Winning? It is a very strong board contender wise for once, so that's hard.

I wouldn't absolutely bet AGAINST them, and I do think they will have very good public support. I think they have a great chance of making the final if they can keep the standard up on the Latin.

Anton needs to survive the Samba, Salsa and/ or Rumba before we can think of them as serious contenders for the Glitterball.

His Cha-Cha-Chas have never been too bad (whatever that was prodding Fiona's thigh in 2013 aside), and Katie is clearly a very competent dancer, so that one at least should be fun.

I would love to see him win, he probably won't but I do like him. Went to see him on tour the year he danced with Ann Widdecombe and he was very funny, a real comedian....

Same here!

I would like Anton to do very well this year. He is a much a part of 'Strictly' as Len or Brucie
and I've suspected that in the past Anton has stayed in because people are voting for him not his partner. With Katie he stands a chance of getting votes for actual dancing!

The detractors who say his Latin ins't up to scratch where quietened with their Tango which was great. If they don't pull off a very good waltz or American Smooth I'll eat my hat!

I always thought that Anton was a shoe in for Brucie but I think he may be a judge at some stage. If Anton stops dancing in the show I can't see him disappearing from Strictly.


(As an aside I agree about traditional music helping a dance enormously. It helps with the atmosphere. The best example I can think of was Susanna Reid's paso doble to 'March of The Toreador' . )

Tango is a ballroom dance though, not latin. I'm reserving judgement until I see them do samba, rumba or cha cha. Their jive was cracking though!

I agree that they'll excel in all the ballroom dances though.

In your imagination - because I hope most people, anyone with a few years of strictly watching even, would know that tango isn't a Latin dance. That's why they performed it in their ballroom week...

Bit harsh - I can see why people would make the mistake of thinking that since it does originate from a latin american country.

I'm quite hopeful about the paso. Closest latin dance to ballroom. I think he can survive samba, salsa and cha cha.

But, I am struggling a bit with the idea of a rumba.......

I enjoyed their tango. Katie needs to improve her ballroom hold a bit.

I think that's the one they will skip. It's the most exposing Latin.

I made that assumption but I have been firmly put in my place

I've watched Strictly for years but obviously need to pay more attention

I would skip Samba if I were him - it's such a silly, awkward dance rhythmically for even good movers. And while rumba is exposing (and often scores low on Strictly) Katie is very poised and appears self confident so could hold decent lines and put in a decent performance. I do remember her saying, however, that she was looking forward to learning Samba as she has some Latin American relatives, so maybe Anton will have to go Carmen Miranda!

I think they can pull off samba as a fun dance, missfrankiecat

I think rumba is an easier dance technically but suspect Anton and Kaie might look a little self conscious dancing it.

I personally think it'd probably be best, all things considered, for them to skip Salsa.

Katie has specifically said that she wants to learn the Samba, and given that almost no-one ever looks forward to learning the Samba that's something that should be considered.

With Rumba, Katie's attractive legs and good lines will carry her a fair way, and I can imagine quite a classy performance from them (think Cherie Lunghi).

Salsa? I can't remember any good ones from Anton in the past, and although that can also be said of Samba and Rumba, it's the dance I feel is least suited to a very tall, long legged, partnered-with-Anton 45 year old woman, natural rhythm or not.

Anton did do a pretty good Paso with Laila, and going back into the dawn of history, a nice rumba with Patsy. With Katie's ability they should pull most things off..............except maybe salsa, which can look bad even with the best dancers. I would skip that one maybe.

No reason why they can't do a lovely fluid romantic rumba - remember James Jordan & Cherie Lunghi? Still my favourite SCD rumba.

Does depend to quite some extent what music gets foisted on them, I suppose. James & Cherie got the perfect toon - Songbird. Lovely.

They are very capable of doing a nice romantic rumba.

That's cracked that one, then.

I'd agree except the judge's seem to be fairly indifferent to salsa technique, so pretty much any camp up-tempo Latiny type dance confidently performed gets good marks from them. Remember Abbey and Alijaz Hustle (to Saturday Night Fever) which bore virtually no resemblance to a salsa beyond a bit of skirt flouncing and drew rave reviews.

I think Anton has as good chance as anyone on there.

I quite look forward to Katie doing a sensual rumba - although it won't be easy acting all sexy with Anton as her partner...

What's the consensus then of skipping salsa or samba, bearing in mind that samba is usually more harshly marked?

We need the official Monkseal statistical input as to whether my impression that Samba is much harder to get decent marks for is right or just those misleading voices in my head. But I'd ditch one of those two.

Ah...you've got me....I really don't know whether salsa or samba is worse now.

He does, and that's fine.

I'm not at all sure that he's that bad either, at Latin. We've got pros now that aren't that good at some disciplines, and Anton is long in the tooth and not stupid. I don't see why he can't do a decent job at the Latin.

Samba has slightly better average scores than salsa (28.5 vs 28.1) with an even bigger gap if you apply it to female celebs only (29.9 vs 27.9). However samba is the dance with the highest risk of being eliminated, with salsa 4th. Of course both of these cases could arguably be due to samba starting coming down the chute later in the series than salsa does, generally.