Horrible? I don't get that at all. I think they have a really lovely relationship personally. I get that some may find the connection lacking on the dance floor, but off it I find their partnership to be one of the best.

The same argument applies to Victoiria, but you don't see her given much leeway for it on here.

If he gets through this week, I think he does have a chance of lifting the trophy.

He can dance nicely but hasn't made me go wow just yet - he's a lovely guy and I really like him - but I don't think he's quite as good as people are making out.

I thought that smooth last night was absolutely AWFUL. There was little smooth in it for me - and I hated the style.

But then, I love the traditional style of the smooth. I do understand where they were coming from - but it's not what I like, so it was a horrible smooth for me.

Didn't enjoy it at all - and I like the dances to be as they SHOULD be, otherwise you cannot compare them.

For once, I thought their leaderboard placings were right.

Lisa is a good dancer naturally, although last night's offering was a shocker. Michael is what Strictly is about - someone who is an abysmal dancer to start with, but who is coming on in leaps and bounds. I thought he was a few points overmarked last night personally - but I like him.

I like Michael better than Louis because he has improved more. Louis for me is good but has stayed still.

Like them both very much though.

Unlikely, Denise and increasingly Dani outclass him every week. He will have to develop much more 'personality' and 'passion' to stand a chance of lifting the glitterball.

The bookies still think Louis has it:

http://www.oddschecker.com/specials/...dancing/winner

Sadly, IMO Louis lacks personality and charisma.
He does have a nice bum, though!

He is very good but I'm still waiting for him to 'perform' and look as if he is enjoying it.

Also, it's no use saying "but he's a sportsman, he's not used to it", neither is Michael but at least he looks as if he's having a great time.

Derrrrrrrrrrrr!

Which means he has natural talent then - Which is being squashed at the expense of a fully trained stage school brat with showbiz connections.

I loved Flavia's choreography. I thought it was very different and clever of her to use both Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman" and Kanye West's "Gold Digger" for an American Smooth that managed to nod to the 20s and be totally modern at the same time.

I will say though, Louis needs show even some basic performance skills before he would make a worthy winner. I feel like he's learned dancing as a sport and until he manages to touch the emotion/feel of a dance it's just a physical thing and he may as well be on that stage playing football or tennis as far as I'm concerned.

If he ever WAS a contender then I do think the trophy is slipping out of his reach. I've gone off him.

It's Strictly Come Dancing, not Strictly Come Gymnastics, which is why Louis' gymnastic moves get 'slapped down' by the judges and Denise's dancing doesn't. Louis needs to concentrate on getting the dancing right, because that is what will get him good marks from the judges. He also needs to enjoy what he's doing. If he doesn't, then the audience won't.

I think Louis could win, but he needs to start wowing the judges and giving them a reason to save him should he end up in the bottom 2.

I respect Louis for what he achieved in he Olympics but there have been other sportsmen who have had the spark on the dance floor that I think he lacks. Look at Michael! He was really performing his dance last night and looked like he was having a great time.

I just think Flavia misjudged this dance. I'm not sure people want to see gymnastics in the middle of an American smooth. I think the pros may have been told to go extreme because it was wembly! I mean Brendan seemed to want it known that he had nothing to do with the decision to use a bike!
I would be surprised if Louis was overwhelmed by the size of the crowd as he was in a much more intimidating position during the summer bidding for a gold medal with the weight of the nation behind him! For me he seems more comfortable performing a Latin dance than a ballroom. He can still win it even if he never does a 'performance' - look at Harry last year, a very nice young man but he certainly had no wow factor and still won. I would imagine if it's between Denise and Louis he would win based on the high levels of hatred for Denise on this website are anything to go by!

I think Olympic training delays their emotional development.

Look at Victoria. Still very fragile. And Louis is like a very young teen. All that mardy business with Flavia and his Mum. All that adolescent sulking. Isn't he 23?

I SO wanted to like him and not be youth-ist but he's just so ....cold.

*quick addendum: I don't dislike Louis so this isn't a hater's view*

I think the boy can dance but I don't know if it's complacency "Darcy fancies me, Bruno likes me, I'm fit, i'll be OK" or dispondency at comments or just simple apathy but he just doesn't look up for it, not very bothered. I have enjoyed a lot of his dances but I didn't think last night's was his best.

I know some people think the judges are perhaps being over-harsh on him but I suppose the difference is the other contestants look like they want it / seem bothered.

Anyway it is all irrelevant because I am sure when the public voting kicks in he'll get more than his fair share, dancing ability / enthusiasm or not

As a viewer of ITT, I think that Louis and Flavia have the least off screen connection of the remaining couples and ok maybe horrible is a little deep to describe it, but watching them dance AND being interviewed is not enjoyable by me, at all.

I have went a little off topic but no I don't think Louis will win, if he does in 5/6 weeks time then I loved being proved wrong

What you are seeing this year is that the better dancers each have very good choreographers for partners. Sometimes however Flavia can be guilty of being too smart for her own good. Tonight and the quickstep American Smooth, trying to make use of the entirety of Wembley is a case in point. I think she's just overcome with the fact that she finally has a partner capable of dancing.

I didnt like their smooth yesterday....Flavia had suddenly joined the Aliona Vilani school of American Smooth choreography....Louis is beginning to look a bit down trodden & perhaps Craig is right that he has been guilty of being over confident, he is very young and talented in his day job but this will slip away from him if he doesnt buckle down and get things right. We are going into week 7 and the lad still WONT SMILE.

We're half way through the series, she should have come to terms with having a capable partner by now!

She got the contender her many fans on here wanted. It needs to be better than last night.

Flavia has choreographed gymnastic 'tricks' into two routines only which is why I found Darcy's comment 'save them for later' puzzling.

I don't find him bland - though he is self contained and an essentially private person: no doubt long hours spent training, often alone, have contributed to what some see as a reserved and diffident personality. The ability to shut out the rest of the world is a necessity when handling the onerous pressures and high expectations that we, the public, place on the shoulders of our international athletes. Does that make Louis bland, boring or dull etc. (all epithets I've seen applied to him) certainly not by my definition. On the contrary I detect a laconic sense of humour, a laughing up his sleeve as amateur psychologists try to determine what makes him tick.

He's not cheesy like Richard; he doesn't bare his emotions for all to see like Victoria; he's not manically enthusiastic a la Lisa. He's simply himself and I'm surprised that so many just don't get that.

He was captain of the men's Olymppic Gymnastics team and with that comes the responsibility to lift, encourage and motivate other team members; to build their confidence and instil in them the belief that anything is possible. That captaincy was not lightly given and I'd rather hear an assessment of Louis' motivational skills from his fellow gymnasts than from those who base theiir opinion on nothing more than a heavily edited tv show.

Having said all this, as I've posted elsewhere I was very disappointed with the AS. I hope he and Flav up their game in the weeks to come.

Please don't take this personally - it is not intended as a personal attack; I'm simply taking the opportunity to air my point of view and your post gave me that chance.

Wow one week where he was less than great, the same week where just about everyone underperformed, and people are ready to write him off?

Louis will be fine when he's back in the studio. He's had a bad week in terms of press, in particular other high profile figures laying into him for some reason. He was obviously very, very nervous and the occasion got to him.

He's still going to win. That's not wishful thinking on my part, it's just the way this show goes - the winner is usually obvious.

Watching him on 8 out of 10 cats, Louis showed that he does have personality and a sense of humour. For some reason, it just doesn't come over on SCD.
It sounds absurd, but I don't think Flavia does "fun" dances as well as some of the other pros, perhaps that's why they excel in dances that require "conflict" between the partners in a routine ?
I just didn't "get" the choreography last night, what was the theme/storyline ?

I thought he was a dead cert but now I think the anti Denise vote would be split if it gets to a Denise/Louis, Lisa or Michael final.

I didn't really enjoy this week and tend to agree with Len. He needs to become of an entertainer too.

Let's hope so Harry improved week after week with Aliona.

Excellent post. Agree wholeheartedly and there is a friendship there between the two. The above poster who said it was the worst has obviously never watched Nicky and Karen on ITT

As someone who words with ADHD kids, I have a lot of sympathy for him and it's not something that's easily understood....so the "he's dull and won't smile" comments tend to get my hackles up. But it's not as if he's going to go around broadcasting that for the sympathy vote.

I count 4 gymnastic moves though in their dances. The Cha cha cha had a bit of a handstand and splits in it; and the Dirty Dancing had that amazing leap off the stage with the splits. Along with last night and the Halloween, that's four and I kindof agree with Darcy (though didn't like the wording) that they need to lay off these until the end. I wonder if they were forced last night to include them as they were a major crowd pleaser and the audience went nuts.

They looked devastated and I hope it's the kick up the butt that they need. I still feel for him though, trying to maintain his street cred in the Strictly world. I imagine he battles Flavia alot on avoiding the cheese factor of it all. I couldn't see him agreeing to Vincent's PINK ensemble