On the whole I love the pro dancers and in my opinion, they make Strictly Come Dancing what it is... but this year I do feel that the powers that be have made some awful choices with the pro cast!

I still miss Trent - his choreography last year was always fresh and exciting, so I was really disappointed that he didn't return. I'm also really annoyed with the way that Joanne has been treated - announced as part of the cast, then sidelined for pro routines only and given a naff occasional presenting role on ITT. I know she annoys some people but I think its a bizarre way to use a world ballroom champion, and I would have liked to see more of her dancing, perhaps with a more naturally able celebrity (although I enjoyed her with Scott last series).

Conversely, I don't think Brendan or Ola deserved to come back after last year and IMO they've blown it again by seeming disinterested and producing some terrible choreography. I find Giovanni very unlikeable and both him and Gleb seem to have some ideas which I just find a bit odd about how to approach routines. I'd rather kept Trent and Robin than got those two!

There are still lots of positives though - Oti is brilliant, and a lot of great pros are still here - but I think some poor choices have spoilt the series a bit. Is it just me?

Bring back Lilia.
That is all


oh, no.
Bring back Katja too.

Trent is missed from this series - even if he was with someone like Carol. Or Kirsty. Or even Jamelia...

Iveta and Anya really shouldn't have been let go given the weak links in the female line-up, and Trent is also a loss. Giovanni's the first male pro hiring in a while I don't get, although I always try to give people at least two series to bed in.

Second that. And Jared Murillo.

Oh no, I mean 'but not Jared Murillo'. Or Brian Fantana.

Bring back Katya....preferably with Gavin!

The fact that Katya and Jared are now pro partners amuses me more than I can explain

I'm sorry Anya did get offered/agree to another series. Her QS, charleston, and AS with Patrick were three of my favourite dances of that series.

Totally agree with this. Mine too! I often watch them on YouTube, hardly notice Patrick to be honest, Anya is just mesmerising.

They need more ballroom specialists or at least ten dancers atm in my opinion. It's so heavily weighted towards latin dancers at the moment. AFAIK only Anton and Natalie are ballroom, Aljaz and Aliona are ten dance and the rest are latin or "performance" in the case of Janette (who I do like watching!) Even Kevin and Brendan who a lot of people seem to think were competitive ballroom dancers were in fact latin.

Joanne is ballroom too, but obviously... no partner this year.

I know they can all do both (or one, or neither but they get help depending who you speak to on here haha) but it would be nice to have it more evenly split imo. There'd be more taller pros, more than likely, if it was split more evenly too.

Janette, Ola and Tristan are the weakest pro dancers. Brendan is the one I dislike most. The new pros, Gleb, Giovanni and Oti, are bedding in nicely I think. It's taken me longest to like Giovanni but he is growing on me.

I miss Trent as well as Anya, Iveta, Flavia and Vincent. I never understood the decision to treat Brian Fortuna as they did or Ian, or Matthew ...

Katya and Jared?! What the hell?

Agree on Anya. I think she was a little quieter than they want, but her choreography, teaching and dancing were far beyond some that were kept. I wish Iveta was still around too - what she did with Mark Benton was great. Only comedy contestant I've ever laughed it, partly because he was in on the joke, he could dance a bit so it wasn't just laugh at the bad dancer, but mostly because the routines she came up with were sheer bonkers glory.

I wish Trent had been kept over Tristan, or at least instead of Gleb or Giovanni, neither of whom have covered themselves in glory. Gleb's done better than Giovanni so far, but he pitched that AS all wrong for Anita - she's not a floaty wafty dancer - though they were likely handed the music and given no choice.

I saw Brian on ITT once being extremely rude and smug with Craig Revel Horwood. I'll never forget the look on Craig's face. I had a feeling, that day, that he was done for. I also remember a rehearsal video which I thought bordered on literal verbal abuse towards Ali Bastian, who acted like a cowering victim imo. I think he was an arrogant jerk (and I've heard from a source or two that's the case) and that's why they got rid of him. (I'm glad Ali got free as well.)

I miss Trent and Iveta . Tristan was extremely popular his first year at DWTS, a real break-out star, named as one of tv's best newcomers in TV Guide. It was a personality match made in heaven, him and Nancy Grace (and the show was willing to prop him/her, which has never happened with him since imo) - and then he was great with Gladys too, and won the "Design a Dance" contest in his second series, where the fans voted their favourite male and female pros to do a dance - he won it in the same season that had Derek, Mark, Maks and Val on the show, and it was the first time Derek had NOT won the contest (Maks never did except maybe one season that Derek took off!) They needed every trick in the book to get Gladys off (a dance marathon AND a danceoff.) It seemed like he was the greatest thing that ever happened to DWTS, for a while there...

Then they gave him a string of uber-duffers after he had a really horrible knee injury in a Vegas show that affected his dancing for a long time afterward and I wonder maybe even now - he even said he lost all his "pace", at least for a while - he was much sharper in his movements before the dislocated knee cap (plus two torn ligaments I think) that resisted treatment longer than expected. Hopefully he's ok now but he's had a lot of injuries over the years - to both knees, and one ankle was pretty badly banged up I think, and some back issues (a bad back is what put Maks out of commission probably for good.)

So I don't know what to think - he doesn't look happy though - it's been a rough ride ever since that injury at the height of his popularity with his face 30 feet tall just plastered on the Tropicana casino in Vegas where he was starring in a DWTS-related stage show. (I think Artem busted his knee on that show as well and went home to England for surgery or recuperation??) Oh well... we'll see if he's back, but I don't blame him for Trent leaving - I just wish they'd gone ahead and done whatever it was Trent wanted - he was that good. And Gio is only 25 and could have waited till the next season or two to be brought aboard.

I miss Erin the most - she is a sensational teacher. But at least it was her choice to go. I thought Vincent and Flavia were the best all rounders as a performing couple and Vincent was a strong choreographer too. There are now no really good pro couples - sorry but Karen and Janette don't really make the cut with their partners and the rest are all just scratch pairings. I believe it takes years of dancing together to really develop real style and synchronicity. Agree with those who bemoan the lack of good ballroom dancers amongst the current crop but I think most people don't realise how mediocre most of the pros are at ballroom. And less and less is featured in the pro dance numbers.

Given the direction that this show has taken in recent years, Janette's recruit makes sense ( crowd pleasing choreography even though the technique is not there).

Aside from her knees slides, Ola is a very good teacher imo. She did really well with middle of the road contestants.....so I don't know why she's constantly cited as one of the pros who shouldn't be back.

Anton seriously should have left the show years ago.

I watched a few giovanni clips when he was competing as a pro and he's more than qualified to be on this show

Very interesting post Elsa. I didn't know that about Brian or the background re-Tristan so thanks.

Just call me for all your stalker needs, Maggie

I've got a million other details stored in my addled brain (and committed to word documents ahemmm)

I am still bereft that we've not got the very exceedingly lovely Ian Waite any more.
He's still my favourite pro and he's not been in it for flipping years!

And I agree that Anton is long past his sell by date. He must be years older than the rest of the pros.

At least Ian's still on ITT and has quite a dance-fitness program going with Natalie. WTH happened with Matthew Cutler? Demoting all those pros in one season was a real shocker but I'm with you - Ian was the most painful cut, and they need him for the real tall girls

I recently read somewhere that Anton is 53 years old! (He's pretty good at protecting that particular piece of information )

Ok, I might take you up on the offer.

I wish Trent had been brought back too . I know he wasn't sacrificed because of Tristan but because of Gordana. Anyway ...

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Really agree about Ian.

Yep I'd rather Anya/Iveta than Ola and Kristina mainly due to all their off dancefloor crap.

I still miss Flavia with the passion of 1000 suns

This needs to be Ola's last year, the world doesn't need anymore knee slides to camera.

Yes, I'd definitely choose Trent over Tristan. Trent gave us some really memorable choreography last year. He was excellent at story telling.
I can't really remember any of Tristan's dances .. like Ola .. I only remember the Cola Charleston and she didn't choreograph that. Time for her to go. Oti is a great new pro but I'd like to see what Joanne could do with a decent partner.
This should probably be Anton's last year too. No objection to him being a judge or a compere .. but no more dancing please.

I don't see why Ian had to go .. we've still got Brendan and flipping Anton.

Very interesting thread, you're all very knowledgeable. I'm another one who really misses Trent, I thought he was mesmerising. I like the 3 new pros this year and, although it's not the most popular view, I would prefer to see new blood instead of Ola, Brenda and Tristan, all of whom give the appearance that their hearts aren't in it any more.

I still miss Ian Waite....best ever imho. Does anyone know WHY they got rid of him?