I reckon that the couples in the firing line for being next to leave are: -

Lynda and Darren
Joe and Kristina
Jo and Brendan

What do you think?

Jo and Brendan

I hope it's Lynda. Her Cha Cha Cha was dreadful and her manic grin scares me.

I don't think it's quite as cut-and-dry as it might appear ...

The 'sympathy' vote will be split this weekend - so who knows?

My initial instincts are that Jo and Lynda are more vulnerable than Joe - but I think Craig seriously needs to up his game if he's going to survive ...

It'll be Jo and Brendan or Rav and Aliona - neither is the greatest dancer (c'mon c'mon ), and neither has the requisite TV profile to have a ready-made fanbase out there. I also think Craig might be a little in the danger zone through these criteria.

Of the three, I'd prefer it to be Jo as I don't think she's going to improve much, and Brendan's devoted support, while a pleasant surprise at the moment, could get cloyingly sickly rather fast : puke smilie:

Brendan is getting himself all delusional there.

sort of agree on all counts.

I dont think that there are that many celebs this year with a built in fan base to be honest.

I think the whole thing continues to be quite open and if you go back into the Strictly history, anyone (including Ricky Whittle) who is popular at the beginning (particularly with the judges) does not usually get to the end as winner.

I think it will be Jo and Brendan this week

What is Lynda dancing do we know :?

Bothe Jo and Joe are doing Paso

I think Joe & Kristina, im hoping anyway

I think you're right, although I do worry about the Loose Women vote after Colleen on the skating programme last year We know Jo is doing the paso - which, bless her, doesn't look good for her chances, anyone know what Lynda and Joe are doing?

Seriously hoping Craig does up his game, I'm convinced there's a decent dancer in there, his training footage looks okay, if he can just bring it to the floor he could grab the 'journey' vote away from Ricky G and Tuffers if he can stay long enough - and I seriously adored him as Vince so I'm desperate for him to do well

ETA: Just saw Joe is doing the paso - on paper that should suit him far more then Jo, but then again, on paper Joe and Kristina were a fab partnership - if he's as disappointing in the Paso as he was in the Tango he really should go, but I do think Jo is very vulnerable

Joe and Kristina are doing Paso.

Perhaps Joe and Kristina would be good to go, then they could get on with their private life..
Jo and Brendan would also be good, although I do like Brendan, I find Jo too needy. :yawn:

It will be interesting to see out of Jo, Joe and Lynda, where the 'sympathy' (voting syndicates?) vote will go. They managed to keep both Kate G and Gabby Logan's hubby (what's his name?) in for ages. Will the 15 minute window make a difference?

If all these 3 get the votes then it will leave Craig and Rav vulnerable unless they improve drastically. It will probably be the couple 3rd or 4th bottom of the leaderboard I expect.

dont underestimate the Welsh vote for Joe pretty sure the scottish vote was part of what kept Kenny in

TBH it could be anyone!!!!

There's a difference between the sympathy vote and the kind of cruelty voters showed by not killing off Kate or Kenny earlier! Keeping them in was a sick fascination with seeing what dreadful rubbish they'd serve up the next week...

I think Jo and Brendan actually did get a genuine sympathy vote because of Brendan's strong stance against Craig, but that kind of feeling can wear thin pretty fast.

The public sympathy vote won't work for Craig - I don't think. He came across as too confident in his own abilities in training to have built up any sympathy fan base. I think Lynda and Rav will struggle to stay out of the bottom two as well.

Jo, I think, possibly has the biggest sympathy fanbase and Brendan is great with her.

Joe could well show improvement. He wasn't terrible in the group dance.

Hope its Ricky W or Natalie Cassidy.

Think it will be Jo Wood against possibly Craig again.

Not all Welsh will vote for him Jan, myself included

Unless he looks like he's really trying and giving his all, he won't get many more Welsh sympathy votes

I think Rav Vs Craig this week, Jo came over well on ITT last night IMO so think she's fine for a bit and Lynda has lots of support from loose women

Kenny that's him!

You're right, perhaps the term 'sympathy vote' isn't the correct one. Whatever term we use, I suspect a similar thing will happen with Jo, Joe and Lynda though.

My friend (who is Welsh) vehemently maintains that the Welsh voting public are different to other nations. He is adamant that the Welsh do not blindly vote for their countrymen. He says that the Welsh will abandon their own if they are not up to scratch as they do not want lame dogs (even well loved stars) letting the side down.

These are the technically less competent couples in the show. But I suspect those in the middle of the pack are more in danger of being in the dance-off.

So, perhaps Craig Kelly and Rav Wilding would be in danger if they are doing Quickstep (can't see their techniques being able to carry this difficult ballroom dance well).

I think some people vote for whoever is last and some for anyone the judges are rude to, rather than anyone yet having a huge fanbase (except perhap Lynda, I can believe the Loose Women vote is pretty big). The other factor is who dances early in the show and who dances late - with 14 couples dancing, anyone who dances badly 2nd, 3rd or 4th is in trouble.

What dance are they doing if they aren't doing the paso?

Well at least Lynda looks enthusiastic , Jo looks defeated and depressed and her little girls voice will get on peoples nerves very soon .

I dont know why I am not feeling the warmth for Kristina this year , I am seeing a falseness in her and Joe ,.

They are just hiding (unsuccessfully) their mad passionate love for each other, and having to pretend to be professional in front of the cameras (as directed by the producers saying "Stay Platonic until after the show") is obviously causing them more (sexual?) tension, thus the 'false' expressions.

I won't be surprised if Joe would be the one who will crack in front of the camera. Picture this: Joe trying really hard in one of the ballroom dances and there are breakthroughs. The judges, including Craig, said 'Well done! Great improvement!' He will be so relieved that he just might plant a big, wet, mouth-to-mouth kiss onto Kristina in excitement...