Page 54 of Take the Lead
I finally find my tongue.
‘I knew Aleksis had put together something special, but I just thought, I don’t know, because two other people got eliminated after their tangos … I’m in shock. Delighted though. Aleksis really is an amazing teacher and I’m so happy our score reflects that. He’s just the best.’
‘That’s so sweet! Really well done, guys,’ Kimberley says.
‘So audience, you’ve seen one dance from each of our couples, and Kate and Emilia are tied at the top, with Tammy just three tenths of a point behind in third place, which means there’s still everything to dance for.
So without further ado, let’s bring Merle and Emilia back onto the stage to find out more about their week, as well as what winning would mean to them. ’
I avoid eye contact as we pass each other on the stage, but I can sense Merle is glaring at me. He must be wondering what I’m playing at. I keep my eyes on Aleksis, determined not to let Merle burst my bubble after our amazing comments from Jacques.
‘That was so good.’ Tammy pats me on the back as I reach the side of the stage.
‘I told you you could do it,’ Aleksis adds, giving me a hug. ‘Come on, we’ve got to go and get changed for our next dance. Good luck for your freestyle, Tammy, if we’re not back in time.’
Kelly bustles us into the costumes room and within two minutes I’m out of my red dress and into a shimmering blue and green mini dress.
While Hannah gives my hair a quick spritz and Leyla adds some turquoise glitter around my eyes, I steal a few glances at the TV monitor that tells them how much time they have to work on us – and see that Emilia and Merle are reviving their breathtakingly hot bachata.
To maintain suspense, the audience scores are collected afterwards but not divulged, so Kimberley can do a big reveal after all three performances. But judging by the audience reaction, it must be high.
I catch a glimpse of Tammy’s at-home video while Leyla gives my face a last dusting of bronzer.
Her parents’ house is so crammed with aunties, cousins and neighbours she can barely get through the door.
But it’s only when Aleksis and I are backstage again that we discover she decided to repeat her merengue after all – her favourite dance rather than her top scorer.
‘I have to say, the atmosphere is absolutely electric up here on the stage this evening,’ Kimberley is saying. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, give it up one more time for our merengue masters Tammy and Elijah. And now let’s give another warm welcome to our final couple of the night – Kate and Aleksis!’
I’m sure I can pick out Lucy’s voice among the cheers as we join Kimberley on the stage.
‘This week Kate and Aleksis jetted off to France in between rehearsals for a surprise visit to Kate’s family,’ she says. ‘And here’s a glimpse of their impromptu French vacation …’
At the end of the video, which is a lovely reminder of our trip, she compliments my sister on her gorgeous home and makes the audience laugh by inviting herself along when we next go down there.
‘I think all our hearts were warmed by the delight on your family’s faces when you surprised them with that visit, Kate, so we’ve decided to recreate that mood in the studio tonight,’ she smiles.
‘So before you start your final dance, here to watch you perform in person for the first time ever in the competition, all the way from France, it’s your sister Dee, your brother-in-law Pete, your niece and nephew Nathan and Daisy, plus your mum Carol and dad Jim. ’
And I’m so grateful I knew this was coming because otherwise I would have burst into tears as they all run out to join us on stage.
When our giant group hug finally breaks up, Kimberley asks Dee how it feels to be here supporting me.
‘We’re loving it,’ Dee says. ‘We’ve been watching it all on TV of course, but this is so much more exciting! I really hope they win.’
‘Well on that note, it’s time for us to see Kate and Aleksis in action for the very last time,’ Kimberley says.
‘Guys, if I can ask you to head to the centre of the stage, and the rest of you, follow me. Ladies and gentlemen; for their final dance, Kate and Aleksis have chosen the salsa – a brave move after their first attempt, which nearly saw them leaving the competition. But a lot has changed in these last few weeks. Let’s find out if their salsa style is one of them. ’
She steps out of the spotlight with my family in tow and we get ready to begin.
Aleksis smiles at me. ‘Remember, just have fun with it.’
I promise him I’ll try.
Where Merle and Emilia’s salsa was all about speed, lifts and spins, ours is all about tricks and giggles.
Aleksis does as many spins as I do, dips to the floor and spins me by my knees rather than my waist, then pops up and spins me using his feet rather than his hands.
He ducks under my arms, making it look unexpected, then folds my left hand towards my shoulder, raises my elbow to his mouth and plays my arm like a trumpet, which never fails to make me smile.
We break apart for a solo section where it looks like we’re trying to outdo each other and I’m relieved that I don’t mess it up. Then there are a few final spins before he drops me into a dip … and my last ever Fire on the Dance Floor performance is over.
The volume of the cheering as he pulls me to my feet and kisses me tells me he judged it exactly right – the audience loved it.
‘That was adorable,’ Kimberley gushes. ‘Let’s go straight to the judges and hear their reactions.’
‘It was cute, but I don’t know if it was enough,’ Jacques says, which draws a gasp from the audience and feels like a spear straight through my heart.
‘I mean, there’s no denying we’re seeing a very different Kate to the one who dragged her heels through a more serious salsa just a few short weeks ago,’ he continues.
‘But I can’t help feeling this routine has forgotten what the show is about – fire on the dance floor. To me this was more of a gentle hug.’
‘I disagree!’ Sophie interrupts, lifting my spirits again.
‘You two took a huge gamble choosing to redo your salsa tonight and I, for one, think it paid off. It was charming, fun and flirtatious. I love the chemistry between the two of you. Look how much fun they were having! Look how they were bouncing off each other! It may not have been a sizzling salsa, but I still felt the sparks flying.’
‘Thank you, judges. Quite the split opinions there,’ Kimberley says.
‘But how will our studio audience feel? Do you want Kate and Aleksis to blaze their way to the top, or are their dreams about to go up in smoke? Ladies and gentlemen, for the last time, please pick up your keypads and enter your final scores of the series.’
After the judges’ comments I genuinely have no idea how this is going to go. Was it not the right move picking a light-hearted final dance? Should we have repeated our bachata after all?
At least we won’t be kept in suspense for long.
Kimberley invites Tammy, Elijah, Merle and Emilia back out onto the dance floor.
‘Guys, this is it,’ she says. ‘It’s now time to find out who is the first ever winner of Fire on the Dance Floor .
But before we reveal our first ever champion, I’d like to say a huge thank you to our three judges, Mariana, Jacques and Sophie, who’ve shared their opinions and their expertise with us over the past few weeks, and to everyone else who’s been working so hard behind the scenes to make all this possible.
And to you, the audience, of course, for supporting us over the last five weeks.
We’ve had an absolute ball making the show and I’m delighted to be able to tell you that Fire on the Dance Floor will be returning for a second series next summer, and that’s all thanks to you. ’
This sparks more whooping from the audience.
‘As we get ready to reveal the final scores for each couple, let’s have a quick reminder of all this evening’s action. First we saw Tammy and Elijah dancing the rumba, which they followed up with their favourite dance, the merengue, and they currently stand in third place with 9.4.
‘Then we had Merle and Emilia wowing us with their salsa, which put them, momentarily, in first place with a massive score of 9.7 – and they followed that up with another amazing performance of their sultry bachata.
‘But Kate and Aleksis equalled their score when they broke the Fire on the Dance Floor curse with their beautiful Argentine tango, which also bagged them a 9.7. Then they entertained us with their own take on the salsa.
‘With less than half a point separating all three couples, anyone could be walking away with the twenty-five thousand pound prize tonight.’
‘Go Tammy!’ someone shouts from the audience.
‘Emilia!’ another voice calls out.
‘Kate!’ someone adds, then everyone is shouting for their favourites until Kimberley manages to quieten them all down again.
‘And now, the waiting is finally over. It’s time to announce who will be crowned tonight’s king or queen of the dance floor. Can I have a drum roll please.’
The band obliges and it feels like my heart is thumping at the same speed.
‘In third place,’ Kimberley says, ‘after scoring a respectable 8.9 for their snappy merengue, giving them a total of 18.3, it’s Tammy and Elijah.
Hard luck, guys, but absolutely well done for making it this far in the competition.
You did such a brilliant job, you really did.
It could have been anyone’s night tonight and I’m sorry it wasn’t yours, but we’ve loved having you along for the ride.
Tammy and Elijah, everyone – our third place finalists. ’
They give each other a consolatory hug and wave to the audience, who respond with a long round of applause. Aleksis squeezes my hand and my heart beats even faster.