STRICTLY 2022: WEEK 3 RESULTS SHOW

An opening group number with Vito smoking hot as Elvis Presley left us all shook up. But that was as nothing as the shock awaiting us with the Movie Week results…

With early announcements that Matt, Tony and James were through to next round, the bottom of the leaderboard were very much saved by the public.

TessBot’s “keep your chin up” was perhaps not the detailed advice that a clearly-disappointed Fleur needed after hearing on the shock news that she was in the dance off.

The much-needed distraction came with a Daily Mail-bating routine from Nikita and Carlos. Adam Lambert may have been singing Mad About The Boy in the background. We couldn’t take our eyes off the boys.

(Hilarious reaction for Ellie T – they may need a bucket ready given her nerves)

Richie and Giovanni get the dreaded red light of Doom. With this Bottom 2, it is not a good night for Disney or Italians. With Richie versus Fleur, it seemed an inevitable conclusion…

“Neither of you deserves to be here” said Motsi “but the public have put your here”. Any more salt to rub in, Motsi?

Why Did Richie go?

With so many contestants to choose from and only three votes available to each member of the public, this week’s Bottom Two were a victim of a classic mid-table squeeze. Celebs like Tony, Matt, Ellie T, James and Hamza all looked to be in danger at the bottom of the leaderboard which galvanised their vote.

Fans of Richie (in eighth place) and in particular Fleur (who was 6th from the top) assumed them to be safe. But further than that you’ve got to question if either is actually that popular with the public?

Strictly audiences tend to vote for couples that they enjoy watching and a huge question has hungover Richie’s partnership with Giovanni.

Despite denials of the many tabloid stories about tensions and even a feud between the two, there’s something about the pairing between Richie and Giovanna that has not worked. Richie is probably a little giddy for Giovanni’s tastes. Even chats in the Clauditorium have been marked by Richie enthusing ten to the dozen but not really including Giovanni in his spiels.

Add to this, their Lion King routine being silly rather than fun. Whilst Richie seemed to be living his best life as meerkat Timon, Giovanni had an air of doing some kind of community service. It’s a long fall from holding the up the mirrorball last year to fixing a grin while dresses as a pot-bellied warthog! Twirly Shirley’s ludicrous over-marked 8 probably did them no favours.

The Recs hopes that the parallels between Giovanni this year and Oti last year are coincidental. Both won the previous year. Both were paired with a celeb with whom they couldn’t find a connection. The audience sensed that they were not enjoying themselves. And both made an early exit from the competition. Let’s hope that Giovanni does not follow Oti’s decision to leave the show. As one of the best choreographers among the pros, he would be quite the loss to Strictly if he were to say goodbye to the programme.

As for Richie, he probably annoyed and endeared in equal measure. Not a terrible dancer, his hyper-enthusiasm made him this year’s Marmite contestant. The ballroom will certainly be quieter with his exit. Here are his Strictly moments.