#SCD #ITT Week 9 of Strictly spoiled by stupid Mary Berry in cake routine

I rather think I'm coming to the end of my Strictly journey - at least for this year. So many things are really annoying me now which is exactly the reverse of what is supposed to happen.

For instance:
The presentation of both the weekend and midweek shows are way too gushingly girly for my taste. Too much fringing and stupid heels as well as too much use of *amazing* to describe stuff that blatantly isn't.
Claudia Winkleman's contributions are mercifully short but Zoe Ball is on the screen too much - it seems that everything about her irritates me now. The mugging to camera, the endless hand flapping and she has taken to using the word *critique* as if it is synonymous with *criticism*
Zoe, for your information; you can give a critique of something without it necessarily being a criticism
In other words, a critique may contain criticism but not all critiques criticise something.

The judges, with the notable exception of Darcey Bussell, seem to be trying to carve out media careers as *personalities*. In particular Len Goodman, who used to be the most innocuous of chaps, now keeps gurning at the camera during VTs and adds every day to his seemingly endless supply of fatuous catchphrases. In fact he seems to have been infected by the same bug as Brucie.

This week the show started off particularly badly for me with the vile old witch Mary Berry appearing out of a cake right at the top of the show. Why? What on earth has she, or baking, got to do with dancing. If her scene had been a part of the Halloween night I would have understood completely.
Also my dislike of certain of this year's celebrities is making me too aware of some of my characteristics (I hesitate to use the word peculiarities) for my own comfort. I just don't want to feel uncomfortable when watching the television at home in front of the fire. I'm quite content with my dislike of Susanna Reid which is why I don't watch BBC Breakfast any more - I just don't like those cold dead eyes staring at me that early in the day. But now I'm tired of looking at her legs on Strictly. She's too mumsy to be sexy and I don't want to be sitting in my armchair worrying about why I think that and why I'm quite happy looking at Natalie's legs instead. I'm just too old to be wondering about stuff like that anymore.

Anyway Susanna's wildly inappropriate cha cha cha took her into second favouritism at 9/4. While Natalie still heads the field at a best price of 2/1. Natalie's otherwise dramatic tango was spoiled for me by the music. Sophie seemed to inject some personality into her rumba although the judges didn't seem to agree. It's quite amusing that Sophie and Susanna seem to differ in their opinions on how much sex they should portray in their dancing. Susanna seems to think that a mother of 3, as we are so often told, should be able to be a floosy on the dance floor, while Sophie tries to keep some dignity so that her mother and grandmother won't be offended. Maybe it's a sign of my own old age that I tend to agree with Sophie. But with the thought that since Ben Cohen has been ejected this week I won't be enjoying Kristina's legs anymore comes that weird dichotomy again.
I must say I'm glad Mark Benton has survived again as he puts a smile on this peevish old face right from his first appearance on the screen. I'm quite sure he deserves to be there too as his dancing has far more flair than Ben Cohen's and he has improved to a greater extent too. Ben kept repeating how much effort he puts in as in fact did Kristina. But I'm afraid that the amount of work you put in to something does not necessarily equate to end ability. I mean I could practice dancing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for months on end and I'd still never be any good at it. Likewise painting, likewise pottery, likewise.........