Aaah, the 'He/She Has An Unfair Advantage' thread! A staple of all Reality TV/Talent shows!

Now I'm just waiting for the:-
'Chosen One' thread
'Underdog' thread
'Hate figure'/'Villain' thread
It makes me

when people criticise someone in one of these shows for actually being good!
The problem with banning contestants with an advantage is that a) the overall standard of the show would fall and b) they'd struggle to find 14 contestants every year who fit that criteria. Banning those with previous dance training/experience would mean a lot of actors would be inelligable to take part (anyone who went to stage school or a Performing Arts college will have done some dance training, and some acting roles involve dancing). Ditto, pop singers. If you also include physical fitness as an 'advantage', that would make sportspeople ineligible. So the pool of possible contestants would shrink considerably.
I enjoyed Matt's dance. I also thought everyone else stepped up to the mark, so the overall standard was pretty good. If tonight is at least as good, then I don't think Matt's 'advantage' will necessarily be as clear-cut as people think. We had Pam doing well last night, and Michelle and Kara still to come. Factor in the likeability/popularity angle and it's basically pretty much anyone's game.