Or the best entertainer?

Both for me.

Or who has made the most progress? Had this conversation today with a mate who was saying how c*ap Johnson was and he should have gone before Elen Rives and the bloke off Neighbours. Uncalled for IMO but each to his own

It is about finding someone who entertains through fantastic skating .

To me it's the contestant who's had the best journey, Suzanne Shaw wasn't the best skater but she had the real experience and a winners attitude. Nah, the best skaters don't always win on DOI, just like the best winners don't always win on SCD. It's who has impressed mostly the judges and us the audience.

With a public vote it can only be about entertainment or popularity.

If it was about skating we would all be studying their edges.

I think this is about right. For me, in any case.

Ofcourse the reason some people are more watchable than others is a difficult one to pin down. I've always had more affinity with those who seem to embrace the "sport" and the whole experience of learning, be it dancing in SCD or skating in DoI.

A few technical sins can be totally obscured when a passion is projected naturally. To us armchair viewers at least.

It has to be both ... the best performance has to be someone who combines skating technique with an ability to entertain, be a showman and have stage presence. The best skater in the world will only get so far in a dancing competition if they can't convey emotion or sparkle on ice!
Likewise someone who can entertain ( Denise, Vanilla Ice, guy from Neighbours ) will only reach a certain level in the comp without any real skating ability behind the peformance.

As long as a good skater wins in the end that's all that matters. They don't have to be the best necessarily but need to be good. I think you would be hard pressed to argue that Suzanne was a better skater than Chris but she was still a great skater.

Yes, I'll go along with this and the 3 finalists can all skate well.

No, because skating isn't only about edges. Far from it.

One of the things I dislike about DOI is that it makes almost no attempt to educate or inform viewers about skating, and ends up giving people the impression the skating side of things is all about details that only someone like Robin could even notice.

Compare SCD, where "Choreography Corner" (among other things) explains how "technical" details affect things that ordinary viewers can see.

I agree, as proved by some of the less competent skaters staying in the competition over more accomplished ones

The fact that so many tricks and lifts are crammed into the programmes shows that it's more about entertainment than the technicalities of skating (some of the stuff that shows true skating ability isn't as impressive to watch as some of the more showy lifts which obviously require some skill but not necessarily showing skating skills)

having skated for many years myself I tend to look more at th actual skating but admit that the tricks make the rouines more entertaining as a TV show

diamond1 says it better than me.

For me its about who has made the most progress. As I like to see how far they can push themselfs. They dont have to be the best skater as some of the best skater never seams to improve they just seam to be the same as they was in week one. (Sam is and example he does not seam to be getting better just the same as what he was.)

But if you take Laura, Jeff, Chloe and even johnston they showed improvment every week. and that is what I like to see.

[quote=diamond1;48942283]I agree, as proved by some of the less competent skaters staying in the competition over more accomplished ones

The fact that so many tricks and lifts are crammed into the programmes shows that it's more about entertainment than the technicalities of skating (some of the stuff that shows true skating ability isn't as impressive to watch as some of the more showy lifts which obviously require some skill but not necessarily showing skating skills)

having skated for many years myself I tend to look more at th actual skating but admit that the tricks make the rouines more entertaining as a TV show[/QUOTE]
So chloe's a goner on both counts.

we get the message that you don't like Chloe but you're starting to embarras yourself with the constant digs

I think this is the problem for anyone who comes into the competition already being able to skate a bit. I'm sure he HAS improved, it's just that his learning curve is necessarily shallower than those who had never skated before so his improvements won't be as obvious to the untrained eye (and let's face it, that's most of us!).

I also believe that there is a limit to what these people can achieve in just a few months. I mean seriously...what are people expecting of him? Triple salchows? It takes years and years of training from a young age to be a good skater, and nobody who did a bit of social skating trundling round an ice rink of a Saturday afternoon or a bit of ice hockey when they were younger is going to be able to become a figure skater in a few short months! Just not possible. The best they can do is to perfect a few tricks, but by the end of the competition everyone else is doing those tricks, so it looks as if they've stood still.

I used to think it was a ridiculous advantage for someone to have had prior skating experience, but I now think it's actually a huge disadvantage in terms of winning the competition because their journey can only ever be from "semi-competent" to "a bit better" and will always be trumped by those who started from nothing. Hence Chris Fountains did not win, and neither will Sam.

May the best "improver" win....

I agree. I hate these TV producers who think the viewers are not interested in the techical aspects of a performance, when I would say most people are. Look at the panel with only one person who is an expert on the subject. I was reading that they got rid of 2 experts in ice skating for Gardner and Bunting who haven't got a clue about ice skating.

Sadly SCD is going down the same route.

True .. when they got rid of Arlene and brought in Alisha .. although at least Alisha had gone through the process of the show herself

It wouldn't have been so bad if they had a past DOI winner on the panel instead of Emma who is hopeless

SPOT ON!

Suzanne Shaw should take Emma's place.

I don't think the average viewer does care about the technical aspects, most people I talk too just watch it for entertainment. If you want technical, watch the pros.

You could have a 4-person panel as on SCD, made up of: Nicky Slater, Jason Gardiner, Suzanne Shaw and Robin Cousins, with Robin as Head Judge.

If we must have an ex contestant I'd go for Ray Quinn.

Well it ought to be