James Jordan's Strictly Preview: Week One
Strictly Come Dancing hall of famer, James Jordan will be with us exclusively throughout the 2025 series, providing Free Bets with his expert insight, no holds barred opinion and his best bets.
You were strictly pro from 2006 to 2013. Looking at this year's lineup, any contestants who are going to surprise you, either positively or negatively in terms of potential?
I don't know why, but I have a funny feeling that Nitro, his name is Harry Aikines will do well. I met him actually. He's one of the few people I actually have met. I met him in Turkey, and I just have this funny feeling that people are going to fall in love with him because he's got such an infectious personality.
Strictly for me, it's not just about the dance and it's about the VT's and how you come across and all that sort of thing. I have this funny feeling he's going to be very competitive because he's obviously a sports person, an athlete.
I'm not saying he's going to be the best dancer because I really don't think he will. There's a lot of people on the show this year that have had a lot more dance training than him. But I have a funny feeling that people, the public are going to love him, and I think he's going to do very well.
The ‘Strictly Curse’ is often talked about, you’ve been on the show – is this talk overblown?
In any walk of life, any job, there's people that are either having affairs or falling in love with people in the office. On Strictly, I think it's possibly a bit easier because you're literally rubbing up and down your partner for hours and hours each day. So, if there is any chemistry, I think that it's more likely for something to happen.
There's been a few marriages from Strictly and if people were single and it's not hurting anyone and it doesn't matter, does it? I don't call it the Strictly Curse, but yes, stuff does happen on Strictly, just like it does with co-workers from office jobs.
There’s talk that some judges are biased – what do you make of that?
I think that they've always been slightly biased towards people, whatever series, whether it was back in the day when I was on it or now. I wouldn't necessarily say it's changed. Possibly it's a bit more blatant now. They definitely have their favorites and people that they mark higher.
Every year, I always comment and give my views on the show and yes, it's based on opinion, but sometimes you watch something, and someone comes out and does this amazing performance and gets a seven and then someone comes out and does a pretty average performance and also gets a seven.
And you're like, well, how's that possible? The other couple were clearly much better. You don't have to be a trained dancer to see that. Yet they got the same marks. So, for me, that's where the confusion lies.
The problem with Strictly is you're always going to have people that come on the show that have had dance experience and people that haven't. So, there will be people that have advantages over other people on the show. And that's when it becomes difficult to judge it, because you might have someone come out and do a really good performance for them, but then someone else comes out and is a fully trained dancer.
Should you mark that person that's a fully trained dancer a little bit harsher? I think, yes. I think that if you know someone is a fully trained dancer, you should be expecting more from them than someone that has never, ever danced a step in their life.
And that's where the show is always going to struggle, as in how the marking system works, because it is slightly unfair towards the people that have had no dance training.
The Strictly Spoiler – do you know about him or who he is?
Yes. I've followed him for years. I mean, everyone knows about him because anyone who is a proper Strictly fan will know you can get the spoiler on the Saturday night. I always go and get the spoilers. But I don't know if anyone actually knows who he is.
Do you not think they should switch to a one-night show, rather than pretending it’s ‘live’ on Sunday?
I think so. Because for me personally, I want to watch the main show. I don't want to wait till the next day to see who's gone out. I'd much prefer to see who's gone out in that show.
I just think it would be slicker. You're watching a whole show on Sunday just to see who's gone. Other people might say, oh, yeah, but you get to enjoy the show and watch the pro dances - but for me personally, I think it's better just do it all one night.
The Judges seem to have softened versus the older days, what do you make of that?
I think Craig used to be the panto villain. I saw that he did an interview saying that he's got to move with the times and we live in a society where he can't be quite as harsh.
I personally think that's absolute rubbish. There's nothing wrong with telling someone home truths. If we've got to the stage in life where you can't tell someone that they're not good at something, I think that's terrible.
My daughter's 5 years old and even with her, I will say if she does something good or she does something bad. There's nothing wrong with telling someone that they haven't done something good and to try harder and to practice and to go away and work on it.
Everything's too nicey, nicey. Craig was always a panto villain and you want that person that you can go boo and everything. That's what an entertainment show is. And if everyone's just saying nice things for the sake of it, there's no point having the judges, really, in my opinion.
I know we haven't seen any dancers yet. But if you were to predict your bottom two for this week, who do you think is going to be there?
As you said, it's very difficult. I think. I have a horrible feeling that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink will be in the bottom two and possibly Karen Carney.
But again, it's so difficult for me to say because until I see them dance, I can’t really say. I know roughly who's had what kind of dance training because I've had a look at it.
But sometimes people say they've had dance training and are absolutely useless. Other times people say, oh, I've had no dance training, and they come out and literally unbelievable. And you go, well, you're a liar. So, yeah, until you see the first week, it's very hard to say who's going to be in the bottom two. But that would be my prediction right now.
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