What a ridiculous and imo stupid assertion to make by Ricky. How does he know he doesn't have popular support. He hasn't been in the dance off like Zoe and Jade so people are voting to keep him in.
Saying something like that will have the opposite effect to what he wants and will turn people off voting for him.

We have no idea out of those celebs who have not been in the dance off, who has the most popular support. I was very surprised to see Jo in the dance off last week.

He may well have looked at the DS polls and some of the threads

You know Jan, if I hadnt read it myself I wouldnt have believed you hadnt twisted his words, but my gosh he really did say it!


http://www.rickywhittle.com/blog/

Words fail me, I mean even Anton and Laila did a samba roll.

And just when Ricky's fan were persuading me I should have some sympathy for him. Forget it!



EDIT: I really didnt mean to say "fan" singular honest But I kinda like my slip, so I'm not going to edit

I dont like the tone of the article, the way it is written has made his admittedly silly remarks more inflammatory.

To be honest, I can understand why he is a bit cheesed off if people arent supporting him when he is trying hard considering if he has read some of the immediate judgements some people made on here when it first started. He says things that the other celebs say but because people feel he is dull/arrogant/whatever, he gets slated for it. If it were me, I'd be annoyed too that people dont like me. Do you expect him all to start crying and begging our forgiveness for his dancing ability and driven attitude?

And he's right, the GBP tend to love the underdog and the JS debacle and voting Craig Kelly through shows that one off quite nicely.

Craig was saved twice by the judges too dr, not just by the British voters.

To be fair, I think that in the quotes Ricky is only saying that the voters love an underdog. He doesn't mention Tuffers either. It's the paper that is saying he's complaining about not being popular. He doesn't say he isn't popular. He's saying the audience generally seem to prefer someone who learns through the show, which is a fair comment, though it isn't true that if you trip up you are more likely to win - that's a bit disrespectful to the people who have won. I didn't see series one and I'd say Darren was a journey, Mark R maybe, but Alesha, Jill and Tom definitely weren't.

The complaining about his long hours though, is him, and he's made that point enough. Tess will have to stop saying he doesnt' want sympathy about it now.

ETA: wow, just read the blog. Presumably Natalie has told him he's the only one since he obviously doesn't know what samba rolls are. She's doing him no favours if she is telling him stuff like that. Wow.

Good God. I'd convinced myself it was Natalie I didn't like from the partnership, but I've just read that blog and my goodness he believes his own hype (and if he really thinks he's the only one who did samba rolls then he best go back and watch the dances again!).

Sigh. I really want to like them, but they make it bloody hard.

Well I wouldnt be at all suprised if he or someone he knows is reading the forum, its obviously happened before. The sister of one of last years celebs read some stuff that made her very unhappy last year, its not nice but par for the course really. So Ricky if your reading this.......buck your ideas up and stop believing your own hype and everything 'Nat' tells you, its not doing you any favours.

Dear, dear, Ricky if you really do read this forum then there's not a lot those of us who do love your dancing and are supporting you for it can do to defend this article. You've just given all your detractors the ammo they've been looking for! Best you get yourself into the dance-off pretty quickly and beg the judges to vote you off. That way I can go and onto the X-Factor forums and carry on supporting the twinnies!

Natasha, Jill, Aled, Colin, Ramps, Alesha, Matt, Gethin .....

Just a few past contestants who were good AND always popular.

Britain does like an underdog, but we're not idiots. We can appreciate the good dancers as well if we can connect with the personality of the couple dancing. Connecting with the audience is part of the dancing and part of the show, so it might happen with Ricky one day, but at the moment it does seem as though he also turns off quite a few.

For me, he seems to have an odd mixture of obviously believing in his own ability and wanting to win and this shocked little boy lost persona whenever he talks to Tess or stands in front of the judges. I'm fine with either, but mix them together and it just makes you look a bit fake. Just my instinct, but I feel harsh for thinking it. I WANT to like him, as he's good. It just hasn't clicked for me yet....I hope it does soon.

He is right in his blog on one thing - I do think Natalie is a fantastic dancer and choreographer. I loved her pro QS and I enjoyed watching her in the Jive. The best dancer on the show?? No Ricky. No no no. You have former World Champions and many Blackpool/International Semi-finalists there alongside her. I love watching Natalie's ballroom though and she's rightup there as one of the best female ballroom dancers on the show.

Right on the nail

I'll defend him to the last (just hope I'm not the champion of the ultimate lost cause

His blog was foolish and for an intelligent bloke he should know better but it was written late on Sunday night, with the uncertainty over his knee injury probably at the forefront of his mind and with his Samba routine not wholly loved by the judges (I've watched it again a few times and, apart from the walk down the side of the floor, it appears bang on time and on the money). He was probably frustrated at the lack of recognition of the level of difficulty of the routine (as attested to by various dance teachers on the Forums and Karen Hardy) and, as a previous poster (JT North in yet another insightful post) put it - the British loving an underdog is hardly novel - Karen Hardy also brings it up this week) and so he put his frustrations down on paper ... bad idea! Sleeping on it always helps.

As to the stories in the redtops/celeb mags - well, realistically, who else are they going to target? Ricky G. lovely as he is and now as svelte as he is, is not exactly a candidate for Heat's 'Torso of the week', and the same goes for Tuffers (so funny but not a hunk) nor Chris (cute cute but not hunk hunk).

This year's SCD casting has not been great for Heat type publications so, apart from the Ali/Brian showmance, Ricky W. is getting all the attention. I'm not saying it's unwanted attention - he's only in the show for a few weeks so has to maximise the publicity for his career - but it doesn't help his cause on forums such as this.


Edit - I forgot Craig - fellow Blackpudlian - how could I? There again....
Last edited by Apricot : 28-10-2009 at 09:51

I'd barely heard of quite a few of the celebs this year so started with an open mind and no favourite (still don't have a favourite). We all know that articles and interviews can be misleading, so I clicked on the link to Ricky's blog (thanks, Smokey) and I just thought it was a shame that Ricky seems so intent on winning at all costs. Personally, I'd like to see Craig go soon because it's an elimination contest and he is one of the poorest dancers, but I don't really mind who wins so am not biased this year.

So speaking objectively about Ricky: whether you like it or not, Ricky, Strictly is seen as a mix of dancing and entertainment for the fans and they're the ones who will keep you in or not. Nobody likes a "must win at all costs" in a light entetainment programme - in the Olympics, yes, but it doesn't go down well on Strictly.

Take a lesson from Gabi last year - people won't vote for you if you come across as obsessed with winning, which is a shame as you're obviously one of the best dancers this year.

Phew. Sorry for the rant, everybody. Best go and have a little mid-morning cakey

I quite like Ricky, but I think Natalie Lowe comes across as desperate to win, and I think that is offputting.

Dear God - having given us a blow by blow account of his excruciating pain, the fortitude he displayed in forcing a smile through his suffering and the burden he feels by others 'relying on him,' he finally gets round to a stoical "We all have problems, let's get on with it."

Best bit of advice he could give himself.

As for his claims that only he and Nat did samba rolls and fleckerls, is he so busy admiring himself that he doesn't watch anyone else?

Ricky's blog is the most maudlin, self indulgent claptrap I've ever seen on these boards.

Ricky arrived on the first dance, dancing at a level well ahead of the others. He does seem to be a natural dancer, and a relatively quick learner. Austin did a very impressive Waltz as last years first dance and had no previous training, so Ricky does not have to have had much previous dance training.

His feet and hands I think could be better and he has made mistakes in the routines, but Ricky and Natalie do have the problem of starting too well.

They generally dont seem popular on the forum, but they may be more popular with the viewers - we'll have to wait and see when the number of celebs goes down.

Out of interest, do any of the other celebs (apart from Craig) do blogs?

I actually hated Ricky to start off with, well it was more hatred for Natalie.
I don't mind Ricky I just can't stand her, if he'd have been put with Lilia or Erin for example I'm sure he'd be a favourite of mine.

After reading his blog I sort of feel sorry for the backlash he's getting but meh.

LAILA TO WIN. (<- I can dream...)

Well, Ricky is a good dancer and I believe in voting for the best dancers, irrespective of what tv shows they star in, what game they play or whatever other reason to be a fan. However, that's the way the voting is done and both he and anyone who thinks as I do have to like it or lump it.

Now for the "But": He's good, but he's not infallible and he may be a little too cocksure about his own abilities. If Ali continues to improve her confidence and through that her performances, likewise one or two others, then the result could be wide open.

Ali seems to have a lot of good technique and is the most likely to out-dance Ricky. From what I read, she did 3 years stage school and dancercised to keep fit. Strictly is still a whole new ballgame though - especially learning to dance with a partner.

Laila with the best pro partner she could have gotten, might have been a contender - if she trained hard enough with the right attitude. Alas that wasn't to be.

Zoe found learning dances difficult and James has done a brilliant job. I think he is getting the best performance Zoe can do.

Jade started off with almost no technique and a bit of body rythmn, and has been making good progress. Its a case of can she stay in and how good can she get?

At least Ricky has set a standard for everyone to aim at, and I think some are getting close.

How does he know. He hasn't been in the dance off so surely he's getting support.

Silly man.

I find him dull to watch and can't warm to his partner either. She looks like she needs to win too much.

Agree, although I find him dull too.

Tuffers I think, sorry I can't provide a link though.

Thanks

Well there are others on this Forum who claim that he is not getting the support and was third to bottom last week. I don't know how they know this but maybe Ricky is hearing the same stuff. (I don't believe it myself as I think Ricky's odds at the bookies would be drifting and, last time I looked, they were holding steady.)

As to Natalie looking like she needs to win too much I find this difficult as inevitably all the professionals want to win but maybe they're just more accomplished and have had more practice at hiding the competitiveness