I think Matt is likely to win the competition, and have done so since the very first two weeks. The reason? Observing my wife. She is 60, so absolutely in the main demographic for Strictly, she has watched every series, and the celebrity she has liked has won every time.
She loves Countryfile, and she loves Matt. Before SCD started she was interested in how he would perform, and nervous that he would not be very good. She has been delighted how good he has been. She is nervous every week when he performs, and worried that the judges will criticise him because she thinks that will affect the votes of the general public. She has no idea this forum exists, or that the resuts come out in spoilers on Saturday.
And now we get to the important point. She loves the intensity he shows in his dances and in his face, precisely the things the judges cticise him for. She thinks it shows real emotion, a real, handsome young man dancing with a pretty young woman, learning as he goes along, but honest in his emotion. She thinks Artem is just a professional dancer, showing the acting of a professional dancer, but Matt is real. She thinks Kara is very good, but has the advantage of having been taught before.
I think my wife is very representative of a big chunk of the voting demographic, which is why I expect Matt's vote to go through the roof after what happened on Friday, and for him to win the whole competition.
I also think that last week's Austin Powers dance will have gone down very well with the pre-teen audience.
So....
If you were Matt and/or Aliona what would you do in these circumstances
- dial back on the facial and dancing intensity, so as to improve the 'purity of the dance', and lose the connection with your audience who love that intensity [after all, who did the BBC posters overwhelmingly vote as the most passionate couple?]
- or keep going for the maximum intensity and athleticism because that is what connnects with your fanbase?
What would you do?
[My own position - I wanted Denise to beat Jill, because I loved her athleticism; Alesha to win because of the absolute joy she showed in dancing; Ricky to beat Chris because he was simply the better dancer. This year I want Matt and Aliona to win because they have dared to be contemporary and give two fingers to the judges, of whom Len just appears to be whoring hiself to the BBC. I adored their AS which had real, honest, emotional depth and loved the fact that it made no references to anything from before this decade. Matt and Aliona are 32 and 26 for goodness sake - they should be dancing something which is relevant to 2010, not a pastiche of something that Fred Asaire and Ginger Rogers might have done. I like the fact that they are taking Len's advice that dancing on the edge is what it is all about, and flinging it back at him - and he doesn't know what to do.]
She loves Countryfile, and she loves Matt. Before SCD started she was interested in how he would perform, and nervous that he would not be very good. She has been delighted how good he has been. She is nervous every week when he performs, and worried that the judges will criticise him because she thinks that will affect the votes of the general public. She has no idea this forum exists, or that the resuts come out in spoilers on Saturday.
And now we get to the important point. She loves the intensity he shows in his dances and in his face, precisely the things the judges cticise him for. She thinks it shows real emotion, a real, handsome young man dancing with a pretty young woman, learning as he goes along, but honest in his emotion. She thinks Artem is just a professional dancer, showing the acting of a professional dancer, but Matt is real. She thinks Kara is very good, but has the advantage of having been taught before.
I think my wife is very representative of a big chunk of the voting demographic, which is why I expect Matt's vote to go through the roof after what happened on Friday, and for him to win the whole competition.
I also think that last week's Austin Powers dance will have gone down very well with the pre-teen audience.
So....
If you were Matt and/or Aliona what would you do in these circumstances
- dial back on the facial and dancing intensity, so as to improve the 'purity of the dance', and lose the connection with your audience who love that intensity [after all, who did the BBC posters overwhelmingly vote as the most passionate couple?]
- or keep going for the maximum intensity and athleticism because that is what connnects with your fanbase?
What would you do?
[My own position - I wanted Denise to beat Jill, because I loved her athleticism; Alesha to win because of the absolute joy she showed in dancing; Ricky to beat Chris because he was simply the better dancer. This year I want Matt and Aliona to win because they have dared to be contemporary and give two fingers to the judges, of whom Len just appears to be whoring hiself to the BBC. I adored their AS which had real, honest, emotional depth and loved the fact that it made no references to anything from before this decade. Matt and Aliona are 32 and 26 for goodness sake - they should be dancing something which is relevant to 2010, not a pastiche of something that Fred Asaire and Ginger Rogers might have done. I like the fact that they are taking Len's advice that dancing on the edge is what it is all about, and flinging it back at him - and he doesn't know what to do.]
). I don't watch the X Factor or BGT and rarely watch I'm a Celebrity, so can't claim anything on that. As for Strictly, my record is pretty poor 
- although, in my defence, I've not cared enough over the last couple of series really to have a favourite. I voted like mad for Alesha, but didn't vote a lot in either of the last two series, because I knew neither of my favourites would win. So I predicted the winner, without necessarily voting for them, if that makes sense.