I'm not overly keen on Suzanne - she is a fabulous skater but in the beginning weeks she lacked any kinda facial expression and now she has too much and she doesn't emote that well on the ice. Zaraah, i feel is the same but can't skate as well. Chris is very good but he doesn't really have a partnership. Gareth is good but sometimes i feel his lines are too stiff and almost too good.

But as a stand-in Zaraah started training as soon as the others. She's had just as much time to get used to skating and to being on ice.

She hasn't worked as long with her partner, and that might be a reason why she doesn't do more daring lifts; but she shouldn't be at much of a disadvantage by now re her skating.

Anyway, I think the judges' marks weren't too bad this week. The main ones I'd question are Jason's. He seemed to be marking Suzanne down because of what she'd done in other weeks; and I don't think his praise for Zaraah's mastery of the props was justified.

I think Gareth skated well enough to deserve his 2nd place.

Unfortunately I can't stand Gareth and never could (I voted for Will) and this colours my perception of his skating. Also he looks terribly knock-kneed when he's skating and I can't stop looking at that rather than what he's actually doing on the ice.

However, having said that, I think he's better than Zaraah but not as good as Suzanne and Chris. The perfect final to me would be those two, but with Gareth's popularity, he will certainly be in the top three, if not the top two and I would guess that Zaarah will be going out this Sunday (IMHO)

I like Gareth but I think that the judges overrate him every week - his performances don't excite or interest me particularly. I enjoyed Zaraah's performance last week (not the skate-off, which I thought was poor compared to the main show) and would much prefer to see her and Fred in the final than Gareth.

But I think the judges have already decided on their top 3 as Gareth, Suzanne and Chris - I don't think Zaraah has a chance because she's now labelled as the weakest skater

i agree ^
although Gareth is good, i can never remember his routines (or the songs), they arent v.exciting

^^^

exactly there are certain routines which stick in your mind. For example Chris and Frankie's Cry me a River and Time Warp and Suzanne's Music etc but I don't think I could actually name one of Gareth's routines if asked.

With Zaraah, I thought she really improved last week and tbh her performance was my favourite last week (apart from Greg in the Skate off - I really admired his performance then, was very emotional and he put everything into it) I think that the judges should judge on what they see THAT WEEK not what people have done in previous weeks, but thats just my opinion

lol, i second that

I've actually found myself agreeing with all the judges markings this time - at least in the order that the skaters end up on the leader board.

But, like you, I am sick of the continuous sob stories to the extent that I rather wish they would stop all training VTs, and just show the skating.

If its true that they all have to do a stint of solo skating, then I think we will see who can skate. (No problem for Chris of course).
The Dancing On Ice stars will have to cope without their professional partners in Sunday's semi-final as they go it alone.

They will have to perform a 20-second routine on their own in this week's Solo Spot. Bookies' fave Chris Fountain said: "It's very close. The first person to fall could be the one to go. The solo spot could make all the difference."

He is up against Gareth Gates, Zaraah Abrahams and Suzanne Shaw.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/2008...9520-20340662/


I think Gareth has been getting better week on week, but have ot agree that the songs they gave him are not that memorable as some others.

A stint at solo skating is a brilliant idea.

So, you dislike Gareth on the basis of an unrelated competition from over six years ago? Dancing on Ice is a whole new ball game and nothing to do with singing talent or Will!

Gareth doesn't look knock-kneed to me. I think he moves very gracefully and fluently on the ice, particularly as he isn't a trained dancer.

Gareth suffers from severe migraines (with aura) a few times a year. I know his mum to speak to and she has mentioned Gareth's migraines before and how he takes a very powerful drug which knocks him out for a few hours, but gets rid of his migraine. As a fellow migraine sufferer (also with aura), I know that they can be sheer hell. I've been sent home from work in the past after being violently sick and almost passing out with them. As a woman, I get most of mine at certain times of the month. I feel tired and washed out for quite a while afterwards. I felt so sorry for Gareth last week.

I think Gareth is overmarked and over rated. He always looks stiff as a board and his posture is awful. He also had by far the easiest prop last week and had it been any other skater this would have been mentioned as it was in previous years .He often makes mistakes and his lifts are easy and boring.

To be fair he's not strong enough to do much more in the way of lifts which does mean he has to spend most of his time trying not to take attention from his partner providing the wow factor as best she can on the floor.

Your not the only one. I had total sympathy with Gareth.

Was this thread started as an anti-gareth thread? Because it certainly seems so. I think the boy is doing really well and to get as good as he is, without past ice-skating training or proper dance training, I think its amazing. Based on this alone in my eyes he is already a winner - whether he wins the comp or not. I wish him every luck.

So you joined up just to sl*g Gareth? that's a bit sad.

Not according to the judges it wasn't. Maybe in other years the comment have been like that because nothing else was done with the hat apart from taking it on and off the head, whereas Gareth was juggling with it.
He may not do high lifts, but the ones he does are very well presented and are compatable with the strength he has. Especially in the last couple of weeks when contending with a bout of illness and a Migraine.
Good first post by the way :sleep:

I think there is a problem with the judging, because it's so unclear what's meant to count as good.

For example, a few weeks back, Suzanne did a difficult but lift-packed routine that Nicky marked down because it didn't have enough skating. That's right and fair if the routines are supposed to have a certain amount of on-ice time, but not if they aren't.

In today's Mirror, Jason says Suzanne "sat on Matt's shoulders and twirled an umbrella - safe and uninspiring", even though she did a spin with the umbrella and more difficult lifts than Zaraah (who's the only woman left to compare lifts). Wasn't there something safe about Zaraah's easlier lifts and hulaing the hoop while standing still? Yet it's hard to say his marks were wrong, because there are no rules. "Safe" can be completely subjective.

(I'm using Suzanne examples because I followed her most closely; there may be examples about others too.)

In any reasonable competition, there are rules that say what someone has to do to get a good score, even in sports such as figure skating and ice dancing where there's a substantial subjective element to the judging. In a show very similar to DOI, Strictly Come Dancing, a waltz has to be a waltz, a tango a tango, heel leads are required at some points, there are strict rules about lifts, and so on.

But not in DOI. Even when there's a "required" element, how much it matters seems almost arbitrary.

No I am just giving my point of view the same as everyone else because it differs from yours doesn't make it wrong. Does it? Can't wait for Sunday's show.

Does not make it wrong, no, does not make it right either.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but the judges look for footwork in skating and to performances.

And at the end of the day, we (the public) love what we love and vote accordingly.

but I remember Sean Wilson being heavily penalised in series 1 for the lack of lifts - even though his actual skating was considered by many to be the best amongst the competitors. Sean wasn't physically strong and his partner was virtually the same height as him - not something that applies to Gareth and Maria.

I'm not a Gareth fan - his routines don't excite me, but he does come across as very modest, so if he wins I won't begrudge him the success.

I wonder if we will see the 1st 6 tonight ?

I think we might

Chris and Frankie and Suanne and Matt have come very close in previous weeks and I think that these week they'll all be giving it a little extra to secure their place in the final.

So fingers crossed...