What's the difference between 'joke' contestants and really bad contestants?

I've always thought Quentin Wilson was the worst male contestant but he's not considered a joke?

Fiona Phillips and Kate Garraway likewise for the women.

Widdy no effing contest

I voted for Ann, she was a good sport but 9/10 times she was either sitting down, being dragged around by Anton or doing nothing!

Agreed although Fiona Phillips was probably unintentionally quite funny

Agreed - he's was deliberately funny on occasion but he could actually dance better than some who actually take it seriously.

No, she really wasn't

Widdecombe.
She cost me a fortune replacing TVs after throwing things at the screen.

How could you omit Nancy Deluded'io?

And Countess Jude of Murray was not a joke contestant. How rude 👎

Widdecombe. Revolting woman who made no attempt to learn the dances. I remain bewildered by how she stayed so long.

I thought the same. I have never considered him a 'joke' contestant. Not someone you laughed at but with.

Mark should really be classified as a ringah - he was appearing in a musical up until the week before Strictly started!

One name missing - Gary Rhodes, awful TV chef guy with spiky crew cut - very keen on sugar.
He refused to rehearse more than 2 days a week and was soon dispatched in round 2, I think. Horrible to his dance partner.

Mark Benton should not be in this list.

That's OK because nobody has voted for him.

I can't decide whether the MC Hammer routine he did was meant to be serious - for example would they give that to Kevin Clifton? - or was that marking him out as a joke contestant.

I wouldn't describe all of those as joke contestants.

Judy Murray, for example, couldn't dance, but I'm sure she went on Strictly wanting to try and learn; I very much doubt she had any intention of being a joke contestant.

Ed also did his best to improve.

Iveta gave Mark great routines, in some ways quite similar in style to those Katya gave Ed, but I certainly wouldn't call him a joke contestant, he was actually pretty good, and could have been a real contender if he'd been fitter. As it is, he made it to week 10.

On the other hand, I would have added Hairy Dave and Nancy Dell'Olio to the joke contestant list.

From the options given I voted for Widdecombe, although I would like to register a write-in vote for Lisa Riley.

I voted for Widdecombe because she was ghastly as well as terrible but I feel Chris Praker should get some.kind of recognition as despite some people''s best efforts, he is probably the worst person to ever progress on Strictly (The point was he was young, fairly good looking and was an actor- If he'd have been in a later line up you'd have thought he might be OK- He really did have two left feet )

Oh they certainly tried to foist Komedy on him (paso in a space suit to Starship Trooper, rumba in a bald cap to Goldfinger anyone?) And he responded (usually - the Goldfinger rumba was probably beyond even his capabilities) by using his impeccable comic timing and performance skills, not to mention not inconsiderable rhythm to produce (obviously with Iveta's help) a set of routines that marked him out as the one supposed "joke" that was truly funny and entertaining and with the laughs firmly with him rather than at him.

When people say he shouldn't be on this list, they're right. Not because there wasn't anything jokey about his performances but because there wasn't anything terrible. Not remotely. Well, maybe apart from the rumba .

Quentin hardly moved. He just stood there most of the time and sort of shuffled his feet about twice.

Nancy Dell Olio for me by a country mile!!

Horrendous woman!!!!

Anne Widdecombe - she had no redeeming qualities in her dancing whatsoever (let's face it, she just didn't bother to dance at all), and she also seemed to have zero respect for the show.

They may have been bad dancers but they all took it seriously. A joke contestant is one where the routines go down the comedy route and the contestant becomes the resident clown. To my mind, the deliberate attempts at comedy began with John Sergeant and his Paso, when he dragged Kristina across the floor like a sack of spuds.

I quite liked Ann Widdecombe, at least she was funny. She did do steps in her own way and I agree about her being a good sport because even tho she didn't get fired out of a canon and dance gangnam style she did get asked to do some embarrassing stuff and she did it. She and Anton seemed to have a good time too.

I voted Judy Murray, she looked so awkward and I couldn't warm to her or enjoy anything about her dances except when they finally ended.

The thing with joke contestants is that they are more about personality than dancing and we're not all going to like the same people. I might be the only person who actually likes Ann tho!

I never had a problem with Widdy!!
She was nothing if not entertaining!! Loved the banter she always had with Craig too, as did he!!

Most of those listed were the better ones. Where is the chap from the motoring show or the villain from Corrie or the mad Italian woman who dated Sven or the TV presenter who danced like a rag doll.

One of my favourite ever SCD moments. I never tre of watching him solemnly, plodding across the floor, grasping his lapel and dragging poor Kristina, as you say, like a bag of spuds.