It will be a shock if Mark is in the final two and not "let go". But it is quite possible for Mark to garner the votes. And if there are judges' ties, then the voting really counts.

So if the judges have been assigned scores with ties then you know that the producers are hoping for a large Mark public vote to dominate the panel's scores.

I have said on another thread that if Mark isn't the 'evictee' tonight I will eat Trev's hat. I hope its a pork pie one.

He hasn't got votes for the last three weeks in a row and is all but begging to go home. He's got the samba which is the worst dance for getting votes bar maybe the Argentine Tango. He's guaranteed to be bottom of the leader-board and guaranteed to lose any dance-off he's in barring Natalie fainting in the middle of the dancefloor, and even that would probably have to be in the first 4 bars so she's not saved on the quality of the rest of her dancing. His bookies odds to leave are hitting 1/8 and 1/9. If he is safe my jaw will hit the floor and keep on going.

How cynical !

By the way, a question ( anyone ? ) which I just can't find the answer to :

If when they add the judges ( 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 or OK could be ties ) to the public's ( 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ) and the addition brings a tie, which vote takes priority.

eg. say Mark was 1 + 1 = 2, Patrick was 2 + 3 = 5 and Abbey was 3 + 2 = 5. so Patrick and Abbey equal secind bottom on points, would :

a) both go into the dance off so there would be 3 couples in total.

b) the couple with the higher judges' score avoids the dance off.

c) the couple with the higher public's score avoids the dance off.

Since there only ever seem to be two couples in the dance off and ties are eminently possible I am thinking that it is either b) or c) and I would hope c).

Why are the BBC quite so secretive about the mechanics of this ? ( not asking for the actual overall results, which they don't give )

Much as i have enjoyed Mark on Strictly, I hope he goes tonight /sunday for the sake of his poor knees!

On a tie after the scores are combined the one with the highest public vote is safe.

Good Thanks for a short answer to a rather long winded question.

In the event of a tie, then the viewer vote takes precedence - so in your scenario Patrick would be safe and Abbey would go into the dance-off.

(EDIT: Sorry, didn't see this had already been posted)

'nuff said.

Relax. It is all a fully scripted pantomime - just perhaps not on the public votes. But the mis-matched pairings, poor / good music assigned, silly costumes, judges scores and comments are all written by the producers.

7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 will be the public vote (no ties given large numbers)

But unlikely with the judges given ties. 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4 is more likely and so ties in the sum are less likely.

We might see some new couples near the lower end of the table tonight, given that it's impossible for male celebs to top the table with a rumba, and that might give Mark a chance to survive. He might have been polling in the middle previously but been stuck in the dance off because the highest polling couples were low/mid table.

I love it. I love the music, singers dancers, judges and professionals. Some of the celebs get on my goat but I still love moaning about them. I hate when it finishes too I have withdrawal symptoms ❤️❤️

If the public get behind mark he will stay. I think the likely scenario is Abbey, Patrick or Ashley in bottom two.

Seriously... Monkseal's bang on the money here. If Mark survives tonight, frankly it's probably a sign of the End of Days.

Totally agree.

I adore Mark but he is doomed. The increasing producer orchestration on Strictly means the voting public are virtually powerless to throw up a few surprises anymore. He will be bottom of the leaderboard, and so will have to work extra hard for votes, he has been handed duff music with a, presumably, duff costume (whereas others have been gifted Hollywood classics), and he will never beat anyone in the dance-off. The predictability is getting a bit boring.

Mark sophie dance of and they will save Mark again

It seems to be the vogue thing to predict a shock exit every week this series I don't think there have really been any... even if the bottom twos have been a little trickier to predict than normal. And I don't think there will be any, especially not this week.

Not going to happen but I would love Sophie to leave this week. I just cannot take to her as she always looks so miserable. Incidentally - does she refuse the fake tans that all the others seem to have? She seems so pale compared to the rest of them.

No, it's just she's always last in the queue behind Susanna.

Oh gosh, I really hope no shock eliminations happen this weekend. I like Mark and congratulate him on/happy for him making this far (cause I never thought he would) but the other 6 celebs are better dancers and more deserving to be there. If Mark goes, we'll have a really great and strong Top 6. Super nervous as always.

Have you seen Patrick's training video? It's amazing and Ian Waite said he thought he would get at least one 10 tonight.

Mark wants to go due to knee problems,no doubt in my mind that he will be in the dance off.

Mark has had so much experience of being in the bottom two that what you see are celebs who are technically better dancers messing up in the DO and so the judges save Mark.

so true! Mark won't have any nerves as he has been there so many times, he just goes out there and dances his socks off, like he did last week, due to what I can only assume was nerves, Ben messed up a lot of his steps, judges save the couple that made fewer mistakes

I kinda figured Fiona and Ben were ready to go home. Perhaps Mark's mistake has been not taking a leaf out of their book when it comes to the dance-off, and throwing in a few mistakes to ensure his departure. But I know he wouldn't want to let Iveta down.

Agreed.

And I think that either Abbey or Sophie will join him in the dance-off.