I think Ricky is great and haven't noticed Natalie trying to promote herself excessively, she seems nice.

Ricky's dance on Saturday - the rock and roll one - wasn't so good.

I think he'll be a lot better this coming Saturday.

Ummm...where are you getting that from? Do you mean in the order he is called out by Tess and Bruce? Because thay is read out in no particular order. We have no evidence whatsoever for how popular any of the remaining contestants have been throughout the series apart from this supposed 'leak' suggesting Cola and Tuffers were popular. And let's not forget that both Ali and Laila have been in the DO before too. I honestly believe he was in the DO because he gave a poor performance which had to compete with 3 entertaining Charlestons (albeit with varying standards of technique).

Given the known points from the judges' scoring and the known two who end up in the dance off after the public vote, it is sometimes possible to draw some conclusions on the points from the public votes. I believe it is being suggested that doing these sums shows Ricky W has been down the bottom all the time.

I am a little dubious about that as I've done the sums for two or three shows myself and they just aren't that precise. For example the week Zoe and Ali were in the dance off the results did suggest that either Ricky W or Jade had to have had three points from the public voting, but not which one of them. It was also possible the other had four points, but they could also have finished in any position above that and the results would still have made sense.

So I would say the maths may well suggest that Ricky W *could* have been near the bottom of the public vote each week, but I'd be surprised if there was anything much more definite than that and it is quite possible the results *could* also suggest he was right near the top.

Thanks Grunson; saved me having to type a long reply.

The "evidence" gathered from the judges positioning + the public vote suggests, on more than one occasion, that Ricky is not getting public votes. Of course there is some leeway in the scoring but if all the evidence points to Chris heading the public vote (as inferred by his total scores), then others fall into lower places.

Whilst there may be variations from week to week in the public voting, there are only so many combinations of scores that can be arrived at for each celebrity. For example it is more than likely that Ali regularly beats Ricky and that last week Leila certainly did.

The overall picture seems to indicate that Ricky, whilst he is normally at the top of the judges board, is failing to get public support. This week it looks very likely that Ricky will face Leila and then he will face a dance off with Chris in the semis.

(It is impossible for Chris to miss the semis based on all known scores).

Like a lot of posters, I haven't had a great deal of factual evidence to offer on why I have a dislike of Natalie L....until Saturday's show.

1) When and after the results from the dance off were being given, Natalie threw her head back, grinned and winked at the Judges while Ricky immediately went over to Natalie C and Vincent to give them a hug, leaving Natalie L standing on her own still oblivious to there being anyone else on that dance floor but herself.

2) On the vt shown on Monday's ITT, just as the show finished Ricky is giving praise to Natalie and Vincent, as is becoming of the victor in the dance off (and tbh went up in my estimation for it as it seemed very genuine, heartfelt) and all the while Natalie L's eyes were downcast.

I could feel that this was not what she wanted said but instead possibly, she thought it was supposed to be all about them and their success - she never once looked at the camera or whoever was doing the interview - I could just feel the vibes off it and could almost hear her muttering under her breath tbh

These instances did nothing to ingratiate her to the viewers (or me at least) and sadly that rubs off on Ricky when even I can see that he does his best and is kind and considerate of others.

I'm a bit confused by this response thanking grunson for backing up your argument and saving you having to type a long reply

Did you read grunson's post? (particularly the last para):

"So I would say the maths may well suggest that Ricky W *could* have been near the bottom of the public vote each week, but I'd be surprised if there was anything much more definite than that and it is quite possible the results *could* also suggest he was right near the top.

Hardly a ringing endorsement of your assertions.

The available facts only make that a possibility, anything else is really just guess work. I tend to favour the scenario with Ricky now bottom of the public vote but it is simply a guess.


I wouldn't go so far as to say 'very likely' but again that would a guess I'd be happy with.

A lot depends on exactly where Ali and Laila are in the public vote and whether Chris's assumed lead holds up to the very end. Also which couple, if any, will gain votes from those previously supporting Natalie?

A quick glance at the figures for Saturday suggests Ali could have been second from bottom with the public and Laila might even have been second but I haven't worked the figures for earlier weeks to see if that is consistent. I could well believe Laila is bringing in more votes than Ali at the moment but it is again just a guess.

If the public vote is going Chris, Laila, Ali and Ricky then if the judge's scores on Saturday end up Ricky, Ali, Laila, Chris we would end up with Ricky and Ali in the dance off and a Laila and Chris final is a definite possibility.

I have just been and watched this bit and your right she never looks up once and never smiles, she doesnt even look particularly sad as though she was thinking about Natalie and Vincent.....she almost should have had a bubble coming out of her head saying 'how dare you not vote and put us in the dance off you bas****s !'

Pretty sure I would have warmed to Ricky more if he had been with Erin or Flavia but thats the way the cookie crumbles.

Apricot. I was referring to Grunson's reply to drbolognaise's post confirming that I was referring to the scoring rather than any perceived order based on how the names were called out. I fully understand Grunsons reply and he/she admits to not completing the math on a weekly basis (as I have done).

Quite simply last weeks scores by the judges (Ali 5, Chris 4, Ricky 3, Laila 2 and Nat 1) had to award Ricky only 1 point from the public vote to see him in the bottom 2. Similarly, Nat could not have recieved any more than 3rd place in the PV to make the bottom 2. This leaves the order of the remaining 3 as Chris first followed by Ali/Leila (previous weeks suggest Leila has beaten Ali before). It is this logical reasoning that week after week confirms how the PV is panning out and there are very few permutations that satisfy how the weekly dance offs have materialised.

Of course things can change with the PV but they rarely change significantly. What does change however is the BBC background mathematical wizard who feeds the judges with how they must score on a weekly basis. Avoiding the scenario that Grunson suggests as possible (Chris v Leila final), one that would make a laughing stock of the programme, is exactly why the scores are manipulated to ensure that the best dancers reach the final (as far as is possible).

This week, I suggest that the scoring order will be Ali, Ricky, Chris and Leila with the PV forcing a Ricky v Leila dance off. Furthermore, the 3 way semi-final allows the judges to ditch a victim of their choosing ie one who is the most popular but a poorer dancer (Chris). This appears to be the current BBC plan.

Actually Ricky could have got 2 points from the public and still ended up in the bottom 2:

Judges + Public = Total
Ali 5+1=6
Chris 4+5=9
Ricky 3+2=5
Laila 2+4=6
Nat 1+3=4

Nat C and Ricky end up in bottom 2.

Or Ricky could have got 3 points from the public and ended up bottom 2:

Judges + Public = Total
Ali 5+2=7
Chris 4+5=9
Ricky 3+3=6
Laila 2+4=6
Nat 1+1=2

Ricky and Laila equal, but Laila goes through as she has more public votes (the deciding factor in a tie), so Nat C and Ricky in bottom 2.

As Shappy has pointed out, there are permutations where Ricky might not have been bottom of the public vote but I'm not going to get into "handbags" about maths 'cos I'm rubbish! Also Ricky might well have been bottom as his first dance was mediocre - my quibbling is that we cannot know for sure.

I would question the notion that the PV does not change "significantly" if only for the reason that last year's X-Factor percentages showed the Quigg fella leading the PV week after week and Alexandra Burke very low down until the very latter stages when the vote turned and she won.

I also believe, if Chris gets through to the semi, his public vote will see him through regardless of judges. I think this week is his danger week.

I don't think it is Ricky who is so much the problem - I (and this is MY opinion) really can't take to Natalie at all - I love Katya and what little we saw of Aliona seemed ok - but not really "getting" Natalie. Maybe other people are of the same opinion - I don't know?

Every year there are those who need to have a 'target' on SCD. They need someone they can bitch about, resent and loathe - all at the same time. If the 'target' is handsome with it, they're fair game.

Ricky Whittle is the best dancer, he's black, he's gorgeous and he does not tend to simper, play the fool, kiss Bruce's hand, gush about the show, pretend to cry....you get the picture?

If he's calm he's labelled 'arrogant'. If he jokes about he's 'not focused and mean to others'. He has slightly bandy legs and tends to turn his feet inwards. At his age you can't really fix this (as you could with a very young dancer) but it has given the Anti-iRcky mob even more to complain about. They clearly think breaking and resetting legs is an option he has failed to choose.

He is also paired with an ambitious, focused Aussie who takes no prisoners. Women are not allowed to be that tough over here. It's simply not done. Also, she can't do rock and roll to save her life. She's not lovable, so he gets the stick.

She doesn't simper, giggle, weep or whinge either and that makes her v.v.scary in the GBP's eyes. They like their women slightly wet, a bit tearful and mostly fake angelic. Non threatening, y'know?

So although Ricky is by far the best and, in actual fact, the ONLY decent dancer out there, he really can't win with the SCD DS forum.

Those of us who rate him highly just carry on rooting for him, despite the vicious outcry and the Mob...

Holy moly... brilliant brilliant post and agree with every last syllable!

Because he doesn't seem to have gotten any better? He gives the impression that he was told he was wonderful at the start, so he hasn't really applied himself to *really* improving. You'd think with the headstart he had (being obviously a very natural dancer with rhythm etc) that he'd have perfected some of the technique by now. He makes a lot of mistakes and gets away with it somehow too - something the voting public will be annoyed with.
And of course Natalie comes across as a real life Tina Sparkle! She gives the impression that she'd sell her granny to win...

Sofakat, thanks. I agree whole heartedly

I have no out and out favourite this year, my ideal final would have been Ali, Ricky and Jade because they've been consistently good. I lament the lack of Jade.

I miss Jade too idiotgirlie. I thought she was fab!

Maybe he gets away with it because his routines are so much harder than Chris or Laila's? Technique-wise, he and Ali are dancing in a different tier of competition, and when the marking range is so small (6-10 from the likes of Len), how else to distingish the level of difficulty of the dances?

You carry on rooting for him while putting Ali down all the time
So you cant exactally complain about the " Mob " can you .

I find him boring.

I find Natalie terrifying AND boring.

I find their routines uninspiring.

He's also not that polished and doesn't even look like he's having fun out there.

Just a few of the reasons why the Thong and the Shark make me want to run screaming.

Really good point, and absolutely true shappy.

On the fence then?

The Thong?

Yeah, I should come aht some time and say what I really think.

One of his nicknames on the 'dark side' taken from his ill advised comment that he'd dance in a thong in the final...just another reason not to vote for him.

In all fairness Ali and her partner have got away lightly on this forum this year. This forum would have gone into meltdown if:
[list] Ricky and Natalie had bumped Brian and Ali off the dance-floor on Saturday and received a 10. There was enough criticism that he received a 9 and the poor bloke (who let's not forget is the amateur) was leading his dance![/list][list]Ricky had turned up with a heavily bandaged foot after being seen in the papers the day before on crutches and then received a 10 for an excellent routine. My goodness the majority of "the it's cool to slate Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe gang" on here would have gone apocalyptic and screamed that he was faking it, and was looking for the sympathy vote and couldn't possibly have been injured[/list][list]if he had said "well at least I won't have to do that again" and then ended up in the DO where he danced worse than the other couple because he was so obviously injured, but was still saved by the judges. The threads and posts about his arrogance would have run into two pages before the clock struck 12[/list]
We've had posts this week about Natalie "winking" at the judges after she was saved in the DO ( personally I thought she was winking at Tess), but Brian fawning over Alesha was hardly commented on. Natalie was joking with Brian about his "floorcraft" and yet she's the villainess. I could go on but, those are the incidents that immediately spring to mind. The "mob" have (for whatever reason) put Ricky and Natalie's actions under a microscope and it's got to the point where the pair can't even breathe without someone posting a disparaging comment.

You know, you're right. I think that's why Mrs Jordan has become so popular. It must be because she's so wet, tearful, angelic, and sweet. It must be because Mrs Jordan () never gets forceful, overbearing or competitive.

Come on, get real. It's nothing to do with her being foreign (Ola is Polish) or ambitious (Ola is ambitious) or focused (Ola is focused). It's not because she doesn't simper, giggle, weep, whinge, be slightly wet, tearful, or angelic (Ola is none of them). In fact, take every forceful/focused/ambitious quality Natalie has, and you'd have to MULTIPLY it to get Ola!

Ola is popular because she seems to have positive aspects AS WELL as that. I've seen nothing of Natalie EXCEPT her overbearing determination to succeed.