If the DS poll is anything to go by then Mark Ramprakash has already won the series ! I think we have another Darren Gough on our hands (not just the cricket connection), and I do think he deserves to get to the final and why not to win it. I think he is the best of the male celebs and has the added bonus of appealing to the ladies (he leaves me indifferent however....).

Does anyone else think that the poll results reveal something big ?

More like the next Colin Jackson

I would love for him to win - but I know that the public can be fickle, so I take polls with a pinch of salt. I hear people saying that 2 cricketers can't win in a row, that they won't vote for him because everyone gushes over his looks, so who knows?!

I would hate for him to win just on his looks, I hope that his dancing continues to improve every week as it has been doing so far!

One thing I know - he's a winner for me in every way, dancing, personality and looks!

No. It's different. Darren was not as good but made amazing improvement, had some brilliant choreography and had a great relationship with Lilia. Even in the end we didn't know who would win and I firmly believe if Erin hadn't made the dummy error they may not have won.

Although it's too early to really say this time Mark is different. He is improving, yes, but he was good the first week. What makes him special is that what he is producing is special.

I really hope so! dancing wise he is good and just getting better

I think Mark is better than Darren!

I agree that if it hadn't been for the stupid dummy stunt, Colin would probably have won series three and its a shame he didn't.

Ironic really as in retrospect that stupid dummy stunt really did show how good a dancer Colin was without being in the safe arms of his pro plus his superb rhythm.

I think Mark is a lot different from Darren, he is a lot better already than Darren ever was, plus he started off well but does keep improving, at the moment I'd say he has got a good chance, but if Emma or Lousia (i'm inclined to say Emma because Louisa just isn't good at ballroom) really ups there game and actually work for the praise they get who knows? Plus you have Carol and Matthew who are constantly imroving and are really breaking out from the middle and getting noticed, not to mention the improvement of Matt and Lilia, the general solid performances by Ray and Camilla and Peter and Erin's grace in ballroom.

Mark is better than Darren! I hope one similarity is that he wins!

Took the words right out of my mouth!

Mark is better than Darren to start off with, although I don't think he's as good as Colin yet. From the type of attention he gets on here, I'd dub him the new James (although a better dancer)!

i think Mark is similar to Darren in that he should win this year, but i think he will win it on his dancing rather than on personality like Darren did

The new James who can also do Latin methinks!

Like Len said, he is proving to be an all rounder

Most people I talk to think Mark is better than Darren as of today, purely on the time factor of last series to this. They both started off well, but Mark seems to have more aptitude than Dazza, quicker. Dazza was brilliant and totally deserved to win last year.

Mark is ahead of him at the mo, at this point in the series, with his dancing.

And I always wonder why more girls don't watch cricket!

It's like Karen keeps saying, she is changing the choreography half way through the week, putting more and more challenging moves in - and he is coping with all of it.

Some of his moves have been so complicated, and yet he is making it look easy, which is the mark of a potentially great dancer

What astonishes me is, how natural it all looks when Mark dances. Like he's been doing this for years. Last nights Paso was unbelievable! The stance, the arrogance, the passion, and at the end of the routine that gorgeous smile appearing again,....! *THUD*

I was a huge Dazzler fan last year and am a big Mark fan this year and I think there are certain similarities.

Darren's appeal last year for me was not that he was the best dancer - he wasn't - but the way we saw him fall in love with dancing as the weeks progressed, and through sheer determination, personality and enthusiasm overcome the fact that he wasn't naturally gifted with a dancer's physique or a huge amount of natural ability and become an extremely competent ballroom dancer (if not Latin dancer). I remember his quickstep during the Christmas special being by far and away the best dance in that programme compared with all the other 'better' dancers there.

I know the whole 'journey' analogy is horribly overused in these sorts of programmes, but it seems to me that Mark's appeal is similar. This time though, he is absolutely a natural dancer - much more naturally gifted than Darren was - but what we are seeing this time round is the blossoming of his personality and confidence as the series continues, which is also delightful to watch. (It does help that I also find both of them quite easy on the eye.)

What a lovely post!

I concur with all of it!

A perfect post. Exactly how I felt/feel. You have summed the two different characters up perfectly.

Beautiful post, could not have put it better in any way!

YES!

I can't get over it, every time I watch that Cha cha - special being the first dance - the terrified look on his face behind the curtain and then he goes out and dances like THAT! WOW!

If I was SCD's producer the last person I would want winning would be a repeat of the last person who won - hunky cricketer mark 2. Its so sameish. Same story without even the progression.

Its interesting that Big Brother have never put a likable attractive hunky alpha male into the house without making sure they were flawed enough not to walk the show. You don't want the public to go for the inevitable hunk option. You don't have two female BB winners, two transexuals, two scottish male virgins, two gay men or two winners with tourettes and the two white straight English males are not obvious winners and are separated by 5 years. Two cricketers in two years is just letting the reality TV side down.

Hunky cricketer Mark 2????

Cricketers they both may be - and Darren's many things but a hunk he ain't !

Mark now........ I can outdo Arlene in the drooling stakes.....

If they don't want a cricketer to win, why have one on the show? I agree with the posts above - I think Mark is making a progression in his own way.

I suppose this year's Darren Gough figure is more likely to be Matt - he's not as natural a dancer as Mark, but he hasn't got Darren's sparkling personality at the moment, although he tries....

I haven't decided who I'm supporting yet. It will probably be Mark (not for shallow reasons) as Karen is my favourite female pro and I'm enjoying their routines.

Spot On.

Mark is far better than Darren, especially at the same stage in the two series, Mark is probably a better dancer now than Darren ever was. I suspect Karen has one heck of a lot to do with that.

Darren did win by default, Zoe got a public back lash, for reasons we don't need to rehash here. And Colin 'had it on plate' but Erin messed it up with the 'Cheap Vegas style stunt'.

Mark could still have competition, someone may blossom, like Darren did, a routine could go badly and the muppets of the GBP fall on him like a pack of hungry wolves. And heck DS polls have always been notoriously wrong. So don't go dishing out glittery globes too soon.