Honestly whats the point in voting for Natalie Gumede at this stage of the show. She's top of the leader board each week and her fans should just wait till Weeks 11 - 13 to just vote for her. Its unlikely she will be in the dance off.

What do y'all think??

I agree. If she is ever in the dance off she'll be saved.

I don't think I agree, as a fan of someone else. If Natalie ever slid into the DO position through fan apathy, it would be instant dismissal for the other contestant. So, Natalie fans, please keep voting
Ta v much!

Well a) I don't want Natalie in the DO because she will very likely knock anyone out (including my fave) and b) she deserves all the votes she gets for being the best.

I don't think there is much of a connection between her and Artem either. Their performances leave me cold. She can do the technical stuff because she was already trained but she can't perform it. Bit odd being that she's an actor. Her constant "gnashing of teeth" tonight was absolutely comical!!

SNAP!

I think you are incorrect and her fans are voting for her now.

The point, surely, is to vote for the person you think is the best dancer. My vote goes to Natalie because she is the best.

I presume you mean because if she was in the dance off she would go no where, so maybe others deserving a fight should get those wasted votes..?

a non Natalie fan but I could see how that would also work, but quite disheartening for her & in the end wouldn't really be fair..

You are asked to vote for your favourite.

Sometimes, your favourite is the technically best.
Sometimes, it's the couple you're loyal to.
Sometimes, it's who the judges incite you to vote for. (e.g. this week Sophie is getting backlash votes).
Sometimes, it's the couple who make you laugh the most.
Sometimes, it's who's 'improved'.

etc. etc.

On the original topic:

People like Natalie get protected by the leaderboard most weeks anyway, so whilst I like Nat I don't ever vote for her. I vote for who I want to keep in who is actually in danger of leaving. It probably doesn't have an effect, but they're free votes so whatever.

when there is a couple of ties on the leaderboard like tonight it brings the bottom couple closer to the top couple so if your a Natalie fan you need to vote else she could be bottom 2 and then the DO would be a waste of everyones time

This ^ ^ ^ ^

There's rarely ever a point to vote for anybody in the top half of the leaderboard, let alone the top slot. They're not going to go home. Maybe if there's a few ties...

I actually started the season firmly in Natalie's camp and have been backsliding ever since. I think her skill and proficiency is her own worst enemy. Although still dancing at a high level, the dances that she did toward the start of the season IMO show a higher level of mastery than the routines she is doing now. As a viewer, that can be interpreted as regression. But because of the nature of the beast, she receives 10s at this stage on dances that I think are less than her best which can be seen as unfair especially under the guise of judging each dancer on their own capabilities and the standards they've set for themselves. So I wonder if there are like-minded SCD watchers which could result in Natalie's voting support dwindling. I can see her in 3rd place quite easily.

Totally agree - realised tonight that is why she leaves me cold and unmoved. Mark moves me more - because he and his lovely partner have such a sweet connection. Natalie is like a professional dancer - good but no real connection to her partner, which is what I think many viewers enjoy watching develop over the weeks. She'd be the same WHOEVER her partner was.

I agree, she's not my favourite competitor so I don't vote for her automatically but I have voted for her when she's produced the routine I've enjoyed the most on the night (I only vote online not via the phone lines).

For me it has never been about who is technically perfect but which couple I enjoyed watching most on the night. It has never been Natalie and I agree with the OP. No point in voting for her because unless she made a load of mistakes in the dance off she'd be saved over anyone else anyhow. In my opinion.

I would love her yo be in dance off aw judges biased would be apparent and fact no one actually likes her nothing new in fact this week was her worst by far and still a ten :/ total joke reality check needed

I gave her a free vote after all for tactical reasons but I still think its pointless to be worried over Natalie as she is destined to be saved over anyone. Thats perhaps the main problem with the Dance off system for SCD.

I think you will find that plenty of people like her and I think that for once the judges marked everyone's dances correctly. No joke.

Even at the start of the season I never thought Natalie would win and I'm getting more certain every week that she will not win. Runner-up or quite probably 3rd place as you say.

I like her, so I must be a no one.

Thank you for your kind words, musicangel.

You wouldn't like it much if she was in the D/O with Sophie though....

I like Sophie but she is lucky the judges ripped into her because its the only thing sending votes her way after a seriously forgetable Rhumba.

You forgot one of these

Did I really? First called no-one, then psychoanalysed via the internet.

Or perhaps I'm just suffering from paranoia?

No doubt one of the many FRCPsychs on DS will be able to tell me.