I think a lot more people would've loved Matt's waltz if Len hadn't done a standing ovation/ got a perfect 40... people now concentrate on finding everything that was negative about the dance in order to disagree with the judges, whereas if he had got a 38 or so, people would've overlooked some of the faults but agree that overall it was a great dance (like with Alesha's and Gethin's). Shame that the judges' behaviour are taking it away from what was a great waltz.

I thought it was rather sweet at the time but that's because I was stuck in this air of relief/pride/awe etc etc that my favourite had not only managed to get through the routine, but do a great one. Looking back though, it *is* a bit cringeworthy and I wish he hadn't done it.

For me all 3 waltzes are on par.
I thought Matt did a fantastic job last night but i also thought Gethin and Aleshas waltz was lovely.
I think the reason why Matt got the 40 and neither of them did was because he was the last one to perform it? And also because of the stage fright he suffered last week...
Although i am interested to hear Craigs reasoning for giving his first 10 of the series..

I have to admit that t I was more impressed by Matt's waltz when I re-watched him doing it in the dance off. After its first performance it was obvious that Matt thought that he had nailed it technically. Maybe his problems stem from a perfectionist streak. I recall earlier criticisms that he was concentrating too hard about what came next. I now think that the judges had nowhere else to go. They had already given very high scores to Gethin and Alesha who for me were better in the more subjective aspects of performance and extra chemistry. A mark or two should have been deducted but that would have resulted in him getting the same score as a technically inferior dance.

He was an impartial Judge -- Justice Len Goodman.

A plaintiff and a defendant came up before him. The plaintiff made his case. Justice Len stood up and applauded, with the defendant still to speak.

I think that's a good point there - I felt that Matt's waltz was technically great, but perhaps lacking a *little* in the performance aspect (and I am a Matt fan - sorry, SCD-Observer ), while the other two had good performance but perhaps not as technically good. Maybe it'll make more sense if they had two scores out of 5, one for performance and one for technicality - but then it would never have the same impact as the "9! 8! 10! 10!" kind of scoring!

I think this has happened several times in the series with various couples due to overmarking. I'm thinking particularly of Alesha's Cha Cha Cha, which I thought was an absolutely fabulous performance but seemed to start a backlash because she scored 39 for it. That night we also saw a brilliant salsa from Matt, but instead of raves for the great dancing that night the aftermath was dominated by rants about overmarking and favouritism, etc.

To be honest, the marking has been so erratic this year that I've started to ignore it, whether or not Matt and Flavia deserved their 40, it was a lovely waltz.

Yes, agree with Alesha's cha cha cha - at the time I thought it was excellent, but I did think that she was overmarked which left a bad aftertaste. If she had been marked more harshly, we would have been able to appreciate the dance as itself.

Undermarking is always better than overmarking - with undermarking you tend to just complain lightly about the judges' stinginess, while overmarking backfires on the contestants for not having 'deserved' it, when it wasn't their fault.

Gethin did the last dance.

Actually he made more mistakes in the dance-off (some missed heel leads I think, and the spin was not as centred as it was before so he was moving more and more to their left)! But He *tried* harder at 'acting' the dance...

Bless you, Father. Now, you've said it. Self Promotion - Len BADman. Spot on, Mate.

I like it. I like it.

I consider it very bad manners to whoever follows that exhibitionist gesture, knowing that favouritism has been declared. Enough to deflate any contestant, when you know that you are already toast in the dance-off before the main dances have finished.

Quite.

And you could see it in Gethin's face - resigned - and Camilla's - gloomy.

Matt and Flavia, meanwhile, just looked smug.

The judges' ridiculous attempts to fall over each other to smother Matt with praise - exemplified by the four tens - has been embarrassing. It's undermined the credibility of Matt as a dancer, who was good when he first found his feet, then became very inconsistent.

Then tonight Craig admits he's worried about Matt being able to do all five routines. So if Matt makes a mistake and looks crestfallen, what will the judges do then? Reward him with more tens? Or mark him down - cue the public rushing to his rescue and turning the entire series into a joke.

I would really like to move on from this fiasco - but watching ITT tonight just mde the farce worse, with Arlene, Craig and Bruno trying to defend what happened (see the ITT thread). Doubtless Len BADman will be wheeled out to do similar at some point. :yawn:

The BBC is probably thrilled that all this is generating so much press - they should be aware that it's seriously damaging a brand they supposedly value ...

Not this Matt fan SCD Observer - he throughly deserved 4 tens and I havent heard any other Matt fan say any different. Your description of his Waltz was has been absolutely correct and thank you

ditto

I think Len made a bit of a fool of himself and was just attention seeking. Making a big point of saying "I'm going to do something I've never done before" and then proceeding to do something that he did last series which had got no less cringeworthy in the meantime. I bet Matt and Flavia were embarrassed.

I also agree with those who have said above that it was unfair on Gethin to have to follow it when the holder of the casting vote had made it very plain where his vote would be going. Unless he was going to do two standing ovations in one night?!

Noticed Len's absence on ITT tonight-why was that

He hardly appears on ITT interviews apart from the masterclasses, if I recall correctly?

Firstly, as as someone else, he did it last year. Len has been trying very hard to make people like him, which doesn't work if he doesn't stop his unfair and dishonest comments and judgements.

Len probably had an inkling that four 10s would be the score so had to come up with a way to make sure that his 10 was more noticeable than anyone else's. He loved the dance and gave it the maximum score, fair enough. Standing up only resulted in all eyes being on him when they should have been on Matt and Flavia.

In actual fact, Craig's 10 was the most noticeable because he has kept it in reserve until he saw something he really believed was as close as possible to being perfect.

They've even got a photo of Len's SO in the Gallery of this week's dances on the BBC website!

I thought the gallery is supposed to show the DANCERS, not judges! LOL!

It looked like that to me too, and it was so cringey. I have no doubt that it's tough going out there to dance and it is every performer's nightmare to freeze half way through, and well done to him for getting back on the horse and all that. But you'd think he was some kind of returning war hero who had put his life on the line to save his friend. Not someone who didn't mess up in a pro-celebrity dance competition to raise money for charity.

He was on last Monday

So did I! It came as quite an unpleasant shock!

Maybe Len's after a part in EastEnders as Peggy's long lost lover from the Hammersmith Palais?