I understand that on DwtS prospective Slebs are discretely auditioned to make sure they have a reasonable chance of at least getting round the floor. TV in the USA (and other countries) would not stand for "joke entrants" like Ann W.

Perhaps prospective Slebs on Strictly should also be so vetted.

Compare and contrast!

JJ

That post covers it completely, bbc please take note.

The Beeb tests for "name awareness" of potential celebs as far as I know. Vince Cable apparently failed this test a few years ago. (Seems odd, given some of the non-entities that have been passed off as celebs recently on the Beeb.)

I would guess the different TV companies reflect the expected preferences of their audience. The Beeb's audience appears to place a high value on personality (real or manufactured) or the dreaded "Journey". Maybe the US audience is more ruthless in terms of ability and wouldn't vote for an Ann-standard dancer.

In summary - viewing figures rather than morality will drive their decisions.

I recently saw a trailer for Mike Tyson in the Italian DWTS recent embedded in a few of the online papers and he was truly dreadful, by all accounts. The Italians are therefore dancing shoulder to shoulder with the Beeb on this one.

Aren't some of Natalie Lowe's Aussie partners' incompetence the stuff of legend as well?

I agree. Remember Jimmy Tarbuck? They should have a doctor's certificate saying they're fit to put in strenuous exercise as well.

I'm sure Servalan posted some time recently that there are medical tests for SCD now.

Well all I can say is I would have liked to have seen Michael Bolton and "The Hoff"' auditions.

Let's not forget Buzz Aldrin, Steve Wozniak and especially Tom Delay.
If there's any vetting done, it probably does not entail more than bending the knees and coughing three times.

They definitely vet celebs on DOI and I was always under the impression that they did on SCD too.

The thing about vetting is, it's usually used to weed out the mediocre and keep the talented/unspeakably awful, so it's no guarantee of avoiding the Anns of this world.

Well they may audition their celebritys on DWTS but it didnt stop them having Cloris Leachman and Buzz Aldrin.

They should medically vet them, wouldn't be good to have someone who has a heart attack live on TV the first time they have done something strenuous for 20 years.

Part of it is that we love losers in this country. Look how we took Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards to our collective bosoms.
The Americans can't understand our love of the bottom place people and would turn off their televisions in droves.
With people like Ann and John Sargent the BBC keeps Strictly as a light entertainment program rather than a dance competition.

Oh dear! I think I must be part American!
I really wish they would maintain some kind of standards on the show. What grates on me most with Ann is all the sanctions she imposes......" I,m not wearing that/I,m not doing that step" It wouldn't surprise me if she only did the show if she could dance with Anton. Can you imagine if she'd been put with Vincent?

Now that would be entertainment

No, I don't think it is that at all. Seriously, lifting the glitterball is the teeniest fraction of what the show is about.

Arguably the most engaging thing about the show is watching amateurs not only learn a new skill - in itself interesting - but actually falling in love with that skill. Everyone who finds that appreciation is a winner, no matter what level skill they achieve.

You talk about losers in a despicable way, as if having no chance of winning means you shouldnt bother trying at all, as if trying alone is worth nothing. On the contrary, when the odds are stacked so against you, you can't possibly win but you try your best anyway, that makes you a hero. That's why we loved Eddie, not because we thought him a loser.

Excuse me. Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards was NOT a loser.

He was the only ski jumper in this country who qualified for the olympics/was willing to take part. He's a plucky and very brave man, who was willing to represent his country being the best that we had at that sport. He may not have been very good compared to the best in the world, but he did a damn sight better than either you or I, or any other Brit for that matter, could have done. That's why he had so many supporters.

I work in television, albeit on completely different types of programmes to Strictly, and I can tell you that nothing that happens on the show will be a surprise to the producers. They will have cast the show very carefully beforehand with an eye to publicity and ratings, a few people who they know can dance, a few who are there to reflect progress and a journey, and a few who are there for laugh at/laugh with entertainment value. From what I gather there are other countries which have useless dancers on their versions of the show because they adhere to the Strictly formula.

There definitely should be some vetting.

Both to ensure that people who can dance well are excluded, and that a sufficient number of duffers are included.

That's the formula for the show!!!

This year, on DWTS, we had Margaret Cho, who, dare I say it, seemed to make less effort even than Ann.

MC couldn't even attempt a walz seriously. When she fell over, twice, some viewers, such as myself though they were genuine accidents. But we soon learned that she was the joker.

Interestingly, by about the fourth week, she decided to try to go serious, and put in quite a good performance - and the public kicked her out that week!