maybe the viewers should vote on performance, not on their favourites and not on what the judges say
zoe didn't ask for high marks and she did point out that it wasn't their best performance and that james was marked down
personally, i would like to see zoe and ian, darren and lilia and colin and erin in the final because they have been good each week
sorry james!

Well said, Ferrari. I couldn't agree more. The razzamatazz and the human stories are all part of the rich tapestry of SCD but we are down to the wire now and the really good dancers should be in the final and not the ones with the best marketing strategies.

James is gorgeous and Camilla is a sweetie but his dancing is not in the same league as Colin, Zoe or Darren. Patsy initially irritated me but I warmed to her by the end. Thought she was very genuinely herself but that really she could not dance for toffee. Great character, loads of fun, glad she was on, but enough already!

And it amazes me that all the people who seem to seize on Zoe for playing the media game by waving a tissue when she has flu or dancing with Ian to a few rather uninterested pensioners on Brighton Pier, seemed to have no objection to dishy James plugging shamelessly for votes to the large audiences at the Food show draped in his telephone number.

Aren't we a funny old lot? But since we are all likely to forgive our favourites for their imperfections and rant at our hate objects for theirs, the only way to cut through all of this is to vote on the quality and consistency of the dancing. And in this arena, Zoe and Ian and Colin and Erin are undoubtedly the best, with Darren and Lilia right on in there, too.

Sorry, but I genuinely feel Patsy was worse than James..She had wooden legs and floppy arms throughout both dances. She just seemed as if she was sleepwalking through both dances a bit, although she was better in the American Smooth than the jive. James , for my money was better than her overall.

I didn't think there was that much between James & Patsy either, but I think the greater margin of victory in the Ballroom (mainly due to better choreography and Patsy's acting skills) gave Patsy a slight edge instead. I was more annoyed by James not being in the bottom two than Patsy & Anton's exit; I think Zoe & Ian deserve to be in the final.

I'm still undecided on the inevitable injustices that occur as a result of SCD's current rules/format etc., but I also think those rules/that format are needed to make SCD into good TV.

James' Samba had all the carnival spirit of a wet noodle and his arms were attrocious. His American Smooth was dull and lacklustre. Was very disappointed in Patsy's Jive because she can dance it better than that, but her American Smooth was an absolute delight.

Neither of them should have gotten to the final but I would have far preferred to see Patsy's smiling enthusiasm and good attitude next week than James increasingly dour one.

Agree generally with the OP. Patsy has not been a strong performer, but she was leagues ahead of James last night - I guess it's the perfect illustration of the way the British public loves an underdog.

That would also explain why Zoe was in the bottom two. Just as it's very typical of us to love an underdog, nobody likes a teacher's pet who wins amazing scores that don't reflect her performance. HOW many times have the judges - all of them - said "you look beautiful together"?? It's a DANCE contest not a beauty contest FFS!!

It really bugged me that she still got 8s and 9s for a cha cha cha that was one of the lamest performances all series. Compare this with Colin, whose extraordinary rumba was possibly my highlight of the series (thanks in part to Erin's brilliant choreography), who got 9s too. His dance mesermised me, I could watch him all night. Unlike Zoe, who seems so hungry for it (scarily so), with Colin it seems effortless. That makes it far more pleasurable to watch.

They all have a crush on Zoe, mainly at Colin's expense. I'm sorry, and I wonder if it makes me a "bad person" too (nah, just human), but I'm afraid I was a little bit excited last night when Zoe and Ian were in the bottom two. Patsy's not a good dancer but, despite myself, I've warmed to her in the past couple of weeks. I certainly wouldn't have been upset to see Zoe go, even though she's clearly a better dancer than Patsy.

btw... the "flu" thing (ie, cold)... anyone else see/hear her whooping her lungs off after Patsy's performance? Mm yeah that's deathbed stuff.

Of course she didn't have the flu, but there are plenty on non-flu illness symptoms that can make you less able to dance (sinusitis, affected balance, fatigue etc.). I had a non-flu thing a couple of weeks ago, and doing what Zoe did last night would have made me feel pretty wretched too.

Having only just found out the result, that is a shock. Poor Zoe. On the plus side the judges or Bruno as some one corrected me earlier might learn that his obvious favouritism is actually damaging Zoe's chances of winning. If shes going to even get to the final, the judges have to start marking her fairly in relation to Colin and Erin.

Can't believe James was safe. Never been a big fan of Patsy but I thought her second dance was great. Why is it that this series the weaker dancers are getting voted out in the weeks when they show improvement?

The obvious reason is that people; as has been endlessly pointed out, don't tend to vote on the basis of the Saturday night dancing; in general not necessarily aimed at any FP's, but on who they fancy, feel sorry for, have a grudge against, think is funniest when dealing with the judges, tabloid rumours, etc.

Sadly, it's one of those things that goes hand in hand with any reality TV series. When the BBC came up with the idea for SCD they wanted to get away from the old Come Dancing format, of only the judges being able to decide the winners, & get the public involved with what was happening on their TV screen every Saturday night, so the public vote gets equal weight with the judges scores, at 50% of the total mark (but is used as the deciding factor in the event of a draw). As they also wanted to raise as much money as possible for CIN (nothing wrong with this desire, BTW), they decided to open the phone lines again, immediately after the results are announced each week. Ineveitibly, this means that we get the BB syndrome; where you seem to be able to vote on the basis of who is the least boring to watch sleeping (after all those tedious hours of live coverage, in which the contestants don't actually do anything).

Those of us who base our votes upon the performances just don't stand a chance of influencing the result by waiting to vote until after the main show on a Saturday.

I think what actually happened is that she practically knocked him out as she went up, his head was knocked right back, so I think that very likely unbalanced him - certainly it didn't look that great....

You mean to say you actually saw his head move, I thought it was stuck in that funny angle as I have never seen it move.

I've been thinking, does anyone think that SCD would benefit from a more "X Factor" style of voting, i.e. public decide bottom 2 and judges decide who goes?

I know the judges are hardly unbiased. But I still think it might make for a fairer result (not sure if you could make the bottom 2 reprise their performance though...they'd probably be too tired! Although Patsy might have gone for that!)

The only problem with that idea is that there will always be people who have never watched the show before & ave no idea on how to judge a performance. It'd still degenerate into a popularity contest & we could end up with a situation where some of the judges decide that a couple should go, just to get back at another judge who's annoyed them.

Hmm. Rather like the x factor, in fact!

That may be true but overall, dance wise, Bill was worse than Patsy. He should have technically gone the week before that but he was kept in by the sympathy vote. In comparison Patsy and James are about average in their dancing but on the night james was worse so he should have gone. Plus its the Du Beke. Hes great for what he brings to the competition. What does Camilla bring? Nada IMHO

Exactly. Some of you people are really spiteful and vicious. Glad you are not friends of mine. What did Zoe say that was so wrong! It made her more determined and it paid off! That Tango was amazing! It is supposed to be a dance competition not a celebrity bashing contest! They are all great celebrities just for putting themselves on the line. Now for pity's sake stop it!

It wouldnt have mattered if Zoe had danced fantastically well with no mistakes cos the judges are so biased. She gets high marks whateva. Her cha cha cha was not all that great and she still came second. Colin has to dance his heart out with a near perfect routine to just beat her by one mark or whateva. How does that make sense. Darren I felt did a fantastic job in both dances but he was still in third place. That man deserves more marks. In fact they all deserve more marks than they get. Except Zoe and Ian of course. When it comes to their scores only Len should be asked because he seems to be the fairest of them all. In more ways than one.

this was discussed further in the Colin thread.

I agree it was disgraceful. Len implying Colin wasn't man enough.

Thank you.


Exactly. Also appearing on Richard & Judy to talk about their affair. I didn't see it but from what I've heard nothing was confirmed or denied so they're just continuing the 'Are they or aren't they?' storyline.

Very true!

Yes, with you there too. Sadly I really wouldn't be surprised to see Zoe and Ian go next week.

At least in the spirit of the fair play everyone would like to see in the competition, I felt I had to point this out.

James & Camilla actually refuted all the press articles on their, supposed, romance, on R & J on Friday; they also managed to get across the idea that all the celebs & pros wish that the coverage would concentrate on their commitment to trying to learn the dances & give their best possible performances.

I want to see Zoe OUT next week, leaving the three guys in. James to go after that, leaving the two best: Colin & Darren to battle it out in the Final!!!

That would be an ultimate final! Im backing that all the way!
xxx

i'd prefer a zoe/colin/darren contest with zoes going out first and darren winning, though that probably won't happen

I agree but I think Colin will go out first.

Thanks Glen.

As I said, I didn't see the show myself so was possibly a little harsh in my previous post but from what I'd read by those who had seen it, it sounded as if they were saying "Oh no nothing's going on" and then gazing at eachother all doe-eyed, hence my impression they were perpetuating the mystery surrouding them. If that wasn't the case I apologise to them and their fans.

I honestly don't have anything against them as a couple - dancing or otherwise - and think James seems a good bloke. I've always liked him if he's on when I get to see Ready Steady Cook and think he comes over well most of the time on STD. I also think their private lives should be just that and it's no-one's business whether or not they're at it hammer and tongs every night.

Perhaps it is solely the media to blame here as they always seem to want there to be a romance brewing amongst at least one couple during each series.