James Jordan's Strictly Preview: Week Three
Joshua Kerr 
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.
Following Week Two and the beginning of this season's live shows, here's his scores, verdict and predictions.
Week Two Scores, Analysis & Verdict
Alex Kingston & Johannes
James’ Score: 7/10
Judges: 4, 6, 5, 6
Analysis:
Great number with powerful music and amazing costumes. Alex’s acting skills really helped her performance shine, especially for week one. She has huge potential, but I worry her Latin may not match her ballroom ability. Some skippy and stiff moments and she lost her neck at times.
Verdict:
I totally disagreed with the judges here. They marked her way too low compared to what I saw. To me, she gave one of the most complete performances of the night. If Craig can give Chris a 3 for his samba and Alex a 4 for this, then something is wrong — there was no comparison. I’d like to see her given credit where it’s due. She has what it takes to go far if her Latin holds up.
Balvinder Sopal & Julian Cailon
James’ Score: 4/10
Judges: 4, 4, 4, 5
Analysis:
Traditional samba, kept simple, but felt monotonous. Technical issues included turned-in feet, lack of hip and bounce action, and no rhythm.
Verdict:
I’m always rooting for people with no prior training. Yes, there were lots of technical flaws, but she also had the toughest start you could get — samba is brutal as a first dance. I admire her courage and I actually enjoyed watching her, even if the technique wasn’t there. I’d love to see how she develops in ballroom because that could be her strength.
Chris Robshaw & Nadia Bychkova
James’ Score: 4/10
Judges: 3, 4, 3, 4
Analysis:
Fun samba, but weak technically. No bounce, flat feet, little rhythm, though timing was okay.
Verdict:
I wouldn’t have opened the series with this dance — it set the bar too low. But Chris is a big lad, clearly never danced before, and still gave it everything. I respect him for that. He deserves the chance to improve, and I think the audience will warm to his personality even if the technique lags behind.
Amber Davies & Nikita Kuzmin
James’ Score: 7/10
Judges: 7, 7, 6, 6
Analysis:
Beautiful waltz — clean, elegant, and obviously helped by Amber’s dance background.
Verdict:
Amber is clearly a contender. She has stage presence, technique, and confidence. The one thing I want is more drive and proper ballroom content because it’s easy to hide behind American Smooth-style choreography. Still, she’s got everything it takes to go to the final and maybe win. She’ll be hard to beat.
Ellie Goldstein & Vito Coppola
James’ Score: 3/10
Judges: 4, 4, 4, 5
Analysis:
Fantastic chemistry and infectious joy. Technically poor cha cha — messy footwork and weak leg action.
Verdict:
I absolutely loved watching them. Their personalities shine and the partnership is magic. From a technical perspective, it wasn’t good — but Strictly isn’t just about technique, it’s also about the journey and joy. People are going to adore them, and I think the public will keep saving them. For me, they’re what the show is all about.
George Clarke & Alexis Warr
James’ Score: 6/10
Judges: 6, 6, 6, 6
Analysis: American Smooth with impressive lifts but weak foxtrot technique.
Verdict: George has a lot of raw potential. He looks the part and has real charisma. I think he could go deep into the competition, but he’ll need to focus more on posture and driving through his standing leg. If he has no prior training, what he did in week one was exceptional. He’s one to watch, but right now I still see Lewis just edging him.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey & Karen Hauer
James’ Score: 5/10
Judges: 4, 5, 5, 5
Analysis: Entertaining routine, but choreography didn’t give him the best chance to shine.
Verdict: I really like Harry. He’s got such an infectious personality, and I know audiences will fall in love with him. The cha cha itself wasn’t strong enough, but I don’t think we’ve seen what he’s capable of yet. If he gets the right choreography and works on fundamentals, he could surprise people and go far.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink & Lauren Oakley
James’ Score: 6/10
Judges: 6, 7, 7, 7
Analysis: Quickstep was impressive for a non-dancer, slightly overmarked, but solid.
Verdict: Jimmy blew me away. I didn’t expect him to be as good as he was, but Lauren is an outstanding teacher, and she brought out the best in him. Ballroom is easier to hide in than Latin, so I’m cautious about how he’ll handle the rhythm dances. But with Lauren guiding him, I think he could be one of the real success stories this year.
Karen Carney & Carlos Gu
James’ Score: 7/10
Judges: 7, 8, 8, 8
Analysis: Great kicks and flicks in the jive, but posture and basics need work.
Verdict: Karen massively exceeded my expectations. I didn’t love the football-themed presentation — too gimmicky for me. But as a performance, it was excellent. She’s clearly had training before, and it shows. I think she’ll be a major contender, maybe even a finalist.
La Voix & Aljaz Skorjanec
James’ Score: 5/10
Judges: 6, 6, 6, 6
Analysis: Simple, elegant American Smooth but comedy section disrupted the mood.
Verdict: I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought Aljaz did a great job with the choreography. Personally, I’d have kept it elegant all the way through rather than adding comedy. Still, they were enjoyable to watch and I admire them for doing something different.
Lewis Cope & Katya Jones
James’ Score: 8/10
Judges: 7, 7, 7, 7
Analysis: One of the best week one jives I’ve ever seen. Amazing tricks, slight stiffness in leg action.
Verdict: Lewis is the real deal. People can argue that his dance background shouldn’t count, but it absolutely makes a difference — and you could see that straight away. He’s a phenomenal mover and could become one of the best dancers this show has produced. I loved his routine, and I think he’ll only get stronger.
Ross King & Jowita Przystał
James’ Score: 2/10
Judges: 2, 3, 2, 3
Analysis: Partnership was fun, but Ross showed very little dance ability.
Verdict: I’d no longer say I’d bet my house on him not being the first to be eliminated, but I don’t think Ross should go first. He clearly struggles, but he’s giving it a go, and that’s what Strictly should reward. He deserves more time to improve, even if it’s unlikely he’ll ever reach the level of the trained dancers. I still hope the public give him that chance.
Stefan Dennis & Dianne Buswell
James' Score: 4/10
Judges: 4, 6, 6, 6
Analysis: Foxtrot lacked content and relied on filler choreography.
Verdict: I love Stefan and Dianne as a pairing, but the judges seriously overmarked this. It frustrated me that they ranked it equal or better than Alex & Johannes, because there was no comparison. I want Stefan to do well, but he looked awkward and may find Latin even harder. Ballroom may be his only safe ground.
Thomas Skinner & Amy Dowden
James' Score: 3/10
Judges: 2, 4, 5, 5
Analysis: Paso doble was too simple and lacked impact.
Verdict: Tom’s a real character — I like him a lot. But his choreography didn’t showcase that personality, which was a shame. It came across flat. I’d love to see him stick around though, because he’s exactly the kind of contestant Strictly is built for. With the right routines, he could really entertain the audience.
Vicky Pattison & Kai Widdrington
James' Score: 5/10
Judges: 5, 6, 6, 6
Analysis: Exceeded expectations with a strong cha cha for a novice.
Verdict: I’ll admit I was wrong — I thought Vicky would struggle, but she did brilliantly. A lot of that is down to Kai, who knows how to choreograph to his partner’s strengths. She was heavy in places and lacked proper leg action, but overall she massively impressed me. I think she’ll become a real crowd favourite if she keeps improving.
Final Thoughts
On the Head Judge rotation: I don’t think it makes much difference who has the deciding vote. It’s good to mix things up and spread the responsibility, but it won’t change the competition dramatically.
Predictions: Lewis and Amber are the standout contenders, Karen Carney could push them, and George has potential. Jimmy and Vicky are the “journey” contestants who could surprise us. At risk early: Ross, Chris, and possibly Tom, unless the public give them time.
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