STRICTLY COME DANCING 7 – Week 3

Is this series cursed? First the ageism row over the replacement of judge Arlene Phillips for "younger model" Alesha Dixon, then criticism of Alesha's abilities on the show, then an unpopular scheduling clash with X Factor, and now dancer Anton Du Beke's in the spotlight for racist remarks he made about celeb dance partner Laila Rouass. It's all very unfortunate, as the BBC's flagship Saturday night entertainment series is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. I don't think a single celeb has made their mark on the public consciousness yet, as it's all about the goings-on behind-the-scenes!

As usual, here's my layman assessment of how the girls performed:

NATALIE CASSIDY & VINCENT SIMONE

Paso Doble: Natalie's frock was nice (black, long skirt) and she continues to perform these dances well, but I didn't feel the sexual charge she was trying to conduct.

ZOE LUCKER & JAMES JORDAN

Paso Doble: A sexy red dress with long skirt, nicely split up the middle so Zoe's legs weren't a total stranger. Not too bad, really. I enjoyed this well enough, but it wasn't anything special. I find these dances a bit too serious.

CRAIG KELLY & FLAVIA CACACE

Quickstep: I'm not a fan of the traditional ballroom stuff, but the quickstep can be good fun. Flavia looked good, but the pinky-purple ballgown kept too much hidden, really.

RICKY GROVES & ERIN BOAG

Paso Doble: Totally mad, but it worked. Ricky's bringing the fun and energy, and Erin's black-n'-white dress was super-sexy. Long white skirt, but she still found plenty of opportunities to flick it aside for some leggy glimpses. And the cleavage was impressive.

LAILA ROUASS & ANTON DU BEKE

Quickstep: Laila's letting me down so far. She's an attractive woman, but it's all been quite restrained so far. The long pink dress obscured the sultry temptress I sense exists in there somewhere, and her smile looked painted on.

PHIL TUFNELL & KATYA VIRSHILAS

Quickstep: Another black-n'-white number, but Katya's wasn't anywhere near as saucy as Erin's. White with black stripes, long skirt, all a bit boring.

JO WOOD & BRENDAN COLE

Paso Doble: After dancing with Kelly Brook and Lisa Snowdon, it's back down to earth with a bump for Brendan! I think she was wearing some curtains torn down from an '80s lounge bar.

RICKY WHITTLE & NATALIE LOWE

Paso Doble: Yes! This was better! Natalie's purple dress was very skimpy, she moved with conviction, there was almost a rubberized feel to the top-half, and those long pins burned up the dance-floor for a few minutes. Ole!

JADE JOHNSON & IAIN WAITE

Quickstep: Great energy and performance, bad pink dress. Oh well, Jade's cleavage got an airing, but this was otherwise disappointing.

ALI BASTIAN & BRIAN FORTUNA

Quickstep: My personal fave celeb right now, Ali once again looked sexy in a fairly typical silvery-purple dress. But it was very elegant and she has that Barbie doll quality to her. Plus, she can dance.

LYNDA BELLINGHAM & DARREN BENNETT

Paso Doble: Oh, God, Lynda looked like a red woolen doll you'd stick on a toilet roll as a bit of decoration. All very serious, dull and unsexy.

RAV WILDING & ALIONA VILANI

Quickstep: Good fun, plus Aliona's pleasingly slinky on the dance floor. A sort of golden haze of a dress, unfortunately hiding her legs, but the long red hair made her look like a firecracker.

CHRIS HOLLINS & OLA JORDAN

Quickstep: As cute as always, Ola always makes you smile. Her pink dress was a little too candy floss, but I liked the shoulder fluffy bits and her hair's always perfect.

JOE CALZAGHE & KRISTINA RIHANOFF

Paso Doble: However hard they try, this pair's "showmance" can't overshadow the judges in the gossip rags! Nice try though, guys. Kristina's really going for it this series, anyway – plenty of raw energy and passion, flesh-coloured dress with loads of leg, heaving bosom and a nice shorter haircut.

THE RESULT

The dance-off came down to Lynda & Darren vs. Rav & Aliona, and we again had another disappointment. Quite why anyone would want Lynda to stick around and frump around the studio another week is anyone's guess, but new girl Aliona was shown the door. Far too soon, if you ask me.