So glad someone else has made this point. We were screaming at the judges on Saturday. It seems that whatever she does, she's going to get a high score.

And she is so butch! I can't tell who is more manly - her or James.

To quote Eddier Izzard "eine minuten bitte"!!

Have I missed something? There's a possible romance between them??? I thought Artem was gay???!! I know he went to her parents' house and they said he was welcome anytime, but I just took that as part of being polite.

When was all this in the press?

Expectations are high for Kara. She has the look of a dancer and the "stage-school" presence of a wannabe. Thingy but better. You know the Corrie-girl. Thingy. I don't remember her name.

Lovely young women don't make it. Only Alesha. Natasha was a tad older. Youth and attractiveness are a disadvantage for a woman in this programme.

And mine!

I think Kara is being undermarked too. She's definitely the best female celeb, better than Pamela IMO. I can't help thinking they are judging on expectation rather than just on what they are seeing. They expect Kara to be wonderful and they didn't expect Pam to be as good, so they mark accordingly. Kara's routines have been more difficult than Pamela's and she's still performed them exceptionally well- apart from falling over in the cha cha!

Pam is much more exciting to watch for me than Kara. Kara is very good though and I agree the judges don't praise her enough. Scott is praised and praised and praised, he is good, but I think Matt is better. His Charlston was so technically good, I thought it was thrilling even, he totally threw himself into it and acted superbly. The judges should have been going wild, but there were underhelmed with their comments. Bruno giving him an 8? Just because he doesn't fancy him like he does Scott was annoying.

The marks and comments Kara receives put me in mind of the treatment of Rachel Stevens early in the competition. She was great from day one, but the judges knew there was more to come and marked accordingly. It could be a dangerous game if a contestant did not have the confidence to respond in the way the judges hope. However, Rachel did and became an all round wonderful dancer. I think Kara can do the same.

Stil not sure it's fair though. They should mark what they see.

Heard Anton on the radio earlier and he thought the best dance of the series so far was Kara's charleston. He said it was completely brilliant and faultless. He said the timing, acting and charleston technique were all great, and the characterisation and energy were brilliant. He said he was amazed it wasn't marked higher and it was the easiest 10 he'd ever give.

Her problem is her personality, or lack of it.

, the man's got sense!

That approach by the judges was OK when there was the DO, so they could save the good dancer they'd deliberately undermarked. Now there's no safety net, and if the judges are marking someone lower than someone else because they want to "challenge" them, then it means the same in terms of implications as if they marked someone lower because they thought they were cr*p.

I think she is the best female dancer but I dont think she is being undermarked.

Her Quickstep annoyed me, while she was great during the bits she did dance I thought the routine was too full of solo dancing and cartwheels.

Her Charleston was again good but I think it lacked the 'quirkyness' and performance that the dance requires.

I don't think we have seen her best yet and once she starts really 'performing' as well as dancing great I can see her getting top of the leaderboard.

I think Kara is still trying to get a "perfect" routine. I think the slip in the first show threw her and so she is being very careful about her steps and footwork to ensure there are no mistakes.

This is making her performance suffer. I think Artem needs to lighten up with her and tell her that she doesn't need to be perfect, she just needs to relax and enjoy it. The judges will forgive a few fluffs if the entertainment is there.

When that day comes, she's going to be amazing. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she gets the first 10.

I think so too. She has the musicality and the ability. Much better to progress slowly...

Very constructive, and clearly not at all biased

I think that Kara's technique is very good. She was let down on Saturday by a crap song and boring choreography.

Still, it was only one cartwheel, and the solo dancing was at least still dancing.

I would (and do) blame the show's producers for changing the rules so that a quickstep can be like that.


The Charleston doesn't require the sort of "performance" that most of the others gave it, though. (Suitable example Charlestons here, especially the Ginger Rogers ones.)

Kara and Artem's Charleston was fine as a Charleston, imo. Unfortunately, no one made it clear to Kara and Artem that SCD Charleston scoring was far more about OTT acting and "performance" than about dance.


My worry at the moment is not the marking but the judge's comments. They will plant the idea in viewers' minds that there's something lacking in her dances, or will reinforce that idea if it's already present, while problems of similar significance in other couples are not being highlighted in the same way.

I'm glad I'm not the only one being reminded of Rachel rather than Ali at this stage. I really enjoy Kara's dances, though I would have liked to have seen more content in last week's quickstep. Her Charleston was my second favourite of the night, beaten only very, very narrowly by Matt's. I'd have given her one mark less than Matt overall (As in, one mark less out of 40), with the rest of the Charlestons marked a long way behind. I loved the jazzy, slightly classier feel of her Charleston and was impressed by her ankle swivels (cleanest of the night, from what I could see!) though she could have given a touch more on the performance side. At the moment I'm scared for her just because the usual time for a shock exit is fast approaching and I can't help thinking that she's the most vulnerable of the front runners: young, pretty, talented female versus two young, good looking talented men and one good looking, surprisingly talented older lady. I hope she can kick her performance instincts into full throttle over the next week or two and manages to give an amazing performance rather than just a very, very good one as I think that's the only way she's going to be safe for a few weeks.

Better that than paint her as the judges' pet. That's the death knell for attractive young females on SCD.

I think she's utterly brilliant - and I really don't see too many problems with the performance aspect, either. She just looks a little like she's concentrating a mite too hard on the technicaities. I'm sure once she loosens up and relaxes, we'll see more performance form her.

I can understand your worry. I used to feel the same way when similar comments were made about Rachel Stevens' early dances.

It's not until she performed that memorable Rumba that I saw what the judges had been talking about prior to it. There had been something missing, it wasn't just an idea they were planting in our minds, and it took a really special performance to realise it.

It's always better to have something to work towards in Strictly. It beats peaking too early.

I'm not sure it's a significant undermarking. Over the 4 weeks she stands on 125. Matt is on 128, Scott on 130 and Pamela 132. So 7 marks cover the 4 of them over 4 weeks. So she's less than 2 marks off the pace week by week. That's less than 0.5 per judge.

I think Pam may have given her all. Expect her to slide a little. Remember Cherie Lunghi? Kara has a good chance. At this stage it matters not. She's in no imminent danger.

Those 4 are way ahead of the others. Jimi comes next with 108. Kara may easily make the final. It's close.

I agree Sid. But I also recall that Rachel ended up in the bottom two despite a wonderful dance that night. With no dance off Kara could be in danger of that if the public is not feeling the fire or performance in her dancing.

Personally I think she and Artem are taking the comments on (I hope so) and will work on the emotional and performance part of her dancing. She has got technique down. I think she can only get better.

Valid point!

I do believe Kara's on the verge of a breakthrough though. Then there'll be no stopping her I want to see a bit more warmth from Artem though.

I think Kara is massively underrated by the judges. She dances excellent. Perhaps at this stage of the compition its is a good thing though as I for one will be voting for her more as I think she is not given a enough credit and I think she deserves It. I, whilst I think some of the others are good dancers Kara is on a par if not better. She definately was in the Charleston !!!! Faultless IMO.

WELL DONE KARA KEEP UP THE EXCELLENT WORK !

I agree. He is a little bit stand offish and I don't know why.

I agree with that it was the music that let them down it did'nt allow them to have the WOW factor !!