I loathe reality shows. I cannot bear the X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent, Wife Swap, Celebrity Hairdressers' Love Island, and all the rest of them.

And yet, and yet... I love Strictly. Can't get enough of it. I avidly watch the main show, the results show, every episode of ITT, and I spend large chunks of what little spare time I have left reading this forum, Monkseal's blog, etc etc. When I meet a fellow Strictly fan we can spend hours dissecting the show in minute detail. In fact I also do that to people who aren't fans, until their eyes glaze over or they start backing nervously out of the room.

Why? Why does Strictly have this hold over me, when other reality shows leave me cold? I can't even get very interested in Dancing on Ice, though it's pretty much the same format. Do you think the BBC sends some sort of addictive vibes through the airwaves?

Or am I just a sad obsessive person who needs to get out more?

Yes

Oh goody, I feel the same way (although I do watch dancing on Ice).

I like reality shows Strictly for me is a nice way to unwind on a Saturday evening whilst picking up some dancing moves, I just love the costumes and the whole ambiance of the show from the celebs to the professional dancers, the presenters and the judges I must admit I also like Dancing on Ice which in my view takes a lot of skill and courage to perform.

I'm not answering this. However I feel the same about 99% of similar shows.

I did however enjoy 71 Degrees North when it was on recently, perhaps due to the lack of navel-gazing and playing to the camera?

Well, Strictly is (or was) a little different to the usual "reality" shows. The main saturday show is still a contest, with celebrity guests trying to master a discipline that is (supposedly) foreign to them..at least that was the original format.
Of course, it does now have "reality" elements..the back-story, the joke contestant, the hate figure, the backstage gossip, the love interests, the tantrums, and other bits of reality tv "paraphernalia".

i have to confess - I too, loathe reality TV. But I am obsessed with Strictly.

... tis a 'guilty' pleasure

Sign me up too (also Masterchef which I also love).

Think some of it is down to people being out of their comfort zone and learning something new but not in a tedious way.

IACGMOOH deals too much with the minutia of camp life with the highlights of the challenges. Most of the time they are just sort of surviving. The Y Factor is just humiliation TV used as a way of swelling SC's coffers. Next Top Model is about a bunch of self obsessed wannabes who could all do with a decent meal & so on.

Viennese Whirl, I am EXACTLY the same as you.

I've often thought about it, and can only put it down to these vague reasons.

- Strictly celebs are usually people who have already done well in their careers, so are not just sad wannabees
- It's about working hard and doing your best, qualities that I admire in people
- They don't have the dreadful "bad auditions" shows (I'm appalled that people like these)

Strangely, the above could probably be said about Dancing on Ice, which I can't warm to. Don't know why. Maybe Ice is too gimmicky for me. And it has advert breaks!

No your a very discerning person.

I don't watch any soaps or reality shows except Strictly and The Apprentice..

Strictly is the very best reality show ever.

Well, it's got a bit more class than your average wannabe fest. Nothing wrong with liking it.

The Pro dancers

That's my answer too. I don't really care who the celebrities are in terms of whether they're famous for any good reason or not, the show is fabulous just because of the professional dancers

I am EXACTLY the same too, and cannot take to DOI either.
If, however the dumbing down of Strictly continues, this will be the last series I will watch

I love both SCD and DoI for the same reasons.

Both feature people (most of whom I am familiar with) generally at least slightly out of their comfort zone trying to get as good as they can get at an unfamiliar and challenging discipline. I like this; I enjoy watching the learning process - that's why I can't get into any contestants who appear to be taking the Paso.

Although many of the celebs are probably hoping for a profile boost from the show, they don't tend to be wanting to launch themselves onto an already saturated industry with nothing unique in their armoury.

The tantrums and dramas are far fewer and more modest than those on BB/CBB or Wifeswap and the ilk. We joke about dead nans, cute kids and tough years but these are small fry in comparison with the OTT cr@p other reality shows come up with. I don't want to see catfights/breakdowns/sex acts on tv - I get enough of that at home .

Both shows generally produce at least two or three celebs who really pull something special out of the bag that is a joy to watch. This may explain why some people prefer SCD to DoI - it's more difficult to get to an impressive standard on DoI so even the creme de la creme still don't create such an aesthetic and eye-opening display as the best on Strictly.

This is the reason why I enjoyed 71 Degrees North (apart from it being hosted by gorgeous Gethin). Celebrities out of their comfort zone - and how!

Live music makes it for me. Without that I wouldn't watch.

(Oh and Ola and Kara)

There are tens of thousands like you - join the band.

Strictly forums must account for more lost working hours than those lost in industry through backpain, man-flu and Monday hangovers and skin rashes combined.

I can't either. It takes itself FAR too seriously, and Phil and Holly spend half the show bellowing at the couples!

I think for me, Strictly is about celebs surprising you in a good way, and you are rooting for them to progress and once in a while, blow you away with their skill. It's a positive environment without being too serious. Most people end the show with more fans than before.

Other celeb reality TV shows are designed to make the celeb look as stupid/weak/foolish as possible as far as I can see. Car crash tv in the making.