The torn ligament was in the first couple of weeks of the competition and was mentioned briefly by Claudia on ITT which Ali shrugged off.

Simper ?

Gosh no.

Ali Bastian's dancing bores the pants off me and whilst she and Brian might have connected on a personal level, I don't see that connection when they perform.

Rachel was an outstanding dancer. And she and Vincent made a great team. Yes she was a little on the quiet side, but Vincent had enough personality and charm for the pair of them.

Can you 'shrug off' a torn ligament?

Shrugged off talking about it.

Just my opinion - I don't expect others to share it; in the same way that those who disagree with me shouldn't assume that their preferences are right and mine wrong.

I had never heard of her before SCD but have really warmed to her.

She seems a really nice girl to me who just gets on without moaning.

I also think she's easily the best dancer!

How valiant of her

Definitely, Rachel over Ali.

Only watched 3 or 4 episodes this series but Ali reminds me of my nieces' pet gerbil.

I like Ali but then I was a Lisa Snowdon fan so what do I know

I actually find that a lot of the criticism Ali gets is based on how people perceive she is going to act rather than how she actually does act, but then perhaps I just see these things differently to everyone else.

I try to be objective with Ali and concentrate on the here and now.

But whenever she talks, I find myself losing interest.

And whever she dances, I think "that was nice" but don't give her performance a second thought afterwards.

She's not stand out.

I thought her Charleston really stood out Sid, for me it did
Having said that all three did, I enjoyed all three and love watching them again .

Will any of her non-fans promise now that, if Ali manages to smoulder through her Tango and make Brian's legs quiver for the first time (at least in public), they'll sign on to a "We was wrong abaht Ali" thread?

The Charlestons were terrific entertainment. I hope they become a permanent feature of the show.

Ali did very well, but hers was still the my least favourite of the three.

The one dance where she truly shone for me, was the American Smooth all those weeks back. I thought she'd won me over after that. But the sparkle disappeared again soon after and it's never quite come back.

Personally, I think the only way Ali and Rachel are similar, is in their inability to 'let go' and 'be sexy'. Both had similar struggles in that department.

Rachel got over the hurdle in the end. And Ali has made strides in that direction.

Indeed...both utterly B-L-A-N-D...bland 'darling':sleep:

I prefer Ali to Rachel thats for sure

And i think its because i knew her before Strictly due to Hollyoaks etc

Oh, I'm sure they'd promise but that's easy to do because all they'd have to do afterwards is claim, "I know everyone else was raving about it but it did nothing for me. I was all prepared to change my view but she was still Princess Ali putting on a dramatic act. I didn't feel convinced by it at all; it just felt like she was playing a part she wasn't suited to."

Not trying to typecast non-fans - most people are guilty of it. It's very difficult, once you have decided someone doesn't appeal to you, to look at them objectively. Therefore, when you see them, you don't see what the impartial observer sees. I wouldn't like to be a judge.

In regard to the OP, I think Rachel is better than Ali but I can see some similarities. Both attractive, both very competent technically, both receiving high marks and praise from the judges, both receiving criticism from many people for being boring/bland etc

I don't especially like her or dislike her - she is bland and will produce that reaction in a lot of viewers I think. I do think one of the weird things about this forum is that you can forget what the dancer has actually done or said and end up thinking that, because some Ali fans have been a bit OTT (IMO) about her injury that she herself has tried to milk it. I think a bit of perspective is needed from both sides - she hasn't suffered a life or career threatening injury but equally she hasn't pretended to.
for me, her ballroom is good but her arm is weird and the judges need to mention it.
Her Latin is average - good footwork but she's struggling to get into the character of the dance and keep up with the choreography.

Ali has NOTHING on Rachel.

I prefer Rachel, an excellent dancer who performed some memorable routines, brilliantly choreographed by Vincent.

I struggle to remember any dance performed by Ali.

Rachel was a bit too "precious" for my liking.
I don't mind Ali, in fact I quite liked her initially. It's the judges apparent bias in her favour that is beginning to turn me against her..even if it's not her fault.

I thought Ali was going to be this year's bot, as Rachel was last year. All I can remember of Rachel off the dance floor from last year is that she said "Amaaazing" a lot.

However, I thought it quickly became apparent that there was a quirky personality there that we caught glimpses of in her ITT interviews and training vids. She seems to be gaining confidence and showing more of this side of her as time goes on. I like her; she doesn't make a fuss but just gets on with the job in hand.

I must say I warmed to both Ali and Rachel. Lovely girls, I would be proud to have them as daughters and their dancing is magical.