Paradoxically I believe Cola would have fared much better with a dance-off in place for Saturday. The fear of eviction and hatred of judges (one common enemy uniting disparate factions) would have forged a mighty defensive army of voters (death before eviction).

With the dance-off now lifted there is no longer the unifying spectre of hostile judges, and a possibility of complacency settling in, always a danger for the frontrunner.

If Ricky is below par on the night while Ali puts in a (probable) scintillating four 10 waltz, then the penny could drop for Ricky voters that the only way Ricky can go into the Final is via:

------ Ali first on 2+3 = aggregate 5,
Ricky second on 3+1 = aggregate 4,
Cola evicted on 1+2 = aggregate 3.

If Ricky's army tactically marches over to Ali (possibly after a hint dropped by Ricky to camera), then the game could be up for a fascinating denouement. Sure Cola supporters will vote multiple times, but cannot Ricky and Ali fans in their sorrow and despair also vote multiple times?

Facing such a lastminute alliance Cola could be cooked.

If we're talking fanbase. Cola have more fans than Ali & Ricky combined. Ali will have to appeal to those that vote on the final night. Ricky is pretty much gone this week, unfortunately.

I think the public does really like Ricky......why......anybody's choice.
I think Chris is the public's favourite....he is the trier. Final will be Ali and Chris or Ricky and Chris....public vote will be Chris......its entertainment.

Ricky's a tremendous ballroom dancer but I've been a bit disappointed in his other routines. Ditto Ali, and additionally I have found many of her performances in both disciplines unconvincing. Chris is the least technically able of the three but for me the most entertaining. I think this and the nature of his partnership with Ola lie at the heart of his popularity so far. It is going to be fascinating to see what happens now.

Three words: IN - YOUR - DREAMS.

Having said this, I don't think there are any foregone conclusions, despite some people's protestations to that effect.

Ali and Brian are doing the American Smooth.

I'm resigned to the fact that Chris is going to win regardless of how well or badly he dances. I just hope he can pull something out of the bag to keep some credibility that's all.

Possibly.
I'm one of those people who thinks the public support for John Sargent would have largely evaporated by the time the semi final came around and I think the same might happen for Chris.
Though in fairness, Chris is a far better dancer than JS, but I still think there's a significant number of people who really do vote for the best dance on the night when it comes to the serious bit of the competition, and it's unlikely to be Chris.
I can quite understand why his supporters feel he deserves to get to the final - he's been entertaining, he's had a real 'journey' and Team Cola has provided us with lots of warm, fluffy moments, but I truly believe that some of those votes might go elsewhere when it gets down to the serious business of winning the Mirror Ball.
It all depends on how big that 'significant proportion' is I suppose.

I hope not, else his trousers might fall down!

(I'm sorry. I'll get me coat ...)

I also think that John Segeant's support would have dissipated the closer we got to the final last year. I think people would have realised that the joke had gone on long enough and given up.

However, I don't think those who are voting for Chris are doing it for anything like the reasons that many people voted for John.

Initially, people voted for John because they found him charming and entertaining; his waltz in week 1 was a pretty decent effort! However, in the next couple of weeks, the ability dwindled and he inherited the Fiona Philips/Kate Garraway "underdog" and "vote for the worst" support, while keeping some of the support he'd garnered for simply being entertaining.

I don't think JS's support would have been enough to get him through subsequent weeks though, had there not been such a viewer/judge backlash in which it seemed that the judges wanted him out at all costs, the viewers dug their heels in and John gained a huge amount of momentum. I don't think it would have lasted - I don't think he would have made the final four.

Those voting for Chris are, and always have been, voting for him (and Ola) because they like the partnership on and off the floor and have done since the beginning. He hasn't gained from any judging backlash and I don't think anyone has jumped on the "vote for the worst" bandwagon because he hasn't obviously been the worst. The support he and Ola have are down to them and what they do and have done to entertain the public. I see no reason for that to decrease; I certainly expect them to be in the final.

Once there, some of their supporters may decide it was enough to reach the final and there may be enough "on the night" voters to carry the other participant home but I have my doubts.

Chris and Ola supporters are voting for entertainment and as long as their chosen ones continue to provide this, I don't see them deserting their favourites.