Time for the second in the series where I take a look at the four finalist’s Strictly journey so far. This time it’s the turn of Jay and Aliona
Best Dance
A lot of people consider their week 3 Jive to be their standout dance which scored 37 (9,9,9,10) however the judges scored their week 11 Rumba higher with a score of 39 and Craig being the only judge not to reach for the 10 paddle (9,10,10,10)
Worst Dance
Falling slightly from grace after the Jive, their worst performing dance was the Quickstep from week 4 which scored 25 (5,7,6,7)
Average Score
Discounting the quickstepathon Jay and Aliona have scored a total of 435 points across 13 dances which makes for an average score of 33.5
Number Of Times In The Dance Off
Jay and Aliona are the only finalists this series to have never been in the dance off.
Odds Of Winning
At the time of writing Jay and Aliona are clear odds on favourites to lift the glitterball at 2/9. If you fancy a flutter Coral will give new customers a £20 free bet when you stake £5 on Strictly or any other market.
Again at the time of writing 55% of visitors to this site want them to win in the latest poll currently running.
With one or two exceptions Jay and Aliona have been the favourites to win since their Jive. They’ve also won all but a small handful of the polls this site has run. Which surely makes them certs for the glitterball right? Well probably. Of course anything could happen in the final and there’s several voters who will vote purely on the merits of the final so we probably shouldn’t be handing them the glitterball quite yet. But of all the finalists Jay and Aliona are clearly the most likely to win at the moment
Do you agree? Do you want Jay and Aliona to win. Let me know in the comments and stay tuned for a roundup of the remaining two finalists later in the week!
Would love to see Jay win – he has conquered crippling nerves to come this far and I think he would be such a popular champion.
I would like to see Jay win.
Jay is the best male celebrity dancer strictly has ever seen, he is truly awesome, and together with Aliona their chemistry is electric.
Jay and Aliona are just mesmerising. They have the most amazing chemistry, friendship and trust combined with Aliona’s brilliant choreography.
I have supported them from the moment he lumbered down the stairs and stunned us all even in his first dance.
Someone who is obviously passionate about dancing and deserves to do well.
Never heard of Jay McGuinness before Strictly and seeing his publicity shots was quick to dismiss him (not too keen on long hair on men!) However, now I am just a little obsessed together with my twin daughters (14). He is just so unaware of the impact he has which makes him very endearing. If he won it would make our Christmas.
I want Jay and Aliona to win
I have voted for them since week one
His week 2 waltz was brilliant
Then we had that jive! Best ever dance on strictly
A mistake in his quickstep didn’t stop me voting for him as I appreciate he has to lead his partner and it was very intricate
His paso was brilliant
His tango was brilliant
His Salsa was out of this world.
His Charleston in the semis was also outstanding
Jay has to win he is a natural dancer with no ego at all and really needs to believe in himself in the final !
I agree with everything that has been said above. They make magic together and deserve to win on all counts
Defintely Jay and Aliona to win. Even his ‘worst’ dance was far better than most of the others and he has been grossly undermarked nearly every week on a lot of his other dances too. What I love about Jay is, he hasn’t been ‘cocky, exciteable, screaming and shouting, full of himself, self indulgent’ and he doesn’t realise what a natural and beautiful dancer he really is. Jay all the way,
He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.
William Blake
Really Isabella? Quoting Blake. Is that the best you can do? Hardly appropriate anyway as he already was a star before Strictly.
DanGoodnight, dancing, danced.
1. To move the feet and body rhythmically, esp. in time to music.
2. To perform ( a particular dance ).
3. To skip or leap.
4. To move or cause to move in a rhythmic way.
5. A series of rhythmic steps and movements, usually in time to music.
Just a few definitions of DANCE from my dictionary. I think you might be getting the word dance muddled up with the word gurn, to pull a grotesque face.
I get it that you don’t like Jay, that’s fine with me. He is my favourite because he moves his feet, arms and body beautifully, and in time to the music. He isn’t always perfect, but when he isn’t, he always accepts the criticism and scores with good grace.
Good luck to all the couples on Saturday. Just vote for the one you like best. Do vote though. Don’t assume your favourite is safe. Goodnight.
My new phone is very sensitive. Line 5 of my reply is meant to read
Dance, dances, dancing, danced. Sorry about the typo. I don’t even know anyone called Dan to say goodnight to. Enjoy the show Saturday. Thank you Dave for this blog. Absolutely love it. Love and peace to all.
A Star? – Never even heard of him before Strictly, so can’t say if I ‘like him’ or not. You are hardly shy if you choose to be in a rock band, and the little boy lost doesn’t fit. If he wants to absorb the limelight, then at least some of it should show in his face, you would hope. It isn’t just about winning. The dance moves are quickly learned if you’ve had practise with dance before. And he has. I doubt he will win anyway. There is a much bigger picture. ‘Seeming, seeming’ as Shakespeare says. Ooops. Sorry to go upmarket, my quote from Blake has obviously caused you some stress, you are writing on this thread at 3 am. Do get some sleep.
With an attitude like yours I am not surprised you have so much time for reading! Goodness, how bitter!
Well said ! let’s not be like that on what is a fun site which is coming to an end for the season, If we didn’t have different favourites and likes and dislikes, it wouldn’t be a competition !
First of all thank you for your concern over the time I posted my comments. I would like to assure you that this is quite normal for me. I get plenty of good quality sleep, just at a different time to most people.
The only point I was trying to make last night is that dancing is about more than facial expressions. Didn’t mean to offend.
Far from being stressed by your little quote from Blake, I actually found it mildly amusing. It felt as though a quote from some long dead poet makes the point more valid. It doesn’t. A simple ‘Jay shouldn’t win because of his lack of facial expressions’ would be equally valid.
As for me saying Jay was a ‘star’ before Strictly, that was my little play on the wording and the pretentiousness of the Blake quote. Sorry if that went over your head. Different sense of humour I suppose. Although, in one sense he is just as much a star in his boy-band field as any of the others are in theirs. Just because neither of us knew of him before, doesn’t mean he wasn’t successful at what he did.
I do believe that “performers” be they a member of a boy-band, an actor or something more upmarket can be genuinely shy people when they are not performing.
As for the quotes, please keep them coming. My 14 year old nephew who has been reading Shakespeare and poetry for a couple of years now loves them. His response to the there is a much bigger picture ‘Seeming, seeming’ one was ‘Absolute classic. lol’
By the way I have never said Jay will win, just that he is my favourite. I think its too close to call.
Good luck to all the couples on Saturday.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone.
LOVE AND PEACE.
I think he’s fantastic. I had never heard a thing about him before Strictly but he had me hooked from the launch show with his lovely manner and personality. Then where do you start with his dancing? He is mesmerising to watch and the chemistry between him and Aliona is something special. I could watch all of his dances over and over again. For me there is only one winner.
I’m probably not being fair. It’s just that I feel some of the dancers I’ve come to enjoy – Helen and Anita to name two, ought to have stayed in the show, and I wonder if something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Ooops.
I do think those things about Jay though, he looks as if he couldn’t care less to me, so why should the viewers. But he’s probably just as you say, brilliant and worthy, and just a tense sort sort of person. And perhaps a chap in a band can be shy too. I’m not very nice sometimes.
English lecturers can get a bit literal. It does sound pompous reading back what I’ve said. I can assure you though I am certainly not bitter. Annoyed and angry, yes. I don’t mind being checked if I’ve said the wrong thing and upset people. I shouldn’t have said anything at all to tell the truth. I’ve watched the show since it started years back, and am laughed at for that by friends who can’t stand it. But I do think it’s good and support it. The competitors all work so hard. And I’ve adored watching Gleb and Anita. Not just because Gleb is gorgeous, he’s a damned good dancer as well, and so is Anita. It disturbs me though when I start to think it’s contrived. It makes you feel a fool watching a ‘competition’ which so many are saying is a fix.
We will have to agree to disagree over Jay but I am with you when it comes to Gleb !! Happy Christmas Isabella
Hi Monica. Wow, that Gleb! Swoon. The man is a mixture of Elvis Presley, Errol Flynn and Clark Gable. What’s not to lust for?
Ha ha an improvement on Anton that’s for sure ……..!!
Hi Isabella. Of course you should have your say. I hope my nephew quote didn’t cause any offence. It was meant to be an illustration of how different generations view things. He really loves shakespeare and knows far more about it than I do. As Monica said we will just have to disagree about Jay. I too am disappointed Helen and up to a point, Anita are not in the final. I just think it gets to a stage every year, when only good dancers left and whoever goes out will inevitably disappoint and upset someone. I really don’t know if Jay is brilliant and worthy. I just know that I like the quiet understated way he and Aliona dance.
I do know quite a few musicians who on stage are very full on. Take them away from that environment it can honestly be hard to believe it’s the same person. As to feeling a fool for watching an allegedly fixed show, you are only doing what we all do, taking it at face value. I truly don’t believe any of the celebs would have anything to do with that. That would have to start with the BBC and the series producers. I am having a lot of trouble this phone, so I am going to say goodnight now.
Merry Christmas Isabella and a Happy New Year.
Love and peace.