I think John probably did the farewell dance more for Kristina's sake than anything else, because he knew how upset she was that he'd withdrawn. He probably felt he owed her that. Plus the Beeb probably insisted as part of them allowing him to withdraw, so that they could pretend everything was happy families.

I don't think John was bullied but I think he was in an impossible situation. It was no longer about him and Kristina - they were just an excuse for everyone who was voting for their own agenda. There were so many people voting to spite the judges or because they'd placed money on John winning or because of the whole media circus or because they genuinely felt John was being unfairly treated.

If John and Kristina had stayed in the competition, and instead of doing a routine on Saturday had sat chatting or reading the paper rather than dancing, and had then asked the viewers not to vote for them, the genuine John & Kristina fans most likely would have respected that but, frighteningly enough, everyone else who was voting for their own agenda would probably have carried on regardless.

Yes, by withdrawing, all of last week became about John but I think he realised that once he'd done his farewell dance, the fuss would begin to die down and that by this coming Saturday, SCD would be back to being about SCD again. If he'd stayed in the competition and hadn't been out this week, then the craziness would just have kept on going. I think withdrawing was the only thing he could have done under the circumstances - especially after his wife started receiving abusive phone calls about his continued presence in the competition. It's easy for the judges and pro dancers to criticise John for withdrawing but as far as we're aware their families haven't been receiving abusive phone calls from the public.

I wouldn't hesitate to agree the phone call to his wife was completely unacceptable.

But I don't agree that John had no choice but to withdraw. I think he should have continued and the show should have run its course in the normal way. If that meant he actually won then so be it. I wouldn't have been happy, but that it the whole point of a public vote. It might have given the producers a wake up call after messing about so much with the format of the series this year.

I believe John had his own reasons for quitting and apart from the phone call to his wife, I don't think it was anything to do with the reasons he gave publicly (obviously this is just my opinion as we'll never know the truth).

No, I am not suggesting at all that Kristina is stupid - far from it. I do believe, however, that she, like thousands of others, was totally hoodwinked by a very clever self-publicist who drew almost everyone into his plot.

As John said, it was the judges who whipped up the public support for him.

I don't think he could have plotted what happened from the start.....once the bandwagon started rolling though he clearly knew what he was doing when he took on the judges and fuelled the fire himself.

The judges should be embarassed....there's no way they could have joined in the standing ovation as to do so would have been too hypocrital, even for them.

I would have a lot more respect for the judges if they just came out and admitted they messed up and were sorry rather than all this backtracking and saying they were sorry to see him go. Fat chance of that though.

wow that plot was so subtle i missed it entirely
Last edited by krugergreebo : 24-11-2008 at 15:17

Oh my goodness, I bet you believe Princess Diana was murdered too?

I agree about the judges. I was so embarrassed watching them argue on Saturday and hearing Len talk about going home that I sent a complaint to the BBc, after of course I switched the programme off. I just cannot bear to watch it anymore. The judges and their bad manners have spoilt this programme for me and I have been a fan from the first series.

Me too. What a load of hypocrites they are, all concerned about being fired from their cushy jobs on the Show now John has left. Considering he was getting one and a half million phone votes, I guess it has cost the BBC a lot of money!! I would have more respect for the judges if they stuck to their guns rather than give frantic interviews about how sad they all are that John has left!!!. John is very clever and if you read between the lines of the press conference statements, it is clear what his opinion of the show is. What a bitchy lot they are!! They are all fighting for a plastic glitter ball. I think they have all, both the contestants and the judges, lost the plot. It is no longer fun.

Unlike the judges!

I think John's position with untenable as the judges were going on other programmes telling the viewers not to vote for him and Christine, then we had Cherry and James on This Morning News banging on and on about him and I noticed his John's face when Cherry was voted off the show-and he did not come out onto the dance floor with the other contestants. I think he was made to feel very clearly the resentment of his fellow competitors, added to the judges negative, hurtful comments I think John had enough. Quite honestly it was supposed to be fun, an entertainment show for charity (well it WAS until this year). Now everyone is taking it far too seriously, Len is jetlagged and hostile, the fight between him and Craig on Saturday night was dreadful. He obviously cannot cope with doing both shows. It is time for the BBC to take some CONTROL over what is happening.

the fact is that there was no desperation for John to win the show - it's not like X-Factor where there is a recording contract at the end of it, just a plastic glitterball

Frank Skinner said it was 'the job centre with sequins' on Friday night and he's absolutely right, it's a way of celebs getting more work, no more no less

so why on earth would you stick it out when there's so much negative publicity? If the judges had stuck to talking about the dancing there wouldn't have been such a furore but they didn't, they got their ugly mugs all over the media and got personal

so he did the right thing, and they all need to take a long hard look at themselves and think 'why were the public SO desperate to keep him in'

perhaps they'll learn next year, or perhaps we'll only have 30-year old male and female popsies taking part just to keep the judges happy

But he and Kristina did come out onto the dance floor


totally agree

John Serjeant is well established as an after dinner speaker and awards host on the corporate circuit. He had no need of a TV Show to further something that he's been doing successfully for a number of years.

I don't think there one point we can agree on and I'm too tired to argue the same points over and over again when we will never agree. I will say one thing though - it is Cherie not Cherry.

Yes, what was that all about on Saturday night? It was embarrassing to watch and without sounding like an old fuddy duddy I immediately thought "children watch this programme what example is that setting?" The cynic in me just thought that the whole thing was orchestrated so that the papers would have something else to talk about other than JS. I thought it was utterly ridiculous and Len went down in my estimation, not that he was high in my estimation to begin with

That was a great line from John

What John shows is intelligence, which is what many people are lacking. It's not rude, it's not offensive, it's not aggressive, it's funny and is also true, and that shut your opponent up. Only a fool would go there and make themselves totally unpopular and make everybody hate them (eg. James Jordan and all the judges). I bet John has more brain than all of them put together x 100 times. Like it or not, if you are very popular (eg. getting over 60% of the vote) then you are the winner.