Was kinda neutral to him in the beginning. His AS was amazing, but his paso, though very competent, had the strangest expression! Even he admitted he's overdone it.

He said he'll 'act from within' for his Tango. Let's see if he can 'win me over' this Saturday with his Tango.

Other than that, he's actually quite a pleasant sort of person.

Well Im not a fan of Karen's either, I find the faces she makes while dancing quite weird. I cant watch her dancing for watching the faces she makes. I know its funny, but I just find her false.

Brendan puts me off his partnerships also, again for the same reason. Lisa looks like she is scared of putting a foot wrong, not by what the public will think but by what Brendan might say. He looks like he is trying hard to change his ways, but his face and eyes tell you different.
Again, its all about him not his student.

Because she was the best dancer overall in the series and her nearest rival was got rid of in the semi.

So the previous performance experience only hinders those that aren't the "best" dancer overall?

I cannot possibly say that about the male pros at all. They don't overdo it.

Tom way overdoes it. I've never remotely laughed in the wrong way watching the pros but I was in hysteria all the way through Tom's paso.

I must say, I found him very endearing on Monday when he said he thought he looked a prat on the Paso.

OK - random trashing. Well, you have fun with that...

Tom's quite nice, I don't think there is anything wrong with him. I liked his quickstep.

Camilla is lovely.

Emma Bunton was continually trumpeted as the best dancer in that series by Craig et al, but the fact was she wasn't, her dancing in her semi final especially her salsa was dreadful. The tack of high kicking in every routine she did, also found her out.

I don't SAY it's impossible for people with previous experience to win. Tom might even do it, if he can tone the faces down. But it all depends on whether the public find him exciting to watch and the best dancer in the end.

Has Tom have previous dance experience? It doesnt bother me if he has and despite what people on here this it wont make a difference with the General public.
Jill had a lot of previous dance experience and still won,

That's why I think Camilla is the wrong pro for him, she's been overdoing it more and more the last couple of series, her face pulling has gone way over the top, and this appears to have rubbed off on Tom. Another pro may have calmed it down early on, and quite frankly told him that paso face was ridiculous (he was pulling it in training footage, did he not look in the mirror )

No, because she was far and away the best dancer, and in any case I've never said it's WRONG for people to be in it if they have, I actually do like to watch good dancing.

Doesn't bother me either, but leaving that aside I don't think he and Camilla have quite what it takes on the partnership to go the whole way anyway. Just my feeling.

It does - Rachel's popularity dipped for a couple of weeks but has surged this week. John Sergeant's popularity also soared this week, and this was before he pulled out.


Matt Dawson didn't have an active appreciation thread 2 years ago, and compared to some other threads the Gethin one last year wasn't particularly active...


I think there are a lot of Gethin fans on this board who can't take to Tom for similar reasons. I like Gethin as a person but was indifferent to him on Strictly last year, which may be why I've really warmed to Tom and now want him to win.


It didn't affect the popularity of the likes of Jill, Louisa or that figure skater who won the last DWTS - I don't think previous dance experience matters on either Strictly or DWTS mainly because the casual viewer is only vaguely aware of it.

Yes i do agree with you.
I would say Tom is the third best dancer after rachel and Austin, Toms not my favourite and i can understand why people find his facial expressions odd and i can also understand why Gethin fans find it hard to back him to win (i feel the same about christine) but i really dont get this "smug" label he seems to attract.
Also the majority of the GBP dont know who has or havent had dance experience so i dont think that will bother them when it comes to having a favourite,

I love Tom, he enjoys learning to dance and is having fum, saying somebody is smug because of the faces they pull when they dance is very unfair. tom appears to have lots of support on the BBC boards and a lot of people I know are voting for him. I was superised to see Rachel on top on the poll on here, yet eveybody I know finds her dancing dull and she found herself in the bottom two, with a real good score, so perhaps would not read to much into the poll. Tom appears to have lots of support on facebook and other boards just not on here because people just my opinion appear to have judjed him very harshly, but if a Tom Fan join his fan club on the BBC boards, it is funny and lovely just like Tom and Cam.

But I think it's fairly obvious by now to the public that a rugby player or a cricketer for example has NOT had any previous performing experience and I think the fact of Tom bringing out the tap dancing in the quickstep would have stated the case that he HAS. That won't affect I feel his chances to win if he comes out and blows the comp with spectacular performances topped with a brilliant showdance.

I was a mild Gethin fan, in the last weeks of the comp when he woke up. That didn't set me AGAINST Tom, I was perfectly neutral. Straight away on the first show I could see that he danced better. But I didn't see anything in the partnership to particularly excite me whereas I felt Austin and Erin instantly clicked.

No, I can't see his smugness at all. He seems perfectly nice to me and always very grateful to get through each week.

Gethin was a so-so dancer who suddenly wowed us, Tom is a good dancer so we expect more from him already and the wow is "harder" to earn. Hope that makes sense.

I can't see the chemistry between Erin and Austin. Sure, technically they dance brilliantly together and as an individual he looks like he's having fun and is a natural, but as a dancing couple, I just don't think they have that click factor other couples in the past have had. Each to their own I suppose.

Perfectly.

Thanks

I wasn't too sure about Tom, although I would not call him smug, just, too try hard at times.

However, he has slowly grown on me, and I don't think that now. I think he is just a lovely bloke who wants to do his best each week. And his quickstep was fab.



I am very fickle this year with them all!

Leave Tom alone- he is the best all round dancer among the celebs, and he comes over as a nice guy. Not smug or arrogant. In fact I think he's relaxing a lot more now which means that his personality is showing. He deserves to win this year

Now Camilla- I can't understand the hostility of some towards her. She is fantastic. A great teacher- fun and down to earth. Myself I think she's brilliant, and if I could pick a pro to win SCD I would pick Camilla.

Rachel leaves me cold with her dancing, I think she sees it as just another gig to get more work offers. She doesn't look like she's enjoying it

Unlike Tom- who's has taken the criticism without pouting in front of the judges when something is pointed out to him

This thread wasn't started to give people a chance to hurl insults at Tom, I was genuinely interested to hear if there were any robust reasons why Tom isn't as popular as one might expect - instead of the wooly types of reasons like "he just looks a bit smug", "there's just something about his dancing I don't like" that I have heard a lot on these boards.

And to be fair, bar a couple of posts, people haven't really said anything too horrible about Tom so far.

No, just for me he dances a bit camp and also so far Camilla hasn't done for me brilliant routines..have nothing at all against the bloke.

That's fair enough Shappy- I just get fed up of people having a go at Tom saying he's smug etc.

What I see is a guy enjoying dancing everyweek. And who really deserves to win this year

I just don't like the feeling that a few members want the best dancer out to wind up the judges after you know what

He's not smug - Just very very confident and what is wrong with that??
I love him on holby and love him in this.

I suppose when interviewed he does come across as really confident, and as the brits usually like an underdog or people who are shy and retiring that's why he won't have mass appeal.