At the start of this run, I was a big Frankie fan. I’d never heard of her, so judged her solely on her dancing and personality. Pixie, I found bland and boring. But now I want Pixie to win or at least be in top 3 and for some reason have gone off Frankie. Going back to last year, I was a Kevin from Grimsby fan, and further back still I have always found Anton irritating and could never take to Brendan. This year I find Kevin irritating and quite like Anton and Brendan.

I'm finding Frankie more and more bland as the series goes on. A delightful girl and a lovely dancer but I never bother watching any of her dances again.

Simon, on the other hand, is growing on me. He seems to have settled into the show, although he needs to stop chatting to the judges as it smacks of being desperate. There's a bit of the Ricky Whittle about him. I don't think he'll win.

Pixie suffers from Little Miss Perfect syndrome. Too good at the start for this show. Again this is no reflection on her, she seems lovely too.

Jake - when he's good, he's very very good but.... However, I find him very watchable and I loved his mean and moody waltz and AS, as well as that salsa. They've been standout dances this series for me.

My votes went to Steve and Sunetra until this week, but I think they've plateaued.

Judy? Like everyone else, I'm surprised that she's come across so well. A lovely warm-hearted lady and in some ways, she's been the heart of the show this year.

Who do I want to win? Probably Caroline, atm, but I'm not really bothered. I never knew her before this (other than the odd press story) but she's a 'good egg'. I just like her no nonsense attitude.

Who have I missed? Mark. Mark who?

Nope. I always choose the best dancer so I had Pixie singled out for my votes from week one. I don't go by personality or looks, just ability, and she looked promising from the start. Her first dance, the Jive, was easily her weakest if you look back at it, so I actually think she has improved in spite of what everyone thinks. Trent seems to have worked some magic because I love the routines he's produced and look forward to seeing them both each week.

That's natural, we learn more and they are not consistent either.

I don't resent contestants who start well and maintain a high standard. They make an extremely valuable contribution to the show. Equally, however, I'm impressed with those who, in my estimation, genuinely lift themselves in the pecking order. There are a lot of dubious claims about improvement but, for me, both Thom (in his brief run) and Mark have stood out in this regard this year.

The really lame contestants tend to be more entertaining than the not very good ones but only for a few weeks. Then, invariably, their lack of ability translates into boring performances. I voted for one of Dave's early dances last year but I wanted him out soon after.

I'm finally warming to Pixie but don't notice Trent.

Frankie still does nothing for me and despite Kevin and Susannah being one of my favs last year.

I've always liked Caroline, Mark and Jake and they are my top 3.

I'm a bit bored with Steve now but love Ola.

I'm glad Judy has got better but I still find Anton annoying.

I really like Sunetra and Brendan but now a bit bored of them too.

Oh and didn't warm to Simon - all the Blue boys come across as vacuous numpties to me. However I love Kristina and thought his AT was really very good.

I could've written this. Mark was okay for a couple of weeks but the tears and Uriah Heap impression are icky, as is Karen's whooping fest.

I never rated either Steve or Sunetra. Think their time is up.

I liked Kevin last year as I felt sorry for him being stuck with the gurner. Now she is gone, his true personality comes through. :-/

Never rated Jake apart from when he was only in a towel this year on EE and it was all good! But he is very watchable and I like the mature laid back approach to it all.

I have not been 'captured' by anyone celeb this year. One or other may do a dance I am impressed by - for that week. I do have one or two who I quite like regardless of how good they are but accept they won't last very much longer.
I did enjoy Marks Jive but otherwise he just irritates me. Not 'buying' anything about him I'm afraid, I think he is whoever he needs to be for that moment.

I love SCD and enjoy watching the dancers develop. Personally for me two dancers grate Mark and Simon. Not because of their dancing but their total insincerity bordering on desperation in how they handle themselves off the dance floor. It is a flippin light entertainment show. Perhaps they have more at stake than the others as they have little or no career to speak about.

The rest have a great attitude. Pixie and to a lesser extent Frankie are ringers but I like their partnerships. Contrast with Natalie/Artem who I really couldn't buy into at all.

I like Caroline and Jake but will be happy if anyone other than Mark/Simon win. I will vote for whoever is against them if they make final.

There are those I like from the get go - but then I have to factor in the Pro and that changes my opinion as we near the final stages. I love a good partnership, so it has to be the whole package. I don't even mind a "ringah". There has to be a balance between dance ability and personality ( I don't want all fur and no knickers) and if someone falls in love with dance on the way, all the better.

I enjoy watching the three top ladies, then there is Jake...who seem to have done his best dance the first week, but I haven't written him off yet. Sunetra seems a nice lady but imo not in the same class as the top three. I never seem to buy into the entertainment value celebs like Alison/Judy/Greg/ Tim... they just seem to annoy me. I like Steve but he seems too burly to make a top dancer. Simon and Mark leave me cold.

I feel exactly the same.

I keep changing my mind too. I can't recall a more open competition. I have always had my favourite by now in the past.

This, though unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of Iveta so found it hard to warm to her partnership with Thom. But I definitely agree about Mark - I didn't like him at the start but he's really surprised me, and I think Karen is doing a great job with choreography, she's really gone up in my estimation this year.


Other opinions that have changed:

Kevin has gone down in my estimation as I think he's not showcasing Frankie's full potential. She's very good, but she's having too many distinctly average (and overmarked) weeks - putting the kitchen sink in (as he admitted to doing in their samba) is never a good idea, and it showed.

I've also been very irritated by Anton this year - the number of brazen illegal lifts is astonishing, and I'm afraid I'm getting the impression that he's more concerned about what tricks they're going to use to fill over a minute of the routine than actually trying to make Judy a better dancer. I'm also getting irritated by Brendan, when usually he's one of my favourite male pros. He just seems a bit subdued and disinterested this year. And Ola's the same, she used to be my favourite female pro but she wouldn't make the top 3 now.

I didn't really like Janette last year but now she's one of my favourite pros. Same goes for Karen, who I really didn't rate in her first series, but has now shone two series running.

And I've changed my opinion of this forum as well - at the start I thought it was nicer than the last couple of years when I've really been put off posting by all the nastiness, but I'm starting to think I was wrong, it's getting worse.


Possibly the only opinion that hasn't changed is that I still think Natalie is far and away the best female pro on the show!

Generally I start off liking/putting up with them all but can get irritated if they're too vacant, for example, or play the game too well, or -- not really their fault -- if consistently over-marked. Coping well with being in the dance off impresses me. Simon and Judy are the two who have moved up the scale most decisively. Pixie and Mark are two who have moved down. Jake hovers. I rather feel when he's really good, that Janette is really good rather than Jake, but I like him. Steve and Sunetra are my favourites and have been from the get go. Favourites don't change.

Yes, I'm changing my opinion nearly every week this year. I always vote for the contestant who I consider was best in that particular week, then maybe throw a vote in the direction of someone who I think doesn't deserve to go but may be in danger. That's mostly been Sunetra this season.
I must confess, in other years I have taken an instant dislike to one of the better dancers. Not so this year, I can honestly say I don't mind who wins, so I'm looking for performances that blow me away without any prejudices. Consequently I'm enjoying it more this year.

Last year I really didn't like Abbey to start with (vain, vapid...etc) and by the end I had warmed to her and seen it was more about nerves, so I actually wanted her to win. So far this year I haven't changed my mind, Caroline is still my favourite.

As an aside, I find it funny that a lot of opinions here relate to the pros as opposed to the contestants. I do it too, sometimes they are a lot more interesting that their lackluster celebrities.

A few weeks ago I was liking Jake and Frankie. I've gone right off Jake.

I'm warming to Mark and Simon. Going off Steve.

Loved Pixie last week and also warming to her. Not enjoying Sunetra much any more. Judy I like more as time goes on.

In short I don't expect NOT to change my mind weekly. It depends on the dancing, the VTs, their responses to the judges, lots of factors.

So my 'losers' are Jake, Frankie and Steve.
My 'winners' are currently Mark, Simon and Pixie.

(Just realised I forgot Caroline. She's a bit 'meh'.)

I'm afraid I started and finished with the same impression, in the end it was "anyone but Abbey" for me. Needless to say, I was disappointed with the result.

Grannies the best dancer. She just needs a great routine. Can't wait for her American smooth/Argentina tango

Yes, my opinions have been quite up and down this series! I started off loving Jake, then went off him for the last few shows, then last night he blew me away with his AS, so I like him again. Pixie is growing on me - her dance was spectacular last night. And I'm starting to go go off Sunetra and Steve as I think they've gone as far as they can in terms of improving.

Judy I'm afraid is still an awful dancer, although I'm sure she's a nice person.

Yes and no. Still don't like Pixie however, really liking Simon. Frankies going off the boil a bit. Like Caroline but she's not been brill the last 2 weeks

My votes change each week. I haven't voted for anyone more than three times.

As for who I want to see in the final, at first it was Pixie, Frankie, Jake & A,N,Other and now it's Simon, Caroline, Pixie & Frankie.

For a while I substituted Mark for Simon.

Is that one of Mark's triple nans?

^^This. I didn't expect to find anyone who completely mirrored my reactions. Just to add that I never saw what others saw in Thom. But maybe he'd have done a Simon if he'd stayed in and really improved.