Originally Posted by thenetworkbabe:
“Pretty silly if true. The show's big problem is with the voters voting for any pretty male and anyone who the judges point out is bad. Its becoming impossible to get the people who dance well to where they should get to - which undermines the whole show as it means the judges are ignored and the celebrities may as well not bother doing well.”
Another dissenter here, I'm afraid
You rather oversimplify the public's preferences. What many people forget is that Strictly isn't
just a dance competition - even though many people might like it to be. Like all reality shows, it is also about personality. That helped Alesha win - ditto Mark, Tom, Jill, Darren and Natasha. And that personality is inextricably linked to the other crucial factor: showmanship. The judges may get themselves in a lather about technicalities like heel turns and chassis, but they mean nothing to the general public. They'd rather watch a great performance from a contestant who appears to be loving what they're doing than someone who is obsessed with mastering minute technicalities and takes it very seriously.
If this rumour is true, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. I certainly think the judges' panel needs refreshing - there was some appalling favouritism last year. Arlene's behaviour sunk to a new low - lying about the dance history of her own favourite to promote them above others. The public vote last year was a deliberate snub to the judges after the excesses of Sergeant-gate and the best way of ensuring no repeat performance is to change the panel.
Although I would personally prefer Karen on the juding panel and Alesha co-hosting with the gorgeous Gethin ...