The morning after the night before

Tess appears to have upset the wardrobe department already this year. The Cadbury's Milk one shoulder number did her no favours at all, and I really think a new mum should not be going unsupported!

And it came to pass - half my prediction came true with the divine Matthew and the Swiss Miss in the dance off and then dancing off the show. Yes the first programme saw the shock exit of the highest profile celeb and the highest rated pro dancer, and the show had its money shot of Alesha crying! Job well done then, and at least the producers have got rid of the problem of perceived bias in Alesha's marking. She did of course vote for Matt to stay but was over-ruled by Len. It is often thought that Len is biased against Matt, but in this case I agreed with his decision (based on the performance in the dance off). Of course the dance off should have been between Joe and Lynda going by actual performance, but where would be the fun of that? The surprise was in seeing chunky thighs hunk in the dance off with Martina.

Kristina must be suffering from a severe case of deja vu. Joe danced like a man in his 60s, stiff legs, no spark, shuffling around as if he would rather be anywhere else. He perfomed worse over both shows than John Sergeant, and at least Kristina and John has a bit of magic about them that made them a pleasure to watch. I got that one wrong!

Lynda and Darren did as well as could be expected with their Cha Cha. The great thing about Darren is that whether he is dancing with Jill Halfpenny or Lynda Bellingham, he always gives it his best smile as if he really believes that he is dancing with the world's best partner. He would have made Lynda feel really special last night.

Rav and Aliona - not a lot of potential there, but the real problem lies with Aliona. She seems to be a me me me dancer and needs to look at Lilia or Kristina for inspiration on how to showcase an unpromising partner.

Erin and Ricky - Erin knows the game and knows when she has to pull a performance out of her partner. Ricky worked the crowd, flapped his mouth open like a giant salmon, and pulled off the performance of the night. There was no way this couple were going home.

Martina and Matthew - there was no hint of a tennis player here, with weak legs, core and floppy arms. She never seemed to engage her muscles, and crucially, never seemed to relax and enjoy the dance.

Jade and Ian - my favourite female performance of the night. Sloppy footwork and poor arm lines did not detract from a good performance, and a promising dance. She can move her body with fluidity and ease and the use of straight legs to generate hip movement shows that Ian has covered the basic technique well.

Ali and Brian - lovely Rumba but lacking a connection for me. This couple seem so very nice, and they urgently need to get their personalities across. With the judges gushing in week 1, and rumours of previous dance training starting to circulate (I would guess she has done ballet as a child, from the use of her arms, her leg lines and her suppleness)she could well suffer the fate of previous teachers' pets (Zoe, Emma, Lisa, Rachel) with a place in the final but dumped by the public.

But the performance of the night came from Chris Hollins! He had it hard - a tango and a rumba in week 1, but he rose to the challenge and has earned a lot of fans. There were errors in his technique but I have never before seen a male celebrity commit so completely to the mood of the dance and he delivered a performance of astonishingly powerful emotion. That took real guts and won my respect. I have a new found respect for Ola as she actually choreographed for her celebrity. I just wish she would stop shopping for her dance outfits at Ann Summers though.

The pro dances were amazing again - three in one night woohoo! It was interesting to see the three new dancers with their partners in one dance, and I enjoyed the themed Sweet Charity dance featuring the other five. For one moment I was slightly perturbed at the sight of Gary Rhodes looking rather good in the pro dance line up, but then breathed a sigh of relief when I realised that James Jordan had had a hair cut.

And so the evening drew to an end with Tom and Camilla performing surely the best showdance Strictly has ever seen. A timely reminder to those of who are moaning of the treats in store if we stick it out until December!