It's probably just me but I so often find the final a real anti climax cos I can't stand the show dance. I don't even like it when they get professionals in to demonstrate, it seems more like a circus act than a dance to me.
This includes my favourites - Alesha + Kara who I adored, and thought they could do no wrong. (I will however exempt Tom Chambers from this, as he gets credit for performing the ONLY show dance I have EVER liked.)
I would prefer the final if the judges picked two dances that no one was allowed to perform until they reached the final, one ballroom and one latin eg AS + AT. That way it would be proper dancing and fair comparison.
What does everyone else think?

Don't worry. It is only The Ratings.

I don't like showdances either, I don't think I've ever really enjoyed one, even Tom Chambers
I would've much rather seen Kimberley's rumba and Louis's A.Tango than their showdances..

I find them very underwhelming the majority of the time. Usually very over hyped beforehand.

Lifts are difficult for the pros, but dancing to me is about footwork and the music. Ho hum.

I think a big part of the problem is the way the showdances are over-hyped but long-time viewers should be able to resist that.

I thought there were 2 pretty good ones last night.

I like that it gives the pros the opportunity to choreograph something a bit different, but too many of them just do lift lift lift pose. Really enjoyed Louis and Flavia's, and Tom and Camilla's, because they were weighted more towards dancing than stunts.

one word, yes

Most leave me cold, except Tom and Camilla and after last night, Louis and Flavia.

They never seem to be able to resit the temptation to throw everything in to the show dance and then the kitchen sink too. Plus there are way to many lifts. They're only on the floor for 90 seconds but they never use the time well in a shoe dance. Maybe if they had more time?
Far too messy in most cases. I would much rather see their best dance from the series such as Vincent and Dani's Tango from last week which was awesome.

Hate them with a passion. Would rather see them dance all the dances

I like them when there are a number of different dance styles, but am bored if it's just a succession of lifts like Denise and James's was.

They were great when the dances every week were 'real dances' but they strive for the shock factor weekly, so theres nothing left that can impress in a showdance than lifts.........

I find them rather dull now as they seem to be just lift-fests.
I enjoyed Jill Halfpenny's showdance, and Tom Chambers.
I'd rather they did the fusion thing or maybe, just maybe, a full 3 minutes dancing.

Three minutes! Do you know how tiring it is stomping your feet for three minutes with those tennis racquets spraying stuff everywhere?

Oh sorry. I thought it read snow-dancing

They are just an alternative for people to show off a bit and have some fun. i can't see anything to hate .

Tom and Camilla's was the only one that ever really shocked me with how different and good it was, and none of the pros have tried anything like that since. Really too bad.

Of course, we'll always have the Bacofoil Dance to remind us of...something...yeah, not sure what.

So, that series was the mark of what to do and what not to do, I guess.

There is rarely proper 'dancing' in a showdance. Tom Chambers came close to proper dancing (even with the razzmatazz thrown in it) and it's the closest ideal of what a showdance COULD be if done with care and creativity.

I have started to ignore the hype of showdances since series 5, because I realised then that showdances are not the be all and end all dance that the producers would have us believe.

Many winner's showdances were rubbish. Can't even remember Kara's showdance except she was in some sporty pants (white?), and Matt Baker tried to go 'down' with he kids and the music was 'i like the way you move' and I certainly didn't like they way they moved in it! Alesha's showdance was Bonnie Tyler's disco rubbish which could have ended in tears. Chris Hollins, did he do a showdance or did he simply stand there and gurn till the cow comes home? Didn't care, esp. that year, except Ricky did a very silly thing with all those lifts and the next day went for his hernia (?) op or something daft like that.

This year, because I had ZERO expectation of the showdances, I was pleasantly surprised to see Denise' and Louis' efforts. Both could have been bacofoil bad if done wrong, but it was on the side of good (it was actually really good considering how showdances are BAD). Even with Kim's near miss in the beginning (more like Pasha almost unable to catch her in the beginning), and Dani's technically very difficult and very content-rich showdances were miles better than the rubbish they put us through in the past series.

Well done to the pros this year.

I don't hate show dances, although in recent years it is less about dancing and more about athletic ability and how much you can throw your celeb around.
What I hate is where they place the showdance. Surely a WOW showdance should be the last thing we see. It should be amazing and stop the show, not be voted on and then see another dance we have already seen in the series. In the good old days ( I mean when Ian Waite was still in the series!!) they would perform their dances, and then the public voted, and the first person off in the final got to perform their showdance as a finale, then the other couples danced their showdance which was then voted on

You're probably referring to series 3. That was the year Darren Gough and Lilia Kopilova started those ridiculous lifts over Ian's 'proper' (but camp) showdances. Before that Darren Bennett and Jill's showdance was about dancing too.

When I started watching series 4, I thought showdance can ONLY be about lifts. Mark nearly expired in his showdance. It was a royal mess from then on...

I really struggle to think of a Showdance in all of Strictly history that I've enjoyed. Sadly I am denied the pleasure everyone else seems to find in Tom Chamber's Showdance by the extreme hatred I feel every time I see his smug face. I seem to remember liking the Showdance Zoe Ball ad Ian performed after they were eliminated but sadly it's not on Youtube and therefore lost to history, all I have are dim memories that they danced to America from West Side Story, Ian tripped on Zoe's fan... and then the memory fades to Colin and Erin and those nightmarish dolls.

I've already said this but I would love it if they replaced the Showdance with Fusion in the Final. I think all of the Pros really rose to the challenge of Fusion week and (with the possible exception of Flavia) did a much better choreographing their Fusion dance than their Showdance. I think the Pros benefited from being restricted by the rules of Fusion. The Showdances give them too much freedom and most succumb to the temptation of choreographing overly ambitious lift fests with the ever looming danger that something will go horribly wrong.

I don't like them either and I found Louis and Flavia's last night embarassing.

It depends on the quality of the showdance.

There have been some really good ones:

My all time favourite - Zoe Ball & Ian Waite but honourable mentions to Tom Chambers (even though I thought he was the weakest dancer in the final that year); Jason Donovan; Denise Van Outen.

But there have been some dreadful ones: Colin Jackson, Kara Tointon, Lisa Snowdon

A lot aren't done to the level you have come to expect from the celeb and so are a bit of a let down: Dani Harmer, Chelsee Healey, Matt Baker etc

The only showdance I have really enjoyed in the history of SCD was the one by Jason Donovan and Kristina Rihanoff.
Last nights efforts were abysmal.

agreed. Donovan is so much better when he doesn't open his gob.