But with the amount of dancing AW manages every week, do they really need to have "live" celebrities. Anton might as well have been "dancing" with a corpse, and it would have saved the BBC some money.
On second thoughts, forget it...knowing the GBP, the corpse would probably win.

As Len suggested last week, a lot of people are probably throwing a vote Ann's way in addition to voting for another.

Dancing is an even smaller part of the competition that before. Dancers slip, totter about and forget footwork but that doesn't matter because the performance was great, so why bother about the dance steps when you can get good marks by presenting the drama etc of the dance. Having had the dance off taken away some of the judges seem to be marking to keep their favs in. Dance competition no, entertainment well that's personal choice but the Beeb are happy

Yes, the Beeb arehappy because the ratings are sky high! Apparently they have been asking AW for about four years to take part! What on earth were they thinking?

The trouble is that the forum members on here and the BBC are only a minute fraction of the voting public. They obviously don't think the way we do.

About the sky high ratings presumably

It really is a disgusting result, although Jimi wasn't one of my favourites he deserved at least another few weeks. I just can't understand the people that keep voting for AW, imo she has neither style or grace, I do have to leave the room while she is on my tv, I would rather watch paint dry than watch someone embarrassing themselves. But then she is too thick skinned and arrogant to be embarrassed.

What's the point of voting to keep your favourites in whilst Ann Widdicome is still bungling along ?

More fairer Who You Want Out Of The Competition !!

It's a travesty to the other contestant's who have sweat blood and tears to conquer a new skill to be voted out whilst AW is still in the programme she cannot dance and will never sadly will . I used to look forward to SCD but now it has lost all it's credibility it's now a farce . No more votes from me .
The other contestant's must be gutted what a shambles .

That is true but when they invited her to compete they didn't know how it would pan out.

You can rewatch it on iPlayer ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tgwml ), if you can bare to. Move the cursor to 44.35.

Ann actually said: 'We have got obsessed in our day and age with with what is called sauciness and rauchiness. If you actually look at the Charleston it wasn't actually a sexy smooch.... [something inaudible] isn't necessary to turn it into mating antics and I shall not be doing so'.

Also don't miss Craig's facial expression at the end, at 46.45. That expression says it all.

Blame the people who didn't pick up the phone for Jimi not Ann.

How many fms declaring their 'disgust' actually voted for him to stay?

I know this thread contains "SPOILER" in the title, but it still obvious from the header that a certain contestant was not eliminated last night.

Could the OP ask the mods to change the title perhaps?

I agree, and the more Craig puts her down the longer her fans will vote for her.

I actually think Craig's (and all the judges) put down's in relation to Ann are very restrained. CRH simply gives an honest critique. I'm sure they've all been told to tone down any negative comments and not get into a 'this person isn't a dancer, shouldn't be in, it's a dance competition', etc., etc. All very different from previous years.

I voted for him 10 times. Seems 10 times is no longer enough to save your favourite! I'm not gonna take anything out on Ann. So many factors worked against jimi last night, for starters he looked higher end off the table but wasn't. That said anns allegedly huge public vote is diluting everyone elses share so there'll possibly be more surprises.

It has never ever been that.

Dance contests are for professional dancers. who don't get paid to take part.

Strictly Come Dancing recruits non-dancers who do get paid to take part. So they are all contracted to perform as entertainers irrespective of their abilty.

Strictly Come Dancing recruits personalities from the world of "show business" or "sport" who all agree to perform to "get my confidence back" or "for fun" or "because my granny likes ballroom dancing". In fact a lot of them do it to promote themselves because they are out of a job, or their flagging career needs a boost or because they love the oxygen of publicity and are image or media obsessed or self-obsessed.

Ann Widdecombe and John Sargeant are a million miles away from the world of image-obsessed, self-obsesessed fame hungry wannabes and has beens. And many in the public like them.

They don't just accept them though, do they?

They actively court them.

Excellent points and totally correct imo.

How do you know Jimi has gone? (I'm just interested how you've found it out).

I don't think it can dumb down any further. AW is a disgrace, she hardly moves.Len is a disgrace this year with both his comments, his facial grimaces and his marks. This will be the last series I watch.

How are either Ann or her voters making a mockery of the show - if it was the producers who chose her.

I think we'd hear about it if anyone actually sweated blood or tears. It would mean the tears were coming out of the wrong place and, if they sweated blood, there'd be something seriously wrong with them.

I reckon the producers of the show know the removal of the dance-off will guarantee Ann Widdecombe a long run on the show. Clearly it's unfair for better dancers to go before her but this is nothing new - last series John Sergeant guaranteed the show a lot of free publicity. I guess ultimately that's the main focus for the BBC. SCD is all about publicity and ratings. Finding the best dancer is less important.

It wouldn't surprise me if Widdecombe reaches the semi-finals. With no dance off, with no way for the judges to vote her off, she seems likely to go far in the show.

She isn't a disgrace. She just isn't very good. It is the GBP who are the disgrace for voting for her.

FWIW there are three dances I've watched again from last night, Kara, Gavin and Ann, and Ann's is the one that I've watched four times now, with the tears running down my face from laughter.

Ann's dance last night was an epic performance, there is no way she is going to get voted out with a routine like that. Anton is the only pro who could have got away with this, and he's hamming it up like the brilliant professional entertainer he is. I think that as a pairing on this show, they are absolutely perfect, if they keep this up they're going to be as unbeatable as John and Kristina would have been, if John hadn't resigned.

JS was actually 2 series ago

He reached week 10, when he left, in a dance off series without ever having been in the bottom 2.