James Jordan’s Strictly Preview Week Seven
Joshua Kerr 
It's Week Seven and once again, Strictly Come Dancing hall of famer James Jordan is back with us to preview Week Seven, providing the team at Free Bets with his expert insight, analysis and predictions throughout the series.
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Lewis’s Perfect Score: Why It Deserved a 40 (and Then Some)
Let’s start with the headline moment. Lewis & Katya’s Couple’s Choice — why did it land a perfect 40, and what made it special to you?
Wow. Normally I’m the first to say Couple’s Choice has no place on Strictly, but every now and again someone creates a performance that shuts me up.
This was one of them. From the music and costume to Matt Flint’s choreography, it all clicked. The tricks and flips, the tap section, the lifts, the sheer musicality and energy — it was epic from first beat to last.
I gave it a 10 without blinking. In fact, I’ll go further: there isn’t a professional male on the show who would have performed that specific routine better than Lewis did.
That’s a massive statement for me to make as a pro, but I stand by it. It’s the best dance I’ve ever seen on Strictly.
What would the untrained eye have missed that made it so elite?
The precision and synchronicity at that speed; the explosiveness into and out of acrobatic elements without any visible reset; and the way he kept character and line while doing frankly brutal content.
Even the transitions were choreography, not breathers. It was relentless quality.
Ellie’s Exit: “I Was Gutted — She Went Too Early”
Ellie & Vito left after the Halloween Tango. Right call, or too soon?
Really tough one. Was she technically one of the better dancers? No. Did I enjoy watching her more than some of the ‘better’ dancers? Absolutely.
She and Vito were a perfect pairing — he handled everything brilliantly, and she was so infectious to watch.
My five-year-old daughter adored them; that tells you something about their warmth and storytelling.
This week was their weakest; the in-hold tango content had mistakes and the frame/connection wasn’t great, but everyone has an off week. I honestly thought the public would save them. I was gutted.
Once they hit the dance-off, the judges made the right call on the night, but I still think she went too early.
Why do you think public support didn’t arrive?
There’s a tension now: viewers say they want great dancing, but Strictly was built on journeys.
When you load the cast with heavily trained contestants, it’s hard for genuine non-dancers to compete — technically and in the vote.
Replacements Watch: “Bradley & Alex? Big Shoes — But a Smart Shout”
The presenting merry-go-round is in full spin. Bradley Walsh and Alex Jones have been floated as favourites. Your view?
When the departure news broke, the first name I said was Bradley Walsh. I love him as a presenter. He’s funny, charismatic, old-school Saturday night entertainer.
Alex Jones? I danced with her on Strictly; she’s adorable and she gets live TV. Do they click together? I think so.
Anyone else you’d push for?
Zoe Ball has to be in the mix. She knows the Strictly ecosystem and the upstairs energy from It Takes Two.
And I’d throw Vernon Kay in too — I think he’s underrated and has that big-show feel.
Scoring Controversies & Halloween Week: James’s Card — Couple by Couple
Format: Judges’ paddles listed; then James’s score and notes.
Vicky & Kai — American Smooth
Judges: 7, 8, 8, 8 | James: 7
Nice opener, not great. Foxtrot tempo a bit quick, and she struggled in and out of hold. Limited extension through the leg/lifts and one fixed facial ‘look’ that flattened the storytelling.
Still, I preferred this to the previous week, which was overpraised.
Ellie & Vito — Tango
Judges: 6, 7, 7, 7 | James: 6
I love them — but the in-frame tango fundamentals weren’t there this time: footwork, posture, connection.
Once they separated, the performance side came alive again. My least favourite of theirs, and sadly it cost them.
George & Alexis — Cha Cha
Judges: 6, 7, 8, 8 | James: 6 (overmarked)
Alexis is a superb new pro and she dazzled — maybe too much, because when you looked at George, it wasn’t landing.
Cha cha is hard to fake: bounce, leg action, weight. His legs were either too straight and stiff, or the time step looked ‘mincy’ and apologetic. Love them as a couple, but this wasn’t it.
La Voix & Aljaž — Paso Doble
Judges: 8, 9, 9, 9 | James: 7 (overmarked)
Smart, simple choreography from Aljaž made it strong and readable. Staccato suits La Voix’s natural stiffness.
But a basic paso step — the chassé cape — was done on the wrong foot. Blatant. Not one judge flagged it. Never a nine for me.
Lewis & Katya — Couple’s Choice
Judges: 10, 10, 10, 10 | James: 10
The best dance I’ve seen on Strictly. Period.
Balvinder & Julian — Rumba
Judges: 7, 7, 7, 7 | James: 6
I feared a car crash in rumba. Credit to Julian — he hid weaknesses and built drama. But the rumba content she did have wasn’t good: turned-in feet, limited rotation, lack of leg action.
As a performance, enjoyable; as a rumba, a six.
Harry & Karen — American Smooth
Judges: 6, 7, 6, 7 | James: 5
Didn’t like the song or styling — it matters. Early on I saw a new softness, and he leads lifts well.
But once in hold: too high, no drive, wrong foot, a messy recovery, and an energy dip. He’s likeable, but this wasn’t his night.
Karen & Carlos — Argentine Tango
Judges: 9, 10, 9, 10 | James: 8
Good theme, and the staccato suits her. Still felt too stiff for me: posture and breath between movements need work; the intricate leg action was held too high.
Big improvement and a proper performance — but never a 10. If that’s a 10, Lewis deserved 15s.
Alex & Johannes — Salsa
Judges: 8, 9, 9, 9 | James: 6 (heavily overmarked)
It’s Halloween, so you can get away with more — but there wasn’t much salsa content until late, and even then it was basic. Energy was flat, footwork heavy and a bit flat-footed. Johannes was magnetic, as ever, but they scored it like a different dance. I wrote in my notes: ‘What did the judges just watch?
Amber & Nikita — Viennese Waltz
Judges: 9, 9, 8, 9 | James: 9
Exceptional as a performance: music, theme, costume, and a dramatic routine. I’d have liked more variation in-hold, and her left side/shoulder collapsed at times — Halloween styling hid some of it — but it was her best yet. For context: she got the same total as Alex & Johannes and La Voix & Aljaž. Those dances were light years apart.
Overmarking, Under-marking… and Why It Warps the Vote
You’ve previously spoken about the dangers of overmarking. What’s the damage?
Two things. One: it creates giant tie blocks on the leaderboard, which means you only ‘drop’ a couple of places to fall into the bottom two — that’s how you get ‘shock’ dance-offs. Two: it fools viewers. If a couple is overmarked, people assume they’re safe and don’t vote. I think that hurt Jimmy & Lauren the week they left; I gave them a six, judges handed out sevens and eights, and viewers thought they were fine.
Is this about favouritism or calibration?
Sometimes it looks like favourites. Sometimes it’s calibration. Either way, it’s not good enough. Mark what you see. Be tougher on trained contestants; be more lenient with true beginners. And give judges 0.5s so we don’t get blocks of 28s and 30s swallowing half the cast.
Who’s Next to Go?
Bottom two this week — and who goes?
I’m going to throw a curveball and say Amber and Harry end up there, and on a dance-off, Amber stays. That’s not me willing it — it’s what the voting patterns and the dance choices hint at.
You predicted Balvinder would avoid the bottom two — why?
They’re doing Couple’s Choice to a Bollywood version of an Ed Sheeran track. I think it’ll be overmarked and put them above the trapdoor. I could be wrong — public support is the big variable — but that’s my call.
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