action. Look at each

other. There's a little salsa man there ready to get out. It's

amazing. There might be salsa in our first dance which I can't believe I

am saying, but it's true. Sorry. That was impressive how well he has

done and now I am worried he will show me up on the day. I might be

the better one! Get you, Gordon! He is a little mover. What dance are

they going to do as a wedding dance, is it a waltz or salsa or a fusion?

I would like to do a fusion. I wanted to see what they were good at

first before we put music. To do a dance to that is limiting, but to

see what they're good at and research music around that and

hopefully they're happy with what we come up with. Have you left them

homework to practise? Dance as much around the kitchen as possible and

doing those salsa hips and relax into it and I am sure Mel will crack

the whip. She is a superfan. They're so lovely. It's daunting to have It

Takes Two there on your wedding day. And now the pressure because

everyone will be waiting. It's going to be amazing and you will give us

regular updates. Yes. It's lovely to have you back. Good luck with the

foot. Natalie everybody! Time to revisit the weekend's performances

with the second round of Choreography Corner.

Will you welcome back Vincent and Flavia!

Let's talk about the rest of our couples, Deborah and Robin and their

jive. Len did say the technique wasn't quite there. What would you

have liked to have seen more of? First of all, I have to say she's so

adorable. She's giving it her all. She's stepping forward with her

heels constantly. The weight is too much on the back. And jive you have

to do that, or she's not going to gain speed. Do you mind if I show

you? Show us. Do we mind?! Of course not. Do you want my Rear of the

Year? The front. The kicks, if I stay on balls of the feet it would

be easier to bounce. Look at that. The jacket is off, off he goes! On

the balls of the feet. Simple, simple. Ben and Kristina and their

salsa. Flavia, you scored 38 with Louis last year. Remember that

everybody. Whatever! He's just jealous. How were Ben's hips? It was

good. To be honest, with somebody of his shape it's so difficult to get a

fluid hip movement. I would have liked to have seen more hip action.

But I could see that he was trying. There was a little bit of movement.

The more he does the Latin dances, the more that will naturally become

easier to him. It's not easy when you are so... So solid. How did he

handle the lifts, incredible work. Very strong. He could lift you, I

think. And you, as well. I looked and thought, my goodness, I wish I

looked at least half as good he looks. Actually, I do. I am half of

him. I think the lifts were amazing. Spectacular. I wish I saw was a bit

more down and dirty into the steps. More salsa steps. But the lifts

amazing. Abbey and The tango. They're well matched. She has heel

leads. In the tango we do pick up and place the feet. In the rumba we

need the toes in contact with the floor. In tango, we do a peeling

action so we pick up the foot and place it and that gives you the

action. She was doing exactly that. It looked powerful. She kept her

knees flexed throughout so that you maintain one height. You don't want

to go up and down. You need to keep a flat level with your partner. She

had all those basic techniques in place. You end up with a great

routine. They are quite formidable these two. She looks amazing, I will

give her 10 because the way she looks. Susanna and Kevin and the

samba. Craig said it lost a bit of impact. Bruno said she tended to

lose the finish. How could she ensure it had more impact? I think

she did an amazing job. I was impressed. The samba I think is the

hardest of the dances. It's a tick action which is a forward and

backward action of the pelvis. Rather than the typical figure of

eight we are talking about, this has a forward and backward action. You

have that going on in the body, the foot pressure of the feet like the

rumba and then you have to have a strong arm action. So much. Lots of

multitasking going on. Overall she coped with it really well. She needs

to work on the foot control because that will give you the strength to

use your arms in a much stronger way which is what really they want. OK,

enough. I loved that. That's it. That's all we have time for. Is that

it? We only just got started. There is a cue for a song. We will do it

after. Thank you so much. Brilliant seeing you back. Vincent and Flavia!

That's it for today. A big thank you to all my guests. Tomorrow I am

joined by Deborah and Robin and Mark and Iveta and Ian Waite will be

back.