To start with it was Pixie. Then Frankie impressed from the start. Jakes salsa was wow. Mark, Sunetra and Caroline have all shown brilliance.

I like how it's very unpredictable even though possibly with momentum with Jake.

I like how the forum has different favourites as it keeps things interesting

Also, as was made very clear last year, regardless of what some of the polls say (digital spy on final night website did say Abbey) you never can tell!

Keeeeeep dancing

Must say, I never saw Pixie as a runaway favourite at the start. I've always seen her, Frankie and Caroline as equal frontrunners.

Whilst it's difficult to predict who'll win, I'd say the final line-up itself is pretty predictable.

I'd love for them to take away the dance-off from the quarters onwards (or at the semi-final stage at least) to add a bit more excitement to things.

There doesn't appear to be a runaway favourite .. but there might be someone who is miles ahead in the public vote for all we know.

Hello Sid xxx

I won't be voting from now on - too difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. i.e. the novices from the trained contestants.

It does appear that even those I championed are not actual beginners.

By mixing up the dances that is what the production team want. No obvious front runner. Traditionally the rumba and the samba are difficult dances to master. This week I would not expect Jake to be at the top. Sunetra finds Latin difficult but she could be high up on this week's leaderboard. She is good at ballroom and Brenden usually choreographs a beautiful ballroom routine. Pixie's posture looks amazing so I think she could be top this week. It will be interesting to see if Frankie has mastered that all important bounce. Next week it could be all change again. I think Blackpool is the watershed week. After that the the serious competition begins . By that time the comedy/big personalities will be gone and we begin to have a better idea which of the front runners have a strong public vote.

Momentum is really not with Jake. Jake has been losing momentum since his salsa (only gradually and his jive arrested downward momentum briefly) and I fear for his future a little. I think he is not improving. I worry that Janette is not technically experienced enough to teach him the basics in ballroom (and some Latin - I await his rumba with slight trepidation). I think the rest of the series could be make or break for Janette - in my mind at least (which I'm sure she's incredibly bothered about...) He is still probably just ahead though...

As for the main premise of the OP - I agree.

I'd have said early on that Pixie had no chance of actually winning. Now I'm not so sure and I think I'd put her ahead of Frankie. Mind you, I'd still put Caroline ahead of them both.

Mark could do it but I hope he doesn't. For various reasons.

Sunetra and Steve are outside chances at best. Unlikely, but I won't totally rule either out yet.

Simon is dead in the water. Shame in a way.

Judy and Alison... no.

That's seven out of ten possibles. Not a bad strike rate.

[quote=tabithakitten;75525396]Momentum is really not with Jake. Jake has been losing momentum since his salsa (only gradually and his jive arrested downward momentum briefly) and I fear for his future a little. I think he is not improving. I worry that Janette is not technically experienced enough to teach him the basics in ballroom (and some Latin - I await his rumba with slight trepidation). I think the rest of the series could be make or break for Janette - in my mind at least (which I'm sure she's incredibly bothered about...) He is still probably just ahead though...

I agree that Jake has come down a little bit, but after that Salsa who wouldn't.

I completely disagree with Janette's abilities as she has been producing excellent choreography this year. I could name two 10 dance ballroom champions that were rather mediocre this year, but why go there?

Hi gorgeous xxx

I'd say the longer I've watched Strictly the more I've been able to gauge how much previous dance experience people are likely to have had. I don't mind a mixture of abilities but think the audience vote should count for more when determining who reaches the final, hence why I'd like the dance-off to go later on.

Well if one of the top few does a 'John Sergeant' will that make them the runaway favourite.

[quote=luigy39;75525476]
It's not necessarily even her choreography that I disparage (if disparage is the word), it's rather that I doubt her ability to teach a novice in ballroom and Latin dancing because her own experience is not great.

Jake seems to have a lot of natural ability and I think someone that has a lot of past experience in the technical aspects of Latin and Ballroom would have been able to get more out of him. His salsa was great (and I can see that Janette probably got more out of him there than any other female pro would have done) but I would rather have sacrificed such a great salsa for more consistency and improvement elsewhere.

I wonder what Joanne would have done with Jake. She hasn't impressed me immensely with what she's done (with an admittedly very limited partner) but I would have been intrigued to see what she might have brought from someone with a lot more natural talent. I'll still wait and see what Janette manages to teach Jake in the rest of the series (because I think he's going to the final whatever) but if he wins, (I hope I'm wrong on this) I can't help thinking it may be in spite of Janette rather than because of her.

[quote=tabithakitten;75525540]
The fact that you give Joanne the benefit of the doubt even when reality hits you in the face and then go on to criticize Janette with the great job that she's done so far tells me that you are no fan of Janette no matter what she does, and to suggest that Jake may win in spite of Janette takes it to the point of pure speculationl.

We all do have different opinions and I think Janette has done a phenomenal job with Jake, who is not the best dancer in the competition by a long run, so I think your reasoning is based on personal dislike and not reality.

[quote=tabithakitten;75525540]
I totally agree
I still think that the mirrorball is his to lose though.......

I think we might rule Steve out as glitterball contender now.... (IF the article is anywhere near true.)

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2023367

That's a very odd reading of what was a fairly objective and well-explained post (with which I agree, and I have no strong feelings about either Janette or Joanne). It focussed on their abilities as teachers with particular regard to their respective experience in the 10 dances - the latter of which is a matter of fact, not opinion - not on their personalities. I think you're projecting your own bias (positive or negative) onto posts where none exists.
Last edited by DeltaBlues : 08-11-2014 at 08:31

I think it is Jake's to lose, I don't think it matters how well Frankie, Pix or Caroline dance. I just feel he will have the public vote and they might split it. Someone like Mark could sneak in the top 3 or 4, especially if they keep pushing the journey aspect.

Thank you. Saves me from replying.

Thanks for sorting out the tags too.

Why not reply? I love your mile long posts

I'm completely sober now. The muse has gone .

I guess I'll hear from you later tonight then..

Its easy to differentiate between the trained/experienced and the complete novices, Less clear is that grey area where the apparent natural aptitude of beginners blows us away - only to later find that they too have have the advantage of a previous background in dance.

For me this came to light with Caroline and Mark; I'd already recognised that neither Frankie nor Pixie could put on such performances if they were starting from scratch but I wasn't aware of the background of Caroline and Mark: Sunetra too, with a mother who teaches Indian dancing has a head start in grace and elegance evident in her ballroom performances.

In truth I'd rather vote for Judy or Alison than spend money supporting those who try to hide their training.

It seems to me that the only contestants who can mix it with the semi pros are Jake and Simon. I haven't warmed to either of them that much but might spend a few quid trying to give them a fighting chance of making the final.

xxx