As Ali can only do ballroom, i think it would be wrong to vote her as winner. All the previous winners have been able to do both. It would be a travesty in my opinion. I havent got a problem with her as a person but isnt the idea of a winner of scd someone who can do both styles of dance.

Chris/Ola and Ricky/Natalie can do both and are more worthy winners.

I wonder why people cannot simply support a couple and not start threads to put another one down By all means support but allow others to make up thier mind on the dancers
Praise you favourite and leave the others out of it might gain you more support

This year's finalists all have weaknesses, not just Ali.

It's possible to drum up reasons why any of them shouldn't win - yes Ali struggles at Latin, but Chris struggles with his technique and Ricky struggles to connect with the viewers.

But they each have their strengths too and I will be focusing on them from now on, as will the couples I'm sure. It's too late in the game for any of the remaining couples to suddenly become the full package. They have to make the most of what they have.

Everyone has their own idea about what would or wouldnt be a 'travesty' this year and the truth is that none of them winning would be a travesty at all. They all have their own strengths and weaknessess and none of them are perfect and none of them are terrible either. They are all in their own way worthy winners.

i thought her salsa was awesome : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLihWitsTmY
that's all i'm saying

I find this post bizarre.

Ali has had some issues with projecting the character of certain Latin dances but to use these as a reason to champion Chris is an er... individual point of view to say the least.

Ali has outscored Chris in every Latin dance bar the rumba. I love Chris and Ola and believe (at present) that they are as deserving of the series win as either of the other couples due to the amount of entertainment they've brought to the dancefloor.

However, to decry Ali's Latin in relation to Chris's does seem to be very odd.

Because in latin the key is not technique, it's letting yourself go and showing personality.

Chris has this in abundance and so his Latin is more enjoyable than Ali's. Ali's routines are "neat".

Considering the fact the judges mark Ali on "potential" rather than what she actually produces, the scores mean nothing.

They mark mainly on technique, and hers is considerably better than Chris', plus her routines are more difficult than Chris', but his are more crowd pleasing and he is able to sell the dance (by gurning).

Well I'll be very surprised if she can dance at all this week-end, let alone do a showdance if today's article in the Sun is anything to go by!

Laila and Anton on stand-by

I have to disagree here. Ali does complicated routines packed full of proper steps (her samba routine was full of samba steps). She is marked on that. I don't know much about other dances but samba is one thing I do know about!

The key to latin is technique AND not being afraid to express emotion which is why both Ali's and Chris' are disappointing but in different ways.

However Ali's are much better as the more she practices the moves she has already mastered the easier she will find it to relax and let go as the technique becomes more inherent and she can concentrate on the acting.

Couldn't agree more Sid

I think all three offer so much but in different ways and it should really be a great evening of entertainment- I can't wait!

Unfortunately I won't see the final as I will be away from next week making this my final- and so for me I am more than happy that I don't mind who wins of the three of them! Selfish- moi?!

Good luck to all three- and for a more positive take on it all everyone should visit Sids thread offering them all support not all the negative knocking ones!

Not sure about that, as Ali did a technically difficult salsa in Week 4, and still managed to make it look decent. I wouldn't deem her other latins as failures either. She can definitely do latin, but it may not come across as such only because her ballroom is so good.

Well if she dipped her foot in an ice bucket for an hour I would be very surprised if she has a foot at all .

I don't agree with that. What Ali produces on the night is still head and shoulders above what Chris does.

Take their samba's last saturday. Chris had hardly any samba steps in and focused on the performance (rightly or wrongly) Ali's technique was spot on and i'm sorry but the song was lame, how on earth is that suppose to convey a party feel? I'll never know. How she and brian danced suited the song. Maybe she does find it hard to totally lose herself but i wouldn't say she's bad at latin, at all.

I'm not saying Ali doesn't have shortcomings in the her Latin - she does.

However, so does Chris.

What I found bizarre was the fact that the original poster was claiming that Ali couldn't do Latin and, therefore, didn't deserve to win while claiming that Chris could do both when he has as much of a problem with technique as Ali does with performance. The counter-argument really didn't work for me.

This is not meant to decry either Ali or Chris. I think they both have lots to recommend them. However, it doesn't mean I am blind to their faults; none of the finalists are perfect as Sid pointed out. Nonetheless, they are all very good in very different ways.

You're not implying that the Sun may have some inaccuracies, are you?! Seriously??!!

That'll be the same paper that "reported" she had swine flu then?

Her Salsa was awesome ... and I thought her Cha Cha was too.
To say that Chris is better is frankly laughable. His latin is like very embarrassing 'Dad dancing'. He get's by because most of the time .. especially in the latin .. your eye is drawn to the female.

His standard of dancing is not up to Ali's or Ricky's ... or Tom, Gethin or Austin. He is still at the 'Phil Tuffnell' stage as far as I'm concerned.

I think most Dads would be very pleased to get to that level.

Ali got 35 for her Samba (not including Darcy's score) .. that's the top score for the Samba this season .. she's also scored highly for her Salsa (joint top Salsa this year) Rumba (second best Rumba this year) and Cha Cha (second best Cha Cha this year).

Not bad for someone who 'can only do ballroom'.

The judges are always on at her about bringing more raunch to the latin dances .... because they have nothing else to criticize her for. I saw a DVD of Bruno saying to Cherie Lunghi 'What I like about you is that you always dance like a lady ... but never a tramp' .. and that was for a latin dance. One rule for some I guess.

Yes, and ecstatic to be at Ricky Whittle's level.

Well, I have to admit that I was an Ali fan until I read this perceptive and well thought out observation. Totally convinced by your argument, I will change my vote accordingly. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and enabling me to see the light.

You've taken the words right out of my mouth, SunDried - and to think I was going to be foolish enough to vote for Ali too!

I wonder if the OP would be good enough to share his/her opinions on Ricky in case I fall into the trap of thinking he dances so well he deserves my vote?

Probably but that's not the point is it? I resent being told that Chris dances like an embarrasing Dad when that is patently not true. I accept that Ricky is better technically (and I think has more to offer than Ali). I also still think that it is not a foregone conclusion that Chris will go through as I think people vote differently this near the end of the show. Ideally all 3 should go through.