Strictly 17 A little bit of Honesty

Over on another thread I suggested that there should be a double elimination on the semi-final. Lowest placed couple goes out automatically followed by a dance off for the remaining place in a 3 couple final. It wouldn't be the first time that eliminations have been made without a DO - there was a whole series when it happened - and I think you would favour this S id?? I'm all for lessening the judges influence once it gets to the semis and I also agree that a 3 couple final works much better.

Not sure what I think though about not having a couple eliminated half way through the final - I get that it is good for them to do all their dances, but I quite enjoy the excitement of someone going and then the remaining couples slugging it out. I suppose it will be interesting to see if the showdances have the same influence as they will all do one more dance after it this year - can't wait to see what they all choose and I think it will be much more significant than in past years because of the lack of a mid evening elimination.

mauveangel09 wrote:

I think you would favour this S id??    

Not sure what I think though about not having a couple eliminated half way through the final  - I get that it is good for them to do all their dances, but I quite enjoy the excitement of someone going and then the remaining couples slugging it out.

Oh yes mauve, all for cancelling DO's altogether and certainly in the semis.

I'm just sat here torturing myself by imagining if we'd had the 4-couple-everyone-does-all-their-dances scenario Sophie's year. It could have changed EVERYTHING.

EXACTLY!

I so wish I knew what their last dances were going to be.................!!!

mauveangel09 wrote:EXACTLY!      

I so wish I knew what their last dances were going to be.................!!!

The website said they'd be revealed on Saturday, but as to when, I don't know.

Do you think on a double elimination in the semsi, that the judges would let either Alex or Debbie go home?

Is Ed Sheeran playing on Saturday? I wonder what the Pro dances will be? I hope it's not too crowded and frantic. Has anyone noticed that a lot of the props seemed to have stayed locked in the cupboard for most of this season? I think it's improved things. I hope someone's fed the green boa.....

B4p wrote:Is Ed Sheeran playing on Saturday?..

Yes I believe so, but I bet it's pre recorded....he was doing a live lounge in Radio 1 yesterday so something just makes me think it will be done in advance. In fairness it's probably impossible logistically to do a live set although there is a very decent ready made backing band ?!

B4p wrote:Is Ed Sheeran playing on Saturday? I wonder what the Pro dances will be? I hope it's not too crowded and frantic. Has anyone noticed that a lot of the props seemed to have stayed locked in the cupboard for most of this season? I think it's improved things. I hope someone's fed the green boa.....

The lamp post and park bench are almost certs for making an appearance, maybe even an umbrella or two..

Mauve - that is a marvellous (Mauve-ellous?...) idea to have a double elimination when there are five people in the semi final.

Sid, I feel your pain that they keep changing the goalposts so that some finals have been without the very deserving fourth person, ie Sophie.  However, unlike you, I didn't like the year that they got rid of the dance-off.  I felt it put way too much power in the hands of the G.B.P and they abused it somewhat.  Also, there is some merit involved in a dance off - if you are binned after dancing against a couple who danced better than you in the final analysis, then that is not so crushing as being binned soley because no-one likes you.  It is hard enough to be in the dance off as it shows that you don't have a big share of the popularity vote - hence why it was so hard for Alex being there when she was top of the leader board. But at least she was saved on merit and lived to fight another day.  Which, though I don't think she should win, I DO think she should have got to the final over the likes of Davood.

Which brings me to my eternal battle cry - let's not have ANY elimiantions or dance offs until week 11.  Let everyone have as much training as possible, so that those who end up going in the early days, either because they are slow starters, or because they are slow burners in the public conciousness and popularity, get a chance to show what they can really do given 11 weeks training.  I accept there will be people who plateau, but there are also people who improve a teeny tiny amount each week, so they are definitely better than when they first started.  Points would still be awarded by judges, votes would still be given by the punters at home and they would all be added up.  Even if the Beeb didn't want to be totally transparent with the voting (and I think to protect fragile and vulnerable egos it is best not to be) they could give out points based on the voting eg 15 points for the most votes and 1 for the least.  (I am aware that this wouldn't protect the VERY fragile, but it not as cruel as letting it be known that one person scored 57 gazillion votes and the least favourtie got only four votes...) Then, a cummalative scoreboard is kept (much like B4p's) and in week 11 the top 4 go through to the semi finals and there IS a a dance off for the bottom two in the semi final for a place in the final.  A three person final.

It will never ever, ever, ever happen.  But I really wish it would. We would get to see what some of the eary knockouts are capable of. Odoom came back at Christmas and won it, so it was clear he had more to give.  Aston would have been allowed a bit of comeback after the awful Michael Jackson piece (and Janette given herself a stern talking to..) and so on. 15 people is too much though - it makes for 2 hour long shows which is quite an ordeal.  But ten people would be good....

Mauve - I don't want to know what their last dances are to be - I want some surprises, otherwise it's like unwrapping all your presents before Christmas Day!

And I don't want Ed Sheeran anywhere near my TV. He is a smug, arrogant little creature who I became violently allergic to after seeing him on Graham Norton last year. I shall be watching my toenails dry in another room whilst he is on.

Signing off, Grumpy Diamonds  

B4p wrote:I Has anyone noticed that a lot of the props seemed to have stayed locked in the cupboard for most of this season? I think it's improved things. I hope someone's fed the green boa.....

Nope, can't say I have noticed. We've had umbrellas, benches, doors, bridges, hats, canes, candelabras, fairground horses, fruit stalls, mirrors... Only the lamp-post and the green feather boa seem to be missing

diamondsandpearls wrote:
I wish I could get as behind Joe as I was a couple of weeks ago as then I would be able to be into the final.  But...  I've lost my enthusiasm for them somehow.  Mainly because of Katya I think.

Yes, I feel the same. I'd lined up Joe as my default favourite in case Mollie got eliminated, but now that she's gone I find I just can't get very enthusiastic about him. He's going to have to earn my votes on Saturday, whereas Mollie was always guaranteed to get them.

I'm interested in what Sid says about Joe's prior experience not getting the same scrutiny as Debbie and Alex. Yes, he does seem to have gone under the radar and had a rather smooth ride to the final.

Hmmm, I think I'll remain as a floating voter until the show.

Whoever wins, it's really sad to think it'll all be over on Saturday, the sudden withdrawal is always a bit of a shock to the system.

diamondsandpearls wrote:
And I don't want Ed Sheeran anywhere near my TV. He is a smug, arrogant little creature who I became violently allergic to after seeing him on Graham Norton last year. I shall be watching my toenails dry in another room whilst he is on.

Yes again, I totally agree Diamonds!

B4p wrote:Is Ed Sheeran playing on Saturday? I wonder what the Pro dances will be? I hope it's not too crowded and frantic. Has anyone noticed that a lot of the props seemed to have stayed locked in the cupboard for most of this season? I think it's improved things. I hope someone's fed the green boa.....

There were quite a few props earlier on in the series, but in the Semi and Quarter Finals they seem to have disappeared somewhat. Thank Goodness.  I don't mind Ed Sheeran. I'm not a terrific fan of his music but he seems like a nice enough bloke. I enjoyed his Carpool Karaoke and what he said about Graham Norton when Norton won the NTA Special Recognition Award seemed honest and sincere.

diamondsandpearls wrote:
Which brings me to my eternal battle cry - let's not have ANY elimiantions or dance offs until week 11.  Let everyone have as much training as possible, so that those who end up going in the early days, either because they are slow starters, or because they are slow burners in the public conciousness and popularity, get a chance to show what they can really do given 11 weeks training.

Sorry D & P but I think that's a terrible idea. The prospect of having to watch Reverend Richard, Chizzy or Simon for 11 weeks throws me into a blind panic. OK, perhaps Charlotte would have benefited from a longer time in the show to see if she could gain some more confidence, and Aston was very unlucky to have a terrible dance opposite Mollie's beautiful Foxtrot in the DO. Everyone thought he was a shoe-in for the Final in the early stages of the series. However I think that it's that sort of thing that keeps everyone on their toes. The fact that no one is safe is what makes the show exciting. I think Darwin's theory of Natural Selection works best!

diamondsandpearls wrote:
And I don't want Ed Sheeran anywhere near my TV. He is a smug, arrogant little creature who I became violently allergic to after seeing him on Graham Norton last year. I shall be watching my toenails dry in another room whilst he is on.

Bahahahahaha that's my loo break sorted.

diamondsandpearls wrote:



I was in such a mood I forgot to retireve it from the dressing up box....

ok

Who's Ed Sheeran, is he a Jungle dancer or a Great British Bake Off pastry cook? Only that's all people seem to worry about these days....

His a singer/musician and had a cameo part in Game of Thrones. He is a good singer

Putting this on here because it has the best chance of being seen: 9-0'clock tonight till 11-30 on Channel 5, TWO AND A HALF HOURS OF STRICTLY RELATED FOOTAGE. Early days onwards.

TANGOLERO wrote:Putting this on here because it has the best chance of being seen: 9-0'clock tonight till 11-30  on Channel 5, TWO AND A HALF HOURS OF STRICTLY RELATED  FOOTAGE. Early days onwards.

Sorry - what is on at 9pm on channel 5? (Which I can't get, but y'know... I'm curious)

diamondsandpearls wrote:

Sorry - what is on at 9pm on channel 5? (Which I can't get, but y'know... I'm curious)

Hi D & P. 9-0 Gethin Jones and Kimberly Walsh introduce...Before they were famous, judges and dancers etc, then The Strictly Story at 10-0'clock for ninety mins. (Which Hasn't started yet.

I've recorded as I uave been glued to The sweet confectioners

TANGOLERO wrote:

Hi D & P. 9-0 Gethin Jones and Kimberly Walsh introduce...Before they were famous, judges and dancers etc, then The Strictly Story at 10-0'clock for ninety mins. (Which Hasn't started yet.

Gah! Wish I could get chanel 5

diamondsandpearls wrote:

Gah! Wish I could get chanel 5

D 7 P ..Try typing this into Google on your pc/laptop/I pad/phone etc.

Edit. No, sorry, that doesn't work.

Blast.....only just saw your message Mr T as we had dinner guests last night. I will try and see if it is on catch-up or anywhere else

I wish I had seen it and posted it earlier. It was a really enjoyable two and a half hours of all about Strictly, early days and what the dancers and judges were like way back (imagine Kevin from Grimsby with long hair and a straggly hippie beard in tattered jeans and looking homeless... ). If anybody finds links to the programmes, please post and watch both (they followed each other). The presenters were a mixed lot of pros and presenters with Erin, Camilla and Joanne Clifton predominant. Really good stuff.