Mark my words it is not a two horse race. Zoe was a fine dancer but lacked personality.

People who start good and have personality - winners.
People who start good with no personality - losers.
People who start bad with personality - winners.
People who start bad with no personality - losers.

It's not about the dancing. It's about who entertains you enough to make you vote.

wouldn't be suprised if they don't end up in a dance off! Hopefully with dull dull dull ricky going out!

I strongly suspect that if Ricky W does end up in the dance-off, he'll be protected at all costs. If DS is any reflection of the public vote - and that is quite a big 'if', although in this instance I have heard the 'Ricky-bot' criticisms elsewhere - chances are he'll turn into this year's Rachel Stevens ... in which case the judges will save him every time. He'll make the final, but then be biffed into third place when the public take over.

I just hope people start warming to Jade, because I don't fancy her chances if she ends up in a dance-off with him ...

It's going to be really difficult to predict this year with the new ranking system. The public vote must more or less even up everyone's ranking as the most popular ones are at the bottom of the judges leaderboard. I can't see the public warming to those at the top of the leaderboard, neither can I see the judges warming to those at the bottom, it's just pot luck at the moment who goes and who stays.

Jade is better at both ballroom and latin than Ali IMO. The latter just happens to be the judge's pet at this point. Only Ali can mess up and get an 8 for it. She's this year Cherie Lunghi...completely overrated but at least she's given some complicated routines that she,sometimes, can't cope with at all.

Ricky is in a league of his own. Jade is the only one who can come close to him as i see it.

Quoted for truth.

He was good to begin with but is improving rapidly. Barring accidents he is likely to stay at the top of the board as there is nobody near him in talent and he is working hard. Jade is the only possible competition dancewise as she is improving but not necessarily quick enough. And since those in 2nd and 3rd place can face the dance off this year she might go out on a weak dance. If she stays she might beat him as I think she is more liked but then again the two of them could split the lovers of dance vote and allow a "personality" with a story but who is much less able to win.

Its shaping up to be an interesting group as there is something for everyone.

Ricky W will make the final for sure. Even if he's in a dance off I dont see who's going to beat him. Maybe Laila and Anton if they've got a ballroom and Laila can remember the whole routine without making mistakes.

On the other hand I dont see Ali lasting more than a couple more weeks. It seems the Showmance is wearing thin with the public, she's flattered to deceive in terms of ability and people are seeing that she's not as good a dancer as earlier promised and she comes across as too much of a softie.

I can't see why people constantly say Ricky Whittle lacks personality. He seems ok to me, agreed he's not a joker like Ricky G or Phil, I think he just comes across as an ordinary bloke. Perhaps he is a bit competitive, but you could say the same about Chris.
I don't see any comparison with Rachel Stevens..she was dull. I think he is closer in temperament to Mark Ramprakash..fairly quiet, but able to light up the dance floor with some performances. I think we are likely to see the first standing ovation for one of Ricky's dances pretty soon, then peoples perceptions will change.

I want Chris to win, just love the man.

Ali and Ricky bore me to tears and as for Jade she's one of those women that I just know I would hate.

Well, yes. If I was inviting someone around to dinner, it would probably be Chris..my wife would insist anyway, and I would make sure that he brought Ola.
But on the dance floor, you can hardly say that Ricky and Jade are boring ?

Ricky and Ali are great dancers but in the chat with Tess, the VTs and on ITT they just seem really dull. I know the judges won't let them go but I kinda wish they would.

Jade on the other hand is good and has personality it seems. Plus I'd much rather see Chris Hollins or Phiul Tuffnell make it through each week. Not bad (a la Craig) but still having some personality. That's what amkes an entertaining show (although I don't think I want wither to win).

Hear! hear! my thoughts exactly.

Without trying to take anything anyway from Jade and her seemingly very genuine partnership what Ian, I think the seeds have already been planted for the "journey" storyline for Jade. This will come in good stead further down the line of the competition as the public like to see the duckling to swan story. Call me a cynic...
Despite my cynicism I see Jade & Ian as very strong contenders. Jade is getting better each week and sadly this is not always reflected in their scores or noticed by the judges. So bearing this in mind I don't buy it is a two horse race. Ali blows hot and cold. Technically, to my untrained eye, she is very good, but I sometimes feel her dances lack the aggression (as in the Paso this week) or the personality to make them truely entertaining. Ricky I absolutely love watching. The Quickstep was so very good but I worry whether his very obvious talent will actually be a hindrance, i.e he is just too good and this trait is possibly not very appealing.
It wouldn't be that much of a competition if it was a two horse race and I think there are other couples (including Chris and Ola) teetering on the outskirts who could be real competition to both Ali and Ricky

You are right that voting may have got worse but Darren was credibly good. He had a good story of effort getting him there from somewhere else and could get emotions over in his dancing. Thats an appealing combination when the ability gap isn't enormous. I would vote on ability and praise Darren, but Darren winning is an understandable outcome as there are strong arguments for him which have something to do with dancing.

No one apart from the four top girls this year are anywhere near Ricky W and none of the other males have made or are likely to make any significant progress to near where Darren was. They might try to spin it and invent stories but we would clearly have a walkover final or winner who won for not dancing and for some other reason.

Its either Ricky W v Ali/Jade/Laila (whichever gets through the dance offs with the right dance at the right time) or its Ricky v someone who can't dance. You can't have a show called Strictly Come Dancing on public TV when it looks like Strictly Can't Dance ...but had the votes anyway . The BBC can't be seen to be running a popularity contest with random results where ability and effort counts for nothing.

Definitely not a two horse race. There are at least four horses - Ricky W, Ali, Chris and Jade.

The final 3 will come from those four celebs.

Not what I see. Ali and Brian have a close and touching relationship and she's trying as hard as anyone. She's not OTT or a poor comic or the life and soul of a bad party but who wants that? Jade seems a personality light zone to me and her dancing lacks acting ability or flair. Give her credit for getting better but she's not going to learn to act by xmas. She might develop as a personality but I wouldn't bet on it. Chris seems soggy to me and only looks alive at all because Ola kicks him into life every now and again in between gyrating around him. As for Tuffers he's the typical blokish bloke and who wants to be caught in a cab with a blokkish boke driving it.

Nat I think has a decent journey story going on, can act and may be better than all the also ran males - we don't know how popular she is. She might surprise us or be next going out early in the bottom two against someone better who shouldn't be there , Zoe is the missing semi finalist who might have decided the last two . I also wouldn't be surprised if one of the people we lost early had turned out to be better than 3 we still have left.

I have to admit to liking people to come onto the show and not dancing so well on the first night. I like the show to be a challenge for them and to see them develop.

At the start, Ricky W and Ali looked like they had a big headstart on the others. Ricky has maintained a high standard (with a few hiccups), and Ali has struggled to perform like everyone seems to have expected.

The only one of the others who has a dancing chance is Jade, who has been improving consistently.

With the exception of the Quickstep, Ricky's progress has been less obvious to me, although I can see that overall, he is getting better - that's the problem with starting so well. I think he did make the best start of any male on the show, but there haven't been many good ones - I could only cite Austin and Tom.

Ali & rikki out soon.
Both are bland & beige and in alis case Brian should have kept the relationship pro /pupil its nauseating watching their rehersals with them two making cow eyes at each other, hes not pushing her like he should be cos their "in Lurrve", and she just goes all stupid when ever he looks at her.

Rikki can move but hes got zero personality & likablity and his HO fanbase are all watching the other side anyway. Theres only 2 "celebs" with any kind of personality this year thats natalie & tuffers.

frankly the beeb need to stop all this bed hopping with the pros & their pupils, it wrecks the dances and probably causes nothing but agro back stage, Keep it strictly pro and we might see some good dances.

But isn't this exactly what we could well have had last year had John Sergeant not left early? The BBC can't control how the public vote (much as the judges might like them to!) - and it is perfectly possible for the final two this year to be down to Ricky W vs Chris/Phil/Natalie/Ricky G (take your pick!).

I don't think Ali and Jade can be perceived as safe given we had two of the judges' favourites in the dance-off last Saturday. The producers will doubtless do their darnedest to try and rig the results via the judges and choice of dances (as they shamelessly did last year) - but this year I suspect the public may have the last laugh.

Buddy - I hope you are right with your prediction ... but I fear you may not be! Let's just pray that Craig has been booted off by then ...

Not a foregone conclusion by any means.
If Ricky W and Ali are in the final then I will break my non-voting pledge and vote for the 3rd candidate - even if it is a pantomime cow containing Brendan and James.

Jade is very very good and Ian seems to be pulling out all the stops : don't write them off yet

LOL! I predict even if he stays in this week at Blackpool, his support will quickly fall away and he will be in the dance off the following week!

Brendan Cole was asked yesterday who he fancied for the final... he said Ricky W and Phil. (Tuffers)

I think the stumbling block for Tuffers will be the week he is required to perform two dances.

He's already struggling to put in the hours for one dance.

It's deffs not a 2 horse race between those 2, Jade is also a fab dancer and if Laila can up her game with the latin, she'll be fab too. Also I imagine the improvers are more popular than Ali and Ricky, after all Ali has already been in the dance-off once.