Whether it would be boring and predictable, surely the best one should win? I wonder if you would say this if Kieron had always been at the top. Would you want Hayley if not Gary to win? I doubt it.

The one with the most support and votes will win - doesn't mean the best will win.

Gaynor won Series 1 - Bonnie scored better in the finale and came 3rd

Kyran won Series 2 - Claire scored better in the finale and cames 2nd

Well I personally think the best should win.

I wanted the OP to tell me if Kieron had been top for most weeks whether it would have been boring and predictable to vote for him or whether that just applied to Hayley?

I do think the best should win but I'm voting for best as far as improvement goes which for me is Kieron and not the person who was best at the start as they were already a great dancer.

I don't see why starting with an advantage like that should make you more deserving to win a competition based partly on learning a sport and partly on personality and partly on entertainment value.

Overall I've been most entertained by Kieron and therefore for me he is the best entertainer and most deserving of the finalists left.

I'm open to changing my mind on Sunday but I doubt it.

I suspect most voters will have made up their minds by now, there will be the odd few who just vote for the best on the night but I don't think enough to sway the vote. I'll vote for Hayley whatever happens.

To be fair, most top sportsmen, mathematicians, whatever, start off with an advantage, they generally have natural ability so I don't see it as fair to exclude Hayley because she has good dance to start off with, it doesn't necessarily mean that she would be able to interpret that onto the ice and also be a fair skater.

I'll be voting for the person who's given me most enjoyment over the course of watching the series. And barring something amazing happening on Sunday, that'll be Kieron by quite a margin.

If he goes out before Bolero, I might then vote for Hayley or Gary, depending who I enjoy most on the night. Probably that will be Hayley, but if Gary does an amazing flying routine and Bolero, I wouldn't rule out giving him a vote or two.

You never know Gary might do Robin's split, and give a emotional performance similar to Donal's broom or everybody hurts routine last year.

Or even better, Donal turns up and retakes the final with Florentine.

Sorry I was really excited about last year's final, and although I thought Ray was the best, and Jess and Pavel were really amazing and sweet, I voted like mad for Donal (I also voted like mad for Donal, Ray and Jess in the semis). This year I will be far more relaxed.

Otherwise I agree with your post in what constitutes best.

The best one should win. And the best is a very subjective thing. What is thought best by one person may not be what is thought best by the next person.

I do wish posters would realise this and stop brow-beating anyone who holds a differing view from them.

I'm not excluding Hayley but for me she didn't improve much, or at least not nearly as much as Kieron did and I didn't find her anywhere near as entertaining, as to me her routines got a bit samey with the toepick stuff and her slow ones were a bit meh and not exciting even if beautifully presented.

Yes that's exactly how I feel about Hayley.

I'm not anti Hayley at all but I just can't warm to her, I'm not keen on Gary either even though he skates a bit better than Kieron who has got better every week and I quite like his quirkiness!!

Who will I vote for in the final? If going on past performances , for the first time ever - No One

But that's down to the choreographers who gets the most exciting routines and who gets the 'samey' ones. Surely they should be judged on how they perform them, after all if the routines aren't exciting, then it is difficult to make them so.
I think without doubt that Jai Ho was the most exciting routine and best performance and if you were to ask members of the gbp most would be likely to agree, well apart from some on here.

Yes her Jai Ho one was good but that was one out of many and was very much a dance programme with little actual skating in it.

For me Kieron's later routines have been exciting because he always takes it to the edge and you are never sure if it's going to come off or not. I know Hayley can dance so that's not exciting to me that she shows she can dance.

Kieron and Gary's skating skills have developed more and they have more speed and excitement. I also like how Kierons personality has started to really come through in his performances and to me he is the most enjoyable to watch.

But the programme is called 'Dancing on Ice' and I'm sorry to say this but Kieron and Gary cannot dance.

The choreography is a big part of why Jai Ho was exciting, so if we're supposed to take out everything that's "down to the choreographers" ...

If the DOI idea really were that we should judge only how well the routines were performed, abstracting away from everything they're given by the music or choreography, then they would all be doing the same choreography to the same music.

Yet somehow this absurd idea that we shouldn't consider anything that's down to the choreographers has taken hold this year. It was never such a big deal in earlier years, and it shouldn't be this year either.

I'd love to see one of the contestants going out without skates and dancing around, and then throwing "but it's called 'Dancing on Ice'" in the judges' faces (as a way to "heighten contradictions").

Or perhaps the name should be changed to "Pick dancing on ice, plus lifts, skating optional."

I think they have both improved ... and don't forget the ICE part is important. Gary and Kieron both ICE DANCE (skate) better than Hayley ... Hayley presents and performs her DANCE (in hold, on toe pics etc) better than they do.

Jai Ho was a great routine - I don't think it's necessarily the best idea to do it again - unless she adds different choreography with more skating in it.

For me when I watch the show I want to see who skates the best to the music.

My personal preference and that is what I base my vote on.

That made me chuckle Veri

but it is down to the choreographers. Many on here were asking for Hayley to do some slow routines because she always did fast ones, when she did slow ones some on here said they are boring, not exciting.
I suspect if T & D had given Hayley all the exciting routines, she'd never hear the end of it on here and some would be saying it is because she always has the best choreography and nothing to do with her performance.

To be fair its not just down to he choerographers though - I mean the celebs/ pros can have some input if they really think its necessary.

Look at what happened with Emily; Fred thought she should have some more solo skating so it was incorporated into the routine that week - to the couples benefit.

If there was a bit problem then I'm sure the routine could be adapted if the celebs want to push themselves or do more dareing and interesting things on the ice.

I think the point about choreography is an interesting one, and highlights for me that this year the contestants' abilities were much closer than in previous years (ergo that's why we all started to talk about choreography, and why the choreography is so important).

I agree that we cannot say that someone is brilliant on their own account (without reference to choreography), only to turn around and blame the choreography if they are doing less well. It's a tricky one, and I don't know how they can deal with this in the next series.

I think T&D have always given choreography that fits with each skaters skills. At the start I was beginning to worry that Hayley would be another Bonnie Langford because although she performed beautifully there wasn't much skating involved. As her skating ability has improved, however, so has the change in choreography.

The same goes for Gary and Kieron - if you look back at their earlier performances and see what they are capable of now - there is such a change.

Icedragon would be able to comment about this better, but T&D seem to have given Gary far more difficult skating because he has been able to do it - but from a viewers point of view (who maybe don't know the technicalities of it all) that might be missed.

Kieron wasn't able to do lifts right at the beginning and is now packing them in - although I still think he looks a little unsteady on his feet when doing them!

I guess T&D have to work with what they get and play to the strengths of each.

Well I disagree. But then if it's all about the dancing how is it fair to allow someone who has danced professionally to be in it? Obviously it's called dancing on ice but we cant' forget the 'on ice' bit which means skating and for me that means dancing while skating.

For Jai Ho it was dancing on toepicks which to me is not really 'while skating' as there were no flowing edges or skating turns. When Hayley tried to dance and skate at the same time we could see that her skating skills were not up to Gary's or Kieron's and her perfromances not so assured or exciting.

So that still for me makes Kieron the most improved and therefore the best for improvement at skating and dancing and combining the two.

The nice thing about this years final is it does have something for everyone. Those for whom it is all about a polished performance of dance (Hayley), those for whom it is about the best improvement and most exciting (Kieron) and those for whom it is about the best skating (Gary).

I think they all deserve their place and each is best in their own way so are al deserving of the win.

For me I hope Kieron gets it.

I agree they all deserve their place in the final 3 but for overall presentation and skills I'll stick with Hayley.

Yep and I wasn't expecting to change your mind!

But I'll stick with Kieron too and I think he deserves a lot of credit for having come from nowhere, as I certainly didn't rate or even particularly like him at the start or for the first few shows - and then I saw the light!