So we have a winner and a runner up who both never had a straight 40... along with an Alesha 10 that means nothing as bandied out when a routine had mistakes, illegal lifts and poor technique. How can 1 judge dole out a ten and another a seven. Either its perfect or its not.

I know that the judges are 'looking for different things' but how cant they range quite so much. I think its time they look at the rules, agreed them and stuck to them.

Once a 10 really meant something in Strictly, now i cant quite work out if it means anything at all..

I usually can understand why Bruno and Alesha dole out the 10s (whether I agree or not). They are both easily wowed, and they don't expect perfection. But I don't think anyone deserved a 10 tonight for anything, and they both gave 10s for things they themselves criticized. Kind of ridiculous. But I guess they were saying that the dances that got 10s were better than the ones that got 9s. Neither of them gave anything less than 9, did they?

What planet are you on?

this is no longer a dancing competition - was not from the day they booked Ann Widdecombe and Paul Daniels on it.
Pamela could have been another disaster, but good for her she was not going to follow the rulebook and she worked hard for her place in the finals.

No point in trying to apply strict dance rules in a competition where the BBC and even the judges were encouraging people to vote for Ann until Week 10!!!

The rules should just be the same for ALL couples.

For example - one couple does an illegal lift and is penalised, whereas another couple is not.

Or like tonight - Kara did a dance where there was not a single bit of hold, whereas matt got pulled up for a bit of a (and as len said not even worth mentioning) slightly off footwork move.

One couple got 10 the other 7.

How is that fair? Glossing over one couples mistakes, whilst picking on every single one other people make?

Blimey thats a bit harsh isnt it... I was just asking.

I personally think tightening up the rules, or even establishing some to start with, would help thats all,

I really dont know what a 10 is worth from the judges , it seems to me that it should mean a flawless dance that has a wow factor

there are very few dances that would live up to that criteria ( it is incredibly hard not to wobble/accidentally lift ones foot off the floor etc) and so for me I would settle with the wow factor for excellant dancing.

I seems to me that Pamela was commended by the judges for easier choreography done very well and Kara penalised as her more difficult choreography done with the odd mistake. ( by the way I also saw pamal's mistakes if the judges didn't ).

By consisitantly marking Pamela over kara you get a situation whereby if the pros want their celeb to proceed they may be tempted to go down the simpler route and I for one would feel as though we were missing out

The ten for me should be danced really well, AND should have a bit of extra oomph that makes it stand out as a really memorable dance , Jill's jive ,Austins Paso, Kara's AS

We had Lisa having all those 10's before and not having one memorable dance for me. A 10 dance has to have that extra oomph!

It normally means 'Here, have a sweetie luv.'

Austin's Paso? Haha.

I don't believe any dance over any of the series has been worth a 40 (and that includes Jill's jive in the final)

but 10s are expected now and are handed out accordingly - witness the rage on celeb/pro faces when they only get a 9!

ridiculous

I remember Monkseal saying something earlier in the series about finding the dances which got 38/39 better as a body than those scoring 40. I think there is a lot of truth to this.

It now means what 8 used to mean.

It does rather spoil the final, doesn't it, too many tens given out over the series? Pamela was dancing a 40 dance - it was hardly worth bothering to watch. 'Oh, here comes the one where she gets 40. Shall I put the kettle on?' There's nowhere left for the contestant to go except risk being boring.

they've started giving them out earlier too
if you get a 40 in week 5 or 6 where do you go from there

When the first 10 has been given out has been fairly consistent actually.

Series 1 - Week 5
Series 2 - Week 7
Series 3 - Week 6
Series 4 - Week 3 (second dance)
Series 5 - Week 4 (third dance)
Series 6 - Week 7 (fifth dance)
Series 7 - Week 5
Series 8 - Week 5

Series 2/3 you had to wait a bit longer, and Series 4/5 they came a bit quicker, but you can generally expect one on about a couple's fifth dance. I think the difference is that the first 10 is a bit of a floodgate opening, and they come out increasingly easier as time goes by, regardless of the actual quality of the dances. In the later series, there's more time to accrue them, and a greater rate by the end.

interesting - clearly it just feels earlier each year...

i think you will find that len gave matt a 9 and kara a 7

What's also interesting (or possibly not), is that both times the judges shot their bolt "early" re : 10s

a) it was Bruno that did it
b) the recipient (Louisa, Kelly) didn't get another one.

Here is a thought provoking "10"

1 Shes got her kit off in the tabloids 3 days before the opening show.
2 Shes at the front and in the middle on the BBC trailer

3 Shes paired with the new hunk pro.

4 She plays the injured partner card.

5 She plays the budding romance card.

6 She plays the "annoyed at the tabloids card" (see no. 1)

7 Shes such an emotional girl, but never sheds a tear.

8 Shes overcome dyslexia you know(BBC Documentary)

9 She bravely dances through the pain in the nail-biting final.

10 She takes the Glitter Ball

Best dancer won though.