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It’s week 10 in the ballroom as Joe and Kim chat to the couples backstage. Joe reveals this series 'J Word' quiz champions! Plus Kim chats fake tan and eyeliner with Claudia!

2018 Strictly finalist Joe Sugg teams up with producer Kim Winston to bring the fans an Access All Areas backstage pass to the show.

Kim has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Strictly, having worked on the show since 2009, and Joe knows first-hand what all the couples are going through, making them the perfect duo to give the listeners an exclusive insight of what really goes on backstage.

In this episode Joe reveals this series 'J Word' quiz champions! Plus Kim chats fake tan and eyeliner with Claudia! The Strictly Come Dancing Official Podcast is made by ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Studios, produced by Kim Winston and edited by Jonathan O’Sullivan.

Listen now on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sounds.

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23 minutes

Episode Transcript:

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Sounds: Music. Radio. Podcasts.

[00:00:12] KIM: Joe, that's it. We're in double digits and Craig was certainly back. Wasn't he? And he was grumpy.

[00:00:19] JOE: But you know what? We wouldn't have him any other way. I think he was on top form. classic Craig.

[00:00:24] KIM: Sadly Motsi, she had to miss a week. She couldn't be there, but Cynthia was back. She had her encore. Brilliant. You know, I'm sure it's a different experience for her as well. Having Craig there.

[00:00:34] JOE: She seemed to slot into that role pretty good. Cause she was giving Craig a bit she was saying like, I disagree completely. I was like, whoa, this is what I want to see. My goodness.

[00:00:43] KIM: I think it's because she's so used to watching it from home. When you know, at home, you, you are like, no, I don't agree with that. And she probably just found yourself thinking, oh, I'm not my living room. I'm going to go for it.

[00:00:54] JOE: Because this Perspex, like separating them all now. I wonder if there's more disagreements because they feel a bit more comfortable hiding behind a bit of Perspex. I mean, I wonder

[00:01:02] KIM: Do you hide behind it though? If you can still see through it, but I know what you mean

[00:01:05] JOE: Yeah. It's like, it's still like a protective barrier kind of

[00:01:09] KIM: Interesting. We will find that out

[00:01:11] JOE: But unfortunately we had said goodbye to one couple, and this week it was Tilly and Nikita. I was genuinely gutted. See those guys go. I think, like I said before, out of everyone in a competition this year, Tilly, I feel like has been one of the ones that has grown in confidence the most.

Like when you look back to Tilly week one, and now you see the difference and she's come out of her shell, like she said, in her speech at the end, she has been completely transformed from this experience. And she was so, so lovely.

[00:01:39] KIM: I think is a wee bit like you as well. If you look back to, when you start to strictly to the end, I fell over. I mean, you can tell me if I'm wrong, but I felt like you were a totally different person

[00:01:49] JOE: Yeah, strictly as a machine. It's massive when you're involved in that and you're not used to it. You're not used to being on telly. It's quite a daunting thing. I, I see a bit of myself in Tilly. Like I could relate quite a lot because when you watch at the start, she did seem quite sort of this a bit bigger than I thought it would be.

Not what I'm used to. And then you gradually kind of get used to process. You get to meet everyone backstage, you start to become friends, everyone, and then you start to feel more and more comfortable, not only in the process, but also in yourself as well. And so that's what happened with me and I can totally see us what happened with Tilly.

[00:02:22] Tilly: It's just been the most extraordinary time. I found out stuff about myself I didn't know I could do. I didn't know I could dance and have fun like this. So just a massive, thank you, obviously. A huge thank you to Nikita, who has just made this the most amazing experience.

[00:02:40] KIM: Yeah, we'll never forget their couple's choice. I mean, that was only last week. What an absolute journey she went on. I've got a bit of a random story to tell you. So it was like cleaning through my office. Right. And I found a CD and on it was written Louis and Flavio showdance. And you know, how it used to work on Strictly.

We used. Like burn all the CD’s, all the music, and then you physically had to like hand it to the couples. So when they go through each week, you would go up to them and hand them a CD and they would guard it with their life. And that's what they used to rehearse with each week.

[00:03:19] JOE: Isn't it crazy how just from looking at the show, how much times have changed? I reckon give it a few years. Kim will all be sat with VR headsets on. So everyone at home can experience what it's like to be in that strictly ballroom sat on the front row. Next to Craig.

[00:03:32] KIM: Do you think?

[00:03:33] JOE: Yeah. A hundred percent. Yeah, there'll be a strictly VR thing.

You put the headset on and you can actually sit on one of the chairs. You can sit up and Claude's area can switch at the touch of a button in VR and you can be there and feel it and feel it you're actually there in the studio. Give it 10 years. I'm calling it now,

[00:03:49] KIM: Okay. In 10 years time, when they've got to two much younger cooler people presenting this, they can play this clip in and I'll be like, wow.

[00:03:56] JOE: Joe predicted that future.

[00:03:59] KIM: Right. Let's go on with the show while we were still here. So we started off with Rose and Giovanni, and I loved it when Anton kind of applauded her for starting on her own, like you kind of do forget.

I don't know. I think maybe as a viewer, you take it for granted. You're like, yeah, she is completely by herself. All, the attention is on her. I am, it was just a comment that I hadn't really fully kind of taken into account before. And I was pretty impressed.

[00:04:27] JOE: it's a hard thing to do. And it shows that Gio has so much faith and trust in her.

[00:04:32] KIM: Then a couple who did not start alone, they started together. It was Dan and Nadiya doing the Rumba. Absolutely loved it. Craig, slightly grumpier, not so much. We did have this positive to say.

[00:04:46] Craig: All that being said. I thought it was a lot better than I had expected. I can see that you've been working extremely hard. placing those fingers, you know? So I, I've got to commend you on that and I'm going to mark you up one more point than I normally would. Just for your involvement.

[00:05:06] JOE:  Shirley it's the queen of Rumba and she loved it. So to be honest, I think that's probably going to be the key comment that Dan and Nadiya are going to take away from that experience.

[00:05:14] KIM: Then we had the Lancashire lass. Do you know who I'm talking about?

[00:05:25] JOE:  Northern. Oh, uh, uh, AJ. Yes.

[00:05:31] KIM: Her VT, I thought was incredible. You know, strictly you'll know this, Joe, it's not just about the dance. It's about the VT as well. You know, that little video package with the play just before the dance, because that is where you do really get to know the couple like is super important. And I think that one kind of really, she really opened up, she exposed herself and you forget that during the week, don't you, it's not just the dance you've got to do.

You've got loads of other commitments as well. And that VT is one.

[00:05:58] JOE: But you've got to remember like getting your personality across in those VTs and sharing who you are is half the battle. So yeah, super, super important.

[00:06:07] KIM: And then we had Reese and Nancy. He got the A word from Shirley and to some was more important than getting the F word from Craig.

[00:06:20] Shirley: You have astounded me just everything about it at grace it had charm. And I felt your emotion. I never thought I would see that from you. I just want to give you a hug and say, well done.

[00:06:34] JOE: Uh, and then John and Johannes, I mean, they went last. John's favorite dance. He's been excited to do this dance from the start of the competition. I mean, I love that. He said that he found himself again and Anton mentioned that he hadn't seen anything that great since the Paso and also loved the history lesson from Craig really took me back to the, uh, the 1800s.

[00:06:53] Craig: was fantastic. Seeing the tango done in its original form. And I'm talking about way back to 1860. I mean, not over 160 years ago, it was all first dance by two men. And it was about, uh, being locked in a symbolic mortal combat. And that's exactly what you did tonight. I loved it.

[00:07:16] JOE: Well, do you know what? They definitely excelled and they had a great end tonight, but they also had a brilliant start to the day as well, because they took on the final J Word of the series. You ready for this?

[00:07:29] KIM: I'm excited.

*** The J Word – John and Johannes***

[00:07:34] JOE: So we are doing the very final of the J word, which is a little game that we’ve been playing throughout the series, where we take you back to your previous weeks to test your knowledge and your memory, or how good you are remembering things.

[00:07:47] J&J: Okay.

[00:07:48] JOE: you ready to take on the challenge? You are our last couple to do

[00:07:50] John: We're limbering up as we speak, Johannes is just touching his toes, doing a backbend… he's ready.

[00:07:58] JOE: Get nice and limber. John first question How many tiers were there on the cake that Johannes jumped out of when you met for the first time at a launch show?

John: Three

Joe: Correct! Ding, ding, dang, lovely start. Johannes. When you met John, he said he wanted you to whip him into shape. He wanted to dance 12 hours a day and have hips like who?

[00:08:20] Johannes: Shakira.

[00:08:22] JOE: Dang. Dang, dang. Correct. John. You have been top of the leaderboard twice so far. What were the dances and what was the combined scores?

[00:08:31] John: Uh, Paso 39 points, the Charleston, 38 points.

[00:08:38] JOE: Correct. I'm going to pretend. I didn't see. Johannes giving you a very obvious clue by doing an actual Charleston swivel while sat down, which is really impressive.

[00:08:49] John: things this boy can do. Let me tell you.

[00:08:53] JOE: Jo, Your chose to Charleston. Funny enough, it was set in a bakery name the three items that shop sold.

[00:08:58] Johannes: There was cupcakes. There was baguettes and macaroons.

[00:09:04] JOE: Well done.

Ìý°Ú00:09:10±Õ JOE: John, your Samba was set in a bar, but what colour were the table and chairs you were

[00:09:15] John: I'm colour-blind. You can't ask a colour-blind person that question - a yellow or lime green.

[00:09:21] JOE: Hey, do you know what? I'll take that. There you go!

[00:09:23] John: What were they do? Yellow?

[00:09:24] JOE: Yellow. There we go. Johannes, which judge said this for your Paso. ‘I didn't write a thing down seriously hot. And that was unbelievable.’

[00:09:34] Johannes: Craig?

[00:09:36] JOE: Exactly. Yes.

[00:09:37] John: So what was that missing point, Craig, if you didn't write anything down,

[00:09:40] JOE: Yeah.

[00:09:41] John: but didn't write anything down, but here’s nine points – robbed!

[00:09:47] JOE: Joe, what fruit did Johannes tell you to imagine yourself as for the Paso?

John: The Bananna

Joe: Yes. Correct.

Ìý°Ú00:09:56±Õ JOE: Johannes, what position were you in the running order for the very first dance you performed with John?

[00:10:03] Johannes: Ninth?

[00:10:04] JOE:  wrong. It was 12th for your tango.

[00:10:10] Johannes: of course.

Joe: John. This week is the Argentine tango name me three things that you've learned about this dance.

[00:10:19] John: Uh, Gancho which means hook, which is where you hook your legs between the other person's legs. I've learned that it hurts your hips and your bum and a bolero.

[00:10:30] JOE: Yeah, I'm giving the point. Yeah. Final question as well. Johannes what advice did Oli Alexander give you for the remainder of the competition after you dance to his song in week two?

[00:10:39] Johannes: oh my goodness. I think he just said keep killing it.

Ìý°Ú00:10:50±Õ JOE: Yes. Keep killing it.

[00:10:53] Johannes : Oh my goodness.

[00:10:56] JOE: Well, I'm proud of you. You've done very well. Nine. Excellent work.

[00:11:02] JOE: Almost a perfect score.

[00:11:03] John: story of our life.

[00:11:06] JOE: I am So looking forward to watching your Argentine tango tonight, I cannot wait. best of luck

***

[00:11:16] KIM: Joe unbelievably am I right in thinking that that means that we have the 2021 winners of the J word?

[00:11:25] JOE: We sure do the winners are Rose and Giovanni -  this is what they had to say when they heard the incredible news.

[00:11:34] Rose: I can’t believe I won this award! I feel very honoured, and I would like to bank my mum, my dad, my cat, my rabbit. I, I do not know what I would do without my cat and my rabbit.

[00:11:47] Gio: And I think, I want to say thank you to the chef in my restaurant. Um, and I wanna say thank you to my driver, to bring me here, to win this award with you and Rose. I have to say thank you to you. I could have done anything like this without you.

[00:12:02] Rose: No. You would not know what Pie and Mash is without me.

[00:12:04] Gio: I know. So thank you so much. I’m getting emotional…

[00:12:06] Rose: I know… and I think your chef is amazing because he gave you some food to help your brain to remember ….

[00:12:16] Gio: thank you so so much!

***

[00:12:30] KIM: I mean, incredible. You really can hear the emotion in their voices and the prize Joe! You pulled it out of the bag with that prize

[00:12:41] JOE: I thought he said it was two foot, the statute - the cup, but turns out it was two inches.

[00:12:46] KIM: I’ll put a photo up. It's the, it's the smallest cup I've ever seen in my entire life, but they look thrilled and Giovanni looks like he's about to go on a skiing holiday.

[00:12:54] JOE: He does! Doesn't he looks very Wham! Very Last Christmas, but it will make a great egg cup.  

[00:13:00] KIM: Exactly every cloud and all that. Did you word it kind of does live on a bit, doesn't it?

[00:13:05] JOE: Well, that's the thing you think it was all said and done. We've got our winners, you know, we've got all our losers. It left me in a really awkward position, Kim, because I had to tell Dan and Nadiya (who've been boasting for weeks) about how they're going to be second. You know how the current winners I had to break the news to them that they didn't actually win.

And oh, it did not go down very well.

*** Joe chats with Dan and Nadiya***

Joe: This is really awkward. There's no easy way to say this. You were solid second!

[00:13:34] Nadiya: Uh,

[00:13:36] Dan: You'd have to explain how we got beaten, because I always think that way, if you get a quiz and there's 10 questions in a quiz, for example, and you get all 10 of them, right? So that's 10 out of 10, so nobody can beat that. So how do you, how do you come second?

[00:13:50] JOE: I don't. I think it went down to questions that were answered in a quicker time,

[00:13:56] Nadiya: Well, but no one told us there was no in the rules to what's happening.

[00:14:04] Dan: no, no, no, no. Listen, I've hosted a daytime quiz, Joe. I know these rules. I know that you can't go changing the rules halfway through. I mean, let's be honest. Has Craig been involved in the judging?

[00:14:15] JOE: that I'm going to say yes, that is why.  

[00:14:20] Dan: I think we dealt with that quite graciously. Didn't we?

[00:14:23] Dan: we're very good losers.

[00:14:44] JOE: Dand, did you ever think that dance you were trying to avoid [the rumba] would be coming?

[00:14:50] Dan: I think I was a bit flippant before. There was no dance I'm trying to avoid at all. And actually the rumba was quite special on because if you go right back to week two, I think so the Monday of week two. Yep. Um, we were sat together in our training room in Sheffield, just having a chat, you know, getting to know each other as you do on Strictly.

And we're just talking about, you know, things that you like. And we both said that we'd always wanted to play the piano. My mum and dad's house was too small for piano. And Nadiya said she’d always wanted to learn how to play the piano.  And then I said, oh, can I play this? This is a piece of music I've always wanted to play on a piano.

And I played her ‘Desperado’ by The Eagles. And you said?

Nadiya: Oh this is a Rumba. My favourite dance!

Dan: Yes. Rumba’s difficult. Yes. It's like technical and very hard for particularly a male contestant. Um, but I genuinely cannot wait cause there's a proper story behind this Nadiya’s always dreamt of playing the piano in a red backless dress.  

[00:15:42] Nadiya: We have piano, we have a dream red backless dress. I'm dancing my favorite dance with this amazing man who worked so hard to get to week 10 to do a rumba.

[00:15:53] Dan: So come on,

[00:15:53] Nadiya: I mean, it's, it's just magical,

[00:15:56] Dan: Don’t worry about the Rumba. I've got your number.

[00:15:58] JOE: can't wait. I cannot wait. No idea. What is it about the Rumba that you love? Why is it your favorite dance?

[00:16:04] Nadiya: Oh, Joe, it's very beautiful dance and it's, it's really intense and it's a lot of details about it. And I love details.

[00:16:14] Dan: Every foot out of place is very visible  

[00:16:16] Nadiya: very

[00:16:17] Dan: but when Nadia talks about it like that, if somebody loves something that much and you spend time with them, you grow to love it as well.

So I've just sort of appreciated how much she enjoys, uh, dancing the Rumba. And I've seen the smile on her face all week, and I can't wait to do it. It's her favorite dance, it's week 10 of strictly. We're just enjoying every week of the minute. What's not to like about Rumba.  

[00:16:38] JOE: I mean, week 10. It's the final hurdle.

[00:16:40] Dan: I’m gonna go into football speak. We 're taking a each week as it comes.  Oh, by the way, Joe breaking news tonight on strictly come dancing.

I am dancing with two buttons undone.

[00:17:16] JOE: Oh

[00:17:17] Dan: I'm going to flash a bit of collarbone at you tonight. I've never had two buttons on done on any TV program I've ever done. So.

[00:17:25] JOE: oh, on that bombshell, I'm gonna leave you guys to it. Thank you so much for chatting to me and, uh, wish you all the best for tonight. I'm really looking forward to it.

[00:17:32] Dan: Thank you.

****

[00:18:06] KIM: Time for kind of my favorite part of the week. We hand the power over to you. So we asked you to send questions for the one the only Claudia Winkleman.

[00:18:15] JOE: We can get away with more because it doesn't come from us. We can use the barrier of saying it's coming from the hardcore Strictly fans…

[00:18:21] KIM: And this is what you had to ask…

***Kim Chats with Claudia Winkleman***

Kim: Eh, Claude. It’s after the live show. You’re munching on chocolate?

[00:18:30] Claudia: Well, because one must, this is, I would like to use the word a chocolaty cornflake bite, I believe is what it is. And normally I'd eat 15, but while I talk to you, I won't eat in here. I promise because otherwise nobody wants to hear crunching.

[00:18:43] KIM: It's been a fantastic show. We've got a lot of questions to get through, so I'm just going to get started if that's okay. Nicola has a fantastic question. If you could dance one dance on Strictly with Dave Arch what would it be?

[00:18:54] Claudia: I think it might be either Nirvana, Nevermind. Uh, lots of black eyeliner on both of us, but I also, I have a penchant, soft spot if you like for Barry Manilow. And I feel that we would truly fall in love if we were dancing to Mandy.

[00:19:11] KIM: That's not what I expected! Chloe's question. Which department is more important, eyeliner or fake tan?

[00:19:21] Claudia: So Chloe, you and I are going to need to spend at least 24 hours together to discuss this. I can't cope without either, but I think on strictly I am nothing without fake tan.

[00:19:33] KIM: I don't think I've ever seen your natural color or your natural eyes.

[00:19:36] Claudia: I'm going to be honest, neither have I. The eyeliner you see was first applied in the 1970s. I haven't taken it off since.

[00:19:43] KIM:  Jazz wants to know what's your funniest experience on Strictly.

[00:19:49] Claudia: Oh, there've been many. I don't even know where to begin, but once there was, I'm going to say this word, a Lindy-hop-athon, which got extremely confusing and we didn't really understand what we were doing and Bruno Tonioli saved the day. So it was sort of a horrific, but funny.

[00:20:05] KIM: Oh, I remember it is so well. everyone was just really sweaty and Lola wants to know Tess a couple of weeks ago on the podcast said that you steal her sweets before the show is this true. And Lola wants to know what do you normally go for?

[00:20:20] Claudia: This is a very good question. Yes. Because Tess has just got, you know, other people's sweets are better than your own. And I go in, and you know what she had? Minature Yule logs. There you go a ring, a ding, ding, but let me share this, if that was bad. So I stole her sweets. I know, and I apologize to Tess, but I love her… Tess at the end of the show has a pizza with pineapple on it. So guys, who's the baddie now?

[00:20:43] KIM: I don't mind a pineapple. She also said that she would never get in a lift with you again, but she wouldn't tell us why.

[00:20:47] Claudia: I can't reveal anything about that.

[00:20:50] KIM: Last question, Reese, age nine. What are you doing during the show when we can't see you?

[00:20:55] Claudia: Oh, Reese, you are so sweet. What I'm doing is I'm watching the dancing and I'm really listening to the judge's comments and I'm just watching our contestants and our pros faces because sometimes they put on a brave face. Like, okay. Oh, you didn't like it. And some of those they're so happy. You can see they're just trying to hold it in, holding the emotion in.

So yeah, I'm watching the show just like Reece is!

[00:21:15] KIM: Brilliant Claude. Thanks so much. I mean, we could have asked any question in the entire world and she would have answered. She’s great!

[00:21:41] KIM: Tilly and Nikita, they will be chatting to Rylan on Monday on it takes two. That is it from us. We will be back next week.

[00:21:48] Joe and Kim: In the meantime….

[00:21:49] Joe and Kim: Keeeeep…. Listening!  

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