Call me cynical if you like, but with all these "talent" based reality shows doesn't the best, or one of the best pretty much always win in the end? I am beginning to wonder whether some of these results are "fixed" and some of the best performers are "sacrificed" in order to cause uproar when somebody who's absolutely awful goes through? There's a couple of reasons for this...One keep the baddies in for entertainment value..keeps people tuning in, secondly to cause outrage amongst those who really care and who might spend that little bit more money on phone calls to make sure that the good ones stay in the competition. Vanilla Ice was sacrificed tonight, he wasn't a bad skater, but was no loss, and was never going to win, so no harm in pitching him up against Laura (who probably will win) She was safe all along. I don't know how many weeks there's left, but a repeat of this weeks ridiculous bottom two will be Jeff V Sam, which will equal goodbye Jeff! The week following that will probably be Johnson V Denise....having no real "sacrifices" left to play. Last three standing will be Sam/Laura/Chloe. The way it was meant to be weeks back!

ITV wouldn't risk it after last time.

I wouldn't bank on it!!!!

I can almost understand it happening in Strictly. I know this is only my opinion, but I think funny graceless dancing is a lot more entertaining than watching someone who can't skate very well gingerly picking their way across an ice rink...Todd Carty being an exception here! I find it very hard to believe that the general public would rather watch Denise Welch who's just about got herself up to week 4 standard of skating, than one of the others who are actually trying to give a spectacular and skillfull performance! I don't know about you, but I get a lot more excited from watching a display of grace alongside "death defying skills" a bit of an exaggeration, I know in skating, than dancing on a non slippery surace.

Besides. This is the result I predicted an hour ago.

It was always going to happen when a lot of the better skaters were virtual unknowns.

I would. Seriously DOI is a very popular show whose ratings have actually increased this year. If there was a voting scandal attached to it though I doubt the show itself could survive. ITV won't risk that - look at how many ad breaks it has, it makes too much money for ITV to risk it.

I don't think the voting is fixed but I do think that they have a fixed leaderboard in mind before the show starts as the judges, and of course everyone else who works on the show, gets to see the rehearsals.

Really?

Laura will not be win. She has been in the skate-off twice despite being high in the leaderboard which demonstrates that she is not attracting votes. Whilst there is no doubt that reality shows sometimes keep unpopular characters for the sake of controversy (which is probably why they saved Kerry over Comedy Dave), I don't think that has happened on this occasion. Both Laura and Vanilla Ice contributed a lot to the entertainment value of the show and the producers need that in order to keep people watching. I suspect they were hoping for a Laura vs Johnson skate-off so that they could lose Johnson without appearing callous.

Yes really!!!!! They've just got a bit more clever!

That's a good point.

clicked on this thread thinking it was about Denise Squelch.

Funnily enough i was only saying to my daughter earlier this evening 'i wouldn't be surprised if Johnson's votes were completely disregarded and he was just put through each week!' ...... You've got to wonder!, who on earth is voting for him each week?.... ok so he's a hero but!, lets face it he shows no personality each week, and isn't all that at skating!... and in shows like this you have to connect in some way to the people you are voting for!....

I thought everything these days was supposed to be 'transparent'!..... if so!, how come they don't broadcast the total votes for each couple?.... that is something they should certainly be doing!...

I agree op.... something very 'fishy' going on!.......

I honestly think the people that vote are a bunch of idiots if it is all legitimate votes no offense to people who vote but I honestly don't understand why it is a sympathy/popularity vote thing I want to watch good skaters on DOI and on Strictly good dancers I don't get the whole I'm crap but funny the can go be on a comedy show then. I basically don't watch till the final weeks cos that's roughly when comedy skaters/dancers aren't there anymore but I also miss some good people cos of it .

That's what I was thinking as well.

I got nothing from his performance

His 'sultry' was more 'straight face/deadpan' to me

on this forum alone there are people complaining about every single contestant wanting them in the skate off the GBP is the same. I would have voted for Chloe but I didn't vote . Everyone votes for their favourite so it's not like they are voting to get people into the skate off is it .

ITV put johnson on last knowing EXACTLY what they were doing!

Johnson will be getting a lot of support from his military family and others that support our heroes. He risked his life to save others. He continues to support the heroes by raising the profile every week he takes to the ice.
What has Laura done? I'd never heard of her or seen her before this show. Her fan base (if she has one) are too young to vote. Also, Laura had never skated first in the competition before tonight, that is surely favouritism?

Anyone who has a show or has worked on ITV have won or gone really far on DOI...

Gaynor Faye (Coronation Street Actress) 2006 winner
Suzanne Shaw (Popstars - ITV 2001) 2008 Winner
Zaraah Abrahams (Coronation Street Actress) 3rd 2008
Ray Quinn (X Factor) Winner 2009
Coleen Nolan (Loose Women panellist) 4th 2009
Hayley Tamaddon (Emmerdale Actress) Winner 2010
Gary Lucy (Bill Actor) 2nd 2010

Methinks Denise will finish 5th or 4th place.

Johnson is a true inspiration but he shouldn't be getting votes because he's a hero, he should be getting votes based on how well he's doing on DOI. Laura may not be a soldier with a heroic war record but she's a better skater and performer than he is and had Johnson been in the bottom two, if the judges had saved him solely because of his war record rather than how well he did in the skateoff, that would have been extremely patronising.

I don't think votes are fixed but they are manipulated heavily in all of these shows.

X Factor are by far the worst, with people like Jedward and Wagner being given late performance slots, big productions and comedy moments to make them memorable and gain votes because they keep people tuning in and create a talking point. The shock early exits of people like Lucy Jones and Aidan Grimshaw cause an uproar and generate more publicity - they were both acts that were never going to win but were undoubtedly talented so there was a shock element. It's all about generating headlines, publicity and revenue for the show.

DOI is now following suit, with Jennifer's exit as she was seen as cannon fodder, the saving of Kerry Katona causing outrage and now this shock skate off prompting more discussion.

I believe we'll be seeing a Sam, Laura and Jeff final 3. The judges can score in a certain way to make it more likely that somebody will end up in the skate off, I think that's what happened tonight with Laura - she slipped ever so slightly but it was just enough to get her bottom 2. I wouldn't be surprised if they do the same with Chloe soon and start marking Jeff up to get him in the final.

Andrea off loose women or Michael underwood didn't do that well and they're ITV. Linda lusardi (emmerdale) only did alright, gareth gates only did ok.
It's more about being known to the viewer. You are more likely to be known on an ITV show if you've done ITV work and they're also more likely to offer you a spot on the show. But it's not a guarantee of success. I don't think there's a conspiracy...

Having been shot at is no logical reason to win DOI.

Going on first is a disadvantage. It seems to be such because an awful lot of people fail to actually manage to watch the start of Tv shows. It was Laura's turn to go on first.

The good news is that having been on first they can now put Laura on later, where there are more votes and put however they want to get rid of on first .

I think it's about time Johnson went on first. The week they do that, could be the week he goes ie. Wagner.

They would never fix it. Not only would they be torn to shreds by Ofcom, but DOI most likely wouldn't survive and it would also harm their other reality shows. TXF and BGT are the two most watched shows in the country when they're on, ITV would NOT be stupid enough to risk losing those viewers. The most they would do is manipulate the voting with performance order, judges scores/comments, the editing of the VT etc, but they would not fix it.