Both got 60.0 in the final and won it. Who is the better of the two ? (Suzanne's flying was slightly better than Ray's - otherwise Ray I think was better, but it was close. Suzanne's Music was excellent, but Ray's favourite programme and his Bolero beat hers.)

Suzanne's performance in the final was VASTLY superior, IMO. Overall I don't think that there's much difference between them, but I thought final vs final, Suzanne wins hands down.

Her flying was so vastly superior that you could barely put Ray within 7 points of her, and that's being generous. I thought Music and... whatever Ray skated were about equal, although I personally enjoyed Suzanne's Music a lot more. I thought their boleros were about matched too.

Give him the bolero as hers wasted a lot of time on one complicated lift, but his dance routine was dull and formless compared to Music and she had three times the big moments to win on wow factor alone. He never gets a really great piece of choregraphy like Music - which may not be his fault. She wins on the flying by a long way - he literally stalled at one point and had much less content. His first 2 routines all had wobbles or messy bits in too whilst hers are pretty seamless and error free. He was better than Chris at everything but I think Clare's 2 29.5 routines were as good as anything he did and her Bolero was better acted and had more wow factor.

Ray's flying was poot. I don't know what the judges were watching.

Suzanne's flying was much better but that was about it. Other than that, Ray is in a different league. Jessica is better than Suzanne as was Claire. Suzanne got lucky because Chris skated in the final as if all he had to do to win was get out of bed that morning.

EDIT: I meant to type "Ray's flying was poor" but I don't think I'll bother to correct is as what I actually typed describes it far more accurately.

Suzanne's flying was better than just about anyone's, and while Jess is a gorgeous girl and did very well tonite, no way did she perform better tonite than the combination of Suzannes flying and the fabulous Music routine in the finale last year. Two sets of perfect scores says it all.

There is something lacking in Jess for all her talent and its a charisma of sorts. Suzanne and Claire had it by the bucketful, and Chris Fountain has the charisma factor over Ray, even if Ray is a superior skater.

Loved Suzanne last year - but Ray is a different class. His choreography is so much more difficult in my opinion. He looks like the professional not the amateur in the couple.

Horses for courses. I don't find anything lacking in Jess, certainly not charisma and certainly not that endearing quality that is lacking in the rather unpleasant Suzanne.

I maintain that though Suzanne skated out of her skin in the final, and I was actually pleased that she won when the choice was her or Chris, Chris virtually handed the victory to her with his cocky, cavalier attitude to his performances in the final.

Claire is a lovely girl but though her first performance had a wow element about its unexpected high standard for a first show, she didn't really improve much from the first show and ultimately I was surprised to see her make the final.

I'm not saying Jess did or didn't perform better than Suzanne tonight but I feel that her standard throughout the series has been higher than Suzanne's and her natural aptitude greater. She certainly skated better than Donal in her second performance and her flying routine made Ray look like a swingball.

Two sets of perfect scores says B all really. Ray got two sets of perfect scores despite the fact that his flying was the worst of the three and his second routine was peppered with errors.

Suzanne over Ray any day - she was dynamite for me, Ray leaves me cold.

i think Jessica was weaker at everything than Suzanne. She couldn't dance as well so there's no small steps or borrowed styles to keep a routine building. She couldn't act very well so there was no strong story. Tonights routine was by far her best and has two big lifts compared to Suzanne who got more in, built a performance with them better and had more excitement in those she did do. Jessica moved around on the ice a lot but Suzanne skates alone as long in Music to more point and with more change ups and transitions. The marks have it about right - Jessica is Zaarah plus a bit bigger lift plus more capability at basic skating minus quite a bit of presentation. Suzanne is Clare plus some more dance moves and a better routine.


Chris rarely danced that well except when the routine required something striking and solo and he often didn't connect with his partner. The final is partly a competition between a few individual trick moves and a weaker partnership and a properly worked up, more exciting, routine that displays obvious teamwork. Her strengths are his weaknesses and they are also what wins votes. Thats partly not his fault as no one gave him anything as good as Music as a routine - but he might have looked weak doing it. Its not a case of him not performing - its him not being able to do what he couldn't do wit the routine the first time around and Suzanne doing a higher scoring routine better and picking up more marks. Looking cocky doesn't help him, but he peaks and stalls, Suzanne overtakes him when she gets 27.5 and is accelerating over the line.

Clare I agree with you (and the marks) on. She's far better than Jessica - though she was a better height for the show) Rays 30 for flying would have looked very inflated compared to Clare's 29.5 and it would have been a far closer competition on the second dance and overall . Both thpse two's boleros were also more traditional and that would have been a clash of routines, interpretation, wow factor and skating skill. Ray might still win - but at least it would have been closer looking and more entertaining.

Ray's Bolero for me was the best we have seen on the show

Suzannes flying still has the ability to make me emotional. Rays was cold and over marked. Suzannes Music was also vastly superior. But Rays Bolero was something else - and I don't usually compliment him.

IMHO girls 'fly' better, I even thought Jess (not exactly my fave) looked graceful as a bird.
As for Suzanne, a blonde delicious popsie and a treasure in skating tights she may have been , Fountain got my vote last year.
Ray v Fountain? Ray edges it.

ray's bolero was out of this world, i didn't really rate suzanne's, Music and her flying were great though.

For me Ray wins hands down. I feel that he brings so much more to the ice than Suzanne ever did. I think this has been mentioned previously in the thread, Suzanne depended on the big lifts in her final ie. Bolero and Music. Something that Ray didn't need to do.

The Fying is difficult to judge for the two of them but I prefered Ray's, he made it look effortless and actually included some skating aswell as the flyinf element. Having to lift Maria also took a lot of effort instead of just being flung into the air. IMO Suzanne's routine was over rated last year, the only thing that made me emotional about it was the song. This was proved when it was playing in the back of Jess' best bits.

I think Suzanne is going to have a run for her money on the tour again this year and she's going to have to step up dramatically to be able to beat Ray and Chris and possibly Jessica.

Suzanne didn't "need" to do that weird lift in Bolero either. I don't know why she did. She was a more than capable skater.


Suzanne supported Matt completely too when he lay back and she pulled him around the rink by just his hands.

Definately Ray, no competition as far as I can see. Suzanne was over marked last year. The best female by a mile was Claire.

Ray in every way,i thought SS was way ovverated.

Agree. Ray's flying was superb with changes from ice to air He made look effortless.

Well, we all knew these would be the responses from these 'unbiased' FM's lol

Personally .. I thought Suzanne was the better skater .. Ray the better dancer.

Performance wise, I'd say Suzanne just edged it for me

Is it true that Ray won medals for skating when he was a child?

No he has never skated, he was a ballroom dance champ as a child.

Until this series I felt Suzanne slightly edged it over Clare - but both were superb. I now think Ray is better than either.

Suzanne's flying was heart stopping - but the elegance of Ray's programme was astonishing, especially when so many consider it favours the girls - they both deserved full marks.

I couldn't fault Suzanne's Music last year - but felt the difficulty of Ray's routine put him in front. I think had they skated directly against each other Ray would have deserved his 30 and Susie 29.

Bolero - hands down in favour of Ray - that was the best Bolero ever.

That was one of the most memorable DOI moves ever imo.

Not just Suzanne supporting Matt - but the elegance whilst she did it. Magic.

Suzanne's flying hasn't been equaled, it was truly beautiful. Ray's flying was as agood as it could be for a male. But I hated her Bolero. Terrible choreography, didn't do it for me at all. Ray's was spectacular, moving. So for me, it's sort of on a level performance wise on a final but Ray is decidedly the best skater.

Suzannes flying was better, but it is dancing on ice not floating in the air imo.
no competition for me though, ray wins every time