Might aswell all get there coats and go home as Ray Quinn will win - he has speed and agility and rythum - not bad for the lad from Brookie.
Me thinks producers should have done some homework on the ability of the chosen ones this year and left Ray out.

Hardly fair that he is a junior ballroom dancing champion and is trained in ballet too. I wont be voting for him no matter how great he is.

I think you will find a heap of people saying the same thing last year, however.........you never know!

Me neither. He is clearly the best, but I can't take to him at all. I hate over confident people.

Same here. To be honest, none of the skaters we saw tonight will beat him, but I wonder if a lack of votes will be his downfall. I hope so, it will be no contest otherwise

I don't think he'll win. Ellery probably will.

So hang on, has he ACTUALLY got much ice skating experience? What's his ice experience compared to say, Chris Fountain, or Jessica from this year and certain others (Claire Buckfield as I remember)?

It's not his fault he's got loads of dance experience, and rollerblades too. Maybe the latter is too similar to ice skating, I don't know, but if his ice skating history is more or less the level of everyone else, it's hard to hold it against him because otherwise where do you draw the line? That no one must be a good dancer to take part?

I don't like that he's SO good purely because there's such an obvious gap - if he's that good, I'd want others to be nearer his level. There's no competition. Let's hope the girls offer up something just as good, because last year was a bit dull with only two people being way ahead of everyone.

well i jsut asked my mum what she thought of the show she said that ray is going to win aswell

but i anit voting for him

Yes, thank god Ellery was really very decent. Michael can be too when hes at his best. Not sure it'll be enough to provide competition, but certainly Ellery's a better rival to Ray than Gareth (who was dull as hell) was to Chris.

And drop dead sexy as well!

Thank god he has some dance experience because with the mostly lacklustre performances that came before him he at least brought some excitement to proceedings!

And they said Austin was going to win SCD........

Just like it was obvious in week one last year that Chris would win

It's not a given that the best skater will win: it hasn't happened before on the show. If there's another good skater with an adorable child/elderly relative/sob story they'll be able to give Ray a run for his money. :P

Yeah, because Chris Fountain totally won last year Gosh, I was so happy when Chris Fountain predictably won..

The key thing may be who they could find. Its pretty clear from the others that they should have been desperate for someone good and if they had found someone between Ray's ability and the people back on 15s they would have put them in - they didn't so couldn't have found them. They couldn't run a show with no good male and possibly 2-5 good females so they had to put him in.

I can't see how you can exclude dancing ability as most celebrities bar sportsmen will have trained in it to some degree when its in every drama course. Ballet looks especially valuable in umpteen show business fields but you can't exclude on that either.

The problem is skating experience and here its reportedly less clear cut than Chris because he's claiming ability from doing something similar but different.


I agree it makes the competition a problem and although Chris lost with more skating experience Ray looks a better allrounder.

But Chris still had no male competition - at all. And only Suzanne from the females. Her impressive lifts beat out his skating in the end, which I don't disagree with, but as a skater he was still better. Last year was dull because those two were way ahead anyway. This could be the same, though Ellery and Michael provide some hope. Series 2 really was the best and most entertaining I think in terms of a more level playing field.

Gareth isn't dull. He's a funny and very caring guy. Take it from me. I know

Anyway, back to the subject of Ellery and Ray. Ellery will get further in the competition than Ray. I still think he (Ellery) could win

Gosh so many threads bashing Ray Quinn, poor little devil.

I am actually pleased to see at least ONE competitor who can skate. Know we will have loads of dud performances this early in the comp, so the odd routine that is good is a pleasure to watch.

I have no axe to grind one way or another about him personally as I dont know him, but has anyone said he is SMUG yet or is that to come later?

i think RQ is a male Bonnie Langford and he'll stay in because the judges will keep him at the top of the leader-board but he'll be first out when the public get the full vote, same as Bonnie.

Only problem is we'll have to put up with his smackability for the whole series.

Unfortunatley, I agree that even if he doesn't win, he'll probably reach the final. I just cant stand him - he comes across as so smug and ignorant and just makes me wish I could hit him through my TV.

I think i'll wait to see the girls, last year in the first week Suzanne got 19 and Chris got 20 so there was only a point between them. A girl will have to get some bit close.

I don't even think he was a better skater by the end. He was faster and could do exciting spins but she was the one who was putting in the more complex dance steps, doing the smooth transitions and moving in sync with her partner. Her routines are impressive and more error free even without the lifts as we saw in the xmas show. I agree he never looked the equal of the male pros doing lifts wheras Suzanne got much nearer to looking like one of the female pros doing hers which had the obvious result in the end product, marks and votes.

Well I thought he was brilliant.

Ice skating is about confidence as well as technique and he has bags of both and he is with Maria who is fab.

I can't wait to see him over the next few weeks.

For me, he was the most enjoyable to watch by absolutely miles. I hope either the girls are better or the rest of the blokes improve rapidly, or it'll be a walkover for Ray. And if it isn't he'll have been robbed.