Perhaps I'm not the cynic I thought I was - ie I'm prone to some naivety - but I thought these boards were to discuss a light, frothy entertainment show which features different Ballroom, Latin and Freestyle dances, for all the family aged 1 to 101 to enjoy.
Instead, I visit the boards to find in usage such words as threat, power, manipulate and others highlighted above

Have Aliens landed?
Have Vampires infected the entire Free World?

Interestingly no - someone is afraid that their particular favourites might end up 3rd or 4th out of 16

I'm looking forward to the Final in order to hopefully see a fantastic routine from a couple who no one can manipulate, who are dancing for the sheer joy of it and who should have been the winners

A lot LESS pointles, however, than a final between two contestants that are less popular with the public but loved by the judges. Who wants to watch that?

There was (justifably) uproar last year when Austin was offed to preserve the less popular Lisa Snowdon. As soon as the public got their chance to get rid of her, they did. Trying the same trick again with a contestant who I think we can safely say is most popular with the audience (given that he has never been in the dance-off) will only alienate the public and do nothing for Strictly's ratings, or its standing with viewers.

Buddy - your post has cheered me up: there IS hope!

Buddy, those 2 scenarios are exactly the same

On the same understanding ie Ricky having the lowest public vote, Chris the highest ( and poor Laila being forgotten ):

RN 3 + 1 = 4
AB 2 + 2 = 4
CO 1 + 3 = 4

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)

RN 3 + 1 = 4
AB 1 + 2 = 3
CO 2 + 3 = 5

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)

RN 2 + 1 = 3
AB 3 + 2 = 5
CO 1 + 3 = 4

Ali through Ricky/Chris dance off (no dance off if the Final)

RN 2 + 1 = 3
AB 1 + 2 = 3
CO 3 + 3 = 6

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)


RN 1 + 1 = 2
AB 2 + 2 = 4
CO 3 + 3 = 6

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)

RN 1 + 1 = 2
AB 3 + 2 = 5
CO 2 + 3 = 5

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)

Ties, as always are what will throw it all up in the air.

Cancel that - ties can only be in Chris' favour :

RN 3 + 1 = 4
AB 3 + 2 = 5
CO 2 + 3 = 5

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)

RN 3 + 1 = 4
AB 2 + 2 = 4
CO 3 + 3 = 6

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)

RN 2 + 1 = 3
AB 3 + 2 = 5
CO 3 + 3 = 6

Chris through Ricky/Ali dance off (no dance off if the Final)

Buddy, the only scenario where Chris loses with the public vote being what you suggest is if Ali is top with the Judges, Ricky second and Chris third

I'm sure the producers will already be factoring that into their plans ...

both this saturday and the semi final even if Chris is bottom of the board, if he is getting the top public vote he can definately go straight through it all depends on who is in what order above him and who is getting what public vote.

3 +1 =4
2 + 2=4
1 + 3 =4

bottom couple straight through top two on leaderboard in dance off.

however if the top couple gets the second highest vote then the person with the top vote is in the dance off.......this is really not right and therefore the dance off should be scrapped when we get down to the quarter final stage.

I would. I'd find a final between Ricky and Ali far preferable to one between either of those and Chris & Ola. Partially because it would be far less predictable, and partly because I find them far more entertaining to watch.

Why should what final I want to see be dictated by what other people like? I fully accept that the final I will see will be dictated by that, because that's how the show works.

Regarding the system, the show actively benefits from the system being tilted slightly in favour of the judges, so long as a popular dancer wins. The audience likes to feel it got one over on the authority figures, and that's no fun if it'd made easy for them. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to wank themselves up into ridiculous martyr complexes (like the Ricky fans this week claiming it was all rigged by the judges/producers to send him home even though...they had the chance to send him home and didn't, or the Chris fans who claim Alesha is biased against him, despite her giving him better scores than any of the other judges), which at the end of the day is really what fuels the show.

Your post seems to rather contradict itself ...

I think it is fairly safe to say that Chris must be polling the highest vote from the public given that he has escaped the dance-off and is the only couple to do so.

Therefore he is a more popular dancer than Ricky or Ali - yet you say he ought not to be there, and that two less popular contestants should compete against one another ... "as long as a popular dancer wins"? Don't you mean one of the dancers you like?

I would also dispute that Chris in the final would produce an obvious result. We don't know what would happen if Ricky or Ali went out and one took most of the others' votes ...

The BBC would also do well to consider that jettisoning Strictly's most popular contestant and most distinctive character might be a rather stupid thing to do given that the series is still lagging behind The X Factor in the ratings. Is that really a smart thing to do?

I didn't say he ought not to be there, I said I didn't want him to be there and I'd rather watch other people. By the rules of the show he ought to be there ( so long as his public vote holds up, and barring an unfortunately configured leaderboard for him), for "what's good for the show" he ought to be there, doesn't mean that I have to want him to reach the final.

The show asks us to vote and root for our favourite dancers. That holds as true for people who are Ricky/Ali fans as it does for Chris fans. I am in no way obligated to act in a way that's "best for the show". I'm fairly sure the show can withstand an "unpopular winner" anyway. Every single other reality show manages it.

It is enough if the leaderboard is reversed - if Ricky is least popular and top they'll all be on 4 points - and top with the public - Chris - would go through.

I started reading this thread but have since lost the will to live...

Personally I think this weekend could be the last chance to get Ali and Ricky in the dance off together - when 4 couples its possible, when 3 couples much less likely...

Perhaps to get Chris and Ola to the final we all ought to tactically vote for Cola AND Laila and Anton this weekend to try to get them both through on the public vote leaving Ricky and Ali in the dance off...

I actually thought that the judges had cooled a fair amount in their praise of Ricky on Saturday (perhaps a BBC edict has come out saying that the show should distance itself from Ricky after the "nasty incident" as Len said .... on Friday...

I agree with whoever said that the judges seem to favour Ali now (and even did before the Ricky "police incident") but it would be interesting to see how they would vote in a dance off between the two of them. I always presumed the judges would vote on Ricky's side but I think that may have changed now.

I just find Ricky boring... He hasnt really improved that much from week 1, and the only journey he has gone on is a straight line or dip.

Chris and Ola in the final for me. I have loved their journey - I think must of the general public could relate to his dance ability in themselves.

Anyway thats just my opinion.

I miss Jade If we cant have Chris and Ola in the final I would have been happy to see Jade there instead. Ali and Ricky dont do it for me I am afraid. I will be voting Chris and Laila to try and get a Ricky V Ali dance off.

Exactly, so if Chris makes it through next week to the last three, then he still has a good chance of making it through, even if he is always at the bottom of the judges' leader board. If they dance the AT in the semi, then I think Ricky & Natalie will score higher than Ali & Brian, so there is even less chance of Ali being at the top of the leader board.

I can't say I am chuffed at people referring to Chris as the joke candidate. Chris Parker - yes, Chris Hollins - no. I hope people are speaking generally rather than specifically when they used that phrase.

Brilliantly put. Best post I've ever read on here.
But are the BBC that stupid? I sadly suspect they are

The craziness of this situation is BEYOND madness.
Imagine a political voting system whereby it doesn't matter how many millions of votes you get, but instead it all rests on how many votes the other two lesser parties get.
Or a football league where you can win all your matches, yet you're potentially denied the title depending on which way round the bottom two in the table finish!

All this "reverse the leaderboard" stuff just isn't going to work on the night, and could even backfire in a big way if the voting is close.

Besides, the BBC urge us to "vote [pay] to save your favourite", when in fact they should be saying "by all means vote for your favourite, but we can't guarantee they will be safe, even if they get the most votes"

Judges
Ali 3
Ricky 2
Chris 1

Public
Chris = 50,000,000 votes
Ali = 2 votes
Ricky = 1 vote

...is just ONE example of a sitation which could see Team Cola being forced off the show, prompting floods of complaints to the BBC.

So, if you're going to complain, DO IT NOW!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/homepage/

Interestingly, the BBC make this claim in response to a complaint about the voting system (my highlighting the particularly relevant words):


Which SHOULD mean what is says.

And if it doesn't, I predict a riot ...

In any scenario the revised voting system ensures that when the lines open for the audience to vote no one is safe and anyone can be saved.

Ah but this was brought in because in the semi final last year Rachel and Lisa being tied on the board mean that Tom could not be saved from the dance off so any votes for him were a complete waste of time and money.

Under the new system there should never be a situation where a couple CANT be saved from the dance off, however it is harder for someone at the bottom of the board to avoid it, but not impossible and thats the difference. Unfortunately when the most popular couple is regarded as the lesser dancer its always going to be a problem.

I would like to think the BBC will allow all the couple from the semi to go forward but I am not holding my breath.

Perhaps your post is cynical, you're happy for two dancers to be favoured by a judging system that is seriously flawed.

As for what you think these boards are for lets have the mods decide that not individual FM's.

Your post seems to be the sensationalist one , vampires and aliens indeed, try the cult tv programs board if that's what you are looking for as there's no mention of them in my posts.

Rather rude, trying to be clever rather than engaging in the debate maybe?
I have never said the other dancers are superior please do not misrepresent my views so appallingly

My intention with this thread was to make people aware beforehand of what I think is likely to happen. I am glad it is having the desired effect and many are seeing an issue that they were not aware of before.
The production team my be less likel;y to try and slip this past us if they are aware that we are already questioning this scenario and are not happy about it.

The judges will put Ricky in the top spot to save him from ending up in the DO again and they'll have to sacrifice Ali by doing that. I reckon she'll end up in the dance off this week along with Chris or Laila. I'm sure the judges are adamant to get rid of Chris this week because they know he'll walk the final, if he has the chance to make it there. Eitherway, their bias & attempts to get their desired couples through will be blatantly obvious this week :sleep:

We still have four couples left in the competition. What will happen if Ricky and Ali end up in the dance off this week? Is that mathematically possible if the judges give them the top scores? Nothing against Ricky or Ali, I'm just curious to know if that could happen.

Right guys we have got to get to work - it is time to start contacting the Beeb and say we suspect this being fixed.

1. We want an assurance that it is going to be a 3 couple final
2. The judges to be told by PTB to mark fairly
3. If we don't get that assurance of a three couple final we may decide to cantact the newspapers to highlight the fix
4. Oh and we'll also contact OFCOM because we are the ones who are being asked to vote when the system is skewed

We have got to get to work

Right guys we have got to get to work - it is time to start contacting the Beeb and say we suspect this being fixed.

Footygirl, I appreciate your concern, but "we suspect this being fixed" is the WRONG angle to take.
The whole "conspiracy theory" thing isn't doing this debate any good.
What's wrong is the SYSTEM itself, and the simple MATHS behind it. There doesn't have to be ANY agenda at all, by the judges, or the BBC, or anyone.
Chris could top the public vote & still be out, regardless of anything. It could all happen by accident. No need for any pre-planning by anyone!!!
How do we know the judges want an Ali v Ricky final? It's all assumption. For all we know, the BBC might want a Laila v Chris final! All that really matters is... THE SYSTEM IS STILL FLAWED.

That is a plain fact, so let that be the basis of any complaints, not claiming it to be "fixed" (which will be denied & can never be proved)

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/progs/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/homepage/

Point taken - so let's get to work with emails and telephone calls to the Beeb and make it clear that their system is faulty and unfair

Agreed - let's do it!!!