I don't think it's so much "false Mr Nice Guy" as much as someone trying to reign in their temper. As he said, he's tried to control himself this year and has mostly succeeded. However, this bit of temper and honesty is going to lose them votes, unfortunately, and I fully expect them to be leaving on Saturday.

The difference is that we're not broadcast to millions of people. He could be more tactful as it's obvious that whatever the rights and wrongs - Austin and Erin were gutted to have been kicked out and yet all he can do is moan that THEY were over-marked and HE was under-marked which is kinda irrevelvant when you consider he's still in the competition and they aren't. I'm sorry but his talk of ruining someone else's dream and guilt just doesn't ring true to me.

Anyway if Brenda's allowed to say whatever he likes on the grounds of being 'honest' and 'passionate' then why aren't I and all the other people who felt that it should have been Lisa who went home and not Austin.

He didn't claim they were undermarked, in fact he said that the 9 from Bruno was generous.

You can quite clearly see that both he and Lisa were upset. I know you're an Austin fan and you would feel upset at what you feel is negativity towards him but I really don't think Brendan was criticising Austin or Erin. It was more the situation with the judges' marking.

Ah, but he reacted before he knew who was going home and who wasn't. He was asked about it on Tuesday to be able to explain, not, as you so wonderfully put it, moan that A&E were overmarked

Yeah but he did say the boys are over-marked and the girls under-marked when it's pretty obvious to most people that actually the reverse is actually true at least debatably so. It isn't the first time he's kicked off about his marks either - he did in the salsa and the rhumba.

This is a transcript I've put in the ITT thread, but I can park it here as well if anyone is interested:

******************************

(Missed off the beginning because it's just general talk about boob adjustment)

Claudia: Brendan, now you Mr Calm, Mr Cosy, Mr don't worry guys you just give us whatever score you like - suddenly phew - flashback bad Brendan is back.

Brendan: Yeah. I'd been trying very hard and I think I'd done an alright job but at this point in the competition quarter final to semi final there is a lot at stake for us who have put a lot of work in - we've all put a lot of work in so we want to be there and I felt at the time that Austin and Erin had just done their salsa which I looked at and went - um - it was alright, nice dance but he got a 10 for that and at the time we thought he had got 37 but he got 36 but I still felt it was very highly marked for what I considered to be a nice dance and I thought Lisa did a nice dance - didn't get overmarked for her dance - but I felt we are not on the same playing field here, it's boys on one thing and girls on the other and I thought we are all in the same competition together and that's when I did loose it. I don't like to see an unfair competition and that's what I felt it was just slightly becoming.

Claudia: But it is also possibly the jive is undermarked - I mean, maybe not undermarked but the highest jive for this series is, just so you know, is 34 and you guys got a 33 so you are still up there on the jive.

Lisa: Didn't realise that.

Brendan: It wasn't a problem with our score.

Lisa: (talking over) exactly.

Brendan: Our score was spot on, in fact the 9 was generous but what I'm talking about is a 10 for a dance that ...

(Lisa laughs)

Brendan: ... I don't consider to be a very good salsa. I thought it was a nice salsa but for a quarter final I was expecting more.

Lisa: If they are talking technique with me with the jive action then they have to be fair with all of the other Latin dances and score it on the technique.

Claudia: I understand.

Lisa: That's all we felt. We didn't feel we were over marked or undermarked.

Brendan: Please don't knock me out for saying that.

Lisa: No, he's strong (makes fist hitting hand motion) He's stronger than you. I worry (my note - think Lisa and Brendan were talking at cross purposes re: the knocking out!)

Claudia: There were here yesterday in tears so we really can't stamp on their salsa.

Brendan: No.

Claudia: And, also you made it through.

Lisa: I know.

End of first part because it must be getting too long and it seems like a natural break

Take Two

Claudia: Now, I have to ask you Lisa, because off camera we have been saying you go 'right, I'll be going next week - cab for Snowden. I've had a lovely time, I'll see you on Monday, we'll have a biscuit'. I mean in the nicest possible way you have gone, I've given it my everything.

Lisa: Yeah.

Claudia: And there you are, standing next to bookies favourite Austin Healy in the dance off and all 4 judges save you.

Lisa: I know <shakes head>

Claudia: So how did you feel.

Lisa: To be honest I didn't hear them <looks at Brendan>.

Brendan: No.

Lisa: It was so out of body experience again. I just thought we are going home. They love Austin we've done all we could. Half of me just thought you know what, it was such an emotional dance, the music was so perfect we just danced our hearts out and that felt like it was going to be it.

Claudia: Brendan, I have to ask you about the waltz because you have been commended on it so highly by the judges by everyone who has been on the show and nobody can quite put into words why it was so perfet and yet so moving.

Brendan: Thank you very much to everyone who said that. The waltz is a dance, it is one of my favourites, that when it comes together you feel like you are the only person in the world out there dancing. We did a very slow waltz which is extremely hard. Lisa had the grasp of it, we had been going along for sometime now and I just felt it was one of those dances that could really make a difference in the competition and luckily for us it really did make a difference and I was extremely proud of that. It does make you feel a bit tearly eyed ... it's just a dance for goodness sake.

Lisa: It's hard to explain.

Claudia: Because you got quite emotional after it.

Brendan: It was very emotional. Especially in the dance off situation when, I, you know the last thing I wanted was to send somebody home that night. We are all extremely close I knew how strongly Austin and Erin wanted that ...

Lisa (over the top): Yeah.

Brendan: ... competition and they saw it as theirs almost, I felt and you are ruining that for somebody, 6 months' of their life taken away. So you feel great that you have gone through, you feel emotional because you have done this beautiful dance, you feel terrible because you have ruined somebodies Strictly dream.

Lisa: Mixed feelings, it's really hard.

Brendan: You can't celebrate.

Lisa: You can't fathom how you feel.

Claudia: Yes it's really difficult. It must be really difficult to celebrate.

Brendan: You are looking at the disappointment and seeing the disappointment in a competitor like Austin is, and Erin because she is extremely competitive, seeing the disappointment n their eyes is one of the most heart breaking things you can feel. We've done it 3 times now, it's starting to kill me (Lisa laughs). It's not nice.

End of that part of the interview, over to Argentine Tango talk.

Brendan was on the Wright stuff this morning and they asked him about his outburst on saturday night & he said exactly the same again - he felt because of the judges scores that not everyone was on a level playing field & it was obvious to "them" that the Austin & Erin were the judges favs and they wanted them in the final and then he said "but what do I know" - he came across really well

Thanks for that minyann.

Just goes to show how everyone sees things differently!

Brendan clearly has no idea that a lot of people (not all ) think he and Lisa have been over marked for weeks!

I'd love to know what he thinks is the reason they have been in the dance off three times (seriously).

Didn't he say that already? He believes they were there because they aren't getting the public vote. That sounds about right, right?

Thaks for the transcript Mindyann.

The interview is now on youtube.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq5N4u5BWQM&fmt=18

I have no problem with what either of them said.

I can understand anyone who thought the Salsa deserved a ten finding a problem with them.

But why isnt he getting the public vote ?

Thanks Tissy - that's what I was meaning (clearly it wasn't obvious enough)

But surely that's as much a mystery as why Rachel isn't getting the public votes either or why Tom is.

I think it just shows incredibly bad manners (let alone sour grapes) to criticise other contestants .. he didn't have to mention Austin and Erin by name .. or a particular dance .. he could've just said that he thought they (he and Lisa) were as good as anybody else .. he got personal about it and that's not nice or professional .. he made a dig at Erin about being competetive too (he stressed it and made it sound like a fault .. which is weird as no-one could be more competetive than Brendan .. to the point of petulance when it doesn't go right).

They have not a hope of winning .. they are unpopular with the public in general and have been for weeks ... the first opportunity the public has to get rid .. without the safety net of the judges .. they will.

Because not many people like them?

well there's only two weeks left so the only opportunity the public have to get rid of them is the final and I think Brendan would be well pleased to make the final & if some posts are to be believed Lisa is actually more popular than Rachel

Why mention them by name then? .. why single them out? what would Brendan say if other professionals went about saying 'Brendan was overmarked' .. or 'I though Brendan's dance was nice .. but nothing more' ... I tell you what he'd do .. he's throw the mega of all strops.

His main problem is he's unpopular ... that's what the strops are about .. I'm betting if it were down to viewers votes .. he and Lisa would've gone (cos they've been in the bottom two too many times for it to be just about a poor dance) .... he can see the final looming and he knows he can't win it .. must rankle.

I worry that they're more popular than Rachel and Vincent and if Tom comes bottom on Saturday that may be all they need to win. I'm glad someone else is backing me up here - I don't think Brendan is the devil incarnate and I know he has a nice side (everyone who's ever met him says he's lovely) but I thought his whole attitude towards Lisa and his marking has sucked this year long before Austin went and I'm afriad it's completely biased me against them alongside the fact I think she's totally over-rated. I feel sorry for her in a way because of it (as I think she would have had a much better Strictly experience with someone else even if they hadn't done so well) but I can't help but root for anyone else to win because of it.

Because they'd already been shown on the results show talking about the salsa?

even if he hadn't mentioned them by name I think it would have been pretty obvious that he was talking about Austin & Erins scores seeing as they danced their Jive immediately after Austins (overmarked) Salsa

The original question though was I wondered what Brendan thought the reason was i.e. what was his opinion?

Brendan would not be happy to get to the final and lose.. that's for sure.

And personally I doubt if Lisa is more popular than Rachel .. after last nights ITT I doubt she'll win over many new fans.

You'd have to ask him that...!