The answer to that one's obvious - "Ratings gold, dahling!"


Indeed. She could be lying.

No. I'm in it for the the academic approach to assessing the incremental improvement in dancing of amateurs guided by professionals, and to show my displeasure with sour and bitter comments.

Isn't everyone?

But by the same token don't a lot of celebs find it difficult and in many cases embarassing to produce the dominance and authority required in a paso? And nobody's talking about turning that into a party dance or a "just wander around having a laugh" dance.

On a level I actually find the "jolly hockey sticks" thing a little bit culturally disrespectful, although I guess it balances out in the other direction all the fetishisation of sweaty Pampers or whatever it is Len gobbles on about half the time.

Christ, now I've got an image of Anton and Ann doing the AT.

Personally, I'm in it for the wealth of educational and informative remarks on this forum.

Now that I would love to see

Why do I not like Ann Widdicombe? Her defence of the shackling of prisoners in labour and her antiquated views on breastfeeding.

Ann in Pampers and leather chaps, that's worth the price of a ticket, vamos!

Don't blame her, Blame the producers of the show who were intent on punishing Anton for his unfortunate P word utterance last year, or even the snide who grassed him up

What I don't agree with is the title of the thread or rather the way it has been phrased - would "Why I don't like Ann's attitude" not be better?

I'm not sure it's possible to like a person and dislike their attitude.

But if so, then I apologise. I wanted to keep the thread title simple.

This

I also think it's quite sad to want to avoid body contact quite so much - I don't believe Anton has anything catching.

I've worked with older people a lot and one of the things they say is how much they miss being touched especially one loved ones die. I wouldn't knock it Ann

No.

Anton is hardly being punished - if anything, he's being rewarded. He's got the highest-profile partner of all, and he literally can't fail.[LIST][*]If she gets knocked out early, he's done his best with an impossible task.[*]If she succeeds, then he succeeds.[/LIST]
Win-win for Anton.

And I'm not blaming the producers either - from a ratings POV she's an excellent choice, and Anton's a good partner for her also.

I'm definitely and absolutely blaming Ann / Ann's attitude. She's the problem, no-one else.

She simply doesn't seem to want to learn to dance.

Why do people keep on saying Anton choreographs the salsa when it is no secret that Chris and Jaci do the choreography for this dance (not only for Anton but most of the other pros - none of whom, apart from Kristina are specialist salsa exponents)?

true - short shouty salsa man was spotted in at least one couple's training vid

I was told many many times last year that SCD is not a dance show, it is an entertainment show. People wanted to be able to vote for who they found entertaining not for the dancing. This year I am sitting back and laughing...be very careful what you wish for SCD audience, because Ann is the result

I think she is one of the few still with a hold on reality in terms of the whole show.

Why can't it be both?


Then why bother dancing at all?

Why do other competitors spend many hours each week, for many weeks, learning a dance form, if all you need is to be spectacularly useless at dancing in an amusing way?

I have no time for Ann, I find her whole approach rather arrogant, why she agreed to do the show is beyond me, she would appear to have no interest in learning to dance. Anton has an impossible task imo.

All things I said last year and was shouted down for. Even to the point when someone said they were going to vote an extra time each time I posted a negative comment about Chris Hollins Scary times!

I do think it should be about both but last year tipped the scales from any grasp on dance ability into farce. No turning back now....we will just have to relax and enjoy the ride

Woah, woah, woah, DJ, I was backing you fully until you said that.

Ann does keep repeating, ad nauseam, that she only came on the show to learn to dance. I can't think of any reason she'd have come on SCD otherwise - she's got a perfectly good career of her own, and has been known to supplement this with TV work more suited to her talents. She's hardly a resting soap starlet or daytime BBC presenter who wants a leg-up in the ratings.

The fact she doesn't want to learn to dance outside her own hands-off parameters is in no way an indication that she doesn't want to learn to dance, full stop.

I agree. Whether a dance competition or a light entertainment show, it's not the do or die in the attempt experience some people with their bums safely planted on the sofa back home seem to expect. No wonder we have the sorry spectacles of other contestants a) almost in tears in week one because she didn't perform due to nerves b) so strung out on something or other she can barely focus her eyes on the camera and control her limbs c) the usual shaping up for showmance hints to camera d) someone knocked out who is so pissed off he can't even remember to thanks his partner without prompting from Tess. Give me Ann and Paul's attitude any day.

Fair enough, but I'm not responsible for the general level of stupidity on some parts of the forum.

And I can't help noticing the deafening lack of a response from the "Ann and Anton appreciation society" to my points...

I abhor some of Anne's political views but she and Anton have been a hoot so far.

That doesn't mean I'm just in it for the laughs, but it's one of the reasons I tune in, yes.

I would like to see Anne make more of an effort with the dances from now onwards though.

Then why does she refuse to recognise the fact that dancing sometimes involves body contact?


Then she should learn some dance that involves hands-off movements. Which description fits none of the dances in the SCD list.

And she doesn't get to decide how to interpret a dance, with her insane restrictions. For chrissakes, it's salsa, it's not up to her to determine what's appropriate and what's not.