BBC’s new six-part series, Tumble, aired for the first time last Saturday evening in Great Britain and, although we like the concept, we had questions about whether or not it would be successful. The show has been a hit so far in terms of production and entertainment value and we are eager to see how the show will develop over the next few weeks. 

 

In Saturday’s episode, five celebrities performed on the floor paired with their professional partners, while the other five performed in an aerial hoop dangling from the ceiling. Next week, the celebrities swap events. After their two week performances, the two lowest scoring celebs will face a “vault off” elimination round decided by Head Judge Nadia Comaneci.

 

Out of all the performances, Ian Watkins and John Partridge were by far the favorites. Watkins definitely had the performance quality we were looking for. He demonstrated an impressive round-off back tuck and the routine’s choreography was very well done. It was very entertaining with a variety of gymnastics and acrobatic skills. Partridge was very a pleasant surprise. He also has a very good performance quality that’s eye catching. He was a favorite because he actually took lead during the routine. He went for big skills and showed solid anchoring positions during the acrobatic stunts. He even busted out splits, who knew he was strong AND flexible?!
Watch Partridge's performance below.

 

Unfortunately, Lucy Mecklenurgh was quite the opposite. She was hyped to be “out to impress,” yet she didn’t impress at all. Instead of having all eyes on her, it was evident that her partner was the driver and all eyes were actually on him during the majority of the routine. It was very basic, although I do give her credit for attempting a front tuck with a spot from her partner. You can watch and see below.

 

Although there is only so much you can do on a hanging aerial hoop, boxer Carl Froch held himself well because he’s strong. He did well staying in sync with his partner and his stunt at the end holding his partner upside down by just his feet was quite impressive. 

 

Emma Samms performed as we expected. She was cautious and did well for what she could manage. She is fun to watch for a brave elderly woman taking risks that most women at her age wouldn’t. 

 

Despite his late addition to the show, Peter Duncan showed an impressive first stunt holding his partner well in the air, as well as demonstrating many acrobatic stunts throughout his routine. He lacked actual tumble and gymnastics skills, but that’s likely due to his lack of practice time in an actual gymnastics gymnasium.

 

On the artistic pretty side of things, Amelle Berrabah’s flexibility is elegant. She has good gymnast characteristics like toe point and finish in her fingers noticeable on her more than the other contestants. 

 

Bobby Lockwood didn’t look too confident, but there’s something appealing about him. His attractive performer look is engaging and the song “All of Me” was well chosen so that he was able to hide behind the romantic lovey-dovey ambience, rather than display more acrobatic skills. 

 

It will be interesting to see the development and progression of these contestants with hopefully a few more surprises along the way. The Commonwealth medal winning lads put on a brilliant end performance lead by Olympic medalist and Strictly Come Dancing star Louis Smith. Not only was it a display that was entertaining and fun for the audience, but it looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves too. 

 

The show certainly does no harm to the sport, and if anything has created even more awareness for it by demonstrating its outright difficulty. Top gymnasts make gymnastics look easy, however, it’s how you get to that stage that’s the toughest. People may have been disappointed with their routines, but it’s important to understand that gymnastics takes years of practice and hundreds of hours in the gym in order to master skills. Yes the show itself is called “Tumble” in which we expect actual tumbling, but how much can someone really do with only a several weeks of practice? It usually takes many steps to master a skill. Most gymnasts learn a skill in a foam pit, progress onto mats, transition onto the floor with a spot, then finally perform the skill on their own. In “Tumble,” contestants are learning new skills, attempting to master the skills, AND have it ready to perform onto a hard competition floor with a pressured time frame due to the show. We give credit for their effort and sheer bravery because it is impressive what they have learned in such a short time. Hopefully this show will continue to engage viewers and create a bigger fan base for a sport that doesn’t get the recognition it should.

Related:
Read about the celebrities taking part here