Week 2 Review - Here come the girls!

It was finally Ladies' Night as our lovely female celebrities hit the floor. First out were Jessie & Darren with a Salsa. It was a lively performance that brought a mixed response from the judges. Arlene thought that Jessie's "dance and smile were working overtime", but that her hips and feet weren't.
Scores: Craig 4, Arlene 4, Len 6, Bruno 6. Total 20.

Christine & Matthew performed a Foxtrot that the judges really enjoyed. Bruno thought that Christine had "a light an ethereal quality like (queen of the fairies) Titania" and thought that she will get better and better throughout the series.

Scores: Craig 6, Arlene 6, Len 8, Bruno 7. Total 27.

Lisa & Brendan's Salsa got some very mixed comments from the panel. Craig believed that Lisa has "the most natural rhythm of any dancer" he'd seen on the show, but was upset that the performance was lackluster because of Lisa's hip action.

Scores: Craig 5, Arlene 5, Len 6, Bruno 6. Total 22.

Jodie & Ian performed a Foxtrot, and the judges were surprised at how elegant it was. At 6 foot 2 inches, Jodie's the tallest female contestant. Craig pointed out the potential problem with this: "height magnifies flaws. You've got a lot of body to control, and you controlled it quite well."

Scores: Craig 5, Arlene 6, Len 7, Bruno 7. Total 25.

Next up were Heather & Brian with a fast-paced Salsa. Some of the judges thought the performance was variable, but Len loved it, saying: "Heather, Heather - Queen of the Salsa. I loved it!"

Scores: Craig 5, Arlene 6, Len 8, Bruno 7. Total 26.

Gillian & Anton tried to razzle-dazzle the panel with a foxtrot to "Razzle-Dazzle 'Em". Arlene said: "when you started we saw a lot of the fox, but as it went on we saw less and less of the trot." However Len thought Gillian's footwork was beautiful.

Scores: Craig 4, Arlene 5, Len 7, Bruno 6. Total 22.

Rachel & Vincent's performed a Salsa to a latin version of "Can't Buy Me Love" - and all of the judges had lots of love for the pair. Arlene was especially enthusiastic: "A stunning, soaraway sexy salsa. Just deliver, deliver, deliver - don't hold back!"

Scores: Craig 7, Arlene 8, Len 8, Bruno 8. Total 31.

Last on the floor were Cherie & James with a sophisticated Foxtrot to "Sweet About Me" - and the judges were all sweet on their performance. Arlene claimed that Cherie will "give that rugby-playing motor car Austin Healy a run for his money!" and Len thought it was "the best dance of the night."

Scores: Craig 8, Arlene 8, Len 9, Bruno 8. Total 33.

Then it was the turn of our male celebrities to come together for a group dance to "She Bangs". The atmosphere was 'electric' in the studio as the boys performed a merengue. Tom stood out for Craig - with some 'filthy' hip action! Arlene thought Austin was the hit of the group dance, pushing his partner around which 'wasn't easy'. Len thought Mark looked a 'little bit awkward occasionally', and Bruno named John as his favourite of the male dancers.

Results

Gillian Taylforth has become the first of this year's female celebrities to be voted off Strictly Come Dancing.

The former EastEnders star - who had been the bookies' favourite to go - hung up her dancing shoes after finding herself in the bottom two with Jodie Kidd and Ian Waite.

After both couples had danced again, the judges unanimously voted to save Jodie and Ian.

The judges praised the model for taking Saturday night's comments on board and giving an improved performance on Sunday night's show.

Gillian had received a mixed response from the judges when she and partner Anton du Beke performed a foxtrot on Saturday night's show.

While Len praised the actress for her "beautiful" footwork, Arlene Phillips said her dance had "a lot of the fox but as it went on, less and less of the trot".

Next week the men will return to the dancefloor, performing either a jive or a tango.

Phil’s Top Tip at this stage:-

• Having seen the girls, my money is back on Rachel Stevens to win.  Place your bets now!
• Also, watch out for the BBC Essex Dancers-In-Need event (in association with the Chelmsford Dance Centre of course!) coming soon.  More details to follow!
• Don’t forget to tune in to BBC Essex 103.5 & 95.3 FM for Phil’s weekly strictly updates every Monday at 5.45 pm on the John Hayes show.