We would have enjoyed the show so much more if the pairings were Brendan/Tom and Camilla/Lisa!

"Lovable"? Why would anyone require these people to be "lovable"? That is truly a cringe-making thought that they are required to be deemed "lovable".

Self taught, btw, by studying fed astaire tapes from bein a kid. Don't see why his enthusiasm should be held against him? He just loves dancing.

Isn't it funny how we all perceive things differently?
I laughed at this remark as I think the complete opposite. I just cannot warm to Austin at all. What was it someone called him? the dancing wardrobe.
I find his humility fake and calculated and generally find him dull,dull dull!!

I can't even pinpoint why I can't take to him, I just can't.

I don't see anything wrong with Tom. He dances beautifully. Maybe a bit too earnest for some tastes but he can't change his personality just to suit Strictly.

There are other contestants who have their feet a bit more on the ground and are therefore perhaps more likeable (Jodie, Christine) - but he has just got married to the woman of his dreams so is bound to be dancing on air for while .

I love Tom. He is the best male dancer in the competition. Anyone with rhythm is fine by me. I prefer to judge people on their dancing not just their personality.

Someone posted elsewhere:
Camilla dances like she's wearing vibrating underwear.
Last edited by mimi dlc : 22-11-2008 at 10:11

I think people who know a bit about tap dancing would agree that he wasn't trained in tap. At least, I desparately hope he wasn't or his teacher needs shooting. It wasn't very good, and had he had tap shoes on it would have been truely hideous.

That said, I generally like tom a lot but don't vote for him

Shappy. I can truly say I am not a fan of Tom. (never having watched the show and having no idea who he was before SCD). But I would venture to say there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the man as far as his dancing goes.....and if there is any justice he should be in the final along with Austin and Rachel. All the rest (what colour socks he wears, whether he looks better with his hair slicked back or tousled, his real or imagined love for his wife, his smugness, his campness) is just details. TOM FOR THE FINAL!!!

Totally... and this has rubbed off on Tom.

Thankfully, Camilla's habit of leering over the male contestants has not rubbed off on Tom I find the woman as nauseating as Tess.

I have to imagine that all this antipathy towards Camilla is from women, not from men. I suppose she's too attractive, too much fun, too sexy to appeal to the many women who watch this programme. They must find her a threat in some way. They seem to find Lilia and Erin more attractive which I find amazing as they're not attractive at all. Very plain in fact. Is it that they're less of a threat to the psyche of the females watching the show? I don't know, but it does seem that many of the people who dislike Tom do so, not because of Tom but because of Camilla. A weird and warped and totally irrational reason.

The boy is easily the best dancer in the group left, but for some reason no one is interested in this. It all depends on whether they like him as a person or not. I can understand that to an extent. I know he's better than Austin but at least he doesn't try to curry favour with the audience in the way that Austin does.Last night on ITT where he popped up "by accident" between Erin and Matthew while Claudia was interviewing them and kneeled there pulling focus as much as possible during the rest of the interview. Despite his being an awful personality and much more smug than Tom, you can see that he has done well with his dancing. He does have a natural ability, probably more than Rachel or Lisa do. It should really come down to Tom and Austin in the final, but Tom can never win it. Why? Because the fans don't like Camilla. How pathetic is that?

Hell you are right, he was already good before he started Strictly. Explains why he is such a good dancer now, because he has natural rhythm. I now also see that his strange facial expressions are probably due to Camilla, because he looks lovely in the video.

As a Austin supporter, I still won't change my mind. I know they all had previous experience or advantages (bar John Sergeant), and I don't think Tom had an unfair advantage. I wish Tom had been coupled with someone like Lilia, I think we would see fantastic routines and less strange faces (sorry Camilla fans).

I hate the same old line of just because a woman dislikes another woman, it must be because we're jealous. I don't find Camilla unattractive, I just don't warm to her personality and find her completely over the top. Unfortunately, people do get put off from voting for a celebrity because of who they are paired with. On the other hand, I'm sure there were a lot of people who voted to keep John in because of Kristina. So, it works both ways.

Why on earth does everything have to come down to jealousy? I like Camilla but she can be rather manic when dances, Karen gets a lot of critism for gurning but I think Camilla is worse, her expression during their entire Quickstep was a bit mad, it almost looked like this actually

By the way, I find insults such as yours to other forum members and broad generalisations far more pathetic. I don't find Camilla particularly sexy, but that's not the reason why I don't like her. I'm not taken by her dancing and her facial expression during the dancing. I also think she overdances, and her routines IMO are predictable. I think she is otherwise a lovely person. I don't like Erin very much personally, however, she doesn't overdance and seems to produce routines for her partners that IMO are great (apart from Muppetgate). I don't care if Lilia is good looking or not, but the woman is a genius when it comes to creating good dances for her celebrities.

We are not all that shallow that we are just driven by the looks of people you know. We don't all support a celebrity male, because he is good looking and we don't all dislike a female because she is good looking.

Granted men may be more inclined toward Camilla than us women, but for me personally it's the way she behaves that nauseates me not her looks. Tess is undeniably attractive and yet has the same effect on me when she starts pawing the men.

If it was a man behaving toward the female pros/contestants in this manner I would feel the same too. But seeing as we have been metaphorically slapping men's wrists over it for that last half a century (at least) they are beginning to know better!

As for Austin, don't get me started. There is nothing endearing about a middle-aged man behaving like a slightly naughty 10-year old unless he happens to be among children at the time.

I can't say I've ever noticed Camilla behave inappropriately with her partners, unlike Tess who's gotten worse than Arlene.

I think Camilla is lovely she is really friendly and sweet.Ive really enjoyed meeting her on several occasions. She always makes a great effort with fans. But I hate her dancing, she irratates me no end with her head postion and always catching flies!! and as a female I am totally not jealous of her!!

Well I can safely say that Tom is my favourite in this competition by a long shot. I found the pure excitement and joy he showed when dancing the quickstep really endearing and watched the whole dance with a grin on my face. Whether this is a dance competition or an entertainment show he is my winner by far. How anyone can find someone who is so completely enjoying their experience smug is beyond me?! He is the first to criticise himself and admit to mistakes in dances but his happines when things go well is obvious to see too.

Tom and Camilla for the glitterball!!!!

Camilla is fab- and I think the antipathy towards her is really unfair.

This is one classy lady who is a great teacher and enjoys dancing, and is a lovely down to earth person with it


Oh and Tom isn't too bad either-

TOMILLA for me- they deserve to win. It is not fair on them if they have to suffer any backlash from you know what this week

Backlash? They didn't critique anyone or shown too much desperation so far. I don't get it?

Apologies I phrased that wrongly

What I meant was that it would be unfair that Tom and Camilla should suffer any backlash from people who may wish to wind up the judges by trying to dump Tom in the bottom two during the public vote because he is the best all round dancer


Sorry for any confusion