I think the judges would be better to try to keep both Susanna and Sophie because I feel if one of them goes their support will switch to however is left. Keeping them both might split the vote.

Patrick should go this week he clearly has limited public support and no chance of winning.

On the OP's thread. I don't mind if the best dancer does not win, the best dancer is Natalie but I will not be voting for her. My winner is Sophie and if she goes this week then I will vote for Susanna. They are not the best dancers but the dances have entertained me more than Natalie.

If they want Sophie or Susanna out then they need to do the following

Natalie 5
Abbey 5
Patrick 4
Sophie 3
Susanna 2 (or whichever one they want bottom)

Then the public vote

Sophie 5
Susanna 4
Natalie 3
Abbey 2
Patrick 1 (this is just an example)

The combined is
Natalie 8
Sophie 8
Abbey 7
Susanna 6
Patrick 5

But the judges could reasonably save Patrick because he scored higher with them originally.

Or if it's Susanna topping the vote then it would be

Natalie 8
Sophie 7
Abbey 7
Susanna 7
Patrick 5

This would put Abbey v Patrick in the dance off.

Or Natalie of she is voting less than Abbey

Yes, fair enough, my order assumed that they'ed "picked" on Susanna as the one to go, and if it fell right she could certainly still be in the dance off even if topping the public vote. Would need to ensure that Patrick wasn't too high in the judges' vote, i.e. leaving the big points for others.

However, they definitely shouldn't create a tie anywhere, that puts slightly more influence on the public vote. Putting Abbey or Natalie clear first, i.e. a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 vote as opposed to a 5, 5, 4, 3, 2 vote gives their leader an extra point buffer. Fiddling needs carefully thought out you know !

I'm assuming they would know the voting figures and so would know which one they could get rid of. It was just an example as I pointed out in my post. Obviously if Susanna is polling higher than. Sophie, you have Sophie bottom of the leaderboard, not hard to do if you have 2 dances.

Doesn't really matter about the top 2. All they have to do is make sure that Patrick is higher on the leaderboard than the one they want to get rid of, make the one they do want to get rid of bottom of the leaderboard and then they can reasonably save him.

I guess it would also depend on how static the voting is week to week. The manipulation would be harder to do if the public vote veers wildly from week to week. I don't imagine it does though.

Of course that assumes a reasonably consistent public vote order, which they can "trust". There will undoubtably be some pattern, but for instance the subsequently revealed X Factor voting could be very varied week to week. Maybe a little thinking on their feet as to who might be wowing the public.

I watch the show because I enjoy dancing, so generally I prefer a good enough dancer to win, but the whole idea of 'best' is entirely subjective as with any art form, and cannot be reduced to competences or technical ability, the person must also engage the audience and communicate. I consider Patrick to be the best dancer, but at the moment, Abbey is winning for me in the combination of ability, growth, joy and connection with the audience.

I don't think the judges do know the vote & I am convinced that even after all these years that they don't know how the maths work to put someone in the dance off.

I remember Len saying it was the publics fault that Gethin was in the dance off which was a stupid thing to say as he could have topped the vote & still been there & they had no clue they had caused Tomgate until it was pointed out to them.

I like to see a winner who is a selection of things. For example; I have to think they have learnt and improved, they have to be a likeable personality, they have to wow me at some point over the series, and that wow does not have to come from a great perfect technical performance, but something that gives me a f***ing big smile on my face.

Ultimately I don't give two hoots who wins, everyone who has ever won has deserved it in my opinion, cos they came and had a crack at it and filled their boots, can't ask more than that.

I think it is an over used cliché, but in this case it really is about taking part and joining in. If someone ends up with some sparkly tat at the end so be it, a cure for cancer it aint!

I don't think the judges do, I do think the producers do.

I also think, with no proof admittedly , that the judges watch the dress rehearsals to get some idea of what to expect for the show and write some ideas down as they're watching to use in the live show later.

(ETA way too many dos in that post, sorry )

The best dancers have rarely won Strictly Come Dancing. It tends to be on the occasions when a gifted dancer (Kara) can also connect with the public. Most SCD winners haven't been the best technical dancer in their year of competition and some definitely haven't.


BIB: Exactly so, what makes any given individual decide that a particular contestant is their "best/favourite" can be completely different to the next person.


No, it's the public who decide.

Surely it would depend on the highest scoring dance (assuming that is the dance that will be featured in the dance off), which might shift the balance to the (originally) lower scored contestant.

Can't imagine Patrick doing a dance this weekend that will beat the ballroom dances from Abbey & Sophie (Susanna might be different story, but she is also very good in hold).

Ah, maybe I need to clarify, as I am perhaps not quite so honourable! By my own reaction, I mean what moves me, delights me or enthrals me the most, this may not be what is the most competent. Thus the most competent dance/dancer does not necessarily get my vote.

Breandan has form for concentration more on one dance in order to try and maximise the chances of a dance off win. However Sophie is massively more popular than Lisa Snowden so perhaps he won't deploy this tactic

Patrick has a waltz, turn up and you get a 36 in the semi final for that and he has scored well in his foxtrot/AS sort of dances. If he can get good rise and fall, he can get 10s for the waltz. The waltz was what Brendan perfected for Lisa to out dance Austin in the quarter final. Sophie especially has been a bit more hit and miss, sometimes she captures the mood brilliantly, other times not so much. She has an AS which should be amazing, but I think she's less likely to be in the dance off than Susanna.

I also think nerves could be a far greater factor with Sophie and Abbey than with anyone else.

On ITT all the other pros were asked who is the grumpiest and vainest and most picked Artem .

You know I don't think anyone understands the show better than Brendan. So many little tricks, never can eliminated particularly early and can always dig out a few more weeks if he wants to.

Personally I think that the best technical dancer does not always win but dancing is more than just being technically good. You've got to have a bit of soul in your dancing, chemistry with your partner and be entertaining.

IMO one of the top three has always won so I have no particular problem with any of the winners with the possible exception of Alesha,not because she didn't deserve it just because it's the one time I think the public didn't choose the winner. (I know I'm a conspiracy theorist) But she was so good I can live with this.

Just my thoughts.

When I saw Pasha and Katya on tour someone asked who she preferred dancing with out of her 3 pro partners. Artem, Brendan and Pasha.

From her comments she seemed to put them in order of 1) Pasha, 2) Brendan and 3) Artem. It's a while ago but she kinda of said. Pasha was easy going, Brendan she loved off stage but found him, at least at the time, not much of a team person whilst dancing and Artem was too intense.

...Chambers?

Seriously though, they certainly weren't the best dancers, but managed to produce a good enough performance in the final.

I don't mind if the best dancer doesn't win as long as a good one does, and so far that has always happened.

Personality plays a huge part and we all like different types, but the voters have never voted a bad dancer as the winner and that's what the show is all about.

I will stop watching if a celeb like Mark wins. Personality is important, but the dancing is more important.

Tom certainly did.

Darren won in the days when the phone lines opened virtually while the latest eliminated couple were doing their last dance and stayed open all week. What he did in the actual final made no difference at all (to my eternal despair). He could have been the one doing the puppet dance and still have won.

Can't remember much about Chris Hollins in the final at all. I assume it involved a Charleston but that's about it