OK now things are getting tense. And the DRAMA begins… The first week we had to get over our nerves of dancing in front of judges, an audience AND millions of people on live TV. Check.
The second week it was all about having a jol out there and savouring our time in the spotlight. Check.
Third week… ELIMINATION... NOT ready, UNcheck DIScheck NO check… I have never in my life so badly wanted a spotlight to be REMOVED off of me as I did in the second half of the show.
This was my first week at attempting a ballroom dance as opposed to a Latin dance and I struggled big-time in the beginning. The Quickstep is just like my brain. Quick quick slooowww.
Thoughts going through my mind at any given moment: “stretch spine up and back into ridiculous disjointed position to contemplate the cracks in Virgin Active’s studio ceiling; bend and lower then rise and stretch legs, sometimes forward with heel, sometimes toe (I have no idea which is when, but hey I guess it’s a 50/50 chance of getting it right); quick quick slow… quicker QUICKER QUICKER SLOOOWWWWW… keep stretching neck up up and back… Oh. My. Word. My vertebrae are more disjointed than the ANC at the moment. My chiropractor doesn’t know what he’s got coming to him…”
Now I can’t go any further without mentioning my outfit for the evening, which was a FIRST for me in two respects.
Firstly, I’m a bit of a tomboy so wearing PINK for the first time in my life was nearly more daunting than the dance! But secondly, what couldn’t stop me laughing was that the cups in my dress were totally skew… I needed cups and chicken fillets to make my boobs look a bit bigger (hey I ‘m competing with a lot of fake ones here!!)… BUT one was up near my neck and the other was closer to my belly button… the crew caught me chuckling to myself in the mirror…
I could not keep a straight face, and hence my name for the night was born: Tilty-Tits-Tess… thanks Ian!! BAHAHAHA what a laugh! But in the end it all came down to the ingenuity of my designer, as when I tilted left and stretched my upper back over Grant’s arm in the ballroom hold, my assets were levelled out. Perfection.
Speaking of Grant, I just need to say, WHAT a guy. I’ve NEVER spent as much time with a close friend or even with a boyfriend, as I do with him, and he makes every day such a pleasure. Contrary to Gugu calling him “No-Nonsense-Grant”, he’s actually just like most men: hard-ass on the outside but just a big soft dork on the inside.
Apart from being an incredibly talented dancer and teacher, he’s also a NICE guy. Not like a cup-of-tea-nice, but like, incredibly caring, patient and funny as hell. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eye too. We’re both developing 6-packs from laughing so much during rehearsals (sometimes WITH each other, more times AT each other - either way, we both win).
Anyway, our routine went smoothly and I was of course totally thrilled with our scores from the judges - 32 - WOW! I really didn’t think we’d beat our Cha-Cha score. And of course van Vuuren is fast catching up to van Duuren… Rob and Mary are the epitome of dynamite in small packages… such awesome energy and such fun people! Congrats to Gugu also for picking up the pace on his scores… niiice sexy rumba Gugs!
I felt so bad for Garth and Hayley after their OOPS on the dance floor, I think I even saw a small tear welling up in the corner of the big guy’s eye… BUT despite having the lowest score from the judges, the viewer votes kept them in the competition, which just goes to show than NO-ONE is safe, no matter what their score.
SOOO… THANKS a mil to those of you who voted for Grant and I, and PLEASE keep them coming in… SMS “3” to 34766!
This is all one big game, and Anele said it so well - that the only thing I can control in this competition is the amount of fun I have, SO, with a massive smile on my face and a drumroll please……. let the games begin………