At the risk of doing exactly what the OP was warning against: most threads, whether they started out as about Natalie or not, have ended up about her, and usually negatively. It has skewed many threads and discussions. In fact, most discussion about her seems to get very negative very quickly as her supporters have had so much vitriol for supporting her that many seem not to post in the main forum anymore.

For what it's worth, I do believe she is the best dancer there, and by some margin. I don't know that I entirely agree with someone with her level of training being in the show, but she's there now and working incredibly hard to do her best. If she and Artem go on to give us good, memorable dances she deserves the win (if it is others doing this then the same applies).

And now more in the theme of the thread:

I do not know that Brendan is the right partner for Sophie, and I don't know if her low-key personality will ultimately prove enough for voters. However, she's very sweet, a fairly good dancer and should last some time.

Mark's time is soon up. It's a shame in a way, as I had hoped he could be the acceptable face of comedy routines (this was before the paso and rumba) - someone with excellent comic timing who could also dance a bit. However, he is now deservedly towards the bottom of the leaderboard in terms of his dancing. Such a shame the producers have been less than kind the last few weeks.

Ben is the other obviously weak dancer. Looked surprisingly good at the beginning, has not progressed. Height difference is distracting, and I'm back to wondering what his partnership with Natalie would have been like.

Susanna is for me the weakest of the female dancers left. Seems odd discussing her, I have been saying for weeks that their partnership is all about Kevin. For me, the paso proved that. I do not know the last time a professional featured themselves so strongly in a routine, and usually the judges will pick up on it. Not this time, oddly.

Abbey - (relatively) strong in ballroom, weak in Latin. I have enjoyed many of Aljaz' routines, think they make a good couple and hope they last some time.

Patrick has impressed recently, and I like his relationship with Anya. I worry about his public vote though, feeling that he has been protected by his scores for a few weeks now. Easily the best male dancer, a few great dances under his belt.

Ashley - I do not know how he is physically capable of doing everything! I feel he is not living up to his full potential; whether this is due to lack of time or Ola not finessing the details (or indeed Ola not having time to finesse details), it's a shame he didn't do the series another year.

(Apologies for the time taken to reply, my internet cut out.)

Susanna - Has taken a while to grow on me a bit but she's getting there: A competent and improving dancer. I think KFMFG's OTT, show-stopping performance last Saturday may well have booked her passage to the final if only because everyone's curious to know what he'll do for a show dance.

Patrick - Bland in the extreme for the first few weeks, not much better now. I frequently found myself struggling to remember what or how well he'd danced early doors in the competition. I suspect I wasn't alone in that given his ending up in the bottom two a few weeks back. The fact he's avoided that ignominy since suggests that he's gaining notice with a couple of very good routines: A bit of personality's starting to emerge but it may be too late to give him enough of a core fan base to see him to the final; can't help feeling he's probably one dud away from the dance off, especially as the numbers dwindle.

Ben - Very decorative and seems like a lovely guy, but it's dull as ditchwater to watch him lift Kristina for 90 seconds every week: There's a bit of "Emperor's new clothes" going on because I'm damned if I can see the "dancing" the judges claim to see. Can't help thinking one of the newer pros would have been a better teacher for him. It remains to be seen how much further his physique will take him.

Sophie - Seems like a very sweet person. Not sure whether producing such a strong Charleston so early in the competition has proved a help or a hindrance: It helped by creating a tide of goodwill and popularity, it's also created a level of expectation she appears less than comfortable.

Abbey - Looks gorgeous in the ballroom dances (though ridiculously over-marked last Saturday) and rather ungainly in latin ones: Seems a nice enough girl but nothing like as good or improved as the judges would like us to believe; Craig's mark was only a little harsh last Saturday, the others must have been on the cooking sherry if they thought that was a 10.

Ashley - Says everything about him that I had to wrack my brains for a while to think who else there was - and that's after a really rather good (if curiously themed) paso last week. No doubt his ridiculously busy schedule isn't helping but he does seem more than a little vacant a lot of the time - needs a "wow" dance and soon. I agree with the previous poster who said he might have done better to wait a year until he didn't have quite so many external influences affecting his rehearsal time and distracting his attention - maybe he underestimated how much time he needed to commit when he originally signed up?

Mark - Adorable, sweet and an extraordinarily pleasant surprise this series. It'll take a miracle to save him this week and, in fairness, it's probably his time to go - how many of us expected him to still be in by this point at the start? - but I think he's going to be my enduring memory of this series, whoever wins, and probably one of my favourite celeb participants ever: He and Iveta have charisma to burn as a partnership and I do think the series will be all the poorer once he's gone.

She who must not be named - Technically excellent dancer....on Week 1. No particular antipathy towards her personally, just (as a contestant) not what the show's about for me.

Susanna - I can sort of understand the head girl vibe some people get but any aspects of her personality that grate on me are offset by her partner Kevin who I think is the bee's knees! Plus, she has thrown herself into Strictly with such gusto that you can only really sit back and admire. Susanna's very good at raising her performance level to mask technical shortcomings but I'm wondering about some of her remaining dances - AT, Rhumba, Quickstep....they can be quite exposing of ragged technique. But I doubt it will matter. I don't think anyone can take this away from Susanna now. She has her Waltz and Paso for the final - and they are both HUGE vote winners.

Ashley - I think people (myself included) are underestimating him slightly. I'm sensing he's picking up a bit more support out there (amongst other Strictly-watching friends certainly - and I noticed his Paso got a fair amount of 'likes' on FB). He seems to be a fast learner (needs to be with so few hour to train!) and is steadily improving. I wouldn't be surprised if he and Ola topped the table with their Waltz this weekend. I've still got a couple of reservations though. Whilst people might start noticing Ashley more, will he ever be their first choice when voting? And will his grueling schedule start taking its toll?

Ben - Beautiful inside and out but Ben's not on the epic journey I hoped he might take. I hate to say it but my mind's started to wander during his dances lately. And Kristina couldn't have been more predictable with her choreography and 'stunts'. What's happened to the woman who put together such wonderful routines for John Sergeant and Jason? She seems able only to choreograph for the very good or the very bad, not the people in between!

Abbey - Hold my hands up, I was a bit snooty about Abbey taking part at the start as I didn't consider her a proper "celebrity". However, by about week 3, I stop thinking of any of them as celebs, they just become people who I'm getting to know and watching to learn dance. Unfortunately, I still haven't managed to warm to Abbey. I just can't shake the feeling that she's trying too hard to come across a certain way. Regarding the dancing, I think it's very good but not as good as the judges would make me believe. Usually her (seemingly) inflated marks haven't been too much of an issue because she's been in the right place on the leaderboard...but the past couple of weeks I think she's been a place or two higher than she should have been. It's starting to feel like a mixture of favouritism and protection. The highlight for me is still her Waltz.

Mark - I am full of affection and admiration for this guy. He's savoured every single moment of his time on Strictly which I sense is coming to an end very soon. But he and Iveta have been the star couple and will be fondly remembered for years to come.

Sophie - She has so many attractive qualities. Her innate elegance, her striking beauty, her genuine unassuming nature. And she's not a bad dancer either. She's graceful and stylish in Ballroom - and, of course, she gave us that Charleston. Unfortunately, she's yet to properly conquer another Latin dance. It has to happen soon or she's on her way out. It doesn't have to be spectacular. But she does need to show considerable improvement because that's what the show's about - getting better. I wait with bated breath, because that's the effect Sophie has on you. You're willing her to do well but you never know which way it'll go!

Patrick - I barely registered his presence until quite recently but appreciate his dancing, his relationship with Anya and him as a person much more now. Unfortunately, I get the feeling other people are still struggling to take to Patrick. There are odd moments in interviews (like when Claudia was talking to him on the results show) which are a bit awkward. An interesting set of dances he has left....AT, Paso, Charleston, Rhumba and a couple of others. I can't decide whether they will suit Patrick or not. I'm curious to find out.

Natalie - Now I've had no problems warming to Nat at all. She seems perfectly pleasant to me, a good laugh. And in principle I've no issue with her past (and considerable) dance training either. However, I do have a bit of a problem with the fact she'd already filled one of the places in the final as soon as she signed up because there's no way anyone can ever beat her in a dance-off. I'd be happier if they scrapped the dance-off from the quarter-finals onwards (or altogether!) and let the viewers themselves decide who they want to see more of - and if Natalie makes it to the final on votes then that's fine and fair. I also get a bit frustrated when she's used as a way to criticise the other female celebs. It hasn't happened a lot to be fair, but the odd occasion it has I've had to restrain myself from replying "Well of course x, y or z isn't as good as her, they don't have 14 years dance training under their belt!" I haven't done so because it would imply I have more of an issue with her experience than I do and it'd just spark an argument (you know how it can get on here). But I hope people who support her can see where I'm coming from on this point and why it's unfair on the other ladies to compare in this way. Natalie's in a different league, has been from the start.

Breaking down how I see the competition right now:

The Perfect Final Two: Susanna & Natalie aren't everyone's cup-of-tea for very different reasons but that (and no shortage of ability - especially Natalie) is what makes them great RTV casting. Either would be very worthy winners.

Make-Up-The-Numbers Finalists: Abbey & Ashley aren't perhaps the most exciting personalities but deserve to make it all the way for their all-round consistency.

Bubbling Under: Sophie & Patrick are both rather overrated but good enough at their best to grace the final if that's how it works out.

Out-Of-Their-Depth: Mark & Ben hopefully will bow out in the next couple of weeks.

Mark, just love him and most of his routines (not the paso or rhumba ofcourse )

Susanna, growing on me, I love the fact that she gives her all and is obviously enjoying her SCD experience

Sophie, has produced a few of my fav routines this year, loved her charleston, QS and FT.

Ben, OK so he's taking time to "get it" but Kristina knows how to make a routine look better than it is.

Abbey, liked her charleston and she is improving but, points against her for obviously being the "judges favourite"

N******', a brilliant dancer

Ashley and Patrick :yawn::yawn: can take em or leave em

tbh Sid I usually find it's the other way round - Natalie's supporters say something positive and fans of the other girls infer a criticism where none is intended.

Similarly with Abbey - say something nice about her and one will be met with a torrent of negativity usually based on nothing more substantial than the fact that she's married to a footballer, has a Liverpudlian accent and slightly protruding teeth. All this flak appears intended to make their own favourite look positively untouchable in comparison.

It pleases me that there are few harsh comments about Sophie. Initially found it difficult to warm to her - she had such difficulty emoting but Brendan seems to be bringing out the best in her - so she is, without question, still in the mix.

The leading ladies appear to like each other - wish their supporters could follow their example.

BIB ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I have come to the conclusion that performance is everything to me in this competition. This means I probably favour the actors over the rest but so be it. How the contestants come over in interviews is of less importance to me than the performance on the dancefloor.

Mark - I adore him and Iveta is his perfect off the wall partner. Rarely have I felt so fondly for a contestant. Mark has such a feel for the dances he performs. I laughed non stop through the Hammer cha cha. I wish the producers hadn't decided they needed to get involved in promoting them as the comedy turn as it produced their worst performances (paso & rumba). The paso could have been truly great if they had been allowed to do their own thing I feel.

Sophie - I loved the Charleston (did Brendan choreograph that?) and had them as favourites from that point but sadly nothing since has been notable. Can't understand how that was so good and everything since hasn't been. Not sure Brendan is the right partner for her.

Abbey - I think she needs to let go more. Maybe too concerned with her appearance (with being a model, that has ofcourse been very important to her). Her ballroom has been quite good, latin not so much. Not really been wowed by any of their performances.

Susanna – I think she is a good not great dancer but unfortunately I hardly notice her due to Kevin’s overdancing. My eye is drawn to him and I find his dancing uncomfortable to watch. His movements are too jerky, over exaggerated. I think the drama of the paso has probably won the competition for them though. But it will be more for Kevin’s persona rather than the performance on the dancefloor and will therefore be less than satisfying for me.

Patrick – I had him pegged as the best of the males from the first and so he has proved to be. Anya has choreographed more interesting dance routines recently and he is finally being noticed. His joy of dance shines through and he would be my chosen winner.

Ashley – I think he is coming along nicely. I was quite impressed with his paso even though I hated the cowboy theme. I find Ola’s choreography rather predictable so this has hampered him in my eyes. I wonder how he would have been with a different pro?

Ben – Not really built for dancing so wasn’t expecting much and he hasn’t disappointed. The overmarking and OTT praise by the judges is really starting to irk me though. The bare chest routine doesn’t enamour me to him in any way and certainly doesn’t deserve the extras marks he seems to be getting for it.

She Who Must Not Be Named – Truly a great dancer and I enjoy watching them very much. What is missing for me is the “joy of dance”. It is serious business with this couple. So far ahead of the others technically that she comes across as a pacemaker in a marathon and I think will drop out before the end of the race.