Onstage tug 'o war between 100 dance fans and 1 Ann fan -- Ann fan winning.

I don't watch very much TV and am quite selective about what I do watch. SCD is steadily inching its way into the realms of trashy TV (X-Factor et al) and I feel quite ashamed for watching now. I do so out of habit really but am getting that time to stop feeling.

I have to agree with most of the opening post and I was very disappointed with the AS dances last night.
I would like to see the show freshened up along the lines of;

A maximum of 8/10 couples

All the couples dancing all the different types of dance
( as the difficulty of dances & entertainment value vary so much it seems unfair on some dancers who go out in the first week or 2, who had a dance style that wasn't best suited to them, but may have danced another style really well )


keeping the judges & public scores seperate but as a running total week on week
after 8 weeks ( or how ever many it takes to do all the main dances) the top 2 judges couples & the top 2 public couples overall then compete in the semi finals then finals.

I think this will give all the dancers the chance to show what ability they have as some dances suit some more than others, it will do away with need for time wasting fillers as the numbers wont be going down every week and it will ensure the the best dancers and the most popular dancers will get through to the semis pleasing more people.

I am sure they will be some flaws in this but what does anyone else think?

Could you say more about that, Gill?

The new producer is from DWTS, and has brought with her a lot of the rule changes in one swoop - releaxed ballroom regulations, props, more dances per show, etc

well she needs to take them all back out with her in one swoop. ...the show is cringingly bad now...

Bruce is awful..........Tess not that much better.

Pro dances.....bitty and not of great quality.........

costumes.....just flashing bits.......but done wth sparkle

Judges.......boring........Len/Bruno have lost the place.
Craig.........same old same old......boring.
Alesha.......has a set of new earings every week.

:yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn::yawn:

I thought it started to go downhill last year (what with Cola triumphing over dancing talent) but at least there were still strict rules and the dances were somewhat recognisable but yes, this year they have bombarded us with nonsense that does nothing but distract from the dancing, the real spectacle on the show. It's a shame.

However, I don't think that this is the first time we've had a deliberately duff contestant and at least there are some couples this year that are good dancers and engaging. I don't think Strictly is dead yet although the Beeb certainly seem to be trying their hardest to put it in the ground.

Pamela Stephenson was hardly going to get a bad score doing the Charleston but the judges were over critical last night with Kara and Matt. If Ann does win the show may have to go the entertainment aspect only goes so far and her comments on Andrew Marr this morning about that deman the show and the contestants who genuinely put in the hard work to try and win it on their dancing ability. I can't imagine Anton Du Beke seriously wants to win it with someone as bad as her. I imagine he'll be relieved if she comes third or goes out in the semi-final. I don't think he'll really be that happy on the face of it if they win.

Giving 9s to Scott for completely fluffing it was absurd.

But it was Matt and Aliona's dance that summed up what has gone wrong.

The crowd loved it, there were loads of lifts and it was a real spectacle BUT................... what on earth was it? The judges just didn't know what to do.

I think the judges deserve a lot of credit for not getting carried away with the crowd. It was supposed to be an American Smooth but Matt was dressed as a Cossack! Utterly bizarre. There was nothing American or Smooth about it (apart from the great song).

The show has lost the plot.

But thats not Matts fault he did what his pro told him to do and he did it well, yes he fluffed a bit of it, but no where near as badly as Scott did..and Scot got 2 x 9, it was stupid

Fair enough, it wasn't Matt's fault but if he gets taught an American Smooth that is neither American nor Smooth he can't expect great scores (even if he danced well enough).

I can't help but get the feeling that someone whispered into Aliona's ear that the 'traditional' AS is a bit 'boring' so could she spice it up a bit?

They (the programme makers) are constantly messing around with the dances for fear of being 'boring' but all that is happening is that the dances are getting more absurd rather than 'better'.

I frequently accuse the BBC of many things, mostly of often being profligate with licence payers' money. But I've never said they are daft.
Over time the BBC have steadily changed the demographic of the audience of this programme away from those who are mostly interested in dance, to one where..err.. "they'll watch anything!" This obviously helps keep up the ratings which is the only thing that matters to them.

The real dances when done well are anything but boring, and the real American smooth is like Fred and Ginger and full of glamour (or should be).
I am getting depressed about what has happened to one of my favourite shows so I am going to re-watch some old videos and cheer myself up. Where are you, Austin Healy?

I think the OP has absolutely nailed it - spot on. The show is almost unrecognisable now from the earlier series, I can add nothing more to her list.

I know everyone says that the celebs and pros all love Ann and Anton's antics, but surely they must think how hard they themselves work to get their routines right and Ann does hardly any "dancing", and even dictates to Anton whether or not she will do certain steps, and still gets through week in and week out. If it was me, I would despair, but that's just imo.

I'm just sensing that the judges are up to their old tricks again, trying to protect certain couples by manipulating the leaderboard rather than letting it reflect what actually happened on the night.

I feel like this has been happening ever since series 5. The scores always felt more realistic and more spontaneous prior to that.

It's just a feeling I can't shake.

Props are being mis-used as well. They can occasionally enhance a routine. But far too often they have been unnecessary.

There you go then, one of my favourite "restrained" performances from a couple of the professionals, sadly Nicole "The Queen of Spin" got dropped.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haZaoiW3qMA

I agree. The problem is that the dances lose their character and everything just blurs into some vaguely showdancy type effort (and then the showdance itself in the final also loses its impact presumably). Of course dance evolves, but I don't think this is about breaking down barriers and being innovative. It seems to be more about appealing to a mass audience..

But I don't think the show is on its way out. It has changed in character, that's all, and I guess I'm not so keen on the new character.

It does seem to have reared it's ugly head again. That to me damages the credibility of the show far more than the Ann's of this world.

I would like to see old episdodes, too. With a vote for all-time favourite dance of each type.

Also, I have a feeling I'll get shot down in flames for this, but I quite like Team Cola last year: Chris just went on such a journey of improvement. I thought the right 2 people were in the final and if either won that would keep me happy.

I think people are only sensing that when their favourites aren't doing well. This year, I don't have a real favourite (I like Kara, Matt, Scott, Pamela, Patsy, Gavin) all equally. I really don't ret riled up about the judges scoring because of that. I would be more worried if Anne achieved a higher score than any of the others, I would be up in arms then. Otherwise, (apart from Len's attack on Kara the other week) I don't care who is or isn't top. For instance, Matt has weaknesses (his face and his emotions during the dance) and strengths (beautiful mover and technical quite good), and Scott has weaknesses (when a dance goes wrong it goes horribly wrong) and strengths (when he gets it right, it's great). Same with Kara and Pamela (although Kara is the more natural dancer, probably also related to age and agility).

I hope that Anne doesn't make the final, but if any of the top four get there, I will be happy (I will even be happy if Gavin and Patsy make it there, although yesterday I saw that Gavin is really not improving anymore).

Was that the year they overmarked Kelly Brook, who the public didn't really like, to ensure she was out of the danger zone? I recall Bruno giving her a ten when Brendan had put in an extra, and therefore illegal, lift. And of course Matt Di Angelo managed to sit on a stair for most of the routine, but still got saved..........................or have I got the wrong series?

Basically, I think you are right, they can't save their favourites by using the dance off this year, so they're manipulating the scoring instead.

Assuming new producer was brought in to get more people watching, does anyone know if the viewing figures are higher than previous series? And what is all this nonsense at the start of the show yesterday with 'jokes' of the couples having affairs???

Thanks, that was lovely. Yes, that's what we used to get in the good old days...

We all thought Jay Hunt was bad but Moira Ross has put the final nail in the coffin of SCD . She may look at the increased ratings and say all the changes are justified. Its when the majority who watched the show to see some wonderful dancing start switching off, only then will they realise the damage they are doing to the show.

All is not lost yet though because just 2 weeks ago I posted a thread praising the wonderful dancing when we had Scott's fantastic jive and Kara's fabulous Argentine tango. I'm still optimistic the show can survive the AW torpedo, props, muscles, time wasting etc.