TO me, there was nothing wrong with the scoring system until we got down to 4 dancers.

NOw there is the portential to finish top and only be 4 points higher than bottom and possibily in the dance off.

This may stop another "tom" fiasco but it actually helps the "John S" type dancers stay in!

Why could they not bring this new system in the later rounds?

I don't like Zoe that much but in past series she would have had enough points to be saved even is she got 1 from the public.

One of the "John Sergeant type" dancers just went home. I can't imagine the other will be very long with the show either.

I'd be wary about looking at things just as they appear on paper. The dance off was supposed to stop "John Sergeant" type dancers getting far, and on paper it looked like it should. But then suddenly, after 2 series without them, the type popped up again, almost as virulent as it was in the very beginning (possibly more so in the case of Sarge).

In practice, the new scoring system appears to be working just fine. So what that Zoe was in the bottom 2? With the dance-off in place she's not going anywhere.

That depends on what you believe is the correct balance of power. Certainly the new system seems to give more weight to the public vote when there are couples who get the same score from the judges. For me it's clear cut: I trust the voters even less than I trust the judges.

It all comes back to the dismal, time-wasting dance-off...which should be scrapped. The original scoring system was simple and elegant and if it produced the odd 'shock' so what?

Did anyone notice there were a lot fewer ties this week than the previous week? The more ties there are in the judges' scoring the more power is given to the viewers to influence the result.

The new scoring system has resulted in the judges having LESS power. It means that the dance the judges like least will always get more points than they intended if there is a tie in the voting anywhere else of the leader board.

As the weeks go by, I think there are more question marks.

Actually, I think the new system does work.

We're losing the bad dancers and retaining the good ones.

Isn't that how it's supposed to be?

Or have I missed something?

For the last two weeks, the scoring system has provided dance-offs that were no contest. Exactly what the judges want.

But next week Craig (and/or his family & Corrie colleagues) will be begging even harder for him to get to Blackpool. So the possibility of two better couples being in the dance off is very high.

I'm sorry to say this because I really like him - he's by far the best thing on TMS and QoS - but I think that Phil might turn out to be the unlucky one this time.

Well the only time we'll know if the new system doesn't work is if we have two good dancers in the dance-off at the expense of someone clearly worse.

So far, this has not happened.

So, so far, the system clearly works.

I think this is the case at the moment, but we are getting perilously close to having a dance-off featuring two of the top marked couples. For example, we could easily see Jade/Ian and Zoe/James up against each other in the dance-off next week, while the likes of Tuffers, Ricky G and Craig march on.

How do you know?

Obviously I don't know. And hopefully I'm wrong. But it seems a not entirely misplaced conjecture when we've had Zoe/James and then Jade/Ian in the dance-off on consecutive weeks... why not both of them together? Of course, we've seen the same sort of scenario in previous series, so it's not necessarily the new scoring system that is to blame.

So why did you say "we are getting perilously close to having a dance-off featuring two of the top marked couples" then?


Well yes.

Plus, and probably far more importantly, the voting window is trivial now - it's probably far more volatile than it was, so predictions are even more useless than they were before.

I've been ok with the system so far

I think it's too early to tell.

People at the top being in the dance-off can't be helped even with the most complicated of systems they may invent. DwtS's scoring system doesn't stop good people leaving (Sabrina!) and there's is percentages instead of just numbers.

The outcome of this change will come with the arrival of Darcy. Scores will go up to 50 and a tie from the judges could result in there being basically no say from them:

Couple A = 89/100 4
Couple B = 89/100 4
Couple C = 87/100 3
Couple D = 87/100 3

Previous scoring would have given the bottom two 2, therefore splitting them up a bit further.

If such ties do happen, which will come as a result of "over workin' the 10", it will make it almost completely up to the public.

I really don't think so.

I think it works great. It adds drama, it has grumpy Len and the judging panel being forced to choose on potential as opposed to dance off performance...not for the first time this year and undoubtably not for the last.

I love watching them squirm and I love the public having a real say. Win, win.