I know I might be burned at the stake as a heretic for expressing these views, but here goes:

1. I don't think Artem's choreography is all that
I'm a bit of an old duffer and I like proper classic dance content without too much faffing about. His QS last night took flipping ages to get into hold; his Am Smooth's are too avant-garde and experimental for me right back to his days with Kara - I want old skool Hollywood glamour - and generally if I enjoy one of his dances it tends to be because of his partner's skill and polish and despite his choreo rather than because of it (the honorable exception being his Charleston with Kara - which I doubt he choreographed anyway as I believe the pros get help with that and the AT).

2. I don't think Anton is the gentleman people make him out to be
He uses all that "you were marvellous" stuff as a smokescreen for the fact he himself is often laughing at his celeb partner, or at least including them as part of the reason why he's "poor Anton". The second a new series starts we're back to the revisionist rubbish of "apparently this show runs into December, who knew?" and the general "poor Anton always gets the duffer" schtick which is downright insulting to Lesley Garrett, Patsy Palmer and Laila Rouass.

3. I like Susanna
So she's self-confident and competitive? So what? She's an attractive woman at the top of her profession with a bit of life experience taking part in - shock horror - a competition. Why should she have to pretend to be some self-effacing girl-next-door only in it for the FUNZ and LOLZ ('cause we all know how well THAT worked out for Lisa Riley last year )

There, I said it

Agree with almost every word.

Add a second stake and we'll burn together.

Phew!

We don't burn people at the stake in this country.


I don't always thinks it's all that either (all of the time), but not always in relation to his experimental (or as you say avant garde) styled routnes. Sometimes even when he sticks to tradiotional he's not great. Like all Pros, he produces some good stuff, but not all of the time, and with a lesser dancer he's choreography is as foregettable as any other Pro with a dud celeb.


I too have always thought he's laughing as much as his partner as we are, but I still feel sorry for him when he has to dance with the likes of Widdy or Nancy and stumble around the floor with them (which he aids in happening to some degree, prob, too) .


It's def insulting to Lesley, as she was decent. All I remember of Patsy was that she was ok, but I don't recollect many of her dances. As for Laila, she was ony good in Ballroom (abit like Anton himself), so not an all-rounder by any stretch. Actually you could add that to your list of 'Unpopular Opinions' about whether Anton should still be dancing in the show considering he's ony good at one style of dance. Some people hate that Anton's presence even gets questioned on the basis of the 'Latin issue.'

I agree with the OP although I don't think 2 qualifies as an unpopular opinion on here.