Why not keep the couples in untill the end. Kepp a running tally of the points from both the judges and the audience vote. then at the end have an award for best dancer, most improved and other catagories. This way the judges can be as mean as they like and couples that perform well will not have the fear of being voted out.

Good idea but don't think Strictly would have the same sort of competitiveness as it does at the moment - there won't be that same fear of leaving each week, and that one final prize at the end...

Not sure it would work IMHO

It's a nice idea in one respect, but in terms of making it exciting TV, a vast number of people just wouldn't watch without the competitive edge and the chance to "vote for your favourites". Viewing figures rule all!

I'm also not sure how they'd manage to get every couple dancing every dance - it could get pretty unwieldy.

Although you provide another answer early on - it would not be exciting TV (in other words, pretty boring or inconsequential, with people switching off as a result - would you really want to watch something that is markedly less exciting?)

I'd probably watch it, I'm getting quite tired of the "voting people off" system being applied apparently to every possible situation going to be honest!, but I think a lot of people wouldn't, and I expect some of the less good dancers could become pretty annoying if you had to watch them week in week out. As I said, I think viewing figures rule all - the fact is it wouldn't attract as big an audience if it didn't appeal to our thirst for blood sports so it's never going to happen.

This is the difference between the Football League and the FA Cup. Both competitions are played, but with very different flavours.

In league games Manchester United can play awfully badly, and still make up lost ground later in the season. With sudden-death eviction a possibility in the FA Cup, any village footie team has a chance, and the likes of Manchester United need to watch themselves at every game -- just like SCD exits of Gabby and Penny when "nobody is safe".

This makes for more shocks, more exciting games, probably a higher standard of play per game. In slow and steady league play only the top clubs with limitless cash for buying star players have any chance of winning.

Even though there's still a massive threat of it becoming reality, if we couldn't vote couples off each week we'd be stuck having to witness poor Anton dragging two-left-feet, limp-ragdolled Kate around the floor for the entire 12 weeks. I don't think it'd would be fair to inflict that on the poor fella, do you!?

The way its going thats still possible

Sorry, but that is a dreadful idea - there would be no tension whatsoever.

Well....'drama'....in a word.

Nightmare isn't it?