I wasn't meaning to disparage Louisa's performance. I thoroughly enjoyed her jive. However, as Rachel is dancing with the same partner, I think that Louisa's performance is the one (if any) that may stick in the judges' minds when it comes to comparison. I also think that Rachel is technically better than Louisa was so if she can throw herself into it (and if she can't do that with the jive then I fear for her performances for the rest of the series) then she could perform really well and seduce one or two judges into a perfect score.

althougth a year since Alesha's ten she got it on dance six so if someone does get one tomorrow not following last years winners form

Worth remebering for this year is that once Alesha scored her first ten I believe she then scored Tens every week so whoever starts doing that would show the same form.

I think it is unlikely that Austin and Erin will get a 10 as they are dancing first, they do look good in training thou and I hope they do well.

Rachel should do well, she also looked very good in training but I don't think she will score a 10 either.

I think we may have to wait a week longer for a 10!

If it helps the number of tens given out so far for the Quickstep (excluding Christmas Specials) is 8, for the jive it's 6 and the waltz it's17!

Austin & Erin unless as speculated the judges save 10's for a later performance. If not them, bar an awful song choice Jodie and Ian♥

I thought Tom & Camilla's Paso training looked really good - in spite of the execrable music choice so I wonder if a 10 is in the offing. There again, I'm not sure if the Paso has been a maximum scoring dance in the past few series. I seek enlightenment

I was thinking the very same...

It wouldn't surprise me for the odd ten to appear this soon (after all we are several weeks in this year) and possibly to someone unexpected who has found 'their' dance. Austin's QS also looked good.

Austin is first to dance - so if he's awarded a 10 and someone surpasses his performance - where would the judges go?

If they dance the best on the night and arent given a 10 then theres no way the judges can justify giving anyone a 10.
In a way Austin and Erins mark tomorrow might determine wether the rest get undermarked/overmarked...

John!!

No matter how well they dance, the judges can't assume they are worth a 10 until they have seen the rest of the pack.

What if Tom, Rachel or Jodie are better - they're all looking pretty good - where would be the justice in Austin and Erin achieving the same mark if they turned in a lesser performance?

What does a 10 actually mean, that they are as good as a pro? The only celeb that has come anyway near pro standard was Jill halfpenny.

Because the judges will be able to say that you can't compare apples to oranges, so they have a far greater freedom of judging. So how do you say that that jive was better than that cha cha? I think the judges may find it easier tonight as they can judge on the relative merits of each dance, some are traditionally marked higher than others, the waltz for example, but I think this is one time when the leaderboard may throw up some interesting results. I think the judges may have to judge to how well they think the couples are going to dance it and it's a different argument as to whether you think that's right of wrong.

Also, by your logic only those that danced last would ever get 10s because only then have you seen the rest of the pack.


It's not like Austin, for example, goes out first and does an amazing qs that they'll give him 4 9s just in case someone does a better quickstep, he's the only one doing a quickstep, so they could give him 10s if they wished. It was just an example though, as I know Austin is going out first, but it holds true of every single dancer in whatever order they go out. It could be that Austin gets 4 8s, we have no idea what the judges are thinking, he could mess it up totally, that's the fun of SCD not knowing what's going to happen.

I think if Austin and Erin don't perform they won't get the marks. But maybe I'm naive. I'm an Austin fan and I only want him to get 10s if he deserves them. Perhaps you just don't want him to get 10s however he dances, and that's fine, that's your perogative.

I just don't get why you think that Austin and Erin would turn in a lesser performance? And why you think the judges would give him a 10 if he and Erin don't deserve them.

I personally will be pleased for whoever scores a 10 if they deserve it even if they're not my favourites.

Alesha got 2 10s for her QS and she danced first, so it shouldn't mattter what order the couples dance. I know that was a much smaller field, but there's always the option of a one man standing ovation if a "better" dance comes up later.

Is this the order of play? Got this from the BBC Strictly site.

Austin & Erin - Quickstep
Heather & Brian - Cha Cha
Jodie & Ian - Waltz
Andrew and Ola - Samba
Lisa & Brendan - Tango
Cherie & James - Salsa
John & Kristina - Foxtrot
Tom and Camilla - Paso Doble
Christine & Matthew - American Smooth
Rachel & Vincent - Jive

If it is, the marks may be more about the order the judges want the couples to end up on the leaderboard than the actual dances. We may see some weird and wonderful scoring tonight!

john will get the first 10

Unsurprisingly it was Austin and Erin and it didn't even feel like a big event.

Do we get a prize?

Agreed although he deserved it more then the first 10 that was given last year (kelly and brendans controversial AS).

Maybe we should start a new thread: 'Who'll get the first deserved 10?'

Tens are ten-a-penny these days.
If John gets a 6 then who cares about a 10?

I don't like them being awarded before the final. It devalues subsequent tens.

I'd like the marks to be out of 20. I think that would be far more revealing - if the judges had the courage to USE them. Yes, Len, you!