I always wondered why is Kevin so much hated on this forum? He's one of the best pro on the show, his choreography is amazing & his routines are always a treat to watch..plus he's got a fun personality as well..

Some of his dances with Kelly last season were my most favorites of all time..like their American Smooth is the best AS i've seen on Strictly!

I really don't understand why so many people don't like him on this forum? whereas some other terribly overrated pros whose choreography & personality sucks are loved here..cough Anton ..cough Brendan..

I can't tell if you're joking with this last sentence

I don't hate him but i can't stand his dance style. Hes so frantic and over the top in his style and facial expressions that it makes my teeth ache.

I used to think Camilla had that market covered but i was sadly wrong.

I for one would cheer if he left the show. Sorry.

His partnerships have been the primary opposition for the last three sets of forum pets (Natalie/Sophie, Pixie/Caroline, Jay). That hasn't helped.

'Hate' is most definitely not the word to use. Everybody on this forum is entitled to an opinion, and it just so happens that Kevin is a somewhat marmite character. I personally don't really like to watch him dance and do get quite irritated by his OTT nature at times, but i am however able to appreciate what a truly great choreographer he is on the show and how he forms great relationships with his partners.

- He is badly overexposed and needs a quieter year
- Two of his partnerships (Susanna and Kellie) were very marmite
- He is one of the worst offenders for drowning dances in themes, stories and props

I don't mind him off of the dance floor. I'm not keen on his everything but the kitchen sink routines though and my opinion of him last year sunk when the BBC bias kicked in. Jo didn't help. Not sure it was Kevin's fault but it put me off him even more. The partnership with Kellie was a bridge too far ... it depends on who he gets this year as to whether he goes back to being just mildly irritating on the dance floor. I didn't mind him too much with Frankie. Louise is probably his best bet.

Yes he is a bit of a gurner and OTT and but not as much as his wife and sister ! I do think he's a nice personality, and a good teacher to his celebrities though. I would keep him in and let the other two Cliftons go quite easily.

I just don't like the way he dances (in the same way I don't like the way Mark Ballas dances) and with Kellie that went from dancing to the back row of the theatre to dancing to the back row of the theatre in the next county. Very Junior Showtime. Off the dance floor he seems nice enough - although I didn't like all the hollerin' and whoopin' from his supporters in the Clauditorium in the final - but that's not his fault.

Last series was a step too far for me - it's all more Good Old Days than Ballroom and the partnership with Kelly was just OTT. It's a shame because he seems to be a good teacher and he can choreograph a good routine - it's just not ballroom as I want to see it ... a bit of subtlety wouldn't go amiss

As a lot of posters have said, I don't 'hate' him I can't hate him I don't know him personally he might be a lovely chap for all I know, but I just can't stand his dancing style, great at the ballroomy stuff but even then somehow adds little unnessasery extras of expressions but his Latin is a bit too much for my eyes and head to handle 😂😂 I guess it's just the way his been taught over expressive faces and forgetting some technique, his samba with Susanna still brings me to tears and not in a good way, bless him 😂

I don't mind Kevin (from Grimsby) that much. He is cute, albeit rather OTT at times.

I find his sister far more annoying.

And I do think he should get a likely duffer this series. Lesley Joseph, perhaps?

Sadly the final last year left a really sour taste in the mouth for this very reason. It was totally spoiled by bias and all the OTT shouting and screaming from certain people in the Clauditorium. I sincerely hope we don't have a repeat of it this year.

You may not like the facial expressions but there is nothing wrong with Kev's technique in latin at all he danced to the very highest levels in latin competition - and was British Champion twice, you cannot really quote the samba with Susanna that suffered from non samba music and a lousy theme.

Wait I didn't know that Kevin got stuck with an explorers theme by the producers, even that doesn't change my opinion on how bad that particular routine was, he could have made a proper samba to that music, I don't think there was anything wrong with shakiras song Kevin was actually blessed with some music that actually fits a samba based routine. It was up to him at the end of the day on how to teach Susanna the right steps, instead added a whole lot of hair scruffing and too much shimmying and not very good shimmying btw lol, but hey it's my opinion right?

The thing is, though, Bendy, Kevin dances latin as if he's in a professional competition - at least that's how it looks to me. Taking aside the fact that that makes him appear to be over dancing next to a celeb on Strictly, it's also a really unappealing aesthetic - to my eyes at any rate: all guns blazing and accompanied by those exaggerated ticks you see in videos of competition dancing.

I appreciate as a dancer youself you'll have a different perspective on this, but to me competitive latin dancing really isn't very attractive to watch - it's too "mannered" for my taste. The very same dancers performing in show dances can seem more natural and relaxed whilst also having great technique, so I do think it's something to do with what's expected in competition (just as the hair, make-up and costuming can also be over the top and often ghastly).

It's a bit like those singers who have incredible technique but insist on throwing in as many licks and runs and whatever to put it all on show. Other singers might think it's amazing, but when you just want to listen to a nicely expressed song, it amounts to a lot of noise. I might be exaggerating a bit as far as Kevin's concerned, but I do think he needs a dose of 'less is more'.

Well I've jusr had a look at the routine (I honestly couldn't remember it) and there were samba steps (including stationary sambas, rolls cruzado walks, promenade runs to name just some). It looks to me as if it was pitched at level Susanna could cope with. Sometimes you just have to accept that the celeb has limitations in what they can do. I think you are an Aliona fan and surely you must accept there were some celebs where she topped and tailed the choreography, even with Harry's early dances.

I do however agree with fridgesoup that he could be lower key to showcase his celeb more, but I don't agree that there is anything wrong with his teaching or generally the technical content of his choreography. (Accept some people may not like it from an aesthetic viewpoint.)

I also accept that many people don't like certain styles of competitive latin dancing (styles do vary quite a lot and I can think of some couples that might be more to Strictly audience's tastes). I remember when Michael and Joanna (World Champions) appeared on the show to a very negative reception. I am wondering how Neil and Katya will be received.

I'm not sure he's hated. He's just one of those people who can't help being irritating for some (or many). He's too hyper during interview (silly laugh), and definitely when he's dancing.

Opposite of Tristan or Aljaz, for example.

I must admit that he's not my favourite pro, however there's no doubting his skills as a dancer, choreographer and teacher. I didn't mind him with Susanna or Frankie, but did find the combination of him and Kellie a bit much so I didn't vote for them. As previous posters have said, the whooping in the Clauditorium last year was awful, but Kevin can't be blamed for that.

I prefer the pros to have different styles and personalities, makes it all more interesting and in Kevin's defence he seems to get on well with all of his partners, plus I remember seeing a photo Brendan posted of when Kevin went to see his show, so I think he's friendly with the other pros, not just Janette and Aljaz (plus Karen and his sister of course).

Just realised that I haven't answered the OP's original question, but in my opinion people seem to think that he's had preferential treatment - not helped by threads like the one from last year which claimed that he was Len's godson!

I'd like to see someone else in the final this year, but I think Kevin could do quite well with any of this year's celebs.
Last edited by PinkDiamond : 27-08-2016 at 19:22

He does seem to be a good teacher and his partners all seem to come away having had a good experience. I also don't mind Kevin as a person. On the other hand, I think TPTB did him no favours by going quite so overboard with the Kevin from Grimsby thing in his first series and then by (arguably) going into Clifton overload. None of that is really his fault, but I think some viewers are naturally contrary. (I mean me. I am. ). If we feel someone (or a storyline or whatever) is being pushed too hard, some of us react negatively. Overreact, perhaps, but there you go

He's an arrogant cock, that's why.

I don't have a problem with anything you are saying because you generally accept there is another viewpoint and you can see the positives as well as the negatives. When it comes down to it we all have views about the professionals. There have been at least two previous ones that I haven't rated at all as dancers or choreographers and one who I rated quite highly but just didn't like personally.

He's not hated, he just looks like a nerd who dances like a flea on a hot plate, and his partners never seem to improve. If you drive a novice to work so fast, they're not likely to perfect their form.

OP, I can understand you wanting to defend a dancer that you like, but it's a shame that you have chosen to do this by criticising other pros.

I don't mind Kevin - liked his partnership with Frankie. His partnership with Kellie was rather OTT though.

So how has he managed to be a 3/3 finalist since he joined?