I get the impression this year that very few fms have an outright favourite even at week 9.

I wonder if that's because there is no perceived competition between all the couples?

Everyone seems to be genuinely supportive of everyone else including James Jordan amd Ricky W, and so there is no one who seems critically in need of support.

What do you think?

i think there is no one good enough to win
so its a level playing field - ie lots of dancers who are 'good' but no one great.
i love chris and ola - i have decided - but they arent good enough to win just sweet enough to make me want to tune in.
thats all
no one is good enough to be a winner imo

I like Team Cola and Jade & Ian and if pushed would like them in the final but I'm not strongly motivated to vote for anyone or champion anyones 'cause'.On the one hand this is good and saves my phone bill on the other I feel a bit meh about it all.(am loving DWTS though..Donnie all the way!!! )

Its probably going to be less about dance this year - more about the likeability factor - I dont have 1 favourite and I assume that most other people feel the same....

I think the best J-word will win this year, so I'm tipping Chris, who freely admitted that he started crap but is now getting the hang of dancing.

Could make for an interesting final!

I think the biggest problem is that for a lot of people their favourite personalities are not those who they think are the best dancers. For their outright favourite to win people are usually looking for someone with a combination of personality and talent, and many are struggling to find someone who fits that bill for them. I know I am.

No big allegiance here either. I think the OP is right. Things are much less tribal this year.

I feel that SCD is just a bit flat this year, I looked forward to seeing Zoe and James every week, now there are out I have no one to get excited about, it should be Ricky W and Ali in the final and I couldn't care less which of them win. Chris and Ola are good but not good enough imo, Jade and Ian are good but I feel Jade's athletic body is a real turn off. Laila looks the part of a dancer, but maybe handicapped by Anton . I would like Phil and Katya to cause an upset, but maybe that is too much to hope for.I have enjoyed watching Ricky G but only because he is dancing with Erin...

The standard alpha male winning models and the new class of professional entertainer have a major problem not being very good. The journey stories are mostly undermined by not going anywhere. The enthusiastic but not that good look a bit desperate. The best started looking that way, the next best still needs the right Latin routine and music, the third best is having a journey but she is not as good as the top two and rather low profile and the fourth best has Anton for latin.

There's also the problem that you could back anyone in the top 6 who might logically win and they could go out next week because the votes are going on completely different critria - that means investing in anyone in terms of story or personality or ability is more risky than it should be.