Hiya! I agree we all have our own opinions and we're fine when we disagree.

I think you are right about Alesha's role being to empathise and nurture the celebs - well, partly anyway, as I do think she is qualified to judge - but I think she'd got to the point with Craig where she thought only speaking bluntly would get through to him. As much as I liked Craig, his whole attitude to all the comments from the judges the whole time he was in the competition was a bewildered 'Are you sure I wasn't good? I thought I was good...I thought it went well...". That's hard to take week after week, let alone day after day as Flavia would have experienced. Even in his latest interview Craig says he thinks he is a good dancer and more importantly, danced in time, which was his basic problem because he couldn't dance in time. What are you supposed to do when you are sitting in judgement over someone who continually thinks they are better than they are and reacts in a vulnerable way? If I didn't know better I'd say Craig was a master in passive aggressiveness.

Hiya sweetie! <smmooch>!

She is a tough cookie, but I'd say she's got about 5-10 people max defending her and they are outnumbered 10 to 1!

My bet is if she was asked if she regrets what she said, she'd say the only thing she regrets is specifically naming Zoe. Alesha is not one to shy away from saying what needs to be said.

Hello again you x x x

I think it's right that people should step in and defend Alesha if they feel inclined to do so, but I also think people should be free to criticise her without being stifled (that's no reference to you of course just a general observation!)

After all, that's what a discussion forum is for!

This is very perceptive. When a verbal missile is as elegantly phrased as it is hilariously exaggerated, the intent of comic relief rather than anger becomes self-evident. The recipient is too busy trying not to laugh to take offence.

Even the doddery one managed an unanswerable missile:

Brucie, "Last week, Penny had tears. (then in a tender voice) I said to Penny I said, I'll get something to wipe away your tears."

Tess, "What did you get, what did you get?"

Brucie, "A step ladder."

Well here we differ. (I'm sure you're devastated to hear that .) I think part of the problem was that Alesha didn't think at all. I reckon she let personal feeling get the better of her and just said exactly what was on her mind. It's the first time in the series that she's had to cope with that sort of scenario and she didn't manage it well. However, she's inexperienced and I'm sure words will have been said behind the scenes. As yet, it doesn't need Craig or Len coming out and blasting her on national television.

However, I still think that her comments/attitude on Saturday were OTT. They're not what I would expect from a judge on the panel - heartfelt though they were and much as I may have understood and agreed with much of the sentiment of them. I hope she realises that and we don't get any repeat performances. It is quite possible that we might get a dance off featuring two out of three of Ricky W/Ali/Jade in the next couple of weeks before the likes of Ricky G/Phil/Natalie have left. It will be interesting to see how Alesha reacts should this occur.

I don't think he's passive aggressive but I think he's like the vast majority of the general public when learning to dance - they're desperate to learn the steps and remember them. When we are watching them on TV of course we can see that's only a small part of dancing. When you're learning though that seems everything (particularly in a week). The people we notice as being good on the show are actually exceptional and much better than most of us to be able to learn not only the steps but a lot more too. Also I suspect he compares where he was when he left to when he started and feels proud that he's achieved something. I suspect the standard he was at compares favourably to where most of us would be if we learnt a new dance in a week but fortunately very few of us are seen by many.

Thanks to Tuffers we saw back at the start of the series that everyone involved had been briefed on what to say about Alesha replacing Arlene, so I don't think it would be a surprise if the producers are still telling everyone involved in the show not to criticise Alesha because of how big an issue her role as a judge has been. It's certainly what I would do as a producer, as the last thing the show needs after all the problems at the start is for people from within the show to be criticising her in public.

Just popped in to see where this discussion had now got to. What Alesha said mirrored what she felt, depressed, and this followed on from her putting her head in her hands the previous week. It came out in a way that has had viewers accusing her of anything from bluntness to vitriol. I think it was her honest reaction but would, in retrospect, have been better to have kept to herself. Judges should not allow their emotions to affect their judging. However, the show thrives on controversy so the producers will be happy.

Whilst I agreed wholeheartedly that it was over time for Craig to go I found Alesha's comments too personal and rude. I agree with what she said but not the way she said it.
Is it me or are all the judges being less critical of the dancing involved? They seem to make the most wonderful statements but rarely - even Len these days - give constructive criticism of the dance they have just seen. Comments are also made like "We won't mention..." to certain people but not others. Favouritism is rife this year and seems even worse than previous years.
I cannot vote as I live in France but there are certain celebs that I would not vote for deliberately.

Just thought I'd mention it, but after closely studying Saturdays show again I'm pretty sure I could see Alesha making a slit throught gesture to Craig just before the dance off

Alesha, bringin da street to SCD

Flavia on Breakfast TV said this morning that she liked the fact that however much he'd been slated at the weekend he was always raring to go with practicing the dance on Monday. Just because someone isn't good it doesn't mean they didn't put the effort I shouted at an instructor because they told me words to the effect that I couldn't be trying because I wasn't getting it right - it's rubbish. Andrew Castle and Mark Foster worked their little cotton socks off last year and it didn't make them great dancers either. Craig may have been rubbish, a tad deluded about how good he was and determined to get to Blackpool regardless if someone else who deserved it more went out first but he wasn't lazy.

I can't understand Alesha's "endure" comment.
The nature of the show dictates that the selected celebs will be of different talents when it comes to dancing. Craig stayed one week past his "sell by date" which resulted in the loss of Zoe. Prior to that there were weeks of "enduring" similar bad performances from other no-hopers.
Of course, they could change the format and select only celebrities who had experience of dance in some form or another..that could be done very easily. The audience figure would plummet, only die-hard dance fans would be interested. Even having one or two obviously experienced dancers spoils it for many people, thankfully they are usually challenged by those with more "personality". Some don't like that concept, but it's what draws in the viewers.
Take Dancing on Ice..Ray Quinn was brilliant, but that particular series was finished as a competition from week 1.
SCD relies on those celebs who are prepared to make a fool of themselves..just as much as it does on those with genuine, natural, dancing talent. Of course they all have an ulterior motive, their agents are happy to accept the gig..but Alesha needs to take a look at the bigger picture and not bite the hand that feeds her.

Well, as you've obviously still got a copy, why not put it on YouTube and give us a time reference to look at.

If you can't or won't do that, I'll consider this utter tosh.

Just quoting really because you make some excellent points. To add, I would also include that when the other judges took up their roles on the panel, they were unknown quanties to the public at large with no perceived persona. Alesha, on the other hand, has always come across as upbeat, hard-working and grounded and her comments to Craig really jarred with our perception of her.


Watching the "behind the scenes" bit on ITT last night really confirmed how out of place Alesha's comments were. Everyone was happy and excited, one of the celebs mentioned the Pros coming off the floor screaming "IT'S ELECTRIC!!" Contestants are having a great night, Craig was highly likely to be leaving but had the consolation of knowing it was in front of a home crowd.

I really can't understand why Alesha had to take that away from them and us. I'm only grateful the controversy happened at the end of the dancing as the last time things got nasty on air (Bruce berating CRH) it put a damper on the rest of the evening for me.

Some posters have likened this show to a pantomime and as such tell us we shouldnt be bothered by the villainous comments. True, both are a family show, but at least the villains always get their comeuppance and no one leaves a pantomime with a bad taste in their mouth


I really think that was a tongue in cheek comment tony

I wasnt impressed with Alesha at all tonight, she let herself down big time.

Hi Casp - you don't pop in often these days, but it's always nice to see you.

For the record my post was meant to read "only one of the OPs focussed soley" on Zoe, but it was quarter to midnight...

Sure Ig's post refers to it obliquely, but his actual post is more diffuse & general and he quoted later comments of hers too.

To claim you know what "it's likely" Phlegmatist meant, is to claim way too much. He/she didn't mention it full stop.

Either way you have to accept the discussion mutated to encorporate Aleesha's whole speech. I didn't find the Zoe comment that extraordinary & while I covered it, it's not the aspect that most interests me. Posters are completely free to discuss what does. I'm sorry if the debate has moved to places you didn't want it to go, but that's forums for you.

Smoky you seem to lack understanding of how fourms work. However much you want this thread to be soley focussed on your preoccupation it is not. It's an issue, but it is not the sole one.

As previously stated: OPs were merged & the title post does not refer to Zoe, thus the discussion developed to address Alesha's comments as a whole. Unless you're a thread starter you don't get rigidly to define the debate. I didn't think the Zoe comment as significant as you: so it's not a question of "not understanding" what the thread is about, but commenting on the aspects that most interest me.

Just to be clear you bunny-hopped onto a reply of mine to another poster, accusing me of not having covered the Zoe comment, which I had. Two days later you're still going on about it...

Ha!

I'm the thread starter! Twisted thread starter...

Sorry, actually I'm not. Just trying to lighten the tone.

I'll get me coat...

'I'm the trouble starter, ****in instigator'...

Typical! I see this is the only place that this silly argument is still ongoing. Mountain, molehill, ado much nothing.

That might be your opinion but the fact that this thread is still going three days after the event just goes to show the strength of feeling against Alesha. I think that she was rude and acted like a petulent child and, despite the number of people trying to make out that this is acceptable behaviour, you will never change mind and, I guess, the majority of posters on this thread will not agree with you.

Actually, it's still going strong over on the BBC boards.

I dont think it is silly Rikki. If some people feel that Alesha's comment was insignificant enough to be ignored, then obviously it added nothing to her critique or the show.

Other people are of a mind that it was unnecessarily rude and it is incidents like this one that spoil an otherwise entertaining family show.

That doesnt mean we are outraged, obsessed or fixated. More importantly it doesnt mean we want the judges comments to be fluffy, pink and meaningless. I'm sure a balance can be struck, both here and on Strictly itself

Thats interesting. I don't suppose the BBC will do anything about it though.