Can't agree with that I'm afraid. The only reason I will mention is that we know Michael and Denise are more popular than Kimberley.

Not very much between the rest at all and Denise may not be as popular as you might think, given she has been in the safe position at the top of the leader board. Last week was I suspect more about believing Kimberly was safe at second place so votes were transferred elsewhere.

Well since all I said was that she was more popular than Kimberley, then yes, she very much is "as popular as I might think". That was proved in last week's result.

Michael was also in the top 4 last week of the public vote, so I don't think the blog activity accurately reflects the voting.

ETA: Since you edited, why do you think that people didn't vote for Kimberley because they thought she was safe, but the same didn't happen with Denise, who was top of the leaderboard? Voters may have thought both were safe, but they would be far more likely to think that of Denise than Kimberley since Denise was top.

The only thing we can really trust is the voting and Kimberley was the least favourite, or just above Fern with the public and Michael and Richard managed to get out of the bottom 2 from bottom of the leaderboard. The rest we don't have any actual proof.

Nicky and Victoria were not in the bottom 3 last week as well, so there's another person besides Fern and Kimberley below them.

Don't forget, Strictly is not a dance competition. Strictly is first, second & third an entertainment programme where celebrities are pitted against each other using ballroom and latin dance as the means of entertainment. It's fabulous to see a technically wonderful and skilled dance, but it really isn't all about the dance: it's all about the entertainment value and the ratings. If you want a dance competion on TV, occasionally on Eurosport there has been the odd international ballroom event shown. Great dancing but not prime-time Saturday night entertainment to pull in the ratings.

And LIsa can't half entertain.

What is needed (and sooner rather than later please judges) is a clear first to last order on the leader board with NO TIES.

That will sort them out properly.

Oh and some completely new choreography for Lisa & Robin.

I thought her dance had plenty of entertainment in the wide-eyed "WTF am I WATCHING/can this really be HAPPENING" sense. A MAY ZING.

I will give it that. Definitely not boring!

I completely understand where you're coming from, and I do agree with you...to a point though.

While I do find Lisa and Richard 'entertaining', I also want to see some improvement in their dance skills. Afterall, they are being tutored by some of the 'best in the biz'.

The public vote is the part of the competition - because it is a dance competition - that judges the entertainment part of the performance. The judges should be there to critique the technical and dance skills shown.

My issue is that the judges aren't doing that with Lisa, but they have done so with other competitors - Sid, Colin and Richard, and finally, with Victoria to name just a few. Richard has been just as enthusiastic and performs as much as Lisa, yet they do point out his technical flaws.

They can point out where she is lacking, without her weight even being a factor in it! They have shown her such favoritism in their comments and overmarking it has completely changed my opinion of Lisa, and of Robin too. Unfortunately, I do view her now as a bit of a joke contestant - "Ay up, look, ah can bounce, wahey, jazz hands!!"

I'm trying not to get too het up about it though, the public are generally very astute with their voting, I can't see her lasting much longer.

Just watched back and I can't believe she was getting the same scores as Kimberley or rather Kimberley, getting some of the same marks as Lisa. Ridiculous. No comparison between the two I thought, and for the first time Kim really gave it something and impressed me. I thought she was great. Lisa...well, we've seen it all haven't we.

First and foremost SCD is a Saturday night entertainment show, most of the people who watch it just want to be entertained - that's why someone like Widdy did so well when she must be the least gifted 'dancer' ever to appear on it. In terms of dancing ability, Lisa definitely does not deserve to win - there are 4 better dancers in the competition but in terms of entertainment value she does deserve to win because she is the most entertaining performer in the competiion based on the reaction she and Robin get each week.

Wouldn't be surprised if she and Robin win the competion!

I thought her dance was fun to watch and I applaud her energy and enthusiasm, but I didn't think it even really looked like a samba, it didn't have the bounce that sambas have.
I was really shocked that Craig and Darcey gave Kimberley and Lisa's samba the same score, I thought Kimberley's was a lot better and had performance and technique, a lot of the technique was missing from Lisa's.

If she follows Widdecombes example she will be out first week of December

She seems to be such a hit with the audience at the live shows that I can see her and Robin in the final.

These entertainment competitors usually manage to dispatch other mediocre dancers, but with fewer people left, votes start to regroup and they are voted off eventually. I doubt Lisa will make it to the final. Once she's in the dance-off she'll be against somebody stronger and sent home.

In a nutshell.

I must have vastly differing taste to the majority of viewers when it comes to "entertainment". I like the fact that Lisa is clearly having a great time and giving every bit of energy she's got (and that's a lot of energy) to each routine but she's way past the point where she entertains me now. It's like watching the same sketch over and over again. It entertained the first time but after that it's operating on the principle of diminishing returns and it's now at the point where there are few, if any returns left.

However, many people still seem to be enjoying her performances (inconceivable as this seems to me ) and if that's the case, so be it. You mention Widdy above (but I forgive you) and to me she had the entertainment value of having one's fingernails pulled out and then having vinegar poured on the bleeding remains but people apparently enjoyed her too. Sometimes I think I live on a different astral plain to the majority.

The point being made in this thread though is that entertainment value or not, a large part of the judges' role is to assess technique and content. They don't seem to be doing that with Lisa. She and Robin come out all hyperfun, tits, teeth and jazz jands, bounce around like Skippy on speed and the judges lap it up. I can forgive the viewers, they can vote for what they like but the judges should be less influenced by veneer.

I get all that and I wouldn't argue if Lisa & Robin reached the final if that's what the public decided.

What I do object to though is Lisa's dancing being marked using a seemingly different set of criteria to others.

The judges aren't there to score a dance purely in terms of entertainement value and ethusiasm - they are supposed to critique content, technique and presentation. Otherwise what's the point of any of them spending hours perfecting their heal turns, their toplines, their Samba rolls? Might as well not bother if all that is required for 32 points is a sense of 'fun'.

Agree. This is my point.

and since Lisa is signed for the tour I do wonder if that is why Craig the tour director can see no wrong and is singing her praises quite so loudly.

He does get these odd favourites perhaps he just has this thing about people called Lisa

I love Lisa, I want her in the top 5 at the very least. But I totally agree that her samba was ridiculously overmarked, and she is slightly overmarked every week. That said, I don't think Denise and James' Charleston deserved any 10s either, and Victoria is constantly overmarked.

I think it's unfair that some contestants are marked more harshly than others, but it isn't just Lisa!

I agree with all of these posters and just wanted to add that Lisa and Robin danced first last night and I think the judges got carried away with their marking because of the feel good atmosphere in the arena. Let's face it, after four 8s there's only 9s and 10s left.

Agree with this entirely.

Every body was over marked last night. Her position on the leader board was about right. Personally, I'd place her a little higher.


Exactly, it was good and had relevant content, but most of all, for me, it was the most charismatic dance of the night, so infectious. She did have a few iffy moments, but the iffy bits lasted for about 10 seconds in total. The ending was a little messy and hurried, but most of it was very good and full of energy, bounce and clean lines.

Fact is, technically, she is doing moves very well for the most part, but for some moves, her body won't look like it would on a smaller dancer. Doesn't mean she isn't doing it properly.

I think she does the same dance every week. That samba was pretty much the same as her Cha Cha from week one!