I think the judges know exactly what they're doing, and may be more cautious about scoring their favourites highly too early on, unlike in previous series where the best dancer hasn't won. Apart from Alesha, which goes without saying - she overmarks from about week two onwards. :yawn:.

Ali and Rachel (two talented female celebrities with good technique but lacking in wow factor, comparable to Kara) were both given the teacher's pet tag by being a little overmarked most weeks - neither situation ended with them winning..

IIRC, the judges were right back to criticising Rachel the week after the rumba.

In SCD, there's always something lacking in the dances. They're not at professional level, after all. But why did they highlight one lack, but not ones of similar significance in other routines? And why didn't they balance the critical comments with ones that pointed to the routine's strengths?

If other couples doing the same dance are going wild with ham acting, extreme dance faces, jazz hands, and even unicycle riding, then sure, Kara's was less "wow" in those terms, but much closer to being "wow" in dance terms.

But the judges comments did not recognise the amount of dance content or the quality of the dancing.

I agree about Ali (hence why I used her as an example to compare with Kara earlier) but not Rachel. I think Rachel's early treatment from the judges was pretty similar to Kara's now. Rachel's scores hovered around the 32 mark for the first 5 or 6 week's, culminating in her jive that was (unfairly imo) pretty much slated by Len who basically said if she couldn't wow him with a dance like that she had no chance.

I'd also agree that Ali's performance skills weren't as good as Kara's but I think Rachel could perform brilliantly depending on the dance. I also think Rachel was probably the best celeb technically that the show has ever had.

Kara can make an excellent dance look effortless. I enjoyed the change from the frenetic Charlestons.

I think Kara is great, I'm not loving her and Artem on ITT though, but on dancing I think she is being undermarked and I'm hoping she'll make the final. That quickstep the other week was just lovely.

Sorry, what does IIRC mean?

I don't recall the judges reverting to criticising Rachel after her Rumba. She scored 10's galore in dances thereafter (and deserved every single one of them in my opinion!).

As for Kara, I think the judges unanimously praised her technical abilities and the amount of dance content in her Charleston - and rightly so. I'm not sure what more you wanted to hear from them on that front?


Are you after a smooch?!

Totally agree about Rachel being the best dancer in terms of technique - her VW was romantic, the Rumba was pure filth and the AT is the best I've seen from a celebrity contestant (though you have to give Vincent the credit, of course).

Kara had the tumble in the first week which may have knocked her confidence, but she's the most consistent, IMO. That's where you start to draw comparisons with Ali, whom although technically precise, was ever so dull.

P.S. Sid, IIRC means if I recall correctly.

Cheers trev

If I Recall Correctly.


Seems the rumba was in week 9. There wasn't much SCD left after that. So perhaps it was some earlier dance when they thought the performance was good then went back to criticising the week after.


I don't think viewers were left with the impression that the dance aspect of it was better than the other Charlestons, or even that it was very significant compared to what was supposedly lacking in the "performance".

Consider Len's comments, for example: it was a very, very competent performance, but it lacked a bit of impact. But as always you danced it very well, you just gotta come out and give it a bit more well.

In other words: competent but dull.

Ali's first four marks were 30, 30, 32, 32 putting her behind both Rachel and Kara. Lisa Snowdon's first four scores were even lower still. I don't think what they do now will make any difference at all to how Kara is viewed towards the end, when she'll be a threat to the hunks.

Can't help those Bacofoil flashbacks when Lisa's mentioned.

To quote your blog Monkseal, could claims of Kara being a "ringer-bitch" () hurt her in the quarters?

I think the general presumption that, as a young actress, she'll have been to stage school and had tap lessons and so on and so on, regardless of whether she's had them or not will pop up. Hopefully the whole "make her sit a week out for no reason" will counter the Sports Relief thing, but you never can tell...

I think she's gone in the double elimination if it happens, unless she can top the leaderboard, and even possibly then.

Also I tend to think that when a female actress is unable to grasp the performance aspect of the dance it is going influence the judges much more than the male athlete who has no performance background.

I remember Ali smiling through her paso and having a look of terror for her AT, not exactly acting the role of the dance. I was surprise that as an actress that is how she approached those two dances.

I thought Kara's facial expressions were just about right for the Charleston but the dance obviously did not have enough oomph for the judges. She just didn't sell the dance enough.

To be fair, I think most people would be a bit frightened given the ugly, low-heeled court shoes and frumpy mid-length skirt she was given by the wardrobe department.

Always.

I took a while to really get Rachel. It wasn't til right at the end of the series that I started thinking she was the deserved winner. She had some cracking dances - everyone remembers her rumba but her two tangos (ballroom and Argentine) were fantastic.

I'm hoping that Kara does a Rachel and has a dance where everything clicks (she's nearly there imo). I dream of a series in which a beautiful, young female with great technique and a performance background can triumph without the aid of the dance off.

Kara seems a lovely girl but appears to say anything to get into the headlines. Remember her interview about her depression after being let go from her soap. How difficult it was to find word, how suicidal she was!! Now she says it was a mis-quote and did not mean it and appears on Loose Women going on about her partner and how she would go out with him if he asked her!!!!! Oh good grief, not ANOTHER romance on Strictly!!!! I too do not get the constant praise for Pamela, sometimes I think the judges are not watching the same performance!!!!! Perhaps what Kara needs is some public relations advice about how she comes across in the media. Desperate for attention is not a good luck. She obviously is talented as a dancer and works extremely hard but comments like the above do not help her profile.

I agree that Kara was undermarked on Saturday and Pamela over-marked but I'm starting to wonder if I'm alone in liking both women. People the good is not the enemy of the better - having a go at Pammy isn't necessarily being more supportive of Kara.

You're not alone. This week I preferred Kara, last week Pamela. I still like all four of them at the top of the leaderboard, actually, which seems to be a rare stance on here.

She is a bit like Rachel Stevens - technically good but strangely dull.

I don't have a favourite and I don't strongly dislike anyone except for Gavin because I believe him to be a boor.

Looking at it objectively (insofar as one can) Kara is 'guilty' of:

being a soap actress - a bit inane
only being known for 1 thing - maybe not very good at acting?
quite nice and sweet - dull?
slushy about Artem - looks a bit pathetic
MAY have had prior training - never an advantage
being a bit young - doesn't have much of a (I LOATHE this word) back-story

Kara for me is different from Rachel and Ali, in that I don't think she's suffering from a lack of spark in her personality. (It'd be difficult for Ali to have played Dawn, for sure )

What I think she (and FWIW, Tina) is suffering from is a sort of stage-school veneer over the top of every performance. She does what she's told with neatness, precision and a fixed smile - but without being told to let any character through, she's simply not getting the right amount of spark into the dance.

To my knowledge, neither Kara nor Tina has yet been asked to do a dance that utilises that typically fiery Latin persona, such as the tango or paso. Rachel and Ali just didn't have it in them to be strong, aggressive characters on the floor. I may revise my judgements after seeing how well they characterise this type of dance.

EDIT: And as for the whole Artem thing, I don't think I've seen a more hyped would-be showmance since Matt DiA and Flavia. It's cringeworthy in the extreme and is going to ruin any chance they actually do have of a romantic relationship.

Is it because she makes it look so easy she is being undermarked? But surely not as the Judges should see that as well.

Anyway as a Matt fan myself she was definitely undermarked and did the best Charlston of the night and the one with the most Charleston content. I don't understand how they only scored 32 yet Tina and Jared scored 29 only 3 less and had hardly any Charleston content at all. Jared seems a lovely guy but he can't seem to choreograph at all or perhaps he just isn't as good at dancing as the others. The other two 'new' guys seem great but unfortunately Jared I don't think is nearly as good. Why on earth they got rid of Matthew, Ian, Darren or Brian for him I don't know. (other than to attract a younger audience perhaps- the High School Musical age)

I don't mind Pammy at all and I enjoy her dances BUT out of the two of them I find Kara a more exciting dancer overall purely because I don't think she has reached her potential whereas I fell Pam almost has.

She doesn't do it with a fixed smile, though. The character and spark is there; it just isn't exaggerated and hammed up, imo.

At the risk of agreeing with you, I think you'll find that that's more or less exactly what I said. The fact I think her smile is all part of the current overly-nice veneer of her performance is a separate issue.