I've had Chris marked for the final for some weeks. I hope it's against Ali but it all depends on next week's dances.

Gosh!!! I have just realized what a complete bore fest the final will be if Chris is not in it, would rather hammer nails through my own feet than watch that!!!! better for Strictly to have three couples in the final.

Did you watch last year's semi final?

If the judges give Ricky and Ali equal points at the top Chris is 100% definite to go if there is a dance off - but the Beeb would stop proceedings and that won't happen:

Chris
1 judges plus 3 public = 4

Ali
3 judges plus 2 public = 5

Ricky
3 judges vs 1 public = 4

Ricky vs Chris dance off

OR

Chris
1 judges plus 3 public = 4

Ali
3 judges plus 1 public = 4

Ricky
3 judges vs 2 public = 5

Ali vs Chris dance off

Don't quote me on this but I read somewhere that they are doing the AT plus the opposite dance to what they did last week eg, Ali and Brian and Chris and Ola will do a rock and roll; Ricky and Natalie will do a Charleston.

I'm not confident of the source of that info though.

I just wish they'd put them all through next week, tbh. I don't want a two couple final.

I've sent my complaint in early

The Tom scenario - cannot be saved from the dance off so they'll have to let them all go through

sorry - just re-read that if Ali & Ricky tie they'll get 3 points each BUT Chris would get 2 points under the new rules so the above sums are wrong

Um... last years semi-final is the reason the rules have been changed this year. In the event of an Ali/Ricky tie, they would get 3 points from the judges and Chris would get 2. Add that to his 3 points from the public and Chris goes through automatically regardless of which of the other 2 is more popular with the public.

Not just this forum: the BBC will be in deep s**t because when Tess tells us we can keep our favourites safe if we vote, she is lying if there is a scenario whereby we can't. And, potentially, there is.

Apparently the Telegraph has already run a story about the BBC 'fixing' Strictly (it's in the print version - doesn't seem to be online so I can't provide a link). If the Daily Heil and The Sun pick up on this, the Beeb will end up with yet another PR storm about 'deceiving the public'. I wonder if BBC execs have thought this through ...?

The only solution is to make it a public-only vote next week.

Did The Star publish the figures for percentages of what Ali and Ricky got last week in their leak - ie, the gap between them? Or did they only give the percentage for Chris? Also anyone got the scheduling for next week of the time for voting?

Normally, the internet can't have much effect in a short space of time on anything ... and not many people are gonna be thinking about arithmetic when they bother to vote on what's a bit of light entertainment for most people. But footygirl made an interesting point ...

Let's say Ali tops the judge's leaderboard next week ... in that case, people who want Chris in the final then need Ricky to be ahead of Ali in the public vote to get a 4-point tie again. You normally wouldn't be able to change a vote demographic with a smallish amount of votes. But ....

If Chris/Ola take a huge percentage of all votes cast, then it doesn't take a vast amount of votes to make significant shifts in the relative placings of the other two people ...

We have much fun talking about judge's 'fixes', but an organised internet campaign of Chris/Ola fans 'could' actually pull a little 'trickery', let's call it, of their own ...

They sit and wait ... poised at their phones waiting for the judges' leaderboard to come in ... the broad public are very likely going to see Chris/Ola top the public vote no matter which way they vote ... so what they do instead is chuck votes the way of whoever comes second on the judges' leaderboard. If the gap isn't overly big, they could actually force a 4-point tie no matter who the judges place first.

Two grassy knolls ... one rifle for the judges, one rifle for the public ... who's got the better aim?

I think Ricky and Natalie will be on top of the leader board next week if it's AT and either Rock n Roll or Charleston. As it seems Ricky is less popular than Ali the only way to get Chris in the danceoff would be to make sure Ali got full points from judges and I cant see her beating Ricky for top place next week therfore leading to a Ricky/Ali danceoff.

I think the BBC will wait until the votes are in, and if it looks like a Ricky/Ali dance off, they'll announce no elimination and all three go through to the final. With there being two shows, they can actually do that as they have time between the phone lines closing and the results show starting to decide what to do. Cynical? Moi????

It was a Samba!! but I understand your confusion as he didn't do the steps and the song was a Salsa song

But there's always a scenario where anyone can be saved and anyone can go out. That's part of the 'game'.

Where next week is different is that there is greater chance of the favourite going out but that will always be the case with fewer couples.

Which is why the fairest thing would have be to have no dance off.