Please correct me if I am wrong but in previous years have they not done a couple of dances they have already done (maybe even only one) and then the show dance.

This year with two they have already done, one brand new one and the show dance was it just too much for them to do in one week (they even had more new dances than usual in the semi final).

Kara and Matt just seemed under rehearsed to me.

Yes!!

Yes - the Beeb are being greedy dragging the final out into two shows. Result - very lacklustre opening show. Far better to let them repeat one dance, do At or another dance and the show dance. Much more manageable instead of the car crash we've just witnessed.

Definitely, it's just too hard to keep up the quality when there's that many dances in one week, especially as most of them have had stinking colds this week.

I think they're exhausted and their brains have fried.

definitely - especially if one couple don't get to perform the final two dances, which is the impression I got - hope I'm wrong.

I was just watching Alesha's showdance and Arlene mentioned that they did five dances, so I have to disagree.

I think it's too much, but then I'm sure Alesha and Matt both did five dances in their final to compensate for there being one less finalist, so this lot have it easy in comparison

Five? I don;t remember that.

I have never known them do a new dance as well as the show dance though in the final.

She did a waltz,cha cha and showdance, didn't she?

only the show dance was new though wasn't it?

Alesha and Matt DA had to do five in the final: best Latin, best Ballroom, Group VW, judge's choice (same piece of music, Alesha jived and I think Matt did a QS) and then show dance.

I don't think four dances is too many IF they're not learning a completely new dance á la the Paso or Waltz as they did tonight and IF they've been doing two dances a week for a while to build up some stamina. This year they went from one dance for most of the series, to two dances spread over two nights, to four dances in one night. At least in previous years they'd built that up over a period of weeks, with group dances as well.

I think part of the reason they were under rehearsed is illness.

Generally 4 dances is fine but I don't think we have been in the situation before where they have had to learn a dance from scratch for the final in addition to the showdance which, when taken together with the illness, really had an impact.

Alesha said afterwards in interviews that 5 was too many - she and Matt made up the end of the showdance as they had both forgotten the moves.

She really sympathised with the finalists tonight.

Really sad that the ones coming third were unable to do their AT. Instead we got yet more filler VTs; in previous years, the third couple did to their extra dance.

Badly done, BBC, badly done.

3 would be enough in one night.

Actually thinking about it I think Matt Dawson and Mark did 5 dances each too, and Tom, Lisa and Rachel did 4. I think the problem comes with the lack of build up to it.

I may be wrong but I suspect this year it was a budget issue. Had they started two dances a few week's ago, or done more group dances, that's a lot of extra dresses etc...

They had to learn three new dances in series 5. The VW, Judges choice and showdance, so they really only already knew 2 out of the 5....plus they weren't allowed to do a semi final dance like Kara done tonight.

Matt and Mark did do five dances! One ballroom, one Latin, the judges' choice, a VW and the showdance!
I feel tired just listing them!

Yes, but the Viennese was both couples together - no fantastic choreography, but the basic steps.