Strictly Come Dancing 2008

Not much of a surprise tonight. I think it'll really start to get exciting next week!

enough is enough as far as John Seargent is concerned, he should do the right thing and tell people not to vote for him, i think the public may well turn after tonight..

i thought Tom and Brucie were good, especially for 80 yrs old...Brucie that is....

I agree. I thought that last week. It's really unfair that those who have a possiblity to win are being chucked out because he's so cute.

Did you notice that when everyone was hugging Cherie and James goodbye that John and Kristina weren't there.

yeah i did notice that. I think looking at how upset the two couples were at being potentially voted off must have pricked the conscience of john seargent.....

yeah i did notice that. I think looking at how upset the two couples were at being potentially voted off must have pricked the conscience of john seargent.....

Yes but it's the public that keep voting him back in.  I feel sorry for poor JS, he is just having a good time and now he's getting loads of flack because of what the public are doing, it's not his fault.  It really is sad to see the better dancers being voted off but surely the powers that be at Strictly had to have known that JS was not going to be a very good dancer and if they didn't want something like this to happen they should have made sure that all of the celebrities were of equal talent to begin with.  This happens every year but not to such a great extent.  Football players with two left feet have been kept on by the public while better dancers have gone just because they are football players, nothing to do with their dancing at all.  At the end of the day the money collected from the votes goes to charity and that is all that really matters.  Also it needs to be said that all of these dancers have full time careers and whether they win or lose is not going to make any difference to those careers, not like the winners and losers of X Factor.  As for the public uproar about JS staying in perhaps those people need to ask themselve if they have voted and if not they really have no right to complain.

it needs to be said that all of these dancers have full time careers and whether they win or lose is not going to make any difference to those careers, not like the winners and losers of X Factor. 

Well put. I agree. While I get really irritated when the talentless take the place of the talented in X-factor, Pop Idol, etc. I'm less outraged about Strictly. It's more a game, less a talent show.

Maybe they should change the voting structure so that judges votes account for 75% of the total?

I also wonder how the professional dancers are paid, i assume they are on some sort of bonus for every week they keep their partner in the competition with a further bonus if they win. Those that have been voted off still appear in the group dances on the Sunday show but it must be as frustrating for them as the celebs to see JS going through. As mentioned above it was telling that JS and his partner did not come out for Cherie's last dance this week.....she looked very guilty when they were saved and if i was JS i would not be feeling comfortable.

I would however miss dancing with his rather gorgeous dance partner..

My problem is that this year it's all gone a bit too far. Every year there is the public favourite who gets chosen, they get a bit farther than they should but in the end, they get chucked out before anyone really good goes. This year it's all become such a drama that I think the public are keeping him in to piss the judges off.

But my question is, who the heck keeps voting? I don't vote but maybe I should start.

We've been voting for Jodie and Ian.  I love Tom and Rachel but there's something about how hard Jodie tries. And I'm a big Ian fan.  I must admit I came very close to voting for John last week after the judges were so mean.  He's entertaining, he's putting the effort in and for me he has charm.  A lot of what I like about Strictly is seeing how hard they work and how much personality they have.   And to be fair most years it's not the BEST dancer who wins.  It's the one who is popular or made a huge improvement or had a really good partnership.  Such as the year that Zoe Ball was getting the best scores but was beaten out by a rugby player.

the right thing to do...?!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7737447.stm

the right thing to do...?!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7737447.stm

I don't think it's the right thing to do.  And I think it's hypocritical of Arlene Philips to say 'it's sad when a contestant leaves.......' when she pretty much bullied him into it by going on a press blitz this week about how he didn't deserve to be on the show.  I'm disappointed.  I don't think he should win, but I do think he has every right to be there.

I don't think it's the right thing to do.  And I think it's hypocritical of Arlene Philips to say 'it's sad when a contestant leaves.......' when she pretty much bullied him into it by going on a press blitz this week about how he didn't deserve to be on the show.  I'm disappointed.  I don't think he should win, but I do think he has every right to be there.

I agree completely.

I dunno. I'm of the mind that he was beginning to make a farce of the show. It is an entertainment show but it's also a dance contest and he's just not very good.

I think if he hadn't done this then things would have gotten ugly.

I dunno. I'm of the mind that he was beginning to make a farce of the show. It is an entertainment show but it's also a dance contest and he's just not very good.

I think if he hadn't done this then things would have gotten ugly.

But then what's the point of having people like John Sargent even in the competition?  We all know that we can tell before anyone has even done a dance step who is going be a good dancer and who is going to be terrible?  Why have them in if they're then only going to be allowed to progress so far.  And why bother with a public vote if you're going to say vote for your favorite but only to a certain point?  Should they only have fit, young people with rhythm from now on?
In my opinion, if people wanted Lisa Snowden and Cherie Lunghi to stay in then they should have picked up their phones and voted. 

I dont watch this but the other half commented on it when he got home, stating it was a shame as isnt it really an entertainment programme? And what happens if thousands of voters turn off in disgust? Isnt there a charity vote?