The quality or the skating from the celebs is so much better this year, It's just Stephen Gateley that is letting it down:

I agree. Unfortunately Stephen Gateley still seems to have a fan base who are voting to keep him on the show. It's not too big a problem at the moment, but I do hope that as the series progresses, better skaters don't get eliminated at his fans' expense.

Considering he's a young man, I can't believe how middle aged he looks when he's skating!

He really is having a struggle to keep up with the other male celebs and he looks certain to have probelms with lifting which the others are coping with well, especially Lee - his drape lift on Saturday was stunning.

Sean lost out last year because of his lack of lifting ability but Stefan was so shaky in the early weeks, like Stephen, and he was runner-up!

Anything could happen....can't wait for Saturday!

The lifts are harder for Stephen though being just inches taller than his partner but there is time yet especially as there is pressure for the live shows
Last edited by swtbabee : 05-02-2007 at 12:20

I don't think Stephen's the worst by any means, his dance spin on Saturday was one of the best, and his actual dancing is fine. He needs to develop more speed in his basics and the lifts are going to continue being tricky, but I certainly don't think he's letting the show down. I'd love to see him do a Stefan!

I think all the celebs this year are amazing - it is so difficult isn't it just to skate forwards imo. However I do think Stephen is being left behind and he will continue to struggle as he seems rather tentative.

I too hope that his fans don't keep him in over some of the better skaters but I think they will.

Stephen Gately is certainly the weakest celeb contestant left.

Sometimes I wish people would just vote on the skating, rather than the usual fan base voting for him no matter how bad he gets! I feel sorry for Kristina.

yes i do too!!!! But he is deffinately the worst of the male skaters...I mean he did heve dance training when he was wiwith boyzone!!! How much dance training does Lee Sharpe Or Kyran gen get. Claire to WIN

I think the quality is noticeably better this year because they had three months of practice beforehand, it wasn't anywhere near that last year.

Didn't I read on here Steven hasn't put the hours in, which is why he's getting left behind?

Dave

Unfortunatly Stephen will be there for some time to come

He is awful, and has made little improvement. But as mentioned he has a big fanbase from his Boyzone days. I feel sorry for Kristina, I feel she should have had Duncan or Lee. But with their reputations with regards to young, pretty, single women she probably wouldn't have been safe around them

My only worry is that we could lose someone with potential like Lee or Emily in favour of Stephen. Kay should go next. But after that its going to be interesting.

I like the next evictions to go:

Kay
Lee
Lisa
Stephen
Then who knows....

But I only want Steven to stay because of Kristina.

Dave

Last year's lot had about the same amount of training before the series started - they just seem to have pushed this lot harder and faster....

I feel sorry for Stephen rather than Kristina! It isn't fair to say he hasn't improved, and personally I think people look too much at the lifts. Fair enough it's easy to compare - some do more or higher lifts than others - but viewed as a whole performance Stephen's on Saturday was much better than his previous effort.
Last edited by glitterbug : 05-02-2007 at 16:30

Sean and Marika, IIRC, had problems with lifts last year as well because they were of/near the same height.

I think Stephen has improved a lot since the first week.

He certainly has improved but imo not as much as the others have - even Kay

No, that's a fair enough point to make. Sometimes (and not just on this forum) it seems like people think he hasn't improved at all, so the point I was making was that he has, although I agree that the others are improving to a greater level.

re: prior dance training.... did Boyzone ever dance? I thought their one move was getting up off their stools at the final chorus.

Actually, I don't think they're voting for Stephen, I don't think he is that well liked. I think people are voting for Kristina - and that is why they'll be in for a while because she is fab and adorable.

Lol! v true! Although Stephen has subsequently done some musicals I seem to remember.

MMMM.....

Boyzone's first "performance" was on the "Late Late Show" (on at 10pm on a Saturday....) on Irish TV

No singing - just rather manic dancing.....sort of what you would see in a disco no training at all - unlike the chap from Liberty X who was an All Ireland Irish Dancing Champion.....

I was listening to Steve Wright talking to Phillip Schofield on R2 yesterday. They were discussing the various stars and Phillip said that both Duncan James and Stephen Gateley have very large fan bases that vote.

What a pity - I'd like to see them out asap. Kay has come on a lot but will probably be out next - even if SG skates like a robot.
I have a horrible feeling that Lee will be a casualty of this Kristina worship, which is a shame as he's much better that Stephen. The irony is that if they dropped the competition element altogether and just broadcast a pro-skating dance show, the viewing figures would fall through the floor, yet this way we have people voting for the person who wears gold lame hot pants the best, and we'll lose more deserving competitors because of it. It's SCD all over again!

I agree.
Although I don't doubt for a second that he has many fans from his Boyzone days who are voting to keep him in, another forum I am a member of has a very high following of fans (both male and female) for Kristina. It's a possibilty that people could be voting to keep Kristina in, because they want to see her skate on for another week. IMO the same's happening with Matt Evers. (Kinda goes against the format of the show, but I suppose as long as ITV are making money they're not too fussed.) I don't think people realise quite how loved the pros are by some of their fans (I have to say from my knowledge, Matt, Dan and Kristina are the three everyone knows....probably from the fact they were on last year, and all three of them did very well - they were all in the final if you remember - and they did DOI in Oz during the summer. Pam too, but she appears to be an exception to the rule this year, being voted off in the first week. Still there's not alot anyone could do with Foxy bless 'im )
Last edited by Innocent_fairy : 07-02-2007 at 11:41

Yes I like all four of the pros you have mentioned - particularly Dan as he seems such a caring bloke. ITV don't realise what fan bases these skaters have - maybe someone will wake up soon

TBH, I think ITV think everyone will automatically vote for their favourite celebrity. I don't think ITV have ever visited The Blue Room