B oth of them failed to reach the top five on the leaderboard . One of them was told his fingers looked like bananas. And the other was called out for having zero technique.
But Chris McCausland and Paul Merson were, without a doubt, the hilarious, heavy-footed heroes of Strictly week two. Tensions were high as the glitziest competition on telly returned to BBC One for its second live episode of the season – with all 15 celebrities and their pro partners on edge ahead of the first public vote, and anxious not to go through the undignified experience of being eliminated straight off the bat. But former footballer Merson and comedian McCausland – the show’s first ever blind star – cut through any unease with their dad dancing, cracking one-liners and absolute commitment to the cause.
Merson’s return to the dancefloor was eagerly anticipated after his week one performance – an unhinged American Smooth to the football anthem “Vindaloo” by Fat Les, which was dubbed “very special and different” by the judges. And boy, did he deliver. Merson and his pro partner Karen Hauer did the Salsa to “Fireball” by Pitbull.
Cue Merson in leopard print trousers, waving barbecue tongs in the air and doing a mad move where he sort of thrust-jumped his way over to Hauer, a baffled grin plastered on his face the entire time. Just stunning. The only problem? It was hard not to wince when Craig Revel Horwood joked that Merson’s drink prop at the start must have given him conf.