It was a disappointing loss for many viewers, but with standards impressively high for this stage in the competition, it just goes to prove that truly no one is safe as we enter the second half of this year\u2019s series.<\/p>\n
AJ Odudu came out on top overall, scoring a near-perfect 39 points with an excellent Charleston, making her a strong contender to lift the Glitterball trophy next month.<\/p>\n
Below, RadioTimes.com<\/a> columnist and former Strictly professional Ian Waite gives us his insight on all the dances performed this week, as well as answering some of your biggest questions.<\/p>\n Adam Peaty<\/a>\u00a0and Katya Jones: <\/strong>Kicking off the show with a very energetic performance. Good posture from Adam by pitching weight forward which should have kept him on the balls of his feet but sadly, they were a little bit flat and sometimes turned in. But very strong kicks and flicks.<\/p>\n Rose Ayling-Ellis<\/a>\u00a0and Giovanni Pernice: <\/strong>Dancing the whole opening on her own and completely on time. Technically very good with many musical changes, could have seen a little more rhythm through the body.<\/p>\n Tom Fletcher<\/a>\u00a0and Amy Dowden: <\/strong>So lovely to see a traditional Pasa Doble. The music reminded me of dancing at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool. Fantastic posture, shaping and gave us every move in the Pasa Doble book. Superb character.<\/p>\n Rhys Stephenson<\/a>\u00a0and Nancy Xu: <\/strong>Quickstep is always a difficult dance because of the speed and amount of content. The frame looked compromised because of the difficulty of the routine, a simpler routine would have given Rhys the chance to improve the hold and technique. This being said, very enthusiastic and energetic dance.<\/p>\n Tilly Ramsay<\/a>\u00a0and Nikita Kuzmin: <\/strong>I really liked this performance. They kept body contact throughout and acted the character of the Tango very well. Could have created more strength by emphasising the count one in a promenade position.<\/p>\n Dan Walker<\/a> and Nadiya Bychkova: <\/strong>This dance was better than I expected. It was fun and an interesting take on street dance. I still think Dan is a ballroom dancer, just because of the wonderful lengths of bone that he has.<\/p>\n John Whaite<\/a>\u00a0and Johannes Radebe: <\/strong>A very simplistic interpretation of the Rumba. For me, it was a little too simple. John needs to have more toning in his hands and fingers, sometimes they can be thrown away without finishing off the lines. That being said, it was very rhythmical, with plenty of body and hip action.<\/p>\n AJ Odudu<\/a>\u00a0and Kai Widdrington: <\/strong>This was a very technical, traditional Charleston and I loved it. I thought AJ mastered every nuance of the very difficult steps. My only criticism is that AJ looked slightly hesitant but she is still the best all-round dancer in the competition.<\/p>\n Sara Davies<\/a> and Alja\u017e \u0160korjanec: <\/strong>A very quick routine \u2013 unfortunately this compromised the technique and posture throughout the dance. Also, it had some gapping in the hold, but covered the floor very well and energetic to the end.<\/p> I would have to say AJ again. I\u2019m feeling like I\u2019m repeating myself every week, but AJ, for me, is the best all-round performer and this was a really difficult Charleston. For her to do all the swivels, all of the characterisations, all of the arm movements, she literally looked like she\u2019d just walked out of the 1920s. For me, it was just such a brilliant standout performance.<\/p>\n Seeing Adam and Katya leave the competition. I was really upset because I think that Adam is what Strictly is all about. He\u2019s an Olympian, all he has ever done is swim all his life and win gold medals, and then he does this show. But I love the fact that he has absolutely given 100 per cent to every performance and I think it\u2019s a shame that he\u2019s out of the competition. We\u2019re going to miss him because he\u2019s such a legend and I think he could have gone further.<\/p>\n I felt that some of the routines were slightly over-choreographed. When the dances are fast, like the quickstep, if the choreography is a little simpler, the celebrities have a better chance of mastering the technique and I think that is key.<\/p>\n Did AJ\u2019s Charleston deserve a full 40 points?<\/strong><\/p>\n I was actually expecting it to get 40 and I was really surprised when Craig gave his \u20189\u2019 paddle, just because he said it was, in his words, \u201cA-ma-zing.\u201d. The only thing that it lacked was that she looked as though she didn\u2019t have 100 per cent confidence, and to get four 10s, you need to attack it and look completely confident as well as having the technique down and everything else \u2013 so that\u2019s where it failed for me.<\/p>\n Should Dan have been in the dance-off this week?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s a difficult one because there\u2019s so many great dancers left in the competition, but for me, I think Dan should have probably been in the bottom two. It could have been a very different dance-off for me.<\/p>\n Have the judges\u2019 scores been too generous?<\/strong><\/p>\n I do think the marks are very high. The trouble is, if you\u2019re marking high, you haven\u2019t really got anywhere to go. If you see a performance, mark it 10, and then somebody else\u2019s performance is better, you\u2019ve got to mark it 10 as well \u2013 you\u2019ve got no choice. So, I think the marks are very high for this stage in the competition, but also, the celebrities are dancing so well, so the judges are in a very difficult position when they\u2019re seeing fantastic routines in front of their faces.<\/p>\n I was in Bromley last night with my tour, the Ballroom Boys, and I will be in Epsom tonight and then we are in Poole tomorrow night for our show, and we\u2019re having great fun. It\u2019s full of Hollywood classics, Broadway musicals and even my little Italian friend\u2019s legendary Argentine Tango. We\u2019re having a ball travelling around the country together on tour. It\u2019s a lot of fun.<\/p>\n Strictly Come Dancing airs every weekend on BBC One. Want something else to watch? Check out our full\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0or visit our\u00a0Entertainment<\/a>\u00a0hub for the latest news.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nHow did the Strictly couples do this week?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Rhys\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/11\/strictly-come-dancing-2021-rhys-stephenson-152cb9b.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"strictly-come-dancing-2021-rhys-stephenson\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Strictly High of the Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""AJ\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/11\/strictly-come-dancing-aj-odudu-a1fcfa1.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"strictly-come-dancing-aj-odudu\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Strictly Low of the Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\""Strictly\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/11\/strictly-come-dancing-2021-adam-tilly-dance-off-1c04351.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"strictly-come-dancing-2021-adam-tilly-dance-off\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Ian\u2019s Top Tip<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Ian answers\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Waite\u2019s Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n