Page 35 of The Dance Deception
‘I’m a bit lost for words,’ Jacques admits. ‘The tango is meant to be fiery and sharp and electrifying, but it felt like you were both sleepwalking across the stage. Where was the energy, the pizzazz? I think you maybe tried to use the staging to make up for the lack of drama in thechoreography, but I’m afraid all you ended up doing is highlighting how misjudged this performance was.’
My heart goes out to Beth.
‘Harsh words there,’ Kimberley interrupts. ‘Sophie, did you see anything you liked in Beth and Gabriel’s routine?’
‘Sadly I have to agree with Jacques – it was all a bit lacklustre. For me, it fell flat.’
‘Some tough feedback tonight,’ Kimberley says, turning to Beth. ‘How do you feel about that?’
‘I’m not going to lie, I really struggled with this dance,’ she admits, ‘so I think their comments are fair. I wasn’t feeling confident and Gabe did have to slow it all down for me. But I still enjoyed performing it and if I get the opportunity to be up here again I’m going to do whatever it takes to win the judges over next time.’
‘Good for you.’ Kimberley smiles. ‘And now, audience, it’s time to deliver your verdicts. Do you want to see Beth and Gabriel dancing again on next week’s show? Grab your keypads and let’s find out.’
The scoreboard lights up and the marker starts moving, but it only creeps as far as the seven. There’s an ‘ooh’ from the audience and Beth looks gutted. I wish I could give her a hug.
‘Beth, you must be disappointed; but remember, it’s not over yet. There are still two couples to come,’ Kimberley says chirpily. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up one more time for Beth and Gabriel. And next up, dancing the salsa, please welcome to the stage Kate Wareing and her new dance partner Aleksis Lapsa!’
And then we’re out in front of the audience, watching ourselves doing spins and fixing the studio floor in ourvideo clip, which thankfully gets another laugh – this time a welcome one. Then we’re in position and everything else slips out of my mind as I concentrate solely on remembering the routine and not messing it up.
Two minutes later it’s all over, and all I can think about is how mad it is that we practise for so many hours for just these few short minutes.
‘Over to you, judges,’ Kimberley says at the end.
Mariana is nodding. ‘Not bad. There was just enough content there to keep it interesting. There was a little hesitation around some of the spins, and you fell behind on the timing just a fraction at times. But you recovered well, and overall it was a good effort.’
‘I have to agree,’ Sophie says. ‘There were a few missteps here and there, and I felt you were maybe relying a little too heavily on Aleksis at times, but all in all I liked what I saw. Obviously you’ve had the added challenge of adjusting to a new partner this week, which is never easy, so well done for coping with that. Personally I hope you make it through. I think there’s real potential in this partnership and I’d like to see what else you can bring to the competition.’
This gives me hope. Maybe they won’t need to fix our score after all.
‘And Jacques?’ Kimberley prompts.
‘Like Sophie says, this is a new partnership, so it’s fantastic to see it already gelling. And if we compare this dance to the dances in week one, it comfortably stands up to the competition. But of course it isn’t week one, and it wasn’t perfect.’
My heart sinks again.
‘If you go through, you’re going to have to work hard to push yourselves up in the rankings,’ he advises. ‘But something tells me you can do it – so I wish you luck.’
‘So it seems like the judges are keen to see Kate and Aleksis again on next week’s show,’ Kimberley says. ‘But, audience, what about you? Do you want their salsa to shimmy to the top of the scoreboard? It’s time to find out!’
My stomach twists in anticipation, even though I know we’re safe from elimination. It might not be our real score, but I still want it to be good, especially after I finished in the top spot last week. I feel awful for Beth, though. With me guaranteed to go through and the only other dancer still to come being the best dancer among us, things aren’t looking great for her.
And then our score arrives … 7.1. Just .1 above Beth, which makes me feel even worse. How I wish I knew if it was our real score or if the producers have tampered with it. But I doubt I’ll ever know.
As we leave the stage, there’s a murmur in the audience as Merle and Emilia take our place. Kimberley hushes everyone as their video starts playing on the big screen. It starts with Merle talking, while Emilia strokes his arm and gazes adoringly at him.
‘As you know, it’s been a tough time for me recently,’ Merle says solemnly. ‘I started this week thinking my wife, Sofiya, and I could work through it, but after some difficult discussions we’ve made the decision to end our marriage. It hasn’t been easy to accept that we’ve grown apart, butwe both feel much happier now we’ve mutually agreed it’s time to move on.’
So she really has told him to sling his hook – and is sticking to her guns this time. I’m glad for her. I’m sure she’ll be happier in the long run.
I can’t believe Merle is going for the sympathy vote though. He obviously knows he’s got some grovelling to do to keep the audience on side. In the video, he turns to Emilia and looks at her affectionately.
‘But this one has been keeping my spirits up,’ he says, taking her hand.
Yeah, I bet she has.
‘She’s been there for me every step of the way and has been such a rock for me these past few days. I can’t thank her enough.’
He smiles at her and she tells him he’s welcome, with a dreamy look in her eyes.
