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Who is the most terrible joke contestant ever?


View Poll Results: Who is the most terrible ever joke contestant?
Anne Widdecombe 162 72.65%
Chris Parker 4 1.79%
Tony Jacklin 7 3.14%
Ed Balls 6 2.69%
Russell Grant 5 2.24%
Judy Murray 11 4.93%
Mark Benton 1 0.45%
John Sargeant 13 5.83%
Edwina Currie 8 3.59%
Iwan Thomas 6 2.69%
Voters: 223. You can't vote on this poll right now - are you signed in?

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Old 02-12-2016, 11:11
katmobile
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Before I make a choice, I really need to understand what the OP means by "most terrible". In what way - worst dancer, most annoying??

Also, my definition of a 'joke contestant' differs wildly from the OP's. I think the joke contestant unintentionally started in Series 5 with Kate Garraway. She was clearly not hired to be such but, due to her sheer awfulness, it kind of evolved. And she happened to be with Anton who did everything to encourage her ...

The producers then hit upon something with Anton, foisting a succession of senior or overweight ladies who had zero chance of winning on him. The 'joke contestant' was well and truly born.

My joke contestant list would have read thus:

Series 5 - Kate Garraway

Series 6 - John Seargeant

Series 7 - Lynda Bellingham
Jo Wood

Series 8 - Ann Widdecombe

Series 9 - Edwina Currie
Nancy Dell'Olio
Russell Grant

Series 10 - Richard Arnold
Lisa Riley

Series 11 - Tony Jacklin
Vanessa Feltz
Julien McDonald
Dave Myers

Series 12 - Tim Wonnacott
Alison Hammond

Series 14 - Tameka Empson

I wholeheartedly agree with all those who say Mark Benton should not be in this list. Yes, he is overweight but he was quite a decent mover. After the advent of Kate Garraway, the joke contestant (in my eyes) is one who was hired to purely provide a comedy element to this entertainment show. That is to say, they could never win on their perceived dance ability but would be there to provide the laughs by ultimately & willingly embarrassing themselves.

The archetypal joke contestant became Ann Widdecombe. Like a few others, I actually liked her in the show because she threw herself into exactly what she was hired to do. All those bemoaning her zero attempt to learn to dance need to understand that that was never her motivation nor the producers reason for her signing up. I don't like her as a woman but it cannot be denied that she did tick that box and played it to the hilt.

Many here are naming people as 'joke contestants' in hindsight and for the wrong reasons. Craig Kelly, for example, wasn't hired as a joke contestant...he just became an arrogant big-head who thought he was better than he actually was. Quentin Wilson got THE lowest score in Strictly history with 8 so he turned out to be perhaps the worst dancer ever even though I don't believe he was hired to be the joke in Series 2. To be a true' joke contestant', it needs to be seen from the outset that that is exactly why that celebrity is being hired.
I don't know with Mark Benton I think part of the reason I really loved him is that a lot of his routines contained a fair amount of humour especially his party latin ones but they also had as much content as he could manage to dance and the limiting factor wasn't talent it was physical factors - he was neither young nor fit. I think a lot of the reason he was and is loved is that he danced comedy well and he could do it well because he had both acting and dancing skills to make it more interesting than lumbering around.

I also think 'joke' contestants go back to Fiona Philips who was even more terrible than Kate Garroway and people kept voting back in to laugh at her whereas with Kate it was that she injured and she danced a reasonable foxtrot that made people think she might improve.
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Old 02-12-2016, 11:15
k9fan
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Please remove Ed Balls from the list; he was not a joke contestant.
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Old 02-12-2016, 12:56
MorticiaA
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It was funny The only cha cha cha I've ever truly loved - really not joking.
Me too. I use it as a mood enhancer on bad days. It is a thing of comic genius. He had excellent timing, a good sense of rhythm, and the wit to engage the viewers to laugh with rather than at him.
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Old 02-12-2016, 13:29
jiroos
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I also think 'joke' contestants go back to Fiona Philips who was even more terrible than Kate Garroway and people kept voting back in to laugh at her whereas with Kate it was that she injured and she danced a reasonable foxtrot that made people think she might improve.
I wholly disagree.

Fiona Phillips was not booked by the producers to be laughed at. However, she BECAME the default joke contestant due to how bad she was. She was not funny in the same way as Anton's contestants because Brendan was literally seething at her and driving her to tears. To be honest, it was more painful than funny watching her.
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:07
Leicester_Hunk
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Before I make a choice, I really need to understand what the OP means by "most terrible". In what way - worst dancer, most annoying??
I meant those that the producers/show fitted up as a joke from the outset. And I think all those on the list were intended as that.
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Old 03-12-2016, 13:19
bigbro24
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Has to be Judy Murray for me. Totally devoid of any charisma or character as a dancer. Was like watching paint dry.
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