With only four paddles in use, Len is struggling to differentiate between dances that are most definitely not of the same standard.

Much as it seems on the surface to cheer couples up when they hear the "severn", deep down they will know they have been overmarked.

I wonder if Len's frustration - when he realises he is unable to put the contestants in order - is the reason for his grumpiness and negativity towards the end of the show?

Come on Len, get real and wipe the cobwebs from paddles 1-5.

The problem with Len is he says he dislikes a dance and then markx it as an 8. e.g. Vincent & Rachel .

His voting mark bears no relatonship to his opinion..

Totally!
What was his range tonight? I don't remember but it's common sense that from John to Austin is about a 10-point range. The women are closer but still not within (say) a 4 point range.

It's crazy. Get Len off...

His lowest score was a 6 given to John & Kristina .

Now, as much as I love John, I would have given his Foxtrot a 4.

He gave Rachel and Tom an 8, yet he continued this week, to respond with criticism.

I don't think he ever goes below 5, so his higher marks have no impact. Of course you can't tell know it all Len.

He's completely losing credibility.

I agree totally. Len really gets on my T%&TS

This is the second week in a row that Len seems to develop a major bad mood about two thirds of the way through the evening. What's happened to him? What was all that stuff about the cape and since when is a paso a ballroom dance? I've never noticed him object to the use of a cape before except maybe when Kelly used one with Brendan last year and I can't remember whether it was Len who objected. Didn't Gethin use a cape last year with Camilla and Len gave them a ten (I may be wrong about that).

Thats because his criticism was entirely subjective and he had thrown 7s at dances with mistakes and half the content and one that was just objectively bad,

Totally inconsistent too. Jodie has a theme but he doesn't see it. Rachel doesn't excite him by acting enough but the cape is too much acting. People with few steps get them all right so he gives 9, people with complex routines make errors so they get 7. Bad dancers get 7, people he has a random problem with get 7. Good people get 8. Males acting a bit get 10, females acting less like they are in a panto get 8.

That is another problem with having so many competitors. To differentiate between them, the judges should be prepared to extend the range - like Craig ( who must have been working very hard, to spot those timing issues with Austin).

As for what's wrong with Len, it's almost like he's menopausal.

His comments dont match his scores and they havent done for a while

If he dislikes a dance then score it accordingly, dont sit there and say that he didnt like it and give it an 8 - its ridiculous

no you're not

Rachel though was something different - thats him trying to explain why he's not given her a 9 rather than why he's given another 8 to someone not that good. There's not much sense there apart from some irrational inability to see whats there with some people and to reward it with others when its not there..

The worse cases of marks that don't sit with cmments are those 7s for dire dances that he gives lukewarm comments like "you tried" for.

Maybe he has a phobia of numbers 1 to 5

Maybe someone should check under his desk if he still has them, maybe somebody stole them for a competition where they only score from 1 to 5

I didn't think Austin was that bad!

That's the second week in a row that he's been quite harsh with Tom and Rachel. I'm wondering if there's a little bit of bias against them.

Especially Tom. Len obviously really loves Austin, but he's not giving Tom anything like the same benefit of the doubt. Tom's Paso was amazing tonight, no way it should have scored two points lower than Austin (and the same mark as Christine, if I remember right).

Have to say that I agree with most of what Len is saying actually, but not with his marks. He has dropped down to a 5 in earlier rounds this year, but the last time he dropped below a 5 was a '4' for Claire and Brendan at the start of series 4 when he penalised them for doing a lift in one of the Latin dances.

Not to do with Len particuarly, but in terms of scores, I mentioned this on another board:
.

This salsa is from Cherie
http://http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rO0vkUC-ggM

Compare it with this salsa from Heather
http://http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nwEsQSponBQ

For me - Heathers salsa is not only much better - but she did it in her first week!

And the scores? They both get the same marks.

I'm not sure if I'm seeing something different, I'm a Heather and Brian fan, maybe I'm biased? But to me Heathers salsa is way better than Cheries in its own right. The fact it was her first dance even adds to the fact that she should have been marked higher.

This has really started to bug me. I've never heard him complain about people using capes before, I usually love capes in the Paso and was amazed noone used them last week, but I have no idea why Len had a go at someone for using a cape.

The marking by Len has been weird so far, he doesn't seem to want to mark below a 7 or a 6 which leaves him nowhere else to go. Its like he's afraid he'll be booed like Craig is for giving a honest 4 to a bad dance.

It was really weird the way Len objected so vehemently to Tom's cape swirling. I seem to remember such an action was almost compulsory not so long ago. I am starting to think that Len has a bit of a "Colin Jackson" problem with Tom. That is to say, he's decided Austin is his "Darren Gough" so he wants him to win and, consequently, he's marking down the person he considers to be his closest rival. Happened in series 3.

He does have a soft spot for sportsmen so Austin benefits from that.

To give John a 6 was ludicrous and very unfair to the other competitors. Len admitted as much himself in his preamble.

The computer should just insert a 7 (sorry, seVEN) for all Len's scores.

Well having watched them both (thanks for the links) I completely agree with you. Cherie looks as if she's 'lost' at least twice in the routine (see the look on James face at 1.13)

I do like Len but he is becoming more grumpy and irrational (I agree - where did all that 'hating capes' come from?) and for me it started last year; the rude remarks to Kelly, the spiteful marking of Alesha (at times)...but I was very shocked about his behaviour towards Rachel last night...for someone who shouts at Craig that he should look for the positive I thought he was rude and condeming - how that poor girl is going to pick herself up I odn't know (and I'm not a rachel fan!)

Cx

Thank you cutlerette - I know we all have some bias in our eyes, but I'd be very surprised if the majority didn't agree that Heathers salsa was far superior - and in her first week. The scores are something else this year.