Now the "Prima Ballerina" is in for 3 episodes, do you think Lennie is going to be the bad guy or will La Bussell try and out wit him

I'm not sure what you mean?

I'm hoping Bussell will give us some clear and easy-to-understand remarks about technique and how to improve it. Like what judges should.

I refer to Lennie Goodman's "grumpy old man" routine as he is "head judge" he thinks he is beyond approach

Len will be Len and Darcey will be Darcey.

Why do you think that something unpleasant might happen?

Also she will bring the judges total to five, which is a better number when it comes to decisions. I am assuming that Len wont have to be "head judge". There can't be a tie.

You can't possibly know what Len thinks.

Your are just expresing your own opinion about him.

Do you mean beyond reproach?

Yes he always seems to win any argument and throws his toys about when he doesnt

He certainly does sulk.

Darcey - is she being a 5th judge?

Ohhhhhhhh. Sorry, I get you now. Prima ballerina not as in prima ballerina but as in diva stroppiness.

Um... then no. I hadn't read Len's behaviour as you do, nor had I really considered that Bussell would be offering anything but genuine dance crit. I just see squabbles between the judges as marginally entertaining squabbles, not some kind of jockeying for supremacy. And my general impression of Bussell is that she's full of grace and dignity.

I must be naive!

"Like what judges should?"


Hmm..

I'm struggling to think what she can add to the technique of ballroom dancing of which the pros, (including world champions) won't be already aware.
I think she's just an available "out of work name" (by her own choice) who they're throwing into the mix in the hope of sustaining interest and helping the ratings.

By the time we get to the last three programmes, I suspect the majority of the viewers will have made up their minds and I suspect, so will the judges, so it's a bit of a waste of time from a technical point of view.

Regardless of what they say in public, I guess the judges will not be be too happy that she's been employed to shove in her twopenn'oth.

Oh no she wont

Deliberate, darling, deliberate. Honest injun (see what I did there? With the Indian thing? Teehee). Next time I'll type lyk wot and we'll be clearer.

Um... hmmm. No, I think she can bring a worthwhile perspective - and I hope she does.

Oh yes she will

Does that start this week? I suppose it must. Oh dear, just when you thought it couldn't get any worse we have five judges!

He will have the "casting vote" if its 2-2

I'd guessed that, I was going to put "Like in the dance books what they wrote" as a tribute to Ernie Wise.

As to a different perspective, what does that mean?

I thought it was next week, for the quarter-finals.

I didn't see the point in Darcy coming in as a 5th judge when it was announced and I still don't tbh. I have to admit that it also rankles that professional ballroom dancers / judges were overlooked for someone from outside their speciality...

Having said that, she will bring some much needed charm to an ill-humoured panel (imo ) and that can't be a bad thing at the moment

Yes they do seem to be a miserable lot this year

Where is she sitting is it behind the other judges so we can shout 'shes behind you'

But that'll just make a majority decision - his vote won't mean any more than anyone else's as such - it'll just be the last one to be cast. It doesn't rankle as much that way.

HA. Excellent.

Um... well, I suppose in my view Alesha hasn't proved very successful as a judge, so I'm starting from that. We have Len who brings a traditional ballroom/Latin perspective, Craig who brings a high(ish)brow theatrical perspective, and Bruno who brings a low(ish)brow theatrical perspective plus musicality. Alesha, one imagines, was intended to tie the other three together in some kind of um... interested lay person's vox pop on the panel. But for me, she hasn't done that.

I'm thinking - hoping! - Bussell will bring something fresh in that her perspective will be focused more on the individual competitors than the ins and outs of the choreography.

Maybe so but he is still having his "head judge" status so he can put who he wants through

But if there are five judges, there won't be a tie. So no casting vote will ever be necessary. He might be head judge, but it won't give him preferential voting rights in a dance-off. His vote will be equal to the rest. I'm not sure what you are saying here, tbh.

Won't Len will only have the deciding vote if the others' scores add up to 2-2? Otherwise he won't have to vote at all...

As much as I love and completely admire Darcy Bussel, as a ballerina with a friend who does advanced ballroom dancing, I know what complete opposites ballet and ballroom/latin are. Everything from the feet to the hips to the shoulders to the head are opposite in ballet and ballroom/latin so I really don't understand how Darcy is going to be able to have the authority or knowledge to judge it...