Advantages before they start?

Kirsty's - sport, fitness, ability to train, sometimes limited time, known on Sky
Iwan - same as Kirsty, on TV sometimes
Anthony - similar but injured shoulder but not on TV
Georgia - Corrie fans, acting course, dance classes, long experience on TV
Kellie - East Enders fans, at Sylvia Young School - half academic, half performing arts but v limited time
Helen - Call Midwife fans, ballet training, Musical Theatre course at Royal Acadamy of Music and Acting couse
Jay - Wanted fans, weekly ballet,tap class after ordinary school then Musical Theatre course at MADD in Nottingham
Jamelia - musical, long career singing with associated dancing
Peter - lots of fans, musical, long career singing with associated dancing
Daniel - lots and lots of fans, v long career singing but NO associated dancing
Katie - seems fit, on TV quite a lot, ballet training - after school?
Jeremy - no dance experience? on radio most days with lots of listeners
Ainsley - well known on TV, no dance training? likes to have a go at dancing
Carol - well known on TV, no dance training
Anita - on popular TV shows, no dance training but fit and flexible

Plus some are with popular and well known Pros such as Anton
Some get on well with Pros, some not so well
Some have natural talent for dance
Some come across well on TV

You tell me who had the biggest advantage?

But doesn't have the reach of a prime time weekend family show, with weekday spin offs. That kind of exposure is priceless. Come across well, and the world's yer mollusc.

And the world's your winkle?

This is probably is the best post I've read on the ringer/unfair advantage debate and I agree with you wholeheartedly. Advantages and disadvantages come from all sides. Mix in the natural ability and that unknown quality of likeability into the equation, too.

I just like to add that I think Katie had ballet lessons when she was a child and, judging from her background, I would imagine this extended from mid childhood to perhaps early teens. I also wouldn't be surprised if (as Abbey did) she had a few lessons before the show started.

Same goes for Anita. Not the ballet lessons - I'm not trying to start false rumours here, lol! There's no use denying she has plenty drive, energy and natural talent, but I really do believe she had a few lessons before the show started.

This just my opinion, though. I'm not trying start false facts to start flying about, and I'm actually in favour in celebs taking the initiative to improve their abilities before the show begins.

In my eyes, it only adds to the quality and entertainment of the show.

Just one last thing to add: I also enjoy the bad but entertaining dancers up to a certain point, and love to see the journey dancers, too.

It's this mixed bag that makes 'Strictly' what it is; probably the biggest entertainment show in Britain right now.

I agree!
Other than Anthony who was clearly unfair advantage all things considered and should have never signed this year, all others have advantages and disadvantages in a show like strictly.
It's funny how Helen and Jay get singled out (helen specially on the program) as having previous experience but the rest no. Katie did ballet as is pretty obvious. As did Kirsty, not so obvious and probably not long.
I liked the response that Jeremy gave. He said he thought about it and thought that he and Anita as well as Katie and Kirsty have the tremendous advantage of being in front of the camera day in day out basically being yourself, sometimes in front of millions. That builds nerves of steel and ability to be yourself in a program like strictly better than other performers like Daniel (who said he had never been as nervous!).
The biggest advantage that someone has in strictly is that they are likeable, and that has nothing to do with training. In that respect, Jeremy has a huge advantage!

That's pretty straight forward to answer. The judges are giving high marks to those who are dancing better than the others. Those with dance training are often dancing better because of that training. Case closed.

Do you expect the judges to give lower marks to the celebs with dance training just because? The judges are meant to mark what they see in front of them on the dance floor. The public vote however they like and they do often choose to vote for the beginners.

It's the same old argument every year, and it takes no account of the real world. Of course contestants with prior dance experience have an advantage. Imagine the show if everybody was a rank beginner. We would spend the opening weeks watching them all trip over their own feet, and The X Factor would reign supreme.

There are, basically, three types of contestants: those with prior dance experience (sometimes called ringahs), those who don't have the experience, but do have ability (journeys), and those who haven't a prayer (no-hopers). It is the ringahs who set the standard in the opening weeks. The no-hopers are the first out because they are the worst dancers, and always will be, regardless of how much tuition their pros give them. While they are being weeded out, the journeys have a chance to catch up with the ringahs, and they do so round about Blackpool time. Then it becomes a realistic contest.

Just because somebody has been to a performing arts school, or performs on stage for a living, it does not follow that he or she is a trained dancer of professional standard. For one thing, it requires talent, and this cannot be taught. It is inborn. For another, simply attending the school does not mean that they were trained to a professional standard. That is like claiming that every child who studies English Literature at school will be able to write like Shakespeare.

Yes I've said this before as well. Not to mention the fact that plenty of Strictly contestants have got away with having dance training. Kirsty being one of them. No one is claiming it's unfair for her to be in the competition. It only ever seems to be a problem if they have the audacity to be good at dancing. The advantage Jay has over Kirsty is innate natural talent. That's the same advantage Anita has over Iwan. And it's One of the biggest advantages on the show and the most difficult to predict.

I must be the only person in the world who hasnt heard this song!

I think you must be! I keep hearing it on various radio stations, and have seen the music video on TV (without purposefully searching for it)

Damn ringers the both of them!

In previous series we always used to get an update on the number of hours training each celeb had during the week, but not now.

In the past, it seemed that the majority of celebs were able to concentrate 100% on SCD and trained every hour god gave with the result that many progressed and improved dramatically.

Now it seems the majority have full time jobs and jam training in where they can, with the result that those with no dance or performing background just don't seem to make the same amount of progress we used to see from novice dancers.

This means those with previous dance training of experience, and performers cary that advantage right through the series.

Perhaps Katie should have stuck with the dance trainer she used before the series started, instead of relying on Anton !

Ha ha yes, tbf these two have the greatest advantages of all of them, they have the advantage of being complete novices and also extreme likeability.

Oh yes, I'll second this.

I don't dislike him, I just think he has a massive advantage, you don't and you are entitled to your opinion which I respect, I just disagree with it.

Didn't you support Natalie Gumede in her year, or have I got you muddled with someone else?

Of course they've all been pre-trained. Did you ever see it dribbling down their leg?

This just won StrictlyForumNet