I've loved SCD since series 1. The costumes, the music, the dancing...with each series better than the last in all aspects. I always watch with my mum, and we get really invested in it. Watching ITT, getting to know all the dancers. It was a joy to behold to take our minds of our problems.
Yes, you read me correctly, WAS. What has happened to SCD??This year, 2016, something is broken. I don't know what it is, but it just doesn't feel the same. It has lost its sparkle; that special something that made it what it was.
I don't think it is the biased voting, as that has ALWAYS gone one, though admittedly, it seems worse this year. The judges don't even try and hide the fact they have their
favourites, who they over- mark. But other than that, the costumes are still fab, the music is still wonderful, and the professionals are as amazing as ever. And yet, and yet...something missing this way comes.
Once upon a time, I'd have recorded SCD, and watched my favourite dances a few times, now I can't be bothered with it. I don't watch ITT, and I whizz through the in-between bits on a Saturday, just watching the dances themselves. I wish I knew what had changed.

Maybe you have changed.....or you are missing Bruce.

Maybe none of the celebs this year are doing it for you? I've had years where I couldn't really get enthusiastic about anyone and it does make ITT a bit less interesting.

Up until tonight, I think this series has been fabulous.

Tonight for sure was lacklustre, but what with an injury, a pro off ill, plus more illness apparently amongst the rest of the pros, I can completely understand why. They all seemed knackered up there behind Claudia.

[quote=Lynn_Braben;84317125 The judges don't even try and hide the fact they have their favourites, who they over- mark. [/QUOTE]

That's been happening for years, so that's nothing new about this year.

I sort of get what you mean though, I'm nowhere near as invested as I used to be - most of the dancers don't excite me, the pro routines aren't as good as they used to be and wardrobe should be sacked as we get about two good dresses a week at best. It's not about the dancing as much as it used to be, so I really lost a bit of interest years ago in that respect, but the gimmicky VTs and themes are just getting worse and worse.

Some have said the powder is being kept dry for halloweon so to speak so the best dancers had boring dances. A lot of people are ill, one celeb is missing (I would say a pro is missing but Anatasia seemed to dance better with Gorka) , a couple of dancers got dances that didn't suit them.

I'm preferring this year to last years at the moment. Overall I think I am a little less into the show than I was a few years ago I think thats probably just my personal taste changing.

I agree wit a lot of these points imo this is the most manipulated series ever and they are not even subtle about their manipulation.

I lost it's appeal for me last year, when Jay was the obvious winner. In the past I've loved the competition, but having a foregone conclusion ruined it for me. I didn't watch after week 4.

I think having watched 14 series you might just be a bit burned out by this point. After all, there's only so much new you can see now.

I watch Strictly for the dances and the fact that Jay won was a bonus. I will continue to watch as long as I am able.

By the way none of the pros, apart from Brendan, are ill. Laura hurt her ankle.

We talk about this every year.


Our last recollection is the climax of the final.

Then there's withdrawal symptoms, evidenced by the fact that this board carries on for months.

Then the anticipation of the new series.

Then it's here and it doesn't seem quite as good as we thought it would be.

We don't like some of the celebs/new pros/ miss some old ones/ don't like the music/ don't like some of the effects.

People don't get "invested" in it until it's been running a few weeks.

But mostly I think it's "the mixture as before," it's just that we're used to it.

I've long given up watching it live. It's only worth recording, so I can fast forward through the "hype" that seems to increase every year.

Katya was definitely ill on ITT earlier this week - she could barely speak!

Am aware the BBC have debunked the tabloid story about Neil, Alijaz, Janette and Anton today though.

Edited to add - actually, the BBC did not deny that others were ill, they just confirmed that it was only Brendan who was missing the show. Perhaps there is truth in it, particularly as we saw Katya struggle on ITT. Obviously nothing serious, though!

Familiarity breeds contempt. You have just watched too much of what is essentially formulaic tv.

The Bake Off is the same. I am bored with it, and won't be watching it on Ch4.

i actually feel the same as you, just not feeling it this year but dont know why, I am the same with XFactor but that is because it is crap but just don't know with SCD

I agree with the OP - and I think it's partly the "non-celebs" that they have this year but I also think the biggest downturn is because most of the current dancers have no personality;

the days of Vincent, Artem, Ian, James (as annoying as he was), Ola, Aliona, Flavia, Robin with their quips and jibes, to name a few, seem long gone; even Brendan has lost his fire. All we get now is the judges spewing out the same boring comments, cliches and over-marks so sadly I agree, it has all gone a bit boring.

Katya could hardly speak on ITT on Thursday.

I think this is personal.

I've quite liked this series (apart from tonight which was a dud) We are back to Halloween next week & that one is always good.

As another poster suggested- maybe you haven't taken to the celebs this year?? I think having 1 or 2 you really root for helps.

I have to say that personally I've found some series dull as dishwater (Eg: 2012) but others I've really enjoyed. For me this year is a better one but there will always be duff episodes like tonight to bring down the vibe.

People say that every series!

I don't think its any worse than on previous series.
There have been many occasions when on week 1 you can tell who they're gonna take through to the finals

I agree with this. It is far better than last year though for me. I struggled to stick with it and hardly watched any ITT. This forum is a far nicer place as well. Last year it was really nasty at times which didn't help. Hopefully it'll pick up next week. I do think the dancers are starting to feel the strain of it all. Having Halloween may give them a lift and then it's getting to Blackpool!

There are a lot of nasty bugs doing the rounds at the moment so not surprising with the hours they put in they are going down with stuff.

The balance has changed . There's relatively few not very good people, and a lot more good people who might develop into winners . There's not three potential winners to invest in one of - there's probably 6 people capable of topping the leaderboard any week. . You can't really invest in one horse - when the odds on them reaching the last three are so low. Thats partly the BBC response to the vote being unpredictable, by putting spare finalists in.

And if you like a journey, there's only really Claudia leaving the station. The top of the leaderboard is occupied at the moment by people who trained for 3 years , or look as if they did, and the other contenders, as Len said, are stalled..

There may also be an element of its all been done better before. Once you have seen the 2 or 3 best of each dances over the years, its difficult for them to surpass whats been seen before. More difficult, when the music doesn't seem to lend itself to great performances at the moment either, the best older pros have weaker dancers - because they have done well recently, and the new ones don't necessarily know how to produce anything memorable yet. .

I do miss the days of 'naughty' Brendan + James, and Artem, Aliona + Ola etc breaking rules, answering back.
That hasn't happened for a while now, think tonight was sadly, just one of those weeks.
The previous weeks of this series have, IMO, been fab

Yes there is something really, badly wrong. Why is Leslie being given the wrong dance. She is good for her age, better then some younger than her.

Ditto.

However, I do feel down and slightly confused as to why I am deleting the show immediately I have watched it - I have never done that. I have even watched the Saturday show on a Monday - again never done that out of choice.

Maybe it hasn't helped that the show got off to a weird start. The crazy over marking, even from Craig on the first show. Losing Melvin to a non dance off, Tameka when departing showing off her injuries in protest, Will Young getting depressed or throwing a strop (whatever happened), the Clifton family (I mean seriously how many do we need), Len being a rude miserable arse, now Brendan's gone sick and Laura has been given a pass and the wacky over marking still continues.


It's all a bit tit's up and weird - shame