This is it, same with Ed Balls. If they're going to make some look daft, they should do it with all of them. They did it with Lesley Joseph last week, but they've not dressed up Daisy, Louise or any of the others. I still can't unsee Scott Mills as a lobster.

From the parts of the routine where he dances properly it would appear that he does have untapped potential but how much is hard to say. Dancing well for an entire routine is not an easy ask and it could be that Oksana is choreographing accordingly to make the most of his undoubted enthusiasm and the technique he has mastered.

Either way many people enjoy his and Oksana's routines and given the ability of Danny and Ore perhaps the producers have decided to lumber him with comedy routines until he loses in a dance off.

There are three contestants at the moment who are in the bracket of 'not good, but had potential'. Rinder, Ed and Greg. All of them in different ways are trying to hide their lack of technique and dance skill. Rinder and Ed now fall back on comedy and having people laugh at them in the hopes that will keep them in, and Greg seems to do half of each of his dances lifting Nat in the air to disguise his terrible footwork.

I don't like Rinder, he comes over to me at least as pompous and arrogant, but I thought in the first two weeks he had talent and could do well. Unfortunately he seems to have plateaued and his silly faces won't keep him in for much longer.

I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure the reason only certain contestants get the comedy stuff is because the producers don't want them to win, so they try their best to nobble them with the daft props and costumes in the hope they'll get ropey scores from the judges and the public votes will follow suit It's the same every year, although occasionally a comedy fodder contestant will break through eg Ann Widdecombe (who I think made it to the last six didn't she?), so let's hope that Rob can do the same and rise above it (especially as he seems to be making more of an actual effort than Widders was, bless 'er).

Rinder's getting comedy routines because he got a huge response in Week 1 for deliberately overacting and playing the giddy goat so I've got little sympathy, especially as he's still over-egging the facial expressions on purpose as a hook for votes.

Lesley's getting comedy routines because she's principally a comic actress and has a talent for it, and partly because she has Anton and it's his niche.

Ed's getting comedy routines because (barring in his Charleston) he cannot dance. If you'd stripped back the giant dragon and the flashing lights and the camp music and the caping this week, all you're left with is a man forgetting his entire routine and flapping about randomly. And last week wouldn't have been much better. It's much easier for the show to say "great effort" and "you're what the show is all about" to a man who has done one presentable routine out of four, if you can distract the public with overblown gimmicks and woo-woo to entertain those who don't particularly find "doing your best and not being very good" inherently entertaining on its own,

Everyone else (male and female) remaining is, to a degree, there for sex appeal, to some extent or another. They're never (outside maybe of Hallowe'en Week) really going to ugly them up, because it takes away from a significant part of why a lot of people watch. It's shallow, but that's the show.

I think he's fit but doesn't have much musicality so they are going for lifts, tricks and personality. I don't know if he can improve or not.

Do you think (legit questions) that he's over-egging his facial expressions because he's being told so or because he decided to do it? My guess (only a guess, obvs) it's that it's a bit of both.

IMO, there's room for improvement but the themes, faces, and props are getting in the way in a bit. He'll never going to be at the same level of Danny or Ore for example, but maybe he could go a bit further than his predicted arch.

I'd really like to see him get a straight, non-comedy routine just so that we could see how he did at it. I get the feeling he could be good (although in such a strong field that may not be good enough).

Dressing them up in their Bavarian themed outfits, and punishing them with that awful song is pretty contemptible. He's better than just another joke act.

Hopefully, they'll have a routine and song that suits their potential this week. Any one know which dance they've been given?

According to the results show Rob and Oksana are doing a Jive this week.

Oh dear. I suspect the temptation to impose a comedy theme may be too great.

Rob Rinder was on BBC Breakfast this morning and he said that they have an army theme for the jive.

I agree. I think he has a lot potential but will take longer to develop and so Strictly timescales may be too constrained. It is a shame about the comedy element. I think his costumes have been a bit lacking in dignity.

Re prop interaction: I differ in my view here. I don't think he has reached the advanced stage yet. Until he has negotiated a dancing teapot, or other type of moving tableware, I think he is still at beginner/intermediate stage. But i think his prop interaction will develop nicely in time for Blackpool.

Someone (Darcey?) said that as playing characters is his thing, they should give him a serious character to play and see how he does with that. Not sure it would work but would like to see it. I think comedy can distract from bad dancing but learning the comedy can also mean no time to develop good dancing? It's the only way to go with Ed but Rinder was quite good week 1 I think tho I was mostly looking at Oksana.

Yes, I very much agree. I'd like to see him do a classic waltz or something similar. I'd also like to see the props and Oksana's choreography toned down a bit. Everything has been a bit too loud and brash so far. It would be nice to see a less-is-more approach, at least for a week so we can get a proper look at what he can do.

I'd love to see him drop the 'comedy' for at least one dance. Last week's cow and leiderhosen theme was unsettling

Sadly Robert is losing support from people like me because of the comic routines being imposed upon them/him. If this is a reason for Oksana's diminishing enthusiasm then she has my sympathy. He has potential to be a good dancer and it's being squandered.

I'd prefer to see him do a proper 'straight' routine at least once, but to be fair, from how he comes across on the show I feel that the comedy stuff is his comfort zone.

If he's happy with that then let him get on with it - as long as he knows he's not going to win, the current approach is giving him a nice little boost in name recognition and I'm sure he & Oksana are having plenty of fun. Maybe that's all he wanted from the experience?

If anything Rinder is suffering as a result of falling too much in the middle, not over the top enough to be a full blown comedy contestant, but not quite good enough to be a contender.

That said It's interesting that most people here seem think the 'comedy' element is being imposed upon him? I personally haven't really seen anything that suggests as such (though, in fairness I haven't seen anything opposing that idea either). I know the show regularly *weekly* lumbers contestants with terrible songs/theming etc, but I'm not getting any vibe from Rinder that he's unhappy with his lot.

I think he found his shtick week 1, saw the level of competition and decided to run with it (problems arose week 2 when Ed Balls realised he was utterly sh*t and was either going to be embarrassed by being first out, or stay the course longer and be embarrassed by OTT routines, went with the latter, and did it strangely better than Rinder).
Even his deadpan sarcasm, deer in headlights thing, i get the vibe is all part of his 'comedy persona', and that's coming from him- though equally i guess you could read it as derision towards theming at times.

That said, I don't even think his routines have been overly comedic for strictly;
-Courtroom based Cha Cha- very on the nose,
-A pretty straightforward prom themed, albeit saccharin, American Smooth (with added faces)
-Caveman Charleston- standard strictly

Saturday's dance, was the first full on comedy push theme for me (though, that said, not dissimilar theming to Pixie's gorgeous VW...) and ironically was probably, mistakes aside, technically his strongest dance! Though I don't know if that's a case for improvement, or a case of the 'story' of the dance hiding a multitude of sins better...

Either way i'm not sure he has that much time left, which is a real shame as he seems like a nice guy who may have had some potential to learn, but got swallowed in the murky place between trying to look good and be funny. Im not sure he was ever going to be brilliant, but thought he could go relatively far, unfortunately the initial week 1 buzz has died down, and seems to have shifted to Ed, which is a pity, because out of the two Rinder actually had some potential of at least emulating the difference dance styles! How fickle the British public is !

I don't think I can judge Oksana on one celebrity. She may be doing the best with what material she has and they seem to be getting on so I don't assume it is her or the show forcing him down a comedy routine. His tv show is on the comedy side too so I suppose he is comfortable with that.

I very much like Rob and hope that he gets the chance at some stage to show what he can do without the slapstick comedy element. He obviously needs to tighten up on his loose technique and get his timing spot on and I hope the pivotal Jive which is usually a marker on Strictly, shows him in a better light than the turns hes been given thus far. I dont know how much level of input the couples have with the choreography production though I would guess Rob wouldn't rock the boat and pull a moody too much regarding the fun turns hes had to do. I like the guy very much and hope that he manages to fulfil the potential he showed at first, and moreover, gets the opportunity to just do that.

I don't think he's unhappy with the comedy routines - I think he's really enjoying them. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't enjoy a more serious routine just as much. He's enjoying the dancing (which he takes very seriously) just as much as the story.

I do actually kind of agree that not all is routines were comedy. Last time obviously was and I think the Flintstones was (charlestons are usually comedy but you don't usually take on a famous character) but maybe the rest just seemed funny cause of the facial expressions.

I think he can dance. He may not have the polish of other contestants, but there is real talent there. Personally I'd like to see him smash it this week and be brilliant and be the best ever "journey contestant"

Doubt Rob and Oksana will have time for comedy this week . They're doing a jive to Boogie Woogie bugle boy . Great music choice . Wouldn't it be just amazing if they topped Ore and Jo's

great music for rock and roll and that can sometimes draw you down that path - but his leg action to me in the vids is boogie woogie/rock and roll ish and not the action of jive I suppose it will be how the judges view it