I would expect any pro to choreograph to the abilities and limitations of their celebrity.

It's not "special treatment" or "kid gloves" and it has nothing to do with "all".

Just a professional creating a routine which his/her partner has the ability to dance.

In fact, the pros who do that are often lauded for their skill.

Of course its special treatment if her routines have to be carefully choregraphed so she doesn't aggravate further her medical conditions

In that case it's also "special treatment" if a routine is choreographed to meet the needs of a celebrity who:

- is 'older'

-is 'heavier'

- is 'younger'

- is 'lighter'

- has a specified or unspecified pre-existing medical condition

- has no dance experience

- has some dance experience

- has quite a lot of dance experience

- meets DS criteria to be called a 'ringah'

- has had no injuries to date

- has had an upper body injury

- has a lower body injury

- falls into one of the many categories not listed so far

Saturday will be very interesting for sure.

I thought that the BBC were stopped from running the phone-in vote, because their charter didn't permit them to make a profit from such a device (even though proceeds went to CiN). And that they handed it over to an independent company (with profits going where???).

The list of celebs even this series who can be said to need special treatment after a tear to a muscle includes Greg and Will.

Tear is an unfortunate word to be used damaged would have been better, Greg damaged a muscle, Will damaged a muscle. Anastacia damaged scar tissue.

I think no one but those determined to be overly dramatic would think that the cast is walking about coming to pieces like the walking dead. That takes a very special determination to be divorced from even the slightest bit of common sense.

Even those people who don't appeared to have used any common sense can't really think it would take a specialist to confirm a skin opening.

Not that that was ever going to happen. Really people walking about with healed wounds from years ago having them burst open. Too many horror films !

I don't know whether to laugh or be horrified myself at the sheer determination to make a small drama into a Hollywood epic involving blood and guts.

I know we have Halloween night, yuk, but that is Make up!

Artem had to choreograph around Natalie's back problems, Oti had to choreograph for a one-armed Anthony, Brendan had to choreograph for a rheumatoid arthritis stricken Clare, Anton had to choreograph to all the Widdifications. It's what the pros are paid to do.

Widdifications... brilliant!!!!

Well I must be one of the 'horrible' people as well then as I feel the same way.

The whole Melvin/her/dance off situation was shameful on her part imo aided no doubt by Brendan who doesn't like to lose and rightly or wrongly, again only my opinion, I feel he would have added his two pennorth to the mix so he could stay in the competition a bit longer.

Since they got rid of the CiN connection, the money from phone votes only goes to covering the cost of the premium rate line. The BBC make no profit whatsoever.

And as confirmed on the BBC Strictly site, if there is a bit of change left over, this is donated to charity.

I too have had BC. I too totally agree with the above posts.

I totally get it that celebs can do masses more than Joe Public ever can by endorsing a particular charity. But there is an appropriate time and place for everything, and this is going too far now. I want to be entertained by an entertainment show! Not reminded of my trauma with BC, which I am sure others will confirm is still at the front of our minds every day.

Of course it isn't! I'm amazed anyone even thought that! I mean, a torn muscle is the tearing of muscle fibres or tendons, you don't suddenly have a big hole in you. Scar tissue isn't only what you can see.




That's not 'special treatment'. That's what happens to everyone. If a male celeb doesn't have the physical strength to do dramatic lifts then they choreograph it without dramatic lifts. I haven't seen Lesley being accused of getting 'special treatment' because of her age.

Anything that limits the moves you can do puts you at a disadvantage as it's more difficult to put the routines together. It hardly helps her.

Brendan would not ask any of his partners to lean back since strictly speaking that is the wrong posture and frowned upon by many adjudicators. I know some Strictly pros do it but it is mainly when they are doing a stationary line rather than moving in basic hold (Joanne rather more since she comes from a WDSF background). Len would not expect it.

For the correct hold she would stretch as far left as possible and upwards (so sort of diagonally). However there also is a rotation in the upper body (left side forward). These actions (and a certain amount of headweight) give an optical illusion of leaning back somewhat.

I don't know what any of this means for Anastacia. I had assumed it would put some strain and on her and give some pain if she stretches to the limit, which is what Brendan would normally encourage his partners to do. But maybe they can focus on a nice smooth movement in legs and feet with good rotation and hold back a bit on the topline.

No she didn't out-dance Melvin



Thanks for that. I couldn't remember the exact scores but thought Melvin got higher marks.

Anastacia's dance in week 1 and 2 was pretty awful and, as above, she was marked lower by the judges than Melvin on the week 2 dance.

Makes a complete mockery of the result on Saturday. Why not send home the person with the lowest judges' scores for that evening? Oh of course because that would have been Anastacia and they don't want to lose her do they

Strictly have an established policy of - If with the combined scores, the result is a draw, the celeb with the highest public vote will be considered to be higher placed - so they have established precedence for the public vote since some point after Series 6.

I'm still wondering what they are going to do this Saturday if a similar situation develops.

Surely then, Anastacia would have to withdraw on medical grounds. If she was unfit/unable to perform in the DO, then I think she would have to accept she had reached the end.

Dunno, but I'm sure you will have plenty to say about it

I think this. She has been cleared medically to dance, and surely that must include the possibility of a Dance Off. There would be uproar if she got a DO pass again.

Normally, I would think either she or her people would see that it's not going to look great if she doesn't do the DO again and she would withdraw, but the waters seem to be muddied by her giving her fee to charity etc. It will get interesting if she is bottom of the leaderboard and in the DO with a mid tabler like Greg/Claudia/Laura and they have a lower public vote (unlikely I know) - I think the BBC might then decide that last Saturday was a bye and she can't have another one under the 'rules'.

So if she is in the bottom two this week and does the dance off, will the judges be told to
keep her in?

They could abolish the dance off altogether for the whole series, that would be delightful. I have never thought it fair, let alone giving Len a double say.

No I expect in the unlikely event of it happening Anastacia will retire.

I wonder if Will and his bum injury is in the same position as Anastacia there will be quite as much fuss. Actually no I don't wonder at all I know the answer.

She would have to withdraw - because she has already used her allowed bye.

Or, instead of having rent-a-pro, we could have rent a celeb. Anastasia could sit it out and Melvin take her place with Brendan.