New Zealand ballroom dancer and former Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Brendan Cole reckons the BBC should make a fundamental change to the way it sets up stars for the grand finale.
Entertainment Daily can reveal exclusively that Brendan has an idea that he thinks would lead to a much better final.
Brendan was a pro dancer on the show from 2004 to 2017, making him one of its longest serving professionals.
Earlier this year, he weighed in on the controversy that was engulfing the show over the summer. He reckoned then that Strictly was running out of pros, and that he “might get the call-up” as a result.
Brendan Cole wants to give celebrities two weeks to prepare for Strictly grand finale
Former Strictly pro dancer Brendan thinks the show’s finalists should have two weeks to prepare for the grand finale, rather than just one.
“They need two weeks to prepare for a final,” he insists to ED! on behalf of Sky Vegas.
“Instead of going semi-final, final – they should go semi-final, then have a week of looking back over the series, maybe have a few guest spots, and have a bit of a chat to the contestants [from that series] about who they’d like to win the final, and why.”
I believe you would get a much better final
This, he says, would give finalists the time they need to adequately prepare.
“It’s hard enough to get one routine together in a week,” he says. “To do three is a big ask.
“They should make a bit of a show of that, so it gives the finalists two weeks to prepare three dances and do all the filming that is required for the final. That way, I believe you would get a much better final.”
Brendan Cole offers thoughts on Chris McCausland and Tasha Ghouri
But that’s not all Brendan had to say on the grand finale. He also has praise for Chris McCausland who, despite not being the best dancer, clearly won the crowd.
“Anybody would have been the right contestant [to win the Glitterball],” Brendan says. “Chris McCausland was doing something right. He was never in a dance-off, his story was one that people loved to watch, and he obviously had a lot of popular support.”
“I felt like he was going to win Strictly from quite early on,” he continues. “Even though he wasn’t the best dancer on the show, he probably deserved to win as he made it all that way.”
Chris said upon winning the Glitterball that he expected to go out in the first week, even though no one goes out in the first week…
Brendan Cole thinks Tasha Ghouri was the best celebrity dancer
“It is [the beauty of Strictly that the best dancer doesn’t always win] and it is quite often the way,” Brendan says.
“Tasha Ghouri was exceptional. She almost looked like one of pros out there.”
Like Chris, Tasha is among the first disabled dancers to grace the Strictly stage, let alone to make it as far as they did. She was born deaf. Her deafness causes her migraines and exhaustion due to the need to constantly lip read.
Previously, Brendan said he was sad for Tasha when she didn’t come out on top during the semi-final. By his estimation, she and Aljaž were “miles ahead of everybody”.
However, he also noted that deserving to be miles ahead in the markings “potentially puts them in jeopardy”.
Curious…
“A lot of the time she was that good,” he told Entertainment Daily. “She clearly had a lot of training, so it’s a little bit easier for her, but she still had to work hard to achieve those results.
“She is probably the best celebrity dancer the show has ever seen, which is quite an accolade. I’d rather be that, than an average dancer and win it.”
Read more: Strictly pro accuses judges of ‘planting doubts in people’s minds’ over Tasha Ghouri ahead of final
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