To be honest, it's always been about who gets voted for vs who is actually a good dancer (Chris Parker anyone.....)?

No real genuine contenders have been voted out - all the ones leaving are those who are never going to improve enough to win and if the GBP want to vote to keep anyone in then that's their choice.

The only time I can recall a real potential contender going out shockingly early was Gaby Logan back in series 4 or 5 (I think...).

If, by some chance, Jake and Caroline had both ended up in the DO then yes, I suspect the judges would have been somewhat frosty tempered about it, but they haven't.

As more and more people get voted out, then the public will get behind the dancers who are improving and gradually the less able will be in the Do and will then go.

We've seen the likes of Lisa Riley and Mark Benton go quite a long way, but in the end the more able dancers get kept in - and eventualy, for some people, it starts to get slightly boring as at that point it does become a dance contest rather than Saturday night entertainment.

Not sure why people are singling out Judy in particular - she has more idea than Scott does - I suspect some of it is the Anton-haters because she's dancing with him. If she was dancing with maybe Brendan then maybe there wouldn't be so much outcry.

I would have agreed a couple of years ago but it is clear to me that ... Craig's comments along with all the other judges' comments are pre-scripted.

He is the house baddy.

And he's behind you.

I find it interesting that outside the show the majority of the celebs (Jan Raven being a notable exception) and pros spend time with Craig, and stay in touch with him afterwards. Apparently (3rd hand someone one knows a celeb who was on) he spends time with them in the bar when the show goes off air giving them more help and advice.This is in contrast to 'avuncular' Len who doesn't even give people the time of day when the camera aren't turning over.

And indeed vice-versa for others who want a dance contest rather than Saturday Night Entertainment which it is until the semi-finals.

I don't think the fact Judy is this in the show has anything to do with Andy; in all honesty I think it has far more to do with Anton. Personally I'm no fan of his dancing, but I know a lot of people (non-dancing viewers!) who think his presence is the best thing about the show and will vote for him whoever he is dancing with - which of course is their right.

Apart from which, it's not as if Judy has stayed in at the expense of a potentially better dancer, so what's the problem?

Sadly, this attitude is all too common with the many gay men that I have met.

That's a conspiracy theory right there: the judge's comments aren't based on the actual dance but are instead scripted in advance.

Do many people think that's what actually happens?

I'm told by someone who works behind the bar at the BBC ( give me any tone and I'll lower it) that Craig is very popular with all the celebrity dancers. He goes out of his way to give them advice, and tips for their next dance. HOWEVER! whether or not this applies to Jan Ravens... remember her outburst? is speculative

I believe the joodges will have seen the rehearsals and will be very well aware of how good/bad the pairings are for the week's dances. Barring a howler (slip/trip/drop) on the Saturday night I think they will know beforehand what they want to say about each dance

What about those who don't like it, vote for someone else, and still don't like it?

Anyway, I don't mind Judy staying ... so far. I think she has some potential and is (slowly!) improving. Also, so far no one I much like watching has been in danger.


I don't agree the way of thinking that sees the problem as only about the contestants who might win.

It matters to me who is there to watch week by week, not only who makes the final and might win. If "the llikes of Lisa Riley and Mark Benton go quite a long way", that's already making the show worse for me, even though they go eventually.

I also don't agree with the neat division between a dance contest and Saturday night entertainment. To me, the dancing should always be the main source of entertainment, but it's never purely a dance contest.

Yes, I do. I think the comments are based on viewing the rehearsals (filmed and studied) and are probably scripted with the producers. That would account for the judges looking down and writing more notes while the live dancing is happening, thereby missing most of the dance and not seeing faults or corrected faults and adversely criticising contestants for something which no longer exists. I have noticed this several times. The pro will slightly shake his or her head in clear disagreement. (Karen H often disagrees with the comments too.) The converse is also true: overlooking glaring errors. We often wonder how some slebs are unduly praised for second-rate dancing while others are picked on for the most trivial imperfection.



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I agree.

I was listening to Radio 2 the other day and Michael Ball was having a pop at the public for voting for who he thought were the rubbish dancers and therefore the better dancers being kicked off.

Yes it is a dance show, but it is also an entertainment show which uses us the public as voters, so you will get whatever happening.
Anton is the star in my opinion in that partnership and I for one do not want to see him go.

Judy is definitely not the worst dancer so I can't understand why she is the one that people are moaning about.

Someone on the Strictly facebook page said "if Judy had any morals she would walk out of the show"!!!!

One problem I have with all such theories is why would the BBC risk one of its most popular shows by doing it? There would have to be quite a few people who knew it was happening; it wouldn't be possible to keep it secret; and there are those (such as the Daily Mail) who would love to have something like that to use against the BBC.

The natural explanation for a judge writing notes is that they're writing notes about the dance that's taking place in front of them on the show, not that they're writing random notes that have nothing to do with that dance because they've already decided what they're going to say and aren't even watching what's in front of them.

But I've just watched some recordings of recent dances to check, and there was nothing that made it seem the judges spend much (if any) time writing notes during the dance, and certainly nothing that showed them looking down to write to the point where they couldn't even see the dance.

If anyone has proof that the judges miss most of the dance because they're writing notes, such as a recording that shows it happening, I'd like them to present that evidence, and for people to make an issue of it, because if it IS happening, Strictly should not be able to get away with it.

The pro disagreeing does not mean the judge's comments were based on rehearsals, nor does the judges missing faults. Many people watch the show. They can consult recordings and exchange views on social media. They cameras often give them a better view than the judges have. So of course they can pick up some faults the judges miss. It would be odd if they didn't.

As for a judge "adversely criticising contestants for something which no longer exists", I'd again like to see some direct evidence. The pro slightly shaking his or her head in clear disagreement does not show the judge was talking about "something which no longer exists".

Also, we have evidence that points the other way: we're often told that something worked during rehearsal (when it didn't on the night), or worked for the first time on the night (when it hadn't during rehearsals), when the judges clearly weren't going by the rehearsal version.

I'm not saying rehearsal performances have no influence at all on anything. They're probably a factor in deciding the order in which the couples dance, for instance. But the idea that the judge's comments aren't based on the actual dance, but are instead scripted in advance, is a very serious accusation that could destroy Strictly if it were true, and I don't think it is.

I can't say I've any real opinions on Judy. I did start to get a bit irritated with the producers' insistence on including heavy tennis references, to remind people who she was.
They did the same with Victoria Pendleton and her "flying bike" etc.,
I think it might put people off, because it's their dance ability that's being judged, not what else they've done.
She's quite self-effacing and the viewers are starting to warm to her.
Probably, the "wrong" competitor will go out before her, but they'd be going out at some time anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

judy is enjoying every minute of strictly, she learns the steps and for the most part gets them right, so wot if she's not exactly on time, she puts everything that she can into the dance and she is slowly getting better

we all know, and so does she, that her time is limited and that isnt going to win, but she's making sure that while she is there, she is gonna give it 100% and enjoy herself to the very end

i think thats why ppl keep voting for her

I agree. A lot people say it's Anton's fans keeping her in but his fans didn't keep Gillian Tatlforth in a few years back.

Judy is someone who became known as a silent, frowning figure in a tennis audience and i think people had preconceptions of what she was like based on that. Now she's appeared on this and has turned out to be really likeable and seems a laugh. This is where her vote is coming from. I reckon her vote is probably higher than Scott's as on the Saturday nights he tends to come across a bit mardy.