I hope the tabloids go to town tomorrow and really put the boot in to the Beeb for this.
Throughout this series they have criminally neglected the viewers, first by making JS bow to pressure and walk cos he apparently was messing things up by being too entertaining but not talented enough as a dancer.
Last week Austin more than likely topped the public vote but still ended up in the bottom 2 and still got eliminated, so why was last night any less unfair on Tom, when he was clearly 3rd best on the night and deserved to be eliminated.
If he goes on to win, which seems likely given his huge public following, it will be a completely unjust result.
The semi final results show was billed by the BBC as an elimination in which one couple will have to leave the competition. People voted for who they wanted to leave regardless of whether it was impossible for Tom to avoid the dance off. So they should stick by that.
Lisa and Rachel outdanced Tom last night and deserve to be competing in the final. Tom does not.
Anyone who is objective regarding this fiasco has to reach that conclusion.
And you cannot carry over votes that were for a semi final elimination and a vote to save. It's totally different from a vote to win in the final.
If it's a public-vote only now the Beeb are effectively gifting the title to Tom. I could understand Brendan's look of anguish on hearing all couples were through. He was hoping to see off one of his main rivals, and looked certain to do so. As it is, Tom returns to being favourite to win despite being 3rd best in the semi.
The whole thing is a joke and the Beeb needs to wake up to the fact that many of its viewers take SCD seriously and are a lot more intelligent than they give them credit for.
They need to go back to the original format and a live results show. They have ended up reaping what they have sewn. What happened last night almost felt karmic.
This situation was foreseen by many fans with more nous apparently than the show's producers.
On the back of Sergeant-gate and Manuel-gate the Beeb are looking incredibly neglectful of the license payers.

The chimp can take his place next Saturday and no-one will notice the substituton so long as it remembers to say sevennnnnnnn.

Fantastic post!

That would be no, you can't ask people to vote and then turn around and say oops we didn't bother to count your votes since it's pointless anyway. In the whole time the show has been running no one has ever been sent home on the judges vote alone, why should people's votes be discounted now?

BIG inaccuracy, Mr Utah.

The vote is to keep a dancer in. Votes don't eliminate dancers.

LACK of votes eliminates dancers.

Gethin last year?

That was unfair but he still had a small chance to get through on the public vote.

the public's vote to save Austin was more than likely over-ruled last week. It's no different.
The public were voting to save someone who, regardless of being the public's favourite, was doomed to the dance off.
What happened last night was only deemed unfair cos the glaring maths was there for all to see. But Austin effectively couldn't avoid dance off either, unless his fans had somehow manged to all gang up together and vote twice for Lia once for Rachel, to ensure he got through.
The whole voting procedure has been shown up as ridiculous.
Anyone foolish enough to vote for Tom last night needs their head read.

I think people would notice, as the chimp wouldn't give out any tens.

That made me laugh too: 3 +1= 4 is now being studied at GCSE...

Excellent post.

Criminally neglected the viewers? Erm...that's hardly true.

It is far more likely that John S left because his fellow competitors were becoming unhappy with him remaining over better dancers - what exactly do you think the BBC had to do with it? He was all over the papers and pulling in tons of viewers for them.

The difference is obvious - because people would be voting to keep Tom out of the dance off but that would be pointless because no matter what the outcome of the votes Tom & C would have ended up in the dance off. So those would be wasted votes, and the BBC are keen not to get embroiled in a phone in scandal. It seems pretty straightforward to me.

The votes are ALWAYS to save, so not sure what that bit is about. Why are people who want Tom to win any less intelligent than people who don't? Lots of very intelligent people think he's a wonderful performer and have respect for the fact that male celebrities find it much harder because they have to lead, and bear the loads in lifts.

I read something that might make you understand about the BBC and the licence fee and perhaps be less hysterical in your posting. "The BBC is not a taxi, it's a bus, and paying your license fee and deciding that entitles you to dictate the output of the BBC is like buying a bus ticket and saying 'Right I've got this ticket therefore this is now my bus and it must drive me home and park outside my house and wait there until the morning when I need it again."