Yes! Props are the devil - I don't remember 1 single dance where props actually enhanched the experience. Get RID.

My God, yes - I was obsessed with Caroline's feet! They were gorgeous. That Pro dance was horrific!!!

I totally agree with this except I don't hate all the finalists (well apart from Kevin) but I won't be watching the final or watching next year. The judges have spoilt this series.

Louise has by far the best feet this year, beautifully shaped and placed.

It made me laugh. I don't necessarily disagree with his critiques but in summary he appears to be saying "Don't ask me I don't know either"

Yep, agreed! Those are some balletically trained feet, and a joy to watch. Say what you want about her performance values, but her footwork is (nearly always) on point.

A couple of weeks ago - her waltz I think, I could not take my eyes of her feet. They were exquisite. Every step perfectly and elegantly placed and every step closed perfectly

I'd have liked a little more through the ball of the foot, but my God, yes - I could watch her footwork on a loop! I do wish there was more focus on footwork.

Totally agree. I think she also knew she hadn't done well at all on Saturday and felt bad that Claudia had lost out to her. Unlike TTF's partner last year, Kelly, who was as desperate as he was to win the final, I think Louise knows her limitations and how desperate TPTB are for a Clifton win and that's why she's in the final. I appreciate that she seemed genuinely sad for Claudia.

I'm consoling myself with the thought that TPTB only want TTF to finally win so they can give him a duffer next year and he'll eff off into obscurity.

Given that dance is moment set to music fair enough you can like her feet.

However, feet are only one part of the dance, horrendous feet can make me wince.

But more than anything watching a great dance I am swept away by the emotion, joy or sadness of the dance.

Loiuse and her feet haven't done that once this series. Her dances are technically very good but there is no performance included, there has been no journey except her dresses are more fitted, certainly not better. The only emotion I have had from Louise is acute embarrassment. Her feet are therefore irrelevant as I don't want to see embarrassment and feel cringeworthy. It's not at all what I want from my Saturday night.

Ditto Ore, he oozes insincerity and entitlement, it too is not what I want from my Saturday. His feet after 12 weeks of dancing are also stompy.

Both Cloudier and Danni have showed genuine joy in at least a couple of dances this series so I would have preferred those 2 in the final over either Louse or Ore,

That's what's so wrong with the judges manipulation they knew by their scoring they were putting through 2 not good dancers. It's last years tetchy final fest again, they did it again, it will be 40s thrown about to get the result they want and hopefully it doesn't happen again.

I hope Len's replacement has a bit of personal integrity and vote on what they see not what they have been told they see.

I'd lose a bit of exquisite footwork for actual joy. I've said more than once (and not just this year) that I personally prefer a less than perfect technical dance done with a bit of vim than something rigidly perfect but sterile. The bit in every dance they do where Danny and Oti just smile at each other for the sheer joy of it captivates me far more than a foot close.

It's a choice. The BBC/TPTB have given me that and it's what I've done. It's not my fault they get stroppy when I do what they've asked me to.


The insistence of the NDB storyline was actually what went someway to putting me off Anita last year. I would have loved someone to point out in real life the amount of money they would have to shell out for the amount of hours trained, meant if they couldn't pull off a facsimile of a dance then the teacher was actually a bit pants.

I unappreciate BBC Breakfast promoting "our Ore" this morning! Just quick passing remarks about the others.

Me too - bias, bias, bias!!!!

Just sent an email of complaint to BBC - about this and about the problems with online voting and telephone voting for Claudia and Danny on Saturday night.

This series has been filled with favouritism, bias, over and under marking and promotion of judges' favourites.

BIB: - problem is, neither can she

oh, I don't know - did rather appreciate Louise dropping in that it was obvious Ore could move from that Happy viral video. No, Louise - read the script

Excellent post, I agree on all counts.

It's obvious TPTB/BBC want Ore to win as he's a BBC star. Same happened with Chris Hollins winning over Ricky Whittle.

Good thing is, people are more savvy these days and by getting rid of Claudia, all the beeb have done is gifted Danny more votes. There's loads of Claudia voters who are now going to vote for Danny because of the Clifton bias and even normal people on twitter are going on about how fixed it is. I definitely think that'll work in Danny's favour.

I do hope so.

I hope that's how it pans out, but you never know. Louise must be doing pretty well in the public vote, so perhaps she's got even more fans than you'd think.
I could probably just about manage to suffer a Kevin win if his partner was genuinely fabulous, but she just isn't. She's meh at best.
Nope,still not over it.




Totally agree.
I'm not entirely confident I can always spot cock ups in the footwork ( that's what you lovely lot are for ), so I tend to judge on the overall impression of the dance.
"Perfect" footwork combined with a face like a slapped arse (DVO for example) will never do it for me like someone giving it proper joyful welly (Mark Benton).
Occasionally you do get someone who manages to combine both - for me, Aleesha was one of them - but I'll take a genuine smile over a couple of perfectly executed heel leads any day.

Even my husband noticed it.

👏👏👏👏👏👏💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

Totally agree. What drove me mad about the SF was the blatant over protection of Aw-ray to get him into the final. Why not mark based on the actual dance in front of you, and let the chips fall where they may? Nit picking relentlessly over Danny and Cloudier, while praising Louise for insipid, mistake ridden routines, and Aw-ray for his impression of an off kilter lamp post in a hurricane was infuriating

Couldn't bear to watch the results show last night, watching it proxy via this thread, as the prospect of more insincere emoting and camera focused tears would have hastened the demise of any broadcasting equipment I own...

Now there will be a week of narrative about sibling rivalry while poor Louise plays third wheel, Aw-ray weeps and pontificates at the enormity of his achievements, and Doti simply gets on with it 💐.

The final will be a whitewash of 40s for Twimsy, Aw-ray will be the NDB people's champion, and, relatively speaking Doti will be damned with faint praise (after incisive criticism, he'Il be patronised as a t'rrifik dancer despite all his flaws - totally ignored in the other 2) and placed at the bottom of the leaderboard.

Go Doti, go!!!!!!!!

So agree. For an intelligent woman, her constant over earnest parroting of NDB, NDB, NDB, seemed ill judged and drove me up the pole...

God I hope so. Any other result would be unthinkable.

It was pointed out on here that Alesha's footwork wasn't all that - and no, I hadn't noticed before. What Alesha had was a tremendous ability to sell a dance and draw the audience in. That's always going to win me over more than excellent footwork coupled with a sterile performance. In fact, I find it very difficult to watch Louise (and Rachel Stevens before her) because my attention wanders and I suddenly realise they're up in the Clauditorium getting their scores and my mind was elsewhere.

Early on, Ed was asked if his children were embarrassed by his performances on Strictly, and he replied that that's what dads are for. He threw himself into each and every performance, giving it all he'd got and hang the consequences. I predict that Ed Balls on Strictly will be a talking point long after everybody's forgotten that Louise ever took part, whatever the outcome next Saturday.

if the beeb / judges (church / state / <insert PTB of your choice>) were truly angling for a clifton win, then surely they would have voted danny out on saturday/sunday.

it wouldn't have been hard to do since claudia clearly danced better in the dance off than danny and should have gone through anyway.

i mean fancy putting all that effort into manipulating the scoreboard / sheeples then missing an obvious trick like that.

With the rider that I don't actually believe/think it any way - Claudia seems to have been the one with the momentum behind her. She could have finised second on the public vote and still been in the dance off. Tactically, it might be a better move to get rid of the person building support late doors, when her Showdance would be guaranteed as pretty spectacular