I was reading another thread on these forums where a poster has correctly said that it has actually been possible for the person who gets the most public votes to have been eliminated in every single week if they came bottom with the judges and the public votes were distributed in the correct way

e.g 4 people
a 4+2=6
b 3+3= 6
c 2+1= 3
d 1+4= 5

5 couples
a 5+2=7
b 4+3=7
c 3+4=7
d 2+1=3
e 1+5=6

6 couples
a 6+2=8
b 5+3= 8
c 4+4=8
d 3+5=8
e 2+1=3
f 1+6=7

and it carries on as long as the person second bottom with the judges gets the fewest public votes then the person bottom with the judges will always have a chance of being in the dance off even if they got 99% of the public vote.

Firstly I have to say I didn't like the dance off before I knew this as it gives the judges too much power, they already have their power when they give the marks. Now I know how flawed the system is then I think it needs to be replaced for next series, though people may think differently.

So just to start a debate of how to best eliminate contestants I have a few options, maybe you have your own.

Number 1: Keep the current system combining the public and judges vote and have the dance off between the bottom two.

Number 2: The old strictly system combining the public and judges vote and eliminating the lowest scoring contestant with the public vote settling any ties.

Number 3: Early stages x factor system. Judges will still score dances but these will only be for guidance only. The lowest two people in the public vote go into a dance off, judges can save one.

Number 4: Later stages x factor system. Judges will still score dances but these will only be for guidance only. The person who scores the lowest public vote will be eliminated.

Number 5: My own idea. Judges will score the dances. The dancers who are in the top half of the judges leaderboard are through to next week, those in the bottom half will then go to a public vote to decide who stay in the competition. The person with the fewest public votes will be eliminated.

All systems will have there pros and cons and people will support different ones. I would prefer a sort of danger zone style system where those who score in the bottom half will go to a public vote as it still gives the judge a reason for being there not just to symbolically mark the dances, will ensure the better dancers are not eliminated as they could in a pure public vote and will always ensure that if a dancer gets the most public votes they will always progress to the next week.

What do you think?

I'm moving towards a preference for an 'elimination zone' system like option 5. My initial idea was for it to be the bottom 3 or 4 couples each week.

However it would have to be combined with moves to improve the judges' scoring system and confidence in the judges...and ideally reform of the voting system too. That would raise questions of over-complication and overkill.

Failing that option 2. The DO must go.

Number 2 like it used to be. The show was far more relaxed and less up itself and come to that, so was this forum.

I love this post!

I actually like the idea that the most popular with the public can still go home, as the public are a bit stupid most of the time.

You of course are not a member of the public.......

I would copy the American system, except that I would have no dance-off once they were doing two dances per week.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing...ting_procedure

Well, I am. But I'm constantly let down by my peers.

OK, maybe i should stick the word 'voting' before public.

Yeah, that's a better system. Would certainly have meant less John Sergeant unless he was absolutely CANING the public vote.