Not this rubbish again? Gavin was never going to make the final because it would clearly be unjust if he survived over any of the other four. And there was a tie between Scott and Matt on the final leaderboard, meaning Gavin was on 2 points instead of 1 - if the judges really were trying to manipulate the leaderboard they would have ensured they hadn't tied.

TBH I don't see the point of the dance-off much myself, but the only time I have a problem with it is in the later stages where it's possible for somebody to have a high public vote but get eliminated anyway. With the double elimination it is likely that they will just get rid of the dance-off in week 11, so that's solved.

Thank you for the explanation

so basically the dance off IS unpopular and also inherently unfair

I just wondered if it someone had something good to say for it, I know I loath it as I am very much of the opinion Gethin and Austin were robbed ( of a place in the final at the very least)

I could see some small virtue in the dance off in the early weeks to protect lesser known celebs. Maybe.

Last year, Chelsee had no fanbase and was dancing with a new pro (so no built-in popularity). She had to stay close to the top of the leader board to get through the first few weeks and build up support. Had she had a slower or nervier start - and with no dance-off to help her - I think we would have lost her early on, which would have been a shame.

Not sure it's enough of a reason though....

I looked at Gavin's old dances again and he really was not that bad, some of his dances in particular had a charm that I found lacking in Pamela's. Sometimes the winner is not the best dancer and Gavin had just as much right to a place in the final as either of the other 3

IMHO Kara was obviously the best dancer and I was not at all sorry to see her win but with the judges manipulating the scores in Pamela's favour and giving her undeservedly high scores for very mediocre dancing in the final she was still out 3rd

I like to see really good dancing , but I also enjoy dancing because of someone's personality or the relationship between the celeb and pro.

hence I want to preserve my right to get who, I, and the rest of the voting public want to get to the final

I genuinely don't get the idea that the dance-off added tension to the results show. The results of a dance-off bottom 2 is eminently more predictable than a bottom 2 decided on combo of public and judges scores. Thus less tense. More waste of time.

You are right - it is rubbish. I went and found the leaderboard and what you say is correct. I've binned that idea.

I only care about me, what my pros are.

No Pro's for the dance off.

The only instance that would work is for celebrities who are not trying (bottom of the judges leader board) but getting some public support to get them to last but one place.

The only other way would be for the audience to decide between bottom of the judges score vs bottom of the public vote. This only works where these are different.

Alternatively the audience should be the decider for the dance off. At least they are there and it gives them a chance to vote.

I'm hoping for a U-turn too.

Trying to make the taped Sunday show more appetising with a dance off is like thinking guests will be impressed by cold turkey leftovers on Boxing Day. Not that I even notice, I'm pist as a fart and trying to look up the skirt of the Christmas tree fairy.

They could of course make the Sunday show more entertaining instead of bringing back the dance-off.

I'm in favour of the dance off if it comes down to eliminating either Bruce or Tess.

Maybe if I write to them like I did about the theme tune lyrics and kick up a fuss then they may change their mind again.

I'm not sure what else they could do with a 30 min result show without any dance off to keep it interesting. I'm one of those who loved the Sat live results but appreciate that it was on too late for families with children so the Sun show overcomes this.

I hated the dance off when we ad it, and am not looking forward to its return!

It's far more nerve racking to see a bottom two standing there waiting for Tess to tell them who is going home, than to see the two of them and knowing very well which of the couples the judges will save without them dancing a step.

All it did in the past was encourage people to vote for the likes of John Sargeant, Kate Garraway and Kenny Logan, just to keep them out of the judges clutches and ensuring their survival long past their sell by date, and antagonised viewers who see the dancer they don't like getting repeatedly saved....

I've never understood why the judges and powers that be, were so determined to get Lisa to the final, when it must have been abundantly clear to them that she was going to get unceremoniously dumped the first opportunity the public got. How many times did the public have to say that they didn't want to see any more of her - and if anything, the unfair dumping of Austin over her only ensured that she would get even less support afterwards.

That said, had Lisa not made the final, we would never have seen the glorious spectacle that was the Bacofiol dance........

Likewise, the lack of a dance-off did not stop Anne, Nancy and Russell from progressing further than perhaps they should have done at the expense of better dancers.

Granted, but should the duffers get the support of the viewers, they have as much right to stay and entertain their fans as the better but more unpopular dancers do.

In the case of Kenny, Widdy and Nancy, they were bottom of the leader board week after week, but still managed to stay out of the bottom 2 until the late stages due to the public vote. And I know that in most series, I would rather watch the antics of one of the duffers than some of the mediocre "better dancers" who may have been marginally better, but deathly boring to watch and listen to in the VT.

At the end of the day, it's a prime time entertainment show first and a dance competition second. In all series we have had a good dancer win, beating any of the duffers who had all gone before actually getting a sniff of the finl.... Heck - apart from series 1, the runner up has been excellent as well.

As long as the BEST dancers get to the final, I really can't get too antsy about the order in which the cannon fodder go. There are only going to be 2-3 finalists, and I don't care if a duffer gets even to the semi as long as they don't actually keep the best out of the final itself

Sounds about right.

Nancy was in the bottom two twice before being eliminated. But still, neither Dan nor Rory were ever likely to win the competition.

I agree with this. A bottom 2 that is decided on the public vote rather than the judges is much more tense. I find the dance off tedious. Having to see both dances again is a waste of time and, quite frankly, boring. It wouldn't be so bad if they danced a different dance. or some random music played and both couples freestyled at the same time!!

Perhaps they will be taking a leaf out of the DWTS book and having a dance off thing where the 2 couples dance something completely different like a CCC or Jive to the same music simultaneously on the floor and be judged simultaneously....?

Now that would be worth seeing.....

Although knowing TPTB, they won't be so forward thinking...

But overall I agree with Monkseal.... the dance off will be pretty predictable if previous ones are anything to go by.

That depends on whether you are happy to see better dancers go before their time (which should be the main reason for having the DO). I for one am not.


In my eyes, we should have the best dancers available in each of the rounds, especially the later rounds (which is what I think SCD should be about), not having a few duffers who have pushed out the more capable couples. And that is why the DO exists.

How does the DO make one iota of difference if the public keep the duffers out of it anyway?

Well Widdy excepted - the real duffers rarely last past halfway.. with or without the dance off, as was proved in series after series.... If anything - the presence of the dance off saw the likes of Sarge and Kate G get waaay further than they would have without it - mind you I'd also hazard a guess that it was the nasty comments from the panel that kept some in too - fair enough give low marks for a poor dance - but instead of being nasty for the sake of a soundbite on top of the low marks - offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, in English not jargon (yes Craig - that means you!), and you won't trigger the sympathy vote.

Kenny and Gavin WERE duffers at the beginning, but both of them worked hard at it, and whilst they never rose to Matt Dawson's heights, they ended up up doing quite presentable dances which resulted in them getting where they did.

The judges can (and do) manipulate the leader board to keep their favourites safe in the early weeks anyway - and we have seen them do that in series after series (Zoe B/ Ricky W/ Emma B etc), and even in the later stages they can keep them out of danger by putting them at the top of the leaderboard even when they don't deserve to be there (Lisa S).

If i was a celeb (like Lisa S) who was dumped into the DO week after week only to be saved by the judges for further humiliation the next week, I think I would prefer to just be allowed to go.... if the public don't like you - they won't vote for you - so why flog a dead horse??

Every time we have had a judges pet in the final they have gone out first (Zoe B/ Lisa S/ Ricky W) because the public were never going to allow them to win...

maybe, but my point is that the DO did create an opportunity for the duffer to go if that duffer was in the bottom two, importantly ensuring that the least duffer of the two lived to dance a further week (even if they only lasted a further week). The better dancer still reigned.


I thought that it was the public vote that achieved that, and although my memory is rather hazy, wouldn't the judges have dispensed them to a fitting exit had they been in the DO?