Ricky is by far and away the best dancer and the most charismatic and exciting to watch but I am worried that team Cola will win.

Anyone else predict this result ?

I do like them to an extent and I'm not worried who wins...but I don't want them to win particularly (unless they seriously outdance the opposition) and I'd rate them probably 70/30 likely winners at the moment.

After last night, Ricky is a winner in my eyes and should be proud of his achievement. All credit to Cola for providing weeks of entertainment and copious amount of pivots, but as much as they are a genuinely cute couple together, I dont think they should win. However, I dont care if they do now, Ricky got into the final and most of us WWW's never thought that would happen after the forumhatred and the 2 x DO.

I think after last night, to be honest, Ricky blew the final wide open. I dont think its as a foregone conclusion as we all thought because I dont think ANYONE expected him to be in the final. If he comes out and performs the way he did last night, you never know what may happen.

It's a real shame the two best dancers aren't going to be competing in the final. I really don't see the appeal of Cola at all, I'm afraid. Sure he's seemingly a nice enough guy, but the endless "Yeah Baby"s started to grate months ago.

Ricky ought to win because he can actually dance. Chris is a likeable little chap, period.

Every year we have to watch someone get higher up the ladder than better dancers, just because they are more popular.

If that is to be the order of the day, why not leave out the dancing and just vote on who we like?

I can't help wondering why they abandoned the dance-off judged by the panel. That way Chris would not have stood a chance.

I agree

Last night FINALLY Ricky and Natalie altered their image and managed to produce something with a bit of fire, emotion and entertainment value.

As people have been saying for weeks, a lot of Ricky's problem has been Natalie, last night the superior-looking ice maiden melted and we got a great performance out of Ricky as a result.

I don't mind. Cola have given weeks of entertainment in a sea of zzzzzz's. Ricky had no charisma until last night and last night he was fabulous. I do think its wide open now.I think a lot of new people vote in the final and so I don't see it as a forgone conclusion. I won't be voting. I don't mind who wins this year.

I dunno I think the momentum might be swinging back to Ricky a little bit. I think Chris fans have every right to be a little apprehensive now.

Ricky was fantastic last night and generally won me over, speaking as a neutral up until then. I do wonder how many more neutrals he'll win over next week.

Nothing against Chris and Ola I just don't get them, haven't since week 1, I feel like I'm watching the Emperor's New Clothes tbh. Everyone keeps telling me how amazing they are and what an immense personality Chris is but I'm not feeling it. There again I never thought I'd be rooting for Ricky either so you never can tell what I'll suddenly see next week.

It's just a wild guess, but I imagine they abandoned the DO because Chris was well ahead in the vote last week and the complaint junkie baiting possibility of the 'popular' winner being DO'd out of the competition loomed.

and there is not a shadow of a doubt about that, but - as we all know - the best dancers don't win this.

The public prefer the joker, the one they think has 'made the journey' who plays to camera and who amuses them. Fair enough. The standard of the dancing is not their main concern. They want to identify with someone. I love Ola but Chris is too fake for me.

I don't know what the outcome will be and it's not actually that important. I'd like Ricky to win because he is the best, has the most talent and because he has had unfair and unjustified slagging off on forums. He carried on, gritting his teeth and trying because it means something to him. I'd love to see his reaction, and that of his lovely father.

But in the end it's just a TV show and that glitter ball is hideous!

Not keen on bandy, pidgeon toed dancers...Chris for the win

I don't think it's as clear cut as everyone thinks it is. I had a feeling Ricky still had a chance just going by what was being posted on the beeb forum. The most interesting being that people were voting tactically to get Natalie and Laila out and that they weren't going to 'make the mistake of not voting for Ricky in the semis'. All we know from yesterday is that Ali came last in the viewer votes. Cola and Ricalie could have finished in either 2nd or top of viewer votes to have got through. X factor wraps up today and some of those voting in that show may come over to vote for Ricky in the final. And the floating voters will probably decide on the night so really, anything can happen. Can't wait!

But I presume you are keen on gurning, cheesy and barely competent dancers. No one who judges on dancing as opposed to 'personality' would have Chris in the final, let alone as the winner.

I think if you had broken your leg in seven places and danced with a steel rod in your tibia you might be a tiny bit bandy and awkward yourself?

Happily the man is so naturally talented and hard working he manages to live with the leg and perform brilliantly despite it.

I think it's going to be a good final to be honest. Not the end of the world if either of them win. The impact of the showdance will be the decider. Many floating viewers may now switch to the percieved 'dancer' in the final but if Chris and Ola do a fun number along the lines of their Charleston, they have it in the bag I reckon.

The vast majority of the people who pick up the phone and vote do not come on DS or the BBC boards, and don't give a flying fig whether Ali is better than Chris, or Leila better than Tuffers, or Ricky better than all of them. They vote for the one that's made the best impression and connected with them.

If the majority decide Chris, I say so be it!

For Ricky to have finished 1st with the public yesterday would have required a swing of such epic proportions that the notion can be dismissed out of hand imo

The most entertaining thing for me in the next week is how the beeb are going to attempt to give the impression that it's anyone's game when it's anything but that

IMO, anything is possible in these programmes. Ricky's dancing last night was so outstandingly awesome that the floating vote could have got behind him.

Not nice making rude comments about something that he can't help.

I think that after 'breaking his leg in a freak accident, seven operations and been bed bound for a few months and told he would never run again and would be lucky to walk without limping', Ricky achievement on SCD is deserving of a win.

It's possible I suppose...but I doubt there's many who think it likely Personally I don't think Ricky could gain enough votes to overtake Chris even if he levitated during a routine tbh

Chris will be Strictly Champ for 2009 and if he isn't I'll eat every hat I've got, including my crash helmet

I think it could go either way this weekend. I was shocked Chris got through last night, and I'm a huge Cola fan, as I was convinced he was out. But Ricky pulled out two amazing performances and if he can do that again, I could see him lifting the glitterball next week.
I think it will be very close and either one of them could win on Saturday.

Probably not but I think with shows like these its best to keep an open mind. I mean, how many people would have thought Ricky was going through last night until it was announced? I bet you wouldnt find enough to fill a small car. But he did. Reality TV shows are funny things and public opinion can sway so dramatically.

Although I would love to see you eat your crash helmet (ie: Ricky to win!!!), I fear for your stomach digesting that!

A lot will be depend on who Ali's fans now switch their aligance to and the floating voters who only vote in the final it may be closer than people think

After last night's result I feel the same way. I honestly thought Ricky was a goner and was looking forward to not spending so much time on here!

I actually think Ricky going through over Ali was a much bigger shock than Chris making the final.

I have always thought of SCD as a dance contest, but this year it would appear that the majority of the viewing public see it as an entertainment show, we will know for sure come the final. Ricky has been good from the off, but hasn't got that something that would make me vote for him, Chris on the other hand has tried hard and has given us some laughs along the way, but just like Ricky I don't feel the urge to vote for him, however it will be interesting to see the result.

Because Chris wouldn't have stood a chance. They had enough problems last year, they didn't want more controversy.

Besides, the dance off was never designed to be used when there were only three couples. It gives the balance of power far too heavily back to the judges.

I suppose they just decided the fairest way was to have bottom couple go out, end of.