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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 11, 2017 15:45:30 GMT
Thanks for this - can you tell me which box is which?! Theatremonkey's seating plan labels them boxes 1, 2, 4 and 5 - and the Ticketmaster one has A, B, D and E - I'm presuming the letters follow the numbers but, with a lack of finalised seating plan on any site, it's gotten a little confusing! Which are the boxes closest to the stage - Ticketmaster's plan appears to indicate that box B is closer than A, but I'm wondering if that's correct? Royal Box C is on the left, further from the stage of the two boxes. I would think it has a better view than the one closer to the stage. You miss everything that happens on the stairs on the left, which isn't a huge amount I am guessing. I would recommend the boxes on the right, since very little happens there. Thanks for that - I think I might book one of the right hand boxes, as I've spotted quite a few have opened up later in the run, and I've only booked 3 out of my 6 allowed tickets so far! I wonder if the new booking period (soon?) will also reset everyone's allowances (will there still be a restriction on the number of tickets people can book)?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 11, 2017 15:06:55 GMT
Yes, I sat in Royal Circle Box B and the view was fine. You miss the right hand side of the set and anything that happens on the right hand balcony (not much happens here, you miss maybe 60 second max) and would recommend for the price. The boxes on the right offer a better view as more happens on the left hand side of the stage than the right so you would miss more by choosing the boxes on the left. Thanks for this - can you tell me which box is which?! Theatremonkey's seating plan labels them boxes 1, 2, 4 and 5 - and the Ticketmaster one has A, B, C and D - I'm presuming the letters follow the numbers but, with a lack of finalised seating plan on any site, it's gotten a little confusing! Which are the boxes closest to the stage - Ticketmaster's plan appears to indicate that box B is closer to the stage than A (and D closer than C - although the pricing would say to me that A/C - £75 - are the better seats than B/D at £57.50!), but I'm wondering if that's correct?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 11, 2017 14:25:30 GMT
Has anyone had any of the box seats in the Royal Circle recently? How much of the view is restricted?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 11, 2017 6:42:17 GMT
But I have a. question in general what Pulitzer Prize winning musicals got the Olivier Award and good reviews in London? And which ones did not survive the crossing of the pond. How does Hamilton fare in this ? According to wiki: "Nine musicals have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, roughly one per decade from the 1930s to the 2010s¹. They are: George and Ira Gershwin's Of Thee I Sing (1932), Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (1950), Bock & Harnick's Fiorello! (1960), Frank Loesser's How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962), Marvin Hamlisch, Ed Kleban, James Kirkwood, and Nicholas Dante's A Chorus Line (1976), Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George (1985), Jonathan Larson's Rent (1996), Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt's Next to Normal (2010), and Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton (2016)." Given the Oliviers have only been going since the 70's, we're missing the first 4, but A Chorus Line and Sunday in the Park with George both won Oliviers. I was surprised to find Rent didn't win - it lost to something called 'Kat and the Kings'! Next to Normal never transferred to London or, at least, hasn't yet.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 10, 2017 15:25:06 GMT
There definitely isn't space for an extra row at the back, and the space in front of K is huge, so I think the extra row will fit comfortably. As there are exits at either side and the centre (all at the rear) and then sides at the front, I wouldn't have thought that having a cross-aisle is essential (I'm thinking of Her Majesty's where the central aisle just stops with no access to the sides) but I am expecting it to be similar to the aisle in front of the side blocks of row L at the Prince Edward, where it's wide enough to use, but not excessively wide. Thanks for that - interesting to know about all the side access doors. The lack of a finalised plan, at the moment, is mildly frustrating, as well as the reports that it's a bit of a maze to find your way around. After all, planning your ninja interval exit to the loo, and then getting to the bar for your drink, needs strategy!!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 10, 2017 15:04:57 GMT
I’m wondering about row K. Looks like the extra row goes in this weekend (row Q), so perhaps that means an extra row in front of K (a new row K) and the old K becomes L and so on. Can’t see how they’d fit an extra row in otherwise? Has anyone, who's been there this week, noticed how much room is at the back of the stalls, and if they could add a row there, rather than extending into the passageway between front and rear stalls? The idea that they would add a new row in front of K, is certainly an interesting one, but surely the building safety certificates would have been granted in light of the existing emergency exit routes (which would include that clear run from side to side at row K) - plus disabled/step free access routes etc. If row Q, at the back of the stalls, doesn't lie along any declared emergency exits or access routes, and there is the room to have it, then that would be the most logical place to put it. I'm particularly curious, as my ticket (in just over 2 week's time) is supposed to be the last row of the stalls, in the original plan. I'll be fascinated to discover whether row T is as per the original plan with a new row in front, or if I've effectively moved back one extra row!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 8, 2017 11:47:51 GMT
What time has the show been coming down? I’m trying to work out bus home - thanks! Last night it was done around 22:30. Was quite surprised there was only one set of taking bows and despite the standing ovation and cheering the house lights came on pretty quickly once the cast left the stage. Allow up to 10 minutes to get out as everyone starts rushing to the exits as soon as the house lights come on and the place is a maze!!! Enjoy! Is it really running 15 minutes longer than the 2h45min usual time? I wonder what's causing the extended time? Perhaps a tiny bit late starting, and a slightly extended interval?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 8, 2017 11:45:21 GMT
I'm genuinely surprised to hear a musical theatre professional with such a pronounced lisp. The vast majority of lisps can be 'trained out'by speech therapists, because the root cause is often incorrect tongue placement during speech, dating back from childhood (toddlers often speak with that 'baby lisp' because they're only just learning how to form words correctly!). There are speech impediments made worse by tongue ties and severe dental/jaw issues, but there are very few lisps that are entirely irreversible. I listened to just one song with him on, and the lisp is a bit distracting, and you seem to lose the 'cleanness' of the lyrics, because of his delivery. Shame for such a silly thing to get in the way of a good performance.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 7, 2017 11:49:07 GMT
It'll be interesting to see if they've actually solved the touting, or if the touts are there, just trapped for ~3 hours with their paying customers, having had to escort them into the theatre, and there being a kind of lockdown perimeter, which is preventing interval exits! I can certainly see that the system of checking and scanning has been carefully planned, and near flawlessly executed. God help us all, though, if there's is a system outage for any performance! Fingers crossed they've also rehearsed the back up plan, of reverting to manual lists! Given this is pretty much a pilot project for the West End, and it looks like it's working well, I'd be amazed if other theatre groups don't catch on, and use this, for an increasing number of shows. Whilst Hamilton can likely survive for a decent run length, without having to rely on discount ticket sales through partner sites/locations (e.g. TKTS), other shows won't be as lucky, and they'll need a TKTS link-in, to perform a similar function, of providing just credit card confirmations, and then actual tickets on the door. A complex system, which might not be to everyone's choice. The smaller productions just wouldn't sustain on a named-ticket basis, IMO. The thing is though, do any other shows need to prevent touting in the West End? Everything else always seems to have plenty of availability so it’s down to the punters to make sure they’re looking in the right place for tickets. It’s not exactly difficult! Ticket touting is endemic - and really not anything, at all, to do with how many tickets are sold or unsold for specific performances of individual shows. You can point to numerous shows that are 'sold out' at the weekend, and have plenty of availability during the week, but you'll still find that those weekends and weekdays include tickets that are on the resale market. Neither the theatre or primary ticket agent are benefiting from the resale, and the money from vastly inflated ticket prices isn't finding it's way anywhere except the reseller's pockets. The fact that Hamilton operates a no-hassle refund operation, that allows for a refund minus a small admin fee, means that no one, ever, should have to claim a need to sell on tickets, if not able to use long-booked tickets.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 7, 2017 11:18:26 GMT
Quick question - how much are they charging for the standard programme? I noticed that the souvenir brochure is £10, so am hoping that they've not priced the smaller programme at a ridiculous level. I do wish they'd adopt the US practice of giving all ticket holders a standard playbill - for the price of any ticket (even the cheapest) surely they could afford it?! 4 pounds So, not actually the most expensive in West End?! I'm a little surprised, but relieved that it's reasonably affordable.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 7, 2017 11:15:23 GMT
From what I remember it was swiped It was swiped, my card also has difficulty. To note there were about 15/20 people at the box office whose cards obviously didn’t work but it was all sorted out in time. Excellent way of solving touting and it might catch on. But what about buying tickets as a present for someone else? That’s the only blip. It'll be interesting to see if they've actually solved the touting, or if the touts are there, just trapped for ~3 hours with their paying customers, having had to escort them into the theatre, and there being a kind of lockdown perimeter, which is preventing interval exits! I can certainly see that the system of checking and scanning has been carefully planned, and near flawlessly executed. God help us all, though, if there's is a system outage for any performance! Fingers crossed they've also rehearsed the back up plan, of reverting to manual lists! Given this is pretty much a pilot project for the West End, and it looks like it's working well, I'd be amazed if other theatre groups don't catch on, and use this, for an increasing number of shows. Whilst Hamilton can likely survive for a decent run length, without having to rely on discount ticket sales through partner sites/locations (e.g. TKTS), other shows won't be as lucky, and they'll need a TKTS link-in, to perform a similar function, of providing just credit card confirmations, and then actual tickets on the door. A complex system, which might not be to everyone's choice. The smaller productions just wouldn't sustain on a named-ticket basis, IMO.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 7, 2017 10:54:07 GMT
Quick question - how much are they charging for the standard programme? I noticed that the souvenir brochure is £10, so am hoping that they've not priced the smaller programme at a ridiculous level. I do wish they'd adopt the US practice of giving all ticket holders a standard playbill - for the price of any ticket (even the cheapest) surely they could afford it?!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 7, 2017 6:23:59 GMT
Does anyone know what the schedule for the alternate Hamilton performances is?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 6, 2017 15:26:21 GMT
Have a great time - I'll be there in just over 3 week's time!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 6, 2017 15:22:13 GMT
Another little look at the Theatre I went to the theatre before to see if I could pick up my tickets for tonight early - they said I couldn’t and that “ushers swipe your cards on arrival and you get a paperless ticket”. On another note I’ve never seen so many workmen hard at it! I hope all the paint dries and things are put away by 6pm tonight! Eek. Don't lean against anything without testing it first! One bonus, you get to experience what it's like for the Queen - that old saying that she thinks everywhere smells like fresh paint! Also, first preview might not be the night to test the bartenders' skills during the interval, so just stick with an easy glass of wine! Fingers crossed we'll get some people coming back here to report on the overall experience - how the theatre copes with the ticket situation, the security and, most importantly, what the toilet queues are like!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 6, 2017 10:29:53 GMT
I wouldn't mind it so much if there was something actually special about the seats, other than being in the (supposedly) best place of the theatre for views. For example, at most cinema chains these days you can shell out extra for 'premium' seats, which are usually two rows in the middle, with the best views - but they're also bigger seats, comfier, often wider, with a higher back, so you really are getting a better experience for your money. Ironically, cinemas are a place that you can often get a premium seat, for a standard price. One of the cinemas near me has gone all-out in refurbishing to a very high standard. Every seat in the building is a leather recliner, massively reducing the capacity of each screen, but ensuring a hugely comfortable experience, for the exact same price as the standard seating in the cinema just a few miles away. I now have a potential weekly treat of a cinema trip (with my Meerkat movie code) for half price tickets, and we can pay just £5-6 each for a very good, comfortable experience. If I want super cheap cinema tickets, my local cinema is priced at just £4 per ticket, at all times, for all seats. Not the super comfortable seats of the other one, but a local, independent cinema, showing a wide range of films from blockbusters to indies, plus NT and ROH live screenings. I'm pretty lucky! Live theatre is priced at a premium, to start with, so when they start adding 'VIP' and 'premium' onto already expensive tickets, without any real indication that the experience will reflect the extra price paid, I get aggrieved, like a lot of you. Only with extensive research, do you perhaps find the seats that have the right price, for the better experience. I've frequently been sat in a seat, just next to one priced at the premium level, and can genuinely see no difference as to why the person next to me was obliged to pay extra for that position in the theatre!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 4, 2017 20:40:05 GMT
I also think the costumes have deteriorated. What is going on? Much like Joe and Katya's samba this week, it's most likely 'Money, Money'!! It seems dressmaking corners have had to be cut, to pay for all those extra (unnecessary) dancers, the pyrotechnics and set building for every dance! Back in the day, the celebs danced on an empty floor, with no props, almost ever! I'd estimate it started around 5 years ago, when the standard of costuming was trimmed further and further back, probably to cope with sheer costume numbers (increased celeb numbers, more pro dances etc). Now, cheaper fabrics, shoddy embellishments, and poor design are standard. I believe they used to have Su Judd as the costume designer pre-2012, as well as someone else conceptualising a lot of the performances. It's an insane amount of work that they have to do, but it's absolutely clear that the extra costuming they have to do every week - often 2 full pro-numbers, plus multiple guest performer supporting dancers - has meant the standards have slipped from their previous high.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 4, 2017 15:24:13 GMT
They also, for reasons unknown, decided to make the sleeves 3/4 length. That, alone, makes the whole top of the outfit look weird, and then you get to the bottom half, and it's a whole different mess! The first shoes should have looked like this (these are the original film's shoes - court shoes with a fabric topping): Giggling Vicky has clearly spent too much time giggling, and not thinking about decent dresses for the show! For most of this series, they have looked like cheap dress-up costumes, instead of the beautiful professional dance outfits they ought to be. The men's trousers are another area I think they've seriously skimped on - no longer well-fitting proper dance pants, but horribly fitted, pocketed (why?!!!) trousers! When you look at series past (Alesha Dixon's dresses were a high point), it's quite depressing!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 3, 2017 19:37:24 GMT
Amber currently killing it on Strictly! She just makes it look so easy!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 1, 2017 22:14:59 GMT
So if you’re sitting in the stalls and your knees are uncomfortably positioned against the back of the seat in front you can console yourself with the thought that your squashed knees are making CamMac an extra £20000 per week. "Whoa there! I've just had a thought." "What?" "Don't audiences have legs?" ... "F**k." "F**k." ... "Eh, they'll manage." In the 'old' plan, there was a gap indicated between the back of row J and the start of row K. I'd bet that some of that space has disappeared, and the rear stalls eat, just a little way into the front stall gap now. It might not be as bad as the kind of deadened knee caps squeeze spaces in some other theatres! That pic of CamMac isn't terribly clear, but there does seem to be quite a bit of open space down in the stalls, from the little you can see. Some of that will be to comply with the building fire regs, disabled access needs etc, but fingers crossed that they've considered safety as a major part of their design - and seat spacing is a fairly big part of making a 1500 seat theatre comply with emergency protocols.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 1, 2017 21:43:54 GMT
I suppose I've just got to hope that row T somehow got pushed forward a few extra inches, to slot row Q behind, and that might just give vital extra sightlines, beyond the overhang! I wonder where the sound desk has been sited - when I searched on Ticketmaster, their plan hasn't been updated, but it gave me a seat option of Q25 - which would appear to be in the middle of the space reserved for the desk (there's no T25, as far as I can see)! I wonder how those rear stall boxes fit around the requirements for the sound desk - have any DMT refurbs done anything drastic to their desk, and its location?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 1, 2017 16:27:04 GMT
Lots of seats now available in row Q (£89.50) for numerous performances... What's going on? Is this a new row they've squeezed in? I've got row T, and thought that was the last row of the stalls!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 1, 2017 15:30:41 GMT
There will be thousands entering each day I bet. This may sound silly but I wonder whether this may affect day sales for some other shows if people wait to see if they have won tickets... Edit: Just realised, you'll find out if you've won the day before the show... Entries for the lottery for any Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday performance will be accepted until 14:00 GMT the day before the performance. Entries for the lottery for any Monday performance will be accepted until 14:00 GMT on the Saturday prior to the performance. Winner and non-winner notifications will be sent via e-mail at approximately 15:00 GMT the day prior to the performance for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances, and at approximately 15:00 GMT the Saturday prior to the performance for any Monday performances. Does anyone know how they distinguish between the different shows on matinee days? So, if you're entering a lottery for Saturday, are you entering for either/both, or can you specify which? I'm presuming they're not changing lottery end times, and will draw both shows at the same time the day before, but are those the days you have a better shot (yep, I went there!) - if everyone's in the same pot for twice the number of shows, or are they separate 'pots'?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Dec 1, 2017 15:03:08 GMT
Green seats - not sure about that! However, those sight-lines in the circle look like they'll be fabulous - mightily relieved to see that, given I'm sitting in one of the rear circle rows, for one of my trips! Definitely need more interior pics - does anyone know if the theatre is releasing any 'beauty shots' of the finished work? (is it finished?)!!!
Also £10 lottery - amazing bargain! I wonder what the grab rate will be - at least after the first few mad months?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Nov 28, 2017 23:04:06 GMT
What is people's opinions on the A row end of aisle seats, sold at discount, for this show? If you read back this thread dizzieblonde you will see that everybody is mad about them. 24 sees more than 0, most think, and the seat next to the aisle one is more comfortable. You can't go wrong with them, really. I did try read back 120+ pages(!) but it was a bit of a trek! I looked at your website (easier!), and the reviews on those seats (and pics from seatplan) seemed to confirm they were good choices. So, I've booked A23 and 24 for the day before I'm seeing Hamilton! I feel like the two musicals represent the two extremes of current Broadway/West End theatre, in the best possible way! The old style, massive production, tap-heavy classic Broadway musical and the new musical taking everything in a new direction! Looking forward to both, and thanks for the advice!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Nov 27, 2017 20:41:33 GMT
What is people's opinions on the A row end of aisle seats, sold at discount, for this show? What do you miss sitting there, and is it worth shelling out for the higher price circle tickets, for the view of the overall choreography, or are they decent seats to have (I'm short, leg room is never a problem for me with restricted space seats)?
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Post by dizzieblonde on Nov 21, 2017 10:02:13 GMT
Is there any information about the lottery tickets - online and daily presumably? It's only 2 weeks to the first previews, and I'm presuming they'll be having lotteries from the first preview show, not just after opening night.
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Post by dizzieblonde on Nov 13, 2017 10:45:08 GMT
It's always a difficult one balancing who are actually the better dancers and those who are more popular, not come from a performance background and have more entertainment value or have improved most. I personally would like to see a Debbie, Alexandra, Joe final but we will have to wait and see. With a 4-person final, I suspect we'll see those three (barring disaster!), but that 4th place may well be taken by someone who hasn't much business being in a Strictly final (probably Susan, as she appears to have sailed through the competition so far). I'm struggling to envision a final that includes Gemma, as I genuinely can't remember a dance that she did that scored well! That's surely got to be a deciding factor when it comes to progressing through the competition! I expect her to be the semi-final loser, with Mollie and Jonnie the most likely to go in the next couple of weeks. A decently balanced, and talented final would be Alexandra, Debbie, Joe and Davood. All have had some great dances so far, and there are certainly options for them to pick their latin and ballroom final choices. However, I suspect one of Joe or Davood will be out too early, with Susan potentially never seeing the business end of a dance off, all throughout the series. I guess it's admirable that Kevin has, for the 5th year running, probably steered someone (and this time with very limited ability) through the competition, practically unhindered, but he annoys me so intensely (personality and choreography wise!) that I can't warm to his and Susan's progress! If the competition were to progress and lose people on a 'fair' basis from here on out (i.e. meaning people who can't dance as well are eliminated, and their popularity is only a minor contributor to their longevity), I'd say the next dancers out of the competition ought to be Mollie, Jonnie, Susan and Gemma, in that order, but life's not fair, and I guess I'll just have to throw things at my TV when good dancers are eliminated too early!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Nov 8, 2017 21:55:00 GMT
Friends went to see him the other weekend in Blackpool - apparently he's still as funny as ever, they still can't get him off the stage - people still edging towards the exits near midnight, as their cars risk being shut in the local multi-storey car park!! Blackpool is now so used to Doddy overrunning, that the car park puts signs up that their opening times will be extended until 'whenever the show finishes'!! One old joke had it that he performed once for a 100 year old woman, although she was only 99 when he took to the stage! Last of the old greats, really! Unbelievable that he's still touring, he seems ageless!
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Post by dizzieblonde on Nov 6, 2017 15:36:27 GMT
Didn't catch that - was too busy wincing at the sheer clunkiness of the lifts, that all had the air of poor Aljaz hoisting a large bag of spuds into his arms! Will need a rewatch, clearly! As for Gemma's story, well she's very carefully not denying the tabloid rumours that she and Gorka are pairing up and, apparently, making Alexandra 'livid'! It does make her mildly more interesting than poor Mollie, who's yet another bland blonde (Laura Whitmore, Helen George, Rachel Riley, Ali Bastian etc) - all of whom had varying levels of dance ability, but were all a total bore to watch! They seemed to be trying to push a 'most improved' storyline onto her, until it became very clear that she really wasn't! Both girls will probably leave before either Susan or Ruth, which is probably as it should be, if we're valuing entertainment - they need to lose a couple of female celebs though, as they're now down to just 3 out of the 10 celebs being men. I suspect Jonnie and Joe are reasonably safe for now, but I'm betting Davood gets saved, if he ends up in the danger zone, just to keep the balance a little. LOL! Gemma looks like she could eat Gorka for breakfast and still have room for a stack of pancakes! With maple syrup. The poor little lad... I reckon she could have her work cut out for her if she did have any designs that way. Know what I mean? Oh I do know what you mean, I certainly wasn't implying it was true!! Tabloid stories, and all that!
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