Agreed for me Matt and Samia were my fav contestants this year and it was their performances I looked forward to. Of the final 3 I believe Matt is head and shoulders above Beth and Luke.

See, I don't think she is. She's extremely flexible, as you would expect, and is skating with, imo, the best male pro, who showcases his partners brilliantly, but I don't think her footwork is as difficult as Matt's. Nor are her routines as dynamic - Matt is never dull and I think that Beth sometimes can be. Maybe that's the fault of the choreo, but we can only judge on what we see.

I do like Beth and have voted for her several times and I wouldn't be disappointed if she won, but in terms of technical difficulty and all-round performance I think Matt is now better.

So guess you know more than the judges who have stated that Beth IS the best technical skater??
Also been told this by several professional skaters NOTconnected with the show that she IS the best skater there and that Matt is a sloppy skater

So why then do the judges keep saying that Beth is the best technical skater they have had? not Matt and have on a number of occasions commented on her having the most difficult moves etc which she would not have been given if she was not technically capable of doing them.

Matt has been favoured very much by Chris playing to his strengths i.e his breakdancing which seems to keep featuring and not really giving him challenges with the style as such whereas IMO Beth has been given stuff consistently out of her comfort zone. We have seen she is fab at lyrical numbers and performs them brilliantly yet Chris has consistently given her fast numbers with lots of tricks rather than let her do numbers which truly showcase her properly.

I have never said I know more than the judges! I said it was my opinion.

Matt got 10s from the two skaters on the panel!

Maybe so however that was for the flying routine not his skating routine. The 10's in that came from the performance judges not the skating ones.

I really like Matt and also like Beth but for me personally Matt is superior! His partnership with Brianne is far more enjoyable to watch, the routines have been varied and have showcased Matt's flexibility! I do like Beth and do agree there have been some occasions where she has been under marked but this is not Matt's fault! For me, Matt & Brianne to win!!!

I think Beth hasn't always got the routines to showcase her skating but when she has she has shown she can really pull it off.

Matt is a good skater don't get me wrong but he isn't doing anything more difficult than Beth & it's not as clean as Beth, he just gets more of it in his routines. When I saw Matt week 1 I thought ooh he has the makings of being really good but a little rough around the edges at the oment. I fully expected Matt to work on this but I have been disappointed by his progress. For me he is technically still a bit messy.

Beth has also been doing solo 1 footed spins & solo jumps which Matt has not attempted. For the first time in 8 series we have a female contestant who is the best technical skater in the show.

And it's not Beth's fault that Chris Dean favours Matt and panders to him by only giving him the same style of routine which involves skating found fast like a hockey skater (which apparently he is) and continual use of breakdancing moves!!
Chris has given Beth poor routines IMO and has not given her choreo that she is more than capable of doing

She can't dance, though, and it is an ice-dancing competition.

There is no evidence that Matt is a ice hockey player.

You should know that your statement is false esp. since you claim to be a ice skater who "knows" many skating pros.

Well strangely though Matt has all the characteristics of an ice hockey skater, the way he skates and the posture etc very much identical to Chris Fountain infact and I can't see him having been taught that by the DOI coaches somehow especially if he has never skated before.

His skating mannerisms are not of someone IMO who does not have a skating background of some degree in particular hockey skating.

Also I note the poster states "which he apparently is " not he definitely is so think your reaction is a tad OTT regards the post. Maybe they read the same post as I did on facebook that someone posted last Friday that they had just found out that Matt plays hockey and weren't too happy about.

Also where is the poster claiming to be a skater

I'm fed up with Matt's detractors trying to spread false unsubstantiated rumours that he's a ice hockey player just because he skates with the hunched posture that most young guys like Matt who are into streetdance have. And you don't need to be a ice hockey player to know that if you want to move fast on the ice, you lean forward while skating.

I recall the same sly rumours were spread about Matthew W last year just because he skated like Chris Fountain and we all know that Matt W was a gymnast and a dancer, not a ice hockey player.

Did I say there was evidence?? I said apparently as I read it on Facebook I never claimed he actually was a hockey skater but IMO he does skate like one whether that's coincidence or not who knows!

Also where have I said I was a skater?? I do happen to know a lot about skating and yes I do know MANY professional skaters as well as many other people in the entertainment world

To be fair to Matt I've never seen any evidence to suggest that Chris favours him over Beth.

Hmm lets see the Choreo for a start. Matt has consistently been given music and routines that play to his specific skills and comfort zone and what the judges keep fawning over.

Beth on the other hand has had poorer music choices where there is no scope to "perform i.e no story and has been given trick laden routines that have not allowed her to skate as much and not perform as easily as she has to concentrate on so many difficult moves and not been given routines within her skilled area which appears to be the lyrical numbers which she has barely been given and has constantly been made to perform outwith her comfort zone whereas Chris appears to have done everything to make sure Matts haev been tailored to suit him the best.

this ^

Matt is a strong skater, with speed and he has the dancing on the spot/performance factor but his actual skating is sloppy with not much technical footwork or advanced skating moves ... even Luke attempts more advanced moves than him ie one footed jumps.spins, spreadeagles ... everything Matt attempts is two footed and clumsey

for me he's very smoke and mirrors where the performance/break dancing/throwing himself around the ice covers up what he lacks technically and the actual lack of difficulty of any of the skating content of his programmes ..................... he's doing nothing now that he wasn't doing week 1

IMO, as an ex trained skater, the previous male winners ,Ray, Kyron. Sam, Matt W plus Chris Fountain were streets ahead of Matt in actual skating ability

Beth's a good technical skater but her choreography is too tricks/gymnastics top heavy, she's capable of more skating

on the whole this is a weak series skating wise

I think all of the music choices have been rubbish this year. Too much contemporary stuff that will be forgotten in a couple of years.

To be honest, if someone is only interested in dancing then they should avoid watching Strictly because the dancing in that is largely devoid of technique and generally pretty poor.

As for Matt v Beth : technically Beth may well be better than Matt, but some of us find Matt the more enjoyable and exciting skater to watch.

In the interests of accuracy, I never at any time said that I was only interested in dancing. I do agree that Matt is more enjoyable to watch and, since it is an entertainment show rather than a serious sports contest, that is a prime consideration.

I like Matt for his enthusiasm and his skating is exciting. He's only young and yes he wears his heart on his sleeve.

I really enjoyed the ballet performance he and his partner did - I thought it was unusual and clever.

I think he's sexy in a chunky sort of way too.

I find Beth more exciting to watch as she does such great gymnastics on ice, she can do spins, jumps, steps, she just hasn't been given enough tecnical stuff to show us what she can do.

Matt has had some great choreographed routines, there is no doubt that T & D have gone out of their way to ensure that he does get the best choreography.

No, I know you didn't - I was answering TigerRose's comments! [No offence meant].

And I agree with you, I find Matt more enjoyable to watch because (for me) he entertains. As I said once before, others may be better skaters technically, but - for me - that doesn't mean a lot if I find them a bit boring to watch.

BIB - None taken.

So nice to see this thread I have been horrified the amount of nastiness thrown at Matt ..why ? There is no need to hate someone just because you don't GET them .I wish them all the best ..But Matt gives entertainment plus the skating ..It is DANCING on Ice is it not .He is a decent overenthusiastic lad as Torville and Dean have told us many a time ...lots of young men are like that ..no need to hate him or call it arrogance .
I am sure he will be grateful for at least 1 thread that says nicer things