I'm actually pretty happy with the final five.
Matt - I would like him to win. I don't think he has done a 10-worthy dance yet but I just find him a more engaging performer than the others. I get the sense that he is someone who is really willing to push himself in each performance, sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't, but I prefer his flawed performances to those which may be technically better but over-cautious. Aliona is my favourite of the female pros but her frame of reference for music choices seems to be incredibly narrow and I wish her choreography was more classic and less experimental. With a dancer like Matt she could try something different two or three times a series but not every single week.
Scott - great when he is in his comfort zone and doing a dance which allows him to be masculine and take the romantic lead but too inhibited when he is asked to do anything else. One of the joys of watching Strictly is seeing rugby players, cricketers etc throw off the public perception of themselves and really let go on the dance-floor; I think Scott is capable of doing Rumba and Samba type dances but worries too much about ending up looking silly. The result is he can give self-conscious, going through the motions performances and is, therefore, not a winner for me.
Kara - a lovely dancer, thought her VW was the best dance tonight, but I just can't imagine wanting to watch any of her dances again on Youtube. I find her performances consistently good but as someone else in another thread pointed out she never dances as if her life depended on it and her eyes don't always connect with Artem, the audience or the cameras, which makes such a difference to the dance. My second favourite.
Pamela - I started off really liking her and still like the way she has defied expectations and proved that someone in their sixties can really dance and not just be there for comedy value or a 'journey'. However, for me her performances have become too mannered and over-acted and a bit cringeworthy to watch. In the beginning, as with her Rumba, she seemed to be able to lose herself in the dance but now everything seems too calculated. In certain dances, like the Charleston and tonight's Swingathon, she does sometimes look a bit awkward and ungainly.
Gavin - I am surprised that I have actually ended up quite liking him. Not the greatest dancer, of course, but he obviously works really hard at it and wants to get better and some of his performances have been strangely enjoyable, if not actually any good. If he does get to the final I don't think I will throw a strop.
).
) Scott and Matt.
