I think it is ridiculous that the public have all week to vote for the couples. IMO the phone votes should only be open 1 hour after the show and that's it so that the public can vote on the dancing they've just seen! Encouraging people to vote all during the week means they are focusing more on who they like as a personality!

I think this has contributed largely to two good dancers being in the bottom two this week because they didn't get enough votes during the week.

I have to also say I'm fed up to the back teeth of sympathy voting!!! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DANCING COMPETITION, NOT A I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU SO I MUST VOTE FOR YOU COMPETITION !!!!!!!!!!!!

Please all you sympathy voters, can't you see how unfair this is on the likes of Gabby who obviously put in a lot of hours training - she's the one who should be getting the sympathy!!!

Absolutely - or, we could have a "Big Brother" style vote, where the public can vote who to keep out of the bottom two of the judges scores ...

maybe the public should only be able to vote on a saturday & then only on the bottom four

Yes, I think you have a very good point there !

Actually they all do a lot of training- and I am not a Kate supporter but she is clearly also training.

This is the same type of result that we get every year at some point no need for wholesale changes it will happen whatever the system is- and the results will never please everyone.

Lots of people are happy with the result btw

Well a lot of people must be happy with the result as Kate probably got the highest or second highest percentage of public votes, but I guess I'm one of the minority who thinks voting should actually be based on level of performance!

i dont think the judges score should count for anything.
I think it should be just us voting and then at the end the judges can pick between the bottom 2.

I've thrashed something out here which I think would work...

Show goes on as normal with the judges voting. The phone lines open at the end of the show, but you can only vote for the bottom three couples - everyone else is safe.

On the results show, it is revealed which couple were saved by the public. Then we have the dance off for the other two, with the judges saving their favourite and the others going home.

So, one couple saved by the public, one by the judges and one go out.

In the result of there being joint scores, then it would be the bottom four or five as appropriate

I think that's a very good idea - then they would be able to sort the wheat from the chaff

How would this have worked this season? The bottom three would have been...

Week 1

Brian
Kenny
Gethin

Week 2

Kate
Letitia
Stephanie

Week 3

Kate
Willie
Dominic
Kenny
Penny

Week 4

Kate
Kenny
John

The OP has hit the nail on the head, the voting lines have been open since 7.30 last night. So how can we, or anyone else be expected to be voting on the performance of the couple nearly a week before we actually see how they perform?

At best we are only ever going to be voting for the previous weeks dance which is unfair in so many ways not least because at least one dance we will be unable to vote for as they have been sent packing.

With all the indignation and condemnation of the GBP, the judges and everything else the fact the voting can continue for more than five days before anyone has any idea what sort of display any one has given is the major reason why we have the stupid position SCD has created this year.

Doubtless someone will point out that 87% or whatever of votes are cast during or immediately after the show, but that is all the fact that performance can never be a reason for some to vote has to at least cause concern or at worst question the whole point of the exercise.

OK someone will doubtless point out that the cost of the phone votes do go to 'charidee', but heck in terms of the beheomoth that is CIN, the revenue from SCD must be pretty much not worth the effort and if as someone will claim such a large proportion of the votes are made on the night, then would the charities really suffer that much if the voting were restricted to on the night after the performance.

Sorry to go on but with everyone getting all hot under the collar and condemning judges GMTV and anything else it would seem the answer is rather simpler than needed.

Great idea but the BBC will never go for it. They won't make as much money that way. Why only have 3 lines open when you can have 12? This is the reason why we have 14 couples in the competition now. It's all about money. Nothing to do with the integrity of the show.