It was not a fix. Anita and Gleb have been consciously choosing to include crowd-pleasing flashy stuff rather than proper dance content. By attracting the viewer votes, they could avoid the dance-off. It got them this far, but they didn't get enough viewer votes to avoid the dance-off this week, leaving them practically certain to be eliminated, due to the lack of content which the judges have criticised repeatedly. Anita knew very well what Gleb's strategy was, and she was happy to go along with that. He did well to get her this far and gain her so much exposure and new fans.

Anita dance-off performance started badly - the footwork in the first half looked very messy, while Katie's performance was hugely improved. After the two performances, it was very obvious to me who'd get through.


Kevin From Grimsby!

What about Kellie in that so-called Viennese Waltz last week... that had next to no Viennese in it. Yet, Len loved it?

This year the show has had blatant manipulation, yes it's been there every year - but this year it's been clear to see.

She did the dance she was given by the professional if it wasn't the correct salsa it's not her fault,the dance she did do was done extremely well unlike Katie who did the correct dance with loads of mistakes her charleston was dreadful.

Of course. How daft of me
Maybe I was hoping it would be something derogatory...

KFG - Kevin From Grimsby

Agree there was a certain smug satisfaction - thought back to the film Strictly Ballroom and the Barry Fife character. Len is very much a traditionalist and just as opposed to change and capable of making his point at other people's expense.

Kellie's Viennese Waltz last week had quite a lot of Viennese in it but it also had a lot of other stuff going on in keeping with the theme and it was deliberately not as graceful as most Viennese waltzes, again in keeping with the theme. The judges cut them some slack for being saddled with the theme and interpreting it well. Personally, I hated it but that isn't because of lack of Viennese content.

Anita robbed. Anton & Katie gifted a final place

Unless like the judges you realise that the reason the pro's give their celebs a routine that bears no resemblance to the dance they are supposed to be doing is because the celeb can't do the dance they are supposed to be doing.

I think it was close in that they were both "poor"

The judges have to be OTT and entertaining. Len's the grumpy old traditionalist, Craig's harsh-but-fair (rather like Simon Callow)..etc. It's Saturday night entertainment. Watch any reality show where there are judges and you always get controversial personalities.

It's to get us, the public talking - and it works.

I love each and every judge and think they do a great and entertaining job

Couldn't agree more and while I think Anita & Gleb were shafted with the music, he could have put more basic Salsa in while still keeping some of the high energy tricks and it would have made Len happy.
What we got was a loosely Salsa based showdance.

You can't separate the celeb from the choreography. Good choreography shows off the celebrities ability to do that dance well; bad choreography denies them that chance. The fact that bad choreography isn't the celebrity's fault doesn't and can't mean they should not get penalised for it.

You can't be given credit for demonstrated ability to dance a salsa unless you actually dance a salsa.

I'm just surprised that Len finally had the make a decision in a DO after 12 weeks

This is what I say. It isn't innovative at all, it's basically cheerleading style dancing/showdance and just calling it a salsa. It wasn't salsa, so it wasn't innovative, it was just given the wrong name.

There you go.

The moves weren't only not innovative, they were pretty damned ghastly as well - crotch punch anyone? Blades of glory crotch/face? Teabag?

Dearie me.

Len and all the judges are having to give reasons as to why they choosing a couple to go through because when they didn't people were accusing them of "a fix.
Now Len is accused of "being rude" and the poor sod can't win.
Don't explain and you're a liar, do explain and you're meenie!
Len thought Katie and Anton danced better than Anita and Gleb and said so in an honest way that explained his decision in a 5 second sound bite. Maybe if he was given more time he could have given a point by point reason but by then half the viewers, myself included would have switched off the television set.
If you want to blame anyone, blame the people who enjoyed shouting fix (with a lot of noise from the newspapers). It is because of them the format had been forced to change and explanations demanded.

Len is an old git who is so set in his ways. He shouldn't be allowed to judge.

Yes I think that it was a bit unnecessary. Yes katie vastly improved in the dance-off but she wasn't flawless.

A look of utter contempt, disgraceful.

I'm beginning to see through that "chirpy chappy" persona he projects.

And after all the effort that Anita put in that "it wasn't even close for me" was uncalled for if not a calculated insult.

She deserved a better valedictory than that.

Len is right - if he is judging based on doing the dance you are supposed to do. He was supposed to say why he made his decision - he didn't.

Len gave Anita a high score of 8.

That is why I didn't watch the results show and I wont be watching the final. I don't think I will be missing much. I surely don't want to watch Katie and Kellie. Kellie bores the hell out of me.

The irony is that we asked for honest judges after Jameliagate and some people don't like them now we've got them.

To me, it was almost as if Len was giving a message to everyone who slated the judges for the Jamelia decision. "This isn't close. There's no story here. The judges have watched this dance off and picked Anton and Katie according to every rule."

He may well be, however this isn't the case here.

It's a salsa, it's supposed to actually be a salsa.

Say Kellie was supposed to waltz, instead she put on some tap shoes and tapped out a dance, but it was done under the name of a waltz. Is that fresh and innovative, or is it just doing a dance that has always been done, just under a different name, because that is all Gleb gave Anita this week.

Think you might be taking it all a bit to seriously - it's just entertainment!!