Weāre fast approaching the half-way point of Strictly Come Dancing 2014 and last weekend the first shock exit of the series happened.
Thom Evans and his partner Iveta Lukosiute found themselves in the bottom two against Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff. After both couples danced again the judges decision was split but head judge Len Goodman chose to send home Thom and Iveta.
We caught up with Strictly pro Robin Windsor to get his verdict on the shock result, talk about Mark Wrightās amazing Samba and to find out what he thought of the different couples from the week 5 show.
This weekendās result was a complete shocker. We donāt think anyone predicted Thom Evans and Iveta Lukosiute going home did they?
No. I think itās the biggest shock of the series so far. What happened is that we had two couples, who should have got to at least Blackpool, in the bottom two together. How do you pick and send one home? I think the judges got it right based on who is in the bottom two and I think Simon did a better dance than Thom. It was just so sad to see either of them there in the first place.
This is the second time this series that Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff have been in the bottom two. Could it be the case that they arenāt connecting with the viewers at home or do you think people thought they were safe?
I think both Thom and Simon were in that extremely unsafe place on the leaderboard yet again. I donāt know if itās that people are voting for Scott and Judy because they got vilified by the judges and feel sorry for them. Simon and Thom I think just got missed and everyone is voting for Judy and Scott. The judges give a guideline and put a leaderboard up there and Scott and Judy were at the bottom. Thatās who they thought should have been in the bottom two but the public thought otherwise. Now everyone is complaining but as Len said if you donāt pick up the phone you canāt moan and you can vote for free online.
Someone else who was way below Thom and Simon on the leaderboard this week was Alison. What did you make of her dance?
Alisonās dance wasnāt her best this week. I think the order of the placement on the leaderboard was actually correct but she wouldnāt have been in the bottom two. I think sheās going to come back this week knowing that she has to do a fantastic dance to get her up the leaderboard.
Mark Wright came back fighting after he ended up in the bottom two last week. He pulled out a fantastic Samba didnāt he?
Letās talk about Mark Wright! If youāre going to be in the bottom two and you want to fight to come back and do a great job then this is the way to do it. That Samba had hips that were moving 100 miles an hour. It had gyrating and it was fabulous. Everybody loved it. The Samba is a hard dance for the male celebs to do and he executed it very well and fully deserved his place on the leaderboard.
When Mark and his partner Karen Hauer found out they were through they were very emotional. How much does it mean to the celebrities to keep progressing through the competition?
Whatās absolutely amazing is that these celebrities come into our world of ballroom dancing and fall in love with it. Itās hard to leave the competition at any time and the longer you stay in the harder it is for you to leave because youāve found something new in yourself. Markās never danced before in his life and you can tell he absolutely loves the experience. He was probably thinking he would be in the bottom two and going home again and his emotions took over him.
Pixie Lott and her partner Trent Whiddon came out at the end of the show and stole it with their Samba. What did you think of their routine?
Pixie completely stole the show. She came out all guns blazing with shimmies and it was a lovely traditional Samba to traditional music, which I absolutely adore. She executed it brilliantly and I didnāt even write notes on it because I was absolutely enthralled by what sheād done.
Would you say that Pixie and Trent were the couple to beat at the moment?
Based on this weekās Pixie & Trent, Caroline & Pasha and Frankie & Kevin are the couples to beat. Whatās happening is that thereās a different person at the top of the leaderboard every week. It just goes to show that this is the most closely fought series of Strictly weāve ever had and itās just going to get incredible as the weeks go on.
Two couples that were back on form this week were Steve Backshall and Ola Jordan, and Sunetra Sarker and Brendan Cole. They matched each others scores this week. What did you make of them both?
Steve is definitely a ballroom dancer and for a very muscular guy heās got a very good top line. Itās difficult to get those arms to stay there when youāre muscular because naturally the shoulders will start to rise. He did a beautiful dance and glided effortlessly across the floor.
Sunetra is another one that excels in Ballroom. She looked glamorous and gorgeous again. Brendan did some amazing choreography and Sunetra performed it extremely well. I love that song because it reminds me of when I danced with Patsy Kensit. They did a brilliant job.
Itās Halloween week this weekend. Who do you think will end up in the bottom two?
I canāt actually predict the bottom two. Judging by whatās going on with the British public over the last three weeks you canāt predict who is going to be there. Iām hoping that the public decide to get it right this weekend and keep in the best dancers. At the beginning it is more of an entertainment show than a dance show but if they need to make it into more of a dance show as it goes along.
During Halloween week the production always gets bigger and more spectacular. Do you think that helps some of the weaker dancers?
Of course! I think Scott is going to come out and entertain like crazy this week. Heāll get completely into character just like he did with his Samba. The public love to be entertained. You have to remember itās a public show and everyone has the right to vote for whom they want. Just remember to pick up the phone or vote online for your favourite.
Strictly Come Dancing 2014 continues at 6.30pm Saturday on BBC One. Watch Pixie Lott and Trent Whiddonās Samba from week 5 below: