A lot of the moves where not sharp enough, some where but a lot of the kick moves and the "stamping down" moves where not as sharp as they could have been and I think those moves where a touch repetitive.

Also, I get the impression they may have been saving this dance and the moves in it/the routine for when they did have a bad week scoring wise the week before as they showed clips of him doing these moves before the show even started several weeks ago now!

I thought his dance in the previous week was pretty good but the judges to me seemed to be under scorring him and not giving positive comments almost for the sake of it. As if they where saying, we have to underscore you one week to throw people off the scent of when we have overscored yuo etc!

He looked as sharp as Natalie to me.

Anyhow, no dance is going to be flawless. But as Jives go, that's the best I've seen by a male celebrity on Strictly.

I actually agree that 10s were a little over the top. It wasn't the kicks that bothered me - they were the part of the routine that I think did deserve top marks and the performance was also fantastic. It was his basic steps that bothered me, far too skippy as opposed to the bounce required in the jive. Four 9s is what I thought it deserved but I don't begrudge him the 10s really because for me it was the best male celeb jive we've ever had on Strictly.

I didn't really like the song either. Obviously tied in with the name of his Eastenders character but that song has been used a number of times on Strictly now I believe to the dances.

He had to be scored so highly because of the Eastenders final. He put a lot of energy into it though...fair dos. I found it a bit unnerving but then I always, find him unnerving. Maybe its the monkey impressions....

It wasn't perfect but it was the best dance of the night by far but it only got one point more than the next best because of the overmarking that went before.

If the judges didn't overmark those who went before Scott then they would give themselves more leeway. In comparison to the marks given earlier in the night he deserved a 40, but in the greater scheme of things then he didn't.

I don't agree it was the best, Kara's was the best of the night both in performance and technicality for me. I think the judges went slightly overboard with him because they'd been so harsh on him the week before. If he'd have performed a more adequate rumba the previous week, I don't think he'd have got three 10s for that jive. But like I said, I don't begrudge him those 10s despite thinking they were a little undeserved because it really was fantastic and it was the best male celeb jive ever.

I really didn't see it as a way of compensating for last week's low marks. After all, the judge that marked Scott most serverely for his Rumba wasn't one of the judges to award him a 10 this time.

I'm a fan of both Kara and Scott's, I can't choose between them overall. But on this occasion, I found Scott's routine just a touch better. Both were class acts though.

I think you got that analysis spot on. Answer is judges should stop overscoring their favourites so they can have the leeway you mentioned.

Do you think Len looks embarrased when he gives his 10's or is it him just being "happy with/for them"?

Anyone else find it cringe worthy and anyone fed up with Bruno with the way he punches the air when he gives his 10's?

I've always found that cringeworthy for about 3 or 4 series now but didn't want to mention it in case it got back to him and hurt his feelings! Seriously!

Lol, Bruno seems like the type that you'd have to repeatedly hit over the head with a spade while calling into question the quality of his haircut to really hurt his feelings, I wouldn't worry about that

I just think that like when Matt got his 40 for his waltz, had Scott not had such a tough week the previous week, he'd have received more appropriate marks. But that could just be me. I just thought that if Kara's precision perfect AT didn't deserve three 10s, how could Scott's ever-so-slightly technically sub-par jive?

I agree, as I described here:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...7&postcount=52

I like watching Scott's routines - Natalie is a very good choreographer and she and Scott make for a striking couple.

Scott's taken, got married about 18 months ago or so.

Wonder what he's gonna do as his next dance?

I just dont uderstand all the Scott bashing, so many negative comments about him. Very rarely does he have a positive thread. Its getting me down. He turns up, does his dance, makes no fuss and just gets on with it. Can he help what marks he's given.

This isn't a "bashing" thread. Are people not allowed to comment on the scores now

Good points!! He is pretty well a shoe-in for the final, I think, with Matt and Kara. ALL worthy finalists. You might not agree with the marks ( a little over-marked I think, this week) but as you said. He does the biz. Straightforward and professional; puts the hours in, does the work.

JJ

I thought that by current marking standards, it was probably worth about a 15

According to all the judges it was only worth one point more than Matt's dreadful Rumba.

Odd.

Im just sick of hearing the comments regarding his marks, its all ive read since Saturday. Yes of course you are entitled to your opinion, i just think a great dance is being over shadowed and its a shame.

The celebs get 4 weeks training prior to the show. They are taught basic steps in both Latin and Ballroom as well as learning their first two routines.


And from that same thread -


I agree with blackberry. Although I had no idea it was a "swing-based" jive, I always think of it as an American jive as opposed to a British one

Saying that he should have been given a 9 maximum is bashing him is it?

Absolutly agree with you there - evert week there are comments that he did not deserve his marks etc. I agree he is very professional and a great dancer.
Of course people are entitled to an opinion but its just that after every saturday there are threads dissing Scott

Wonder what will be said about him next weekend!!

But others are just as entitled to think it wasn't a great dance, so why should we be stopped from saying so? There's nothing to stop positive threads being made!

And in response to your earlier comment, no, he can't help what marks he's given, but that's no reason for people not to say they feel he is overmarked. It's not a personal insult, it's an opinion. I'm sure Scott doesn't care that some people think he's overmarked because he knows others are voting for him to keep him in!

It's the bosses who are engineering the marking who are going out of their way to ensure he stays top of the leaderboard. I'm more annoyed with them than Scott.

I can't think if this has been mentioned already but from watching the training and the performances, last week and this week, that the jive was more than one week's work. Is it possible that they didn't train much for the rumba, but were preparing for this instead?

I'm not Scott-bashing, just curious.

How soon in advance do they know the dances they'll be doing?