Turkish delight! Caroline Flack soars to the top of the Strictly Come Dancing leader board as she wows judges with Middle Eastern-infused Charleston
On Saturday's instalment of Strictly Come Dancing, Caroline Flack announced that she's determined to make it to the quarter finals.
And after teaming up with her dance partner Pasha Kovalev to perform a high-energy Charleston, the judges seemed to agree, awarding her a board-topping score of 39 out of a possible 40.
Despite the dance being American, Caroline and Pasha gave their routine a Turkish twist for the show's Dancing Around The World special.
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Hot steppers: Caroline Flack and her dance partner Pasha Kovalev wowed the judges on Strictly Come Dancing when they performed a Turkish-themed Charleston on Saturday
Wearing a yellow tasselled backless dress, she also scored huge cheers from the audience as she showed off her fancy footwork to The Four Lads' 1950s classic Istanbul (Not Constantinople).
'It was so fun!' Caroline breathlessly told the audience and judges as she struggled to regain her breath after the routine. 'That was brilliant. I loved it.'
And the judges agreed, with Darcey Bussell cooing: 'It was amazing! Just fabulous moves! You are a brilliant dancer.'
Celebration: Caroline jumped into Pasha's arms as she learned she'd scored 39 out of a possible 40
Bust a move: The TV personality and Pasha performed a high-energy routine in Turkish-inspired costume
Added head judge Len Goodman: 'I had a good vibe about this dance and it was your best.'
Bruno Tonioli agreed, telling her: 'It was so sharp. I absolutely adored it.'
And even sharp-tongued Craig Revel Horwood couldn't find a bad word to say, as he told her: 'I can see you doing that in the final, I really can.'
Good times: A breathless Caroline admitted that she had a lot of fun performing the routine
International: The routine was performed as a part of the show's Dancing Around The World special
'I feel like I'm going to cry,' an ecstatic Caroline told co-host Claudia Winkleman after listening to the glowing assessments.
And after revealing that she was eager to perform the Charleston on the show after seeing Sophie Ellis-Bextor perform it last year, she jumped into her partner's arms after learning of her score.
Pixie Lott trailed Caroline by just one point as she and her partner Trent Whiddon performed the Viennese Waltz in a Dutch-themed routine.
Big hit: Pixie Lott followed Caroline with an impressive score of 38 out of a possible 40
Going Dutch: Pixie and her partner Trent Whiddon performed the Viennese Waltz in a Dutch-inspired routine
Handing out tulips at start of her routine, Pixie showed perfect poise as she swept across the dance floor to the tones of the '50s classic Tulips From Amsterdamn, popularised by Max Bygraves.
After she received a standing ovation from the audience, Craig told the singer: 'We've all come to expect great things from you and I've got to admit that did not disappopint... I really, really enjoyed it.'
For her efforts, Pixie landed a 38, as did Blue hunk Simon Webbe, who was praised uninamously for his Austrian-themed Waltz with Kristina Rihanoff.
Smooth mover: Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff also scored 38 for their Austrian-themed Waltz
Comeback kid: The Blue hunk has been enjoying a great run after enduring some rough patches
After elegantly dancing to The Sound Of Music number Edelweiss, Simon said: 'That's such a beautiful dance.'
Len told him: 'You're the comeback kid... You're coming back every week stronger and stronger. Fabulous!'
Also gliding her way to a comfortable position on the board was Frankie Bridge, whose American Jive with Kevin Clifton earned a score of 36.
Making waves: Frankie Bridge and Kevin Clifton began their Jive routine on a surfboard
Shake it like a Polaroid picture: The Saturdays beauty's moves earned her a respectable 36
Hair we go: Known for her pixie cut, the singer wore a long wig to add to her sexy look
Wearing a sexy red tasselled number, the singer at an impressively fast pace on and off a surfboard to the Beach Boys' Surfin' U.S.A.
Following Frankie's performance, Craig purred: 'How you jive on a surfboard is beyond me, darling. I really loved it.'
An out of breath Frankie later admitted: 'I've been dreading the jive because [Kevin] is so quick and so bouncy.'
Ab fab: Mark Wright delighted the audience when he ripped open his shirt during his routine
Mark Wright and his partner Karen Hauer transported themselves to Las Vegas for a salsa routine that saw the star raise temperatures as he ripped his tight pink shirt open.
The former TOWIE heart-throb wowed the cheering studio audience as he shimmied and shook to the tones of the Elvis Presley hit Viva Las Vegas.
And, not one to miss an opportunity to show off evidence of his close relationship with the gym, the TV personality unbuttoned his shirt to display his taut abs and waxed chest - much to the delight of the audience.
Gamble: The TV personality and his partner Karen Haeur performed the Salsa in a Las Vegas-themed setting
While he got overall positive reviews, Mark did receive some criticism for his timing, before he was awarded a respectable 32.
'I'm not naturally talented [at dancing],' he said. 'I never danced before I started this show... And now I love it so much. The quarter final is next week. If I made that I'd probably just faint.'
Things didn't go as smoothly for Sunetra Sarker, who scored 27 out of 40 for her Rumba with Brendan Cole.
Opa! Despite his efforts, Jake Wood failed to shine as he performed a Greek-infused Argentine Tango
With the judges agreed that her Brazilian-set routine was difficult, Craig surmised: 'It lacked the sureness and the steadiness that this dance requires.'
Noted Sunetra: 'Dancing is outside of my comfort zone, but the rumba is another zone completely.'
But Jake Wood's performance was probably the most dsiappointing of the night, as he appeared to have lost his usual spark while performing a Greek-infused Argentine Tango.
Fizzle: Normally earning top scores, Jake and Janette Manrara picked up a meagre 29 out of 40
The EastEnders star seemed to show much promise as he began his routine enegertically yelling the Greek exclamation: 'Opa!'
And while he showed some smooth and controlled dance moves during his routine, his stumble part-way through lost him a lot of vital points - and earned him a harsh critique.
Craig branded it 'a complete dance disaster', adding: 'That went horribly wrong from the beginning... It didn't work, sadly.'
Let's get ready to rumba: Actress Sunetra Sarker earned 27 out of 40 for her Brazilian-set Rumba
The audience and Jake alike were later stunned when Craig handed him a record low score of just five out of 10.
While the other judges were a little more encouraging, the routine earned Jake a relatively mediocre total of 29 out of 40, leaving him visibly disappointed.
The stars will find out who goes home on Sunday's instalment of the BBC1 show, with the final six advancing to next weekend's quarter finals.
Ladies' night: Claudia Winkleman, left, and Tess Daly, right, shared a hug as they co-presented the show
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2854371/Caroline-Flack-soars-Strictly-Come-Dancing-leader-board-wows-judges-Middle-Eastern-infused-Charleston.html#ixzz3KV8Njm4f
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