In your opinion. However, I think there are increasing numbers out there who are supporting Ricky. And I think Ali may have gained some respect after dancing with an injured foot.

So would I!

I think your opinion is a little naive but I wish you all the best in the forthcoming weeks

Well I think your opinion of my opinion is misguided.

By the way; it is 'they're', not 'there'.

I'd be surprised to see Ricky W in the dance off, as I'd say he is very popular with the public. If he was ever in the dance off - and it can happen to the best as we've seen in the past - I think he'd be saved by the judges no matter who he was up against.

With the new scoring system it is very easy for a couple to end up in the dance off at this stage of the competition.

This is how I see things at the moment -

If Craig is in the dance off against anyone else, Craig will be going home.

If Ricky W is in the dance off against anyone else, the other celeb will be going home.

If Ali is in the dance off against anyone else other than Ricky W, the other celeb will be going home.

If any other couples are in the dance off, the celeb who makes the least mistakes in the dance off will be saved by the judges.

And by the way no semi colon is required.

The problem is that Rachel had plenty of passion by the end and still got no votes for it .If she ever didn't the story was old and inaccurate by the time in the series when it mattered. She romped the SCD tour by a massive margin and Tom got nowhere because people responded to her and Vincent's dancing. They danced the same as they did on the show. They didn't even have the supporting VT's showing that they were both nice people who had a close relationship - it just was clear on the tour.

You have to ask why that is and the conclusion is that the people who vote on the show vote as a group for something else or the Tv distorts the image or people believe anything they hear on the TV and can't then assess whether what they see still fits what they last thought.

Ali seems to have the same issues as Rachel and its possible to see all sorts of shared potential reasons why . Both girls are extremely pretty, both look young, both seem intelligent, both started well, both are shy and don't obviously look like party animals , both speak well and both sound middleclass and southern. Both are up against comic male turns, middle-aged sportsmen, Lesley Philips type rogue male characters, males on journeys, northerners and girls who look and sound like the girl nextdoor or even decidedly working class.

Neither looks obvious winning material on any reality TV show given the history of who wins - people who look and sound like them may come second but Rachel on Bigbrother 9 is one of the very few to win and she had a story and an accent. Its probable ltheir vote has very little to do with what they actually do - its got a lot to do with initial impressions and what motivates the minority of people who vote on TV shows and why they vote and most people don't.

I'm trying to work out which of these catergories Laila and Jade fit into. Or are they even more screwed because they don't have anything going for them at all?!?

What happens if you genuinely don't connect with someone, vote for them anyways for fear of being accused of being jealous?

What's not to like about Ali - she's beautiful, elegant and seems to be very gentle. She doesn't inspire hate threads or bashers in any great quantity but therein I think lies the problem as she doesn't inspire the GBP to vote.

I think another issue is how she looks - slim & willowy and, purely a visual perception, fragile. Her Paso, although typically elegant, lacked punch (not just because of her foot - her previous Latins have been similar).

Rachel didn't look fragile - she was, along with Vincent, a little pocket dynamo in the Latin and doll-like in the ballroom. The dancing is a visual medium and these perceptions are hard to shift no matter how illogical.

I agree with all you say but oddly I really enjoy Ali's dancing but Rachel's left me cold

I look forward to seeimg Ali dance. Along with Jade she is my favourite. With Rachel I could see she was a lovely dancer but it was all a bit meh...the same as with Ricky W.

It is complicated that elusive factor that makes you support one over the other

I think the main reason people supported Rachel more on the tour than Tom is because the audience is made up people who are actually interested enough in the dance aspect and willing to pay out money for tickets rather than just watch the tv for some light entertainment.

Tom may have been more entertaining on the tv but Rachel certainly was the more competent dancer

If they both slip up and end up 3rd and 4th on the leader board then its a very realistic possibility.

Speak for yourself OP; I like Ricky W.
He goes on the show each week and tries his best like everyone else. He can't help it if he's pretty darn good.

Just thought I'd add that I thought Ricky W really raised the bar on Saturday and I think he will get more of the public vote as a result - another reason why he's not likely to end up in the dance off.

How on earth do you know how the British public feel!!

The impression I get from family and friends is that Ricky is very popular and Ali. The bookies still have Ricky to Win followed by Ali

Thing is, who would you like to see doing a showdance? Who could really pull out all the stops? If I ask myself, it's Ricky and Natalie, even though they're not my favourite couple. I know they could really deliver the goods.

Ian & Jade.

With the wind in the right direction (metaphorically speaking), they could blow everyone else out of the water.

Yes! Finally he delivered on that early promise and I was able to forget any gripe I may have and enjoy a bloody good dance.


First names that come to my mind are Ricky and Erin. They were born to showdance

Well it doesn't take a genius to work out that when Ali finishes 3rd and still end up in the dance off that she ain't that well liked

You seem to know so much!! I do not know why you have to be like this, last week you were saying that Zoe and Jade would be in the dance off and now this week you have to have a go at Ricky and Ali. Gosh I wonder who you will say will be in the dance off next week!!

My guess is that it could be anybody except Craig.

Nat and Ricky leave me cold........can't warm to them at all. Good dancer yep.....but just cold and too pleading......cant stand the "love me love me" pleading each week.

BRING BACK JOHN SARGENT I SAY...LETS REALLY CHEESE OFF THE JUDGES ...LOL

You've got the devil in you tonight!

Surely the difference with voting on the tour is that you are not voting to keep someone in the competition for the next week so on the tour more people are likely to vote for who is the best on the night rather than the myriad other reasons people vote on the TV shows. Also the people who pay to go to the shows are not the general Saturday night TV audience who watch if there's nothing better on but pay to go to see the tour because they are genuinely interested in the dancing so not only a different demographic but the voting is on a different basis.

I voted for Tom because i found him engaging on the TV
show and was pleased to find him in the final with Rachel whose personality had failed to engage me at any point but whose skill I could admire.

I voted for Tom to win in the final as his show dance was briliant and Rachel's wasn't. However if the voting had been on the set dances I might have voted for Rachel as Toms weren't as good. I was however prepared to vote for Tom over Lisa even in the set dances as I just couldn't take to her.

On the tour it's a one night thing - nobody goes home, so my criteria might well be who does the best dances on the night.

I havent' voted this year on SCD (wanted to support Craig but his dancing is just not up to it)

I was surprised to see Ali in the dance off but don't care enough to vote for her. I hope Ricki Whittle makes the final but am not bothered who else does at the moment.