Do you think this is the year when the Judges will realise that unduly harsh criticism means public sympathy votes? On the preview last night it looked like the penny had dropped for Len, but the others?

It also annoyed me that Craig admitted that Brendan should have been disqualified for Liftgate but still gave him an 8. I think if he deliberately flouts the rules this year, as he seems to be implying he will, they should mark that dance with a big fat zero!

Marking it zero is harsh.. They dropped down them by a few points I thought. I think the judges should be allowed express what ever opinion they like and just because the public don't like it, doesn't mean they have to hide their true feelings.

Does anyone know what the rules are? Although the professionals will obviously push the boundaries for artistic reasons, how are we to know when something illegal has occurred? It is all very well the judges saying 'this lift is wrong' or 'there weren't enough turns', but a stunning, albeit illegal routine (such as Brendan and Kelly last series) should be marked down consistently.
If viewers are ignorant of the rules from the beginning, such actions may just alienate them causing them to lose faith and interest in the programme.

Don't even get me started on 'Dancing with the Stars'...

I don't agree. If someone blatantly breaks the rules as Brendan and Kelly clearly and deliberately did then that dance should not receive any score from the judges. If Brendan does it again this year would you be happy to see him lose just a few marks? Is that fair on the other competitors?

And yes, the judges should be able to express whatever opinion they like. But they then complain when the public kick back against their unduly harsh views! They can't have it both ways!

I think it depends on the dance... if everything apart the illegal move was good and it was an excellent dance except for that error, I would say mark it a 7 or an 8 ... like I say I would have to see the dance first.

I wouldn't call their views harsh, they are just saying what they see...

I'd be quite happy for the judges to give 1's across the board if Brendan very purposely breaks the rules yet again this year. It's not fair on the other couples.

I agree with you about the rule breaking. I think the judges should have all given zero, and then left it up to the public to decide.

I also think the judges should be able to say what they like, but there is a way to get their point across without being personally insulting to the celeb. They've obviously never heard of constructive criticism, and would rather just go for the jugular!

So would I... he probably still wouldn't go out, but it might make him think twice about breaking the rules.

The lift itself didn't have much impact, it seemed more like a bid to get attention on them and it got on my nerves. I actually preferred Matt's AS to Kelly's and thought it was unfair he didn't get one ten even though he kept to the rules. I think that week would have been all about Matt if it hadn't been for Brendan (and obviously Gabbygate, which came the day after), and it wasn't really fair for Brendan to steal his thunder like that.

Speaking of 10's I also hope this year that the judges use the scoring system sensibly. They started too high last year and gave themselves no where to go.

I prefer to see conservative (7 or 8 maximum) scores in the first weeks. The 9's and 10's just aren't special any more when they hand them out so easily.

Definitely, I think they're desperate to say the standard is rising, which it is, but the marks are as well. Some of the tens that were handed out last year would never have been given to the same dance three years earlier.