Stop it! You're just after smooches

It's a shame viewers haven't taken to Rachel. She's very lucky to have been partnered with Vincent - he's almost got enough personality for the pair of them if that make sense?!

Nor was it equal in merit to Lisa's QS.

We'll see how it pans out when Austin does the Salsa. I'm not hopeful because I thought his Samba was a bit lacklustre and the relatively poor performance in the Cha Cha confirmed my fears. I kept wondering if some rugby injury was holding the hips back.

Anyway, if he gets to the Final, he can do the Jive which he was fab at - so all is not lost.

Tom, for my money though, is a natural at both ballroom and latin & I loved his Tony Manero impression in the group dance.

Foiled!

Unfortunately, I think Vincent annoys a lot of people also. It took me a long time to warm to Rachel but the Rumba week sealed it for me. I thought she deserved to be top this week also.

aw I dont think he's overated I think he's an amazing dancer/guy.

I wish him all the luck, he is a great dancer, my favourites are rachel and tom though.

I've just been browsing the "other place" and someone who says he's Austin has posted on the support thread. It's a really nice message - says he's doing the Paso & Foxtrot on Saturday and that he's not cocky (I paraphrase!) and neither is Tom. If it is him, it's a lovely & thoughtful post.

I don't think either of them are cocky or smug either, I wonder if we'd be obssesed with calling everyone smug if Craig hadn't said it first?

Definately, i loved Mark - i think he's still one of the best male celeb dancer, he was brilliant in every dance

My problem with Austin (and Tom thinking about it) - if you can call it a problem, is that he started at a certain level (quite high in all honesty), and has been consistently at that level - so in my opinion, we've seen no progression

While part of the fun has been watching the girls improve - I thought Austin would win to start with, but I'm doubting that more each week

I speak as a Maren fanatic, but honestly I knew his ballroom wasn't quite on a par with his Latin. His foxtrot was rather awful but then Karen also had a weird choreography thing going on it. It took until the waltz in the quarters (?) to get his posture sorted.

As for Austin's post in the other place...a lovely message.

It was the same with Alesha.

The best dancer always wins in the end. The rest is just gossip.

Jill Halfpenny was brill as well

I am not sure how Rachel is gonna be like in her other latin dances, coz really thinking about her last two dances have been Rumba and Foxtrot which are all kinda slow and romantic dances which she has been able to do, so this week will be a test for her

That is something I find smacks of arrogance in itself. Trolling the boards looking for threads about himself. Please...

I dont think hes over rated. I do think Tom is slightly better then him technically but Austin is very good.
I can't wait for his American smooth, i think that will be his wow dance if erin choreographs it well.

Did you also think that of Kristina who frequently posted on threads about her and John? Or do you just have a problem with Austin?

I suppose Kristina was as well when she posted on here.

Edit: missfrankiecat....snap!!!

I don't think you can conclude he's been 'very very good'. His jive was ok, but lacked the wow factor like Gethins. Also his Rumba and Samba were poor.

His ballroom's good, but his latin aint much cop, partly because he's too chunky.

Austin doesnt wow me when i watch him, it was like that when watching Jodie dancing

IMO Austin doesnt light the dancefloor when he dances, not much atmosphere

If you recall last year, towards the end of the series the judges were criticising her footwork, and Matt and Flavia and Gethin and Camilla were getting higher marks occasionally. I'm not sure its all entirely about dancing. Austin is a typical Leicestershire cocky rugby player, which is pretty much about being competitive, aggressive and a sense of humour that takes the p*ss out of everybody, including himself. No doubt that makes him a bit like Marmite, but he's not the only contestant that divides opinion.

Sacrilege!!!!

From my point of view I thought Alesha's samba was rather awful but then I'm not one of those who demand perfection in every dance, it's just whether the whole package and partnership come together throughout the whole thing, and for me Austin and Erin have done that.

I thought Austin's cha cha cha was a lot worse than Christine's, and I would've been generous if I gave a 6 to his samba or rumba. He just doesn't have it in the Latin. The only reason he was so good at the jive was because he is very nimble on his feet.

And that, I find funny. Rachel has "too much experience" because she was in a cheesy dance group who did some arm waves in time to the music, but a guy who's career is based on being precise and quick footed is not perceived to have an advantage from this.

lol...well I meant that dancing is not just about technique when I said it wasn't all about dancing. Austin adds power to his dances, Tom adds agility, Rachel adds sweetness (yes even though that rumba was raunchy, it still had the Lolita edge to it), Christine provides elegance and energy, I'm not sure what Lisa brings, but it changes every week. All of these things will influence the way they dance particular dances, and therefore how the public sees them. This in addition to the way they come across when they're not dancing.

Spot on, but sadly that is Len's reasoning and he's head judge

And of course judges get it wrong sometimes, but presumably they are going to get it wrong fewer times than us non or part time experts.