The majority of the audience may or may not prefer that but it is still 50% a judges vote and 50% an audience vote. What is the point of having a judges vote if the judges are going to be told to ignore the rules and just score on entertainment value.

Thanks Buddy I agree with this entirely.

What does DWTS do better? I have watched DWTS for ages and I can't think of anything as regards the actual competition they do better although I do sometimes think they have better 'filler' when it comes to dragging out the show.

With the flying we are moving on to the thicker end of the wedge

I'm in two minds about it really.

I like it to a point. I think the judges are probably more annoying then the dancing. I mean I've loved most of the dances don't get me wrong but if some of these dances were performed last year or the year before you'd have Len going on and on about faffing about etc. I know with it being allowed now Len can't really complain but it annoys me. I think with everyone trying to make every dance an amazing piece of entertainment you might just lose some of those real 'Wow' dances that might not have been technically brilliant but got the right balance. And you'll get dances like Pamelas Rumba were she thought seeing everyone else is doing it she had to do something.

But that said I am enjoying it.

How did this ridiculous idea come about that it's either entertaiment or dancing.

The best entertainment on SCD has come when the couples do a fantastic dance like Mark and Karen's AT, and Zoe and Ian's Tango etc.
The foundation of SCD is couples trying to achieve perfection in dance. That is what made SCD such a success.

If the producers think that the dancing is not all that important, and gimmicks and fooling about are what the public want, they are mistaken and will lose a big slice of their core audience.

Erm

They dont have Bruce and Alesha

Oh and they DO have Derek Hough

I dont think its a matter of better or worse....its different in some ways BUT its also more similar than people are prepared to accept.......its on now on my TV and Len has just blasted one of the couples for not doing enough foxtrot in their foxtrot.

Even though I dont like the long drawn out results that we have now been given I do think their results show is far superior to ours with some fantastic dance routines quite often by guest dancers and some good music too.

I actually prefer Bruce to the lead presenter in the US although I agree about Alesha but then I never understood the need to replace Arlene and, if it was necessary it should have been with someone more competent than Alesha. All Alesha does is talk about how good they look in their dress or how toned their bum is. The female celebs in particular are lacking in the technical insight that Arlene was able to provide.

I agree Derek Hough is fantastic but then I would say the same about some of our pro's (particularly those who were demoted to the dance troupe to make way for newbies from the US as part of the dumbing down process).

Absolutely agree and can I add:

Jill and Darren's jive
Mark and Karen's salsa

At last! something to disagree with you about, Buddy

I'd say DWTS has got a better presenter but I can't think of anything else that DWTS does better than Strictly...apart from producing unrecognizable cabaret routines with a touch of the circus thrown in

...and I'd say this series is 10m times worse than last year, and last year stank imo

Off the top of my head, DWTS -

1. Always has a contingency plan in case celebs drop out.

2. The band and the singers are better.

3. The standard of the costumes is better.

4. The camera work is better.

5. Revealing in stages who is safe and who is in danger adds to the excitement of the show.

6. Looks fresh every series. I have liked several new ideas tried out on DWTS e.g.
[LIST][*]Double elimination weeks - a great way of starting with a lot of couples and still keeping the series to a reasonable length of time. [*]A 30 second 'dance off' dance of their choice - the couples in danger of being eliminated get 30 seconds to do their best to impress the judges enough to save them (normal rules apply i.e. no lifts).[*]The relay dances where several couples all dance the same dance one after the other, and then are each allocated points according to their individual placings.[*] Some of the new dances[/LIST]

SCD's strength is the how much of dancing is danced to the recognised technical standards - plus ITT. SCD still wins in comparison with DWTS for me, but I'll still watch both. SCD needs the budget of DWTS and the dances of SCD!

It had to happen sometime!

The only 1 of your list I agree with is point number 1!

I like the Strictly band and singers, I think the Strictly costumes are vastly better, the American camera work makes me dizzy, revealing the results piecemeal annoys me intensely it's very boring and I don't like any of your list of "improvements.

I guess it's all a matter of personal taste.
For some reason there seems to be an idea that the changes make for better "entertainment" and those who don't like them must be dance experts. I am no dance expert, although several series of Strictly has taught me a bit, but I do find the "gimmicky" routines much less entertaining than those which focus on the dancing.

Yes, it is all about a matter of personal taste!

I would also add that if you normally watch SCD or DWTS and then decided just to watch the other show once for a change, I'm pretty sure you would prefer the show you watch regularly. It takes a while to realise the shows are different and to start to appreciate each one.

At the end of the day, because of the production values and budgets, comparing the two shows is pointless, SCD and DWTS are variations on the same theme, but the good dancers shine through on both shows.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining about SCD at all, just replying to a post asking me what I think DWTS does better. I'm happy enjoying both shows.

Apart from 1. and just maybe 4. I would completely disagree about the rest Buddy. I would say band and singers are about the same. Some of the costumes on DWTS tend to be really "out there" (a couple dancing the Paso Doble one time looked like extras from The Matrix). Elimination in stages is nothing but filler (remember this is the BBC so no commercial break to cut to every 10 minutes like on American TV). On top of all that DWTS excels at inappropriate music choices. Even Nicole Scherzinger lamented dancing the Jive to Rihanna's SOS instead of a more 50's inspired number.

Just to say I could watch Derek Hough dance for hours on end, he does some remarkable work and his futuristic paso was really good. I knew that I would miss Ian, Matt and especially Brian so made the choice not to watch and so far I've not given in. Still watching DWTS it's pure froth and fun - very American TV

Derek's imitation of Kristi Yamaguchi ice skating is very funny. Think he'd make quite a good skater. http://bit.ly/9o7npD

I've heard Len make exactly the same quips on DWTS that he previously made on Strictly: Dancing only a father can love, and others I can't recall at the moment.

But then if it's a great line I suppose why not use it again.

That's the point I made in my earlier post about production values and budget. There is no point in comparing the shows because DWTS is on US commercial TV.

Costume wise I think DWTS wins because they dress the female celebs better. SCD has a big problem dressing female celebs who are not a standard shape.

They couple dancing the Matrix themed Paso were Warren Sapp and Kim Johnston and I think it worked well! Even Len liked it and they got 24/30!

I didn't watch DWTS when Nicole was on it because she was just too much of a ringer for me, but I do know it was the producer's decision to change their music to that contemporary music. But if you watch the performance without sound, it was a good jive and she got 28/30 from the judges.

The elimination may be nothing but to filler to some, but I watch DWTS without adverts and I love it done that way.

You can't please all of the people all of the time!

Really? Never heard of Sky+? I CHOOSE to watch DWTS because it's a lot more fun, more professional and more entertaining than SCD - which is beginning to look like a cheap end of the pier tat show with Z list stars.

I watch SCD on FF because I love dance but find much of it ghastly. As an ex dancer I know what I like and I'll make my own choices, thank you!

Blaming the Americans for bits you don't like on SCD really is childish and silly. Blame the UK production team instead. It's entirely their decision to change things - to try and keep you all happy

very true
I love both shows and see most of the changes as positive so I guess it's win win for me
I do not watch the results show for strictly - just read the spoiler I think they have ruined the results show and I'm not sure what it is I don't like about it.
The main show is fab though and

The only thing they should nick from DWTS is the band. Makes the Dave Arch Five sound like a one man busker at Leicester Square.

Thanks for posting that link I havent seen that before its hilarious.....I love Derek.

I agree.

Having only watched DWTS briefly, this morning I watched a whole episode in an attempt to analyse what it is that I don't like........it's all of the above.

Generaly the standard is much lower than Strictly and appears as if the celebtities do not learn to dance, but perform, hence the props and 'faffing'.
I do not like the weekly theme either, which seems again to put the emphasis on entertainment rather than dance.
It's as if the audience might be bored unless the show is 'sexed up'

Who said anything about blaming the Americans. This thread is about the production team making the programme more Americanised. I doubt it is to try to keep us happy. I remember the demise of Come Dancing after the production team kept messing about with it, doing things like introducing a 'band spot' as if anyone just wanted to watch the band play. It all seemed to be calculated to make us less happy so as to provide an excuse to shelve it.

Can I just ask......have any of you seen the film Strictly Ballroom on which the show is based ? Its about a young dancer who wants to do 'flashy crowd pleasing steps' in a competition that are not 'Strictly Ballroom' and the ridicule and trouble he has to go through to actually be able to perform his dances in a Ballroom dancing competition.

So true! Can you imagine Dave trying to keep up with Jason Durillo or Shakira? I don't think so.