He had the audacity to be in a partnership that dared to dance well (enough) to be given good scores by the judges and at times outscored the forum/social media mega favourite. How dare he. He should never have been given a celebrity who could dance. He should have had a duffer. Look he's got to be favoured by show he just couldn't succeed by talent. It's a UK disease.

Like you I'm no huge fan but the targeting of certain dancer/celebrities in the last few years on forums/social media is getting too much.

I thought he was delightful on ITT tonight.

He and Louise may become my favourites, and not in the Brucie sense.

I always like Kevin on ITT it's watching him dance that grate's with me, he's either frantic, too twee, dressed up or all three! Just not my thing.

More like an overheated Jack Russell that goes for the legs. I just find him intensely annoying.

Really nice post Ochre and I agree with every word, including the little about 'Mr Mac' (unfortunate name!)

I thought Louise looked lovely in her red sailor outfit and it's really nice to see a female, who is facially stunning, not feel the need to flash her body.

Kevin is my favourite Clifton so I cannot understand the OP (and others of like mind) anymore then they can understand me.

I love his energy and enthusiasm. These qualities irritate others, but they excite me. I think he is amazing at jive and would love the opportunity to jive with him. His jives with Kellie and Louise were not frantic or frenetic. I can see why those words might be levelled at the ones with Susannah and Frankie, but I don't see it as a deficit on his part.

As a Kevin fan I like to see him partnered with a variety of pupils. He seems to attract the late 30's/early 40's fit women at present. It would have been lovely to see him with Lesley as I think he would have been kind to her, which is a not a quality I attribute to Anton.

I do think this is part of the problem. Whilst with Susanna one could genuinely say she was an unknown quantity, the partners he has had since have all had some ability. Dealing with the unfit duffers can endear the public to a professional. Sadly this seems to be Anton's role, mostly to the detriment of the person he is partnering. Maybe if Kevin had been partnered with Lesley, the public perception would change. After all, Karen has been very gracious in dealing with the duffers she has had, so he has a good role model.

Your post would have a point were Kevin master of his choice of partner. But he's not so I don't think the vitriol he attracts is related to this, rather it's a symptom. A vocal number dislike Kevin and one of the rationalisations is that he's given ringers. But it's only a rationalisation to legitimise a dislike, hatred for some, that they have no interest investigating. I'm not interested in the investigation, or lack of it either. I'm a die hard fan and the dislike doesn't touch me but I despise the rationalisations.

could you say that agane for me, but wivout all dem long wurdz?

Kevin is a marmite Pro, as is Anton, love or hate, rarely an inbetween with those two. So yeah I suppose that is why they invoke more vitrol than other pros or it seems that way. I guess some might try and rationalise some dislike by hitting at the partner choices given, It doesn't bother me as everyone to their own reasons. I like Kevin though He is just a bit hyper

For the record I'm a fully paid up GG thread member & I can't work it out either!!

Louise would be mad not to be happy with Kevin as a choice of partner as he has taken his last three partners all the way to the final!!

No I don't think he does at all, everyone of his Pasos are very close to one another, Kellie could easily have been Frankie in many of the ballroom dances and Susanna in the Latin.

Also why the obsession with the past, not every dance has to be set in the 40, 50, and 60's? Certainly there is nothing about Loiuse that says, lets style this in the 40s it will suit her.

I actually think this emphasis on nostalgia is a very deliberate plan by Kevin to appeal to older people who seem to take that nice young man.

However I don't think that is his personality at all, off SCD he dresses in leather and more in keeping with Karen, who is a very sexy woman.

I haven't ever liked his style of dance, that's personal preference, I was put off by his over exuberance with Susanna, felt he dominated Frankie who wasn't allowed to shine as herself, as for his partnership with Kellie it just exaggerated everything that I didn't like about both.

Quite frankly he actually should take his queue from Loiuse a really lovely woman, let her shine as herself, don't throw everything and the kitchen sink into every dance.

Kevin is obviously a lovely guy.
He choreographs outside the box, and tries to get the best out of every one of his partners.
He embraces the campness of Strictly with open arms.
He obviously doesn't take him too seriously - no "I'm too cool for this" attitude.
He builds great rapports with his partners.

All of these factors combined evidently mean that Kevin is EVIHHHLL, and should not be tolerated at any cost.

Do you want to explain to me why you say that, plenty of people on here have given coherent reasons why they don't really like Kevin.
Nowhere has anyone stated he is evil.
In your opinion he is a lovely guy etc

In my opinion I don't really like the way he dances and am not that fond at all of him as a person, I don't think he adapts his style to others and I will become very annoyed if he starts to overshadow Loiuse as he did Frankie.

Do you mean me? Can't tell.

No, no one has explicitly stated that he is evil, but I was hoping that my mocking spelling of it would indicate that it wasn't intended to be a serious comment. Perhaps I should be less vague in future.

It was however, an assumption on my part. In the same way that assumptions are being made about Kevin's preferences for style clearly being underhanded tactics - and his personality on the show clearly false.

Far be it from me to ever question any double standards on DS though...as you were, people!

Well as dance teacher if I was given You Really Got Me as a track to do a tango to would have gone for a 60's approach

For jump jive and wail which is very much a boogie woogie track I would also have set it in the 40's too - it just makes sense to me

I think Kevin did not out shine or over dance Louise in their Jive - in fact he show cased her well

Gosh!

First time I've ever noticed a thread saying negative things about one of the Cliftons!

The problem on DS - especially it seems on the last series of Strictly - it is just not acceptable to say that you haven't taken to a person as they appear to you through your tele screen. You were virtually ordered to write an essay complete with bullet points and diagrams to explain exactly why you felt like you did which could then be critiqued by someone in great detail pointing out just why you were wrong. Something as nebulous as 'he's just not my cup of tea' was not acceptable, so people have to cast around for other more satisfactory reasons to appease the ones who find he is their cup of tea.

So, for me the ringer arguement isn't a rationalisation to legitimise a dislike, it's a flail around to find something that will be an acceptable reason to others who do like the way he appears to them through their tele screens and can't understand why there's a difference of opinion.

Agreed! Was so hard to critique Jay last year!

A shame people can't let you have your own opinion.

Quote du jour!

Why? What's she waiting for?

Like your style Baz!

I think this is further rationalisation. I don't like him or I hate him, as dancing.queen writes, serves its purpose and I have no issue with those who state this. The issue is with those who dislike to loathe him but cannot, will not, just say it because ..? Why? I'm not interested in their why if truth be told; it will be further flapping flumox. Furthermore those who dislike him start threads declaring it and everyone piles in and for what constructive conversation? Exactly! This is his fourth year. He was titled TTF in year one and let's leave it there. The endless machinations from those who dislike him is p*******.

Kevin turns up, gets on with it, doesn't bitch, shows enthusiasm and gets on well with his partners. i am sure the showrunners think he's great, they don't care about the whinging on forums. I remember Natalie getting slagged off on here for the dumbest reasons when she danced with Ricky but now she's really popular on here. The showrunners know most of the whinging is fickle and petty.

What outcome do you think his detractors are scheming to bring about?