James Jordan’s Strictly Preview: Quarter Finals
The Strictly Come Dancing Quarter Final is here, and hall of famer, James Jordan, is back with us to preview another weekend of ballroom drama, providing the team at Free Bets with his expert insight, analysis and predictions throughout the series.
With the final looming, and just five contestants remaining from the original 15, let's see see what James has made of the build up to another big weekend of ballroom and latin.
The Instant Dance Challenge
What was your standout moment from the Instant Dance Challenge?
For me, the moment of the entire Instant Dance Challenge, and arguably the biggest surprise of the night, came from Balvinder.
I’ve been honest throughout the series, she’s not at the same technical level as the frontrunners, and she’s been living in that bottom-two danger zone for weeks. But in this challenge, she walked out like someone who had nothing to lose and everything to prove. She was on fire.
There was a completely different energy about her; fierce, fearless, almost like she’d flicked a switch. The way she attacked the choreography, the commitment in her performance, the sharpness in her movements… it was like watching a different dancer.
She wasn’t second-guessing herself; she wasn’t worrying about perfection; she was performing like someone finally liberated from the pressure of scores and rankings.
The audience felt it too. You could see the reaction immediately; she lit the place up. And it wasn’t sympathy or “oh isn’t she trying hard?” applause. It was earned applause.
For the first time this series, I didn’t see someone surviving week to week, I saw someone thriving.
Controlled Chaos and Not as ‘Instant’ as You Think
Did you believe the Instant Dance Challenge was genuinely improvised?
I loved this segment, genuinely. It brought excitement, personality and the kind of slightly chaotic TV Strictly does best. Claudia was brilliant, the energy was fun, and the whole thing was a welcome shake-up.
But let’s be honest: it wasn’t improvised.
You cannot teach a non-dancer a 30-second routine in ten seconds. You can’t even do that with two professional dancers to a random song. The side-by-side sections gave it away, which must have been rehearsed. There is no universe in which that can be done on the spot.
I’d love to see it return next year, but if Strictly really wants to prove it’s live and spontaneous, put all dances and tracks in a tombola and draw them at random live on Saturday night. Then we’ll see who can really dance on instinct.
But as it stands, it was fun, high-energy, and a brilliant addition, just not the pure “instant” dance-off it was sold as.
Scores and Analysis: Week 10
Alex & Johannes — Cha Cha
Judges: 4, 6, 6, 7
My score: 4
What a shame! A really tough week for them and, unfortunately, the performance reflected that.
Cha Cha is always one of the most technically demanding dances for non-dancers because it requires fast rhythm changes, sharp leg action, clear timing, and the ability to switch weight precisely on the beat.
Johannes sensibly built the routine around basic steps to give her the best chance of success, but even the basic rhythm changes were challenging.
At times, she showcased beautiful leg action, but, unfortunately, she messed up everywhere. The rhythm changes he added were difficult, and the whole thing unravelled almost immediately.
She got on the wrong leg multiple times, went off musical timing, and fell out of sync with Johannes throughout, missing several steps. There was even a moment where he attempted to turn her under the arm and they were fighting against each other and it all looked uncomfortable and highlighted the lack of control.
Love them both, but this was a dance disaster.
George & Alexis — Quickstep
Judges: 8, 8, 9, 9
My score: 8
A really enjoyable performance. It wasn’t at the same level as their sensational salsa last week, but it was still a strong and thoroughly entertaining quickstep.
He did make a few errors, a couple of sync issues with Alexis and some moments where he lost sharpness, but his overall ballroom quality continues to impress me.
His scatter chassés across the floor were exactly what I wanted to see and his fluidity is exceptional. His frame is improving dramatically too. He’s holding it with a nice softness, which gives him space and shape.
I did, however, want to see more drive. He rises slightly too high in the body during his movement, which restricts the floor coverage and fluidity.
Some parts of the choreography also felt a little flat, the middle section didn’t excite me, but the final third made up for it completely. The ending was brilliant too.
Still, my favourite couple, and he embodies what Strictly is about.
Lewis & Katya — Rumba
Judges: 9, 9, 9, 9
My score: 8
Rumba is a notoriously difficult dance for men because it’s very slow, exposed, and dependent on technical body resistance, fluid hip action and balance. The routine opened beautifully: intense, connected, believable chemistry between them throughout. But I had big issues with some of the timings in the basic variations.
I understand it was a difficult piece of music to choreograph to, but my ear, as a dancer, was hearing something different to what she was, and it put me off in places. My dancer’s ear heard different accents and timing than what was choreographed, and at times it felt slightly off. Just my personal opinion.
Lewis also needed more resistance in his body, which would have created slightly more softness and, at the same time, strength. He was hitting positions without fluid transitions that give the rumba its signature softness. More opposition would’ve created better flow.
I still really enjoyed the dance, and they are an exceptional partnership, but this wasn’t their strongest. That said, rumba is one of the hardest dances for men on Strictly, and he handled it admirably.
Balvinder & Julian — Jive
Judges: 7, 7, 7, 7
My score: 6
When rewatching in the dance off, maybe my scoring is a little harsh. I could’ve pushed this to a seven, but a six also wasn’t wrong.
Considering I wasn’t expecting much from this dance, I think she did a great job. I wasn’t expecting much technically, but she delivered some genuinely impressive moments. But then came the letdown: the choreography.
Instead of leaning into the steps she could do well, the routine was packed with posing, storytelling, and theatrical moments that distracted from the core dance content. It was as if the choreography was trying to hide her weaknesses when the basics showed she didn’t need hiding. She needed more jive, not less.
And I must mention it, why was Julian wearing shorts? It’s a ballroom and Latin show. I just don’t get it. I know it’s an entertainment show, but it’s also a dance show. You’re not at the beach! It’s Saturday night entertainment, put a pair of trousers on. It distracted me from the dance. Wardrobe shouldn’t overshadow the dance, and for me it did.
There was also too much posing and posturing without enough jive, which she was actually very good at. When she was doing jive basics, the kicks, the flicks, the swivels, etc, she looked better than she ever has and I would have liked to have seen more of it.
She also had a few errors, which pulled the score down. But I see genuine potential in her, more so now than I have at any other period of the show.
If I were still on the show, I would’ve loved to partner her because I can see the ability that isn’t being fully brought out as it should.
Karen & Carlos — Couple’s Choice
Judges: 10, 10, 10, 10
My score: 9
She looked really at home with this number. The routine totally suited her down to the ground. The style felt natural to her, she looked confident and powerful, and the energy between them was fantastic.
Carlos deserves huge credit for delivering a routine of this style when his background is ballroom and Latin, but he absolutely nailed it. The timing, energy and commitment were outstanding. As a performance, it was electric.
However, we’re now coming up to what I believe will be the most fascinating and anticipated dance of the series so far, because she will be dancing the samba this week!
I can’t wait to see how she handles, what I believe, to be exactly what Strictly has grown from. The ballroom and latin dance world, which tests the core foundations of Strictly and will be the ultimate test for her. I can’t wait to see it!
The reason I say this is that I feel, at times, her dances have been cherry-picked to bring out her strengths, more so than anyone else in the competition. It’s clear that she has had a lot of dance training. I’ve read that she competed in street dancing, from the ages of 3 to 16, then decided to go into football. I can see she’s had a lot of dance training, as you can’t teach what she’s producing in such a small space of time.
I loved the dance. I thought it was amazing. It sounds like I’m being too critical, but I’m all about fairness, especially when you look at the criticism Lewis and Amber are getting for being trained dancers, so it’s important not to overlook that.
However, the samba will be, without a doubt, her biggest test so far, and I think how she handles it could have a massive impact on who wins the series.
Amber & Nikita — Jive
Judges: 10, 10, 10, 10
My score: 9
The best jive music ever! ‘Proud Mary’, Tina Turner, is the gold-standard jive track. No professional dancer hears that song without instantly thinking “this will work”. The routine delivered exactly the kind of high-voltage entertainment you want from a jive; great costumes, fabulous choreography, and huge energy from both.
But technically? Not quite faultless. At times she looked messy and slightly out of control. The jive basics weren’t always clean, especially in underarm turns, and the final pose was unstable, lacking the polished, feminine finish that would’ve made it picture-perfect.
Am I being picky here? Yes. Last week I said she was undermarked. This week, in my honest opinion, she was overmarked, so it’s all swings and roundabouts.
I try to be as honest as possible, and this week, I didn’t feel this warranted four tens. A brilliant routine overall, but not a perfect one.
Preview: Quarter Finals
Who do you think is most likely to go this week?
Right now, I still think it’s most likely going to be Balvinder. I know we say it every week, but the reality is she keeps ending up in the bottom two, which tells you she’s not getting great public support.
In my head, the most likely bottom two is Balvinder and Amber.
That’s my prediction this week. Those two I believe end up in the dance off, and Amber could prove to be the one the one to finally get the better of her after five incredible and defying wins in the dance off from Balvinder.
If you had to predict the winner right now, who do you think will actually lift the trophy?
If I’m predicting, I’d say it’s probably going the way of Karen and Carlos, at the moment.
I wouldn’t personally have her as my winner, but I can see why the public are getting behind her. The narrative around her is that she hasn’t had any dance training, which isn’t really true, but that perception is there and it’s powerful.
From what I can see, she’s being pushed the most to win. Her dances feel cherry-picked for her, the styles suit her background, and the odds reflect that.
So yes, if you’re asking who I think will win, I’d say Karen is now the favourite, although as I mentioned earlier, this week will be her true test, dancing the samba.
What do you want to see from the remaining weeks as a viewer?
I want to be moved emotionally. That doesn’t always mean the “best” dancer in a technical sense. I want the whole package; music, costume, choreography, storytelling, and the connection between the partners, to make me feel something.
Whether it’s fun and exuberant, or intense and dramatic, I want to feel invested in the dance. When I’m watching, I want that sense of, “I’m part of this, I’m right there with them.”
Right now, the couples who do that most for me are George and Alexis, and Lewis and Katya. They move me in different ways, but that’s what I want to see from everyone in these last few weeks, not just clean routines, but performances that actually grab you emotionally.
What about the scoring and leaderboard, is there something you’d tweak there as well?
Yes, I’d deal with the ties. Right now, you can have two or three couples on the same score, and that creates all sorts of leaderboard quirks which then affect who drops into the danger zone.
If two couples are tied on points, I’d make the judges commit: you have to rank them. You gave them the same number, fine, but if you had to pick one as better, who would it be?
Do that, and suddenly you don’t have these big tie blocks that can send someone into the bottom two almost by accident.
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