It benefited from being one of the first/actual first? one done in competition

Not just one of the best Charlestons - they scored 50 for that performance of it - the highest score in Strictly History!
You could see how impressed Bruno was with the simulated sex (and this was the second time he'd seen the dance!), and as Len explained recently, the judges always score on what they see.

I'm gobsmacked and that doesn't happen very often. I just...I just...l just...nope, I have nothing 😳

Lisa Snowdon, Pamela Stephenson and Abbey Clancey getting undeserved 40s and, most of all, Caroline Flack having the record for most 40s in a final despite being the most mediocre female winner ever (possibly tied with Abbey).

The Cola win (and yes ... the Cola Charleston being so lauded even tho Chris was flat footed throughout,) Kimberley .. in the final .. being landed with re-visiting the dance that put her in the bottom two (because no couple should be given dances to do in the final which were obviously unpopular,) Pixiegate and Jay not getting a perfect score because it was bloomin' well week 3!!!

The reason why that Charleston was loved, was because people got swept up in the whole performance and comedy aspect.

These days it seems most forum members are experts and critique the footwork instead of watching/enjoying the performance.

I think it's a dance that doesn't stand the test of time very well. As one of the first competition Charleston's out the trap it was a novelty and had everything the judges at that point said 'we' should be looking for. It suited Chris and Ola and their story through the series and it fitted the time.

Watching it cold, without that - it doesn't travel well. We've seen much better Charleston's since.

I agree and the same thing happened for me, to a certain extent, with Mark R and Karen's Argentine tango. At the time we hadn't seen many and it seemed brilliant. While I still love the atmosphere of it and I've never seen anyone look the part more than Mark, I can't watch it now and think it was a great dance in terms of footwork etc.

Matthew Cutler leaving
Kara never getting a full set of 10s
Artem leaving
Endless gushing over just about anything seems now compulsory...or was it always thus?

Speak for yourself. It didn't sweep me up in anyway.

Do you mean on these boards? This was much more prevalent in the early years, when there wasn't a separate section for appreciation threads. It was very cliquey and a self-nominated group spent all day patrolling the boards passive-aggressively chiding anyone who didn't agree with the general consensus. Everything had to be "pink and fluffy" and I remember a whole thread started by one of the ring-leaders dictating how people should behave.

Makes me now but at the time it felt like Mean Girls.

Gary Rhodes telling Karen Hardy she couldn't recognise a heel lead.

Lilia restraining herself as Dom Littleood rubbed his thumb on her arm as the judges gave their reasons for eliminating him. And again when he put his hands on her bum during the farewell dance. I'm not letting that one go...

Flavia letting Craig Kelly do some of the choreography.

No Christmas cards exchanged, methinks.

. Perhaps that was the problem! (I've noticed the gs, never noticed the ls! )

Maybe just a coincidence - unless they both changed their names to be 'more interesting'.

Richard Dunwoody was another non-potential dancer, but Lilia miraculously did manage to get him to dance a bit. Can't blame the oo's though.

All of this.
I loved the comedy & cheekiness of the performance - Chris's face alone was worth a 10!

I don't lose sleep over any of the results, but the one that I couldn't stand was someone winning who, even by the final, had completely failed to master any of the ballroom, and wasn't that great at the Latin either. The only dance she managed to shine in was the Charleston - a party dance. Yes, I do mean Caroline Flack.

Was more thinking of ITT, the website, message boards and the actual show, of course...

oh, and RICKYWOZROBBED!! *grabs her hard hat and heads for the exit*

Chris Parker reaching the final.
Could have been worse though, Mr Cuprinol (dickinson) could have made it instead.

I'm still not over a) Chris Hollins winning.

With the standard of dancing being so much higher after his series, it almost feels silly that he won. The British public are always right though, I stand by that idea, even if I don't like the result.

Smug Louis Smith winning. That godawful so called showdance of his which was just a gymnastics routine.