Well, Strictly Come Dancing's all over for another year.  I should probably have written my blog sooner after the Final 'cos although less than a week has passed, it seems AGES away.

The Final was at Blackpool Tower Ballroom and was great fun.  The pro dancers opened the show with a gladiator routine with the finalists arriving in chariots.  Tess's dress was superb, sequinned with net from the thighs, she looked like a mermaid! 

I really didn't have a favourite (once Holly got voted off), so was waiting with bated breath to be swept away.

For the first part, "the judges' choice", Harry & Aliona did their quickstep, Jason & Kristina did their Priscilla tango and Chelsee & Pasha did their Shrek jive - Pasha didn't have the full green makeup this time, just the ears, which looked well silly.  All high scoring and all superb.  The showdances were also excellent, Harry & Aliona doing a rock 'n' roll routine, Chelsee & Pasha doing a disco-type dance with loads of scary lifts but Jason & Kristina were the best by far - doing a more traditional Hollywood type routine with costume changes.  Jason is such a great performer, so I voted, just the once, for Jason & Kristina.

Leaderboard
Jason and Kristina - 38 + 40 = 78
Harry and Aliona - 40 + 37 = 77
Chelsee and Pasha - 39 + 36 = 75

Lot of good that phone call did!  A couple of hours later, in part two, he & Kristina were eliminated - the couple with the least votes!

So, down to just the two couples...next up was a new dance for each of them...
Harry & Aliona performed an american smooth, just beautiful, the transitions in & out of lifts was flawless.  Chelsee & Pasha did a wonderful rumba, the judges scored them both 39 points.

Jessie J. was on next, singing that hit of hers..."b-bling, b-bling, kerching, kerching", wearing a really weird outfit with HUGE sci-fi shoulder pads.  She'd brought her own dancers (I use the word loosely).  They weren't a patch on the Strictly pros.

Then the couples' last dance, their own favourite.  Harry & Aliona did their argentine tango - just brilliant.  And Chelsee & Pasha did their quickstep with the airline theme.

Well, I just couldn't decide.  First I voted once for Harry, because his american smooth was indeed so smooth.  Then, because a VT about Chelsee had tugged at my heartstrings, I voted once for her.  Then after the argentine tango, I voted once more for Harry.  So fickle! 

Leaderboard
Harry and Aliona - 40 + 37 + 39 + 40 = 156
Chelsee and Pasha - 39 + 36 + 39 + 39 = 153

And Harry & Aliona won.  His McFly bandmates dashed on stage after the announcement - which annoyed me a bit.  It was Harry's moment, he'd worked so hard for so many weeks, how disrespectful of them!  Harry managed a few words but no chance for Aliona for have a say. Chelsee & Pasha never had time to speak either - I blame the McFlies.

So all done for another year (unless you count the Christmas special - which I don't).