Strictly Come Dancing--am I on my own here?

Bye bye Austin then? I'm thinking an Austin v Rachel dance-off this week.

Providing Chambers isn't bottom of the leaderboard next week, I think he's won this.

It was Austin vs Lisanbrendan and the former lost.

Lisanbrendan to go next since they are essentially unlovable.

Tom just earned maximum "stupid cock" points from me for that ultra-"I fancy myself I do" jump and slide.

Chambers came bottom. Chambers has, officially, blown it.

Good. I hope Lisa wins, simply because Rachel's partner is a cock as well. It's a twisted set of circumstances where Brendan seems like a normal, likeable person.

Odd thing - just saw the ad for the SCD Live!!! Tour - Tom and Rachel are on it. Lisa isn't.

Doesn't matter, Tom's still out. Even if he comes top of the voting, he's still in the dance-off against someone who got 39 or someone who got 40. Hmmm.

I'm guessing Lisa's not doing the tour because she has a real job.

Even if he comes top of the voting

In that eventuality, I will be popping down to Hell to get some ice for my drink...

he's been top of the voting every week so far, I think. He must have been top last week at any rate.

So... I don't exactly understand what's happened just there?

Assuming what's happened: they realised a little too late this situation meant that Our Tom mathematically couldn't escape dance-off, so all votes for him were basically pointless, so... phone vote scandal! Again! YAY!

Yes, that's it. Presumably working it out for themselves was beyond the general public.

These showdance people are freaky.

They're WORLD CHAMPIONS at... I am not sure. But they're good enough that they don't have to perform with Dave Arch's Fantastic Orchestra And His Wonderful Singers.

Ah - SHOWDANCE! Freestyle!

World champion at being quite light and getting thrown around a lot!

Johnny Vegas is SAT RIGHT THERE and YOU ARE TALKING TO MATT DAWSON INSTEAD FFS

"18 stone of idiot... and Johnny Vegas sitting behind..."

JUNE WHITFIELD?

JUNE WHITFIELD??

JUNE WHITFIELD???

"All four couples could have achieved being champions"

Aw, I love June Whitfield.

(sorry, I just hate these interviews they have for the results shows)

But possibly not as much as I hate "And All That Jazz"...

"carried over to next week" WTF? oh right...

WHAT?

Hmmmm.

OK, Chambers has won, we can pretty much call that now, yes?

effing shambles

Tom's votes will be quite down though, I'm guessing a few of his fans didn't bother their arses this week because it was pointless.

They couldn't do anything else, could they? Digital Spy's going into meltdown over it, which leads me to think complaints people at the BBC are getting it in the neck and the BBC can't afford another phone vote scandal.

And now... they're filling the gap between SCD and Outnumbered with ten solid minutes of trailers?

Really?

Seriously, this is what they're doing.

Like, could you not cross to News24?

They were one week out because Seargent left.

So they had to have a week that no-one leaves, and now its back on schedule.

They didn't when Tarby left, and they didn't when Kelly Brook left.

Nah, they'd publicly stated there'd be two in the final when Sergeant went.

(xxpost) No, I think they were planning to cover that by having two couples in the final and a whole load of bumpf and filler.

What an embarrassing mess.

Still the BBC don't seem to have had much choice in the matter seeing as how Sergeant has effectively fucked the series up to forward his own career.

This may lead the BBC to reconsider using its employees or any knowingly "dud" celebs in future years.

Only 200 complaints - pah!

Not that Good A Story, really.

With all the boring people left in it now - sorry, Rachel, you still look as though you couldn't be bothered - I can't see anyone getting excited about who actually wins.

I don't think it's anything to do with Sergeant. Once he left, the BBC planned to have only two couples in the final. It's just that - live show and everything - someone didn't notice what had happened until after the phone voting started.

Agreed. They've not had a three-contestant semi-final before, and so they hadn't thought through all the potential outcomes. So as soon as Tess said "To SAVE TOM, vote..." or whatever it was, they were left with no choice.

What they could have done: open the phone lines for Rachel and Lisa only, or return to the judges for a casting vote between R&L before opening all three lines.

We watched all of this unfold in Tom's village pub (as featured on the show the week before), with his Dad in attendance - so we went from resigned acceptance (OK, Tom's out, no point voting) to complete and utter euphoric screeching UPROAR on the turn of a dime. Even 15 mins before the result was announced, Tom was texting his Dad to say: that's it, dance-off, probably won't get through. And now he's the obvious favourite to win! As embarrassing farces go, this was an uncommonly enjoyable one.

It was on the level of "the winner is...2 Up 2 Down (APPLAUSE, HOWLS drowning out the "NOT")."

They have had a three contestant semi-final before, last year and the year before.

I love how NO-ONE in my work, or indeed, no-one who writes for/checks facts in the Metro, understands what went on. I had it very carefully explained to me that it was because nothing could separate the girls because they were tied. I pointed out it was exceptionally unlikely that they would tie on the phone vote so one was bound to get more than the other, and therefore more than Tom, but was told that was wrong, and referred to the Metro which explained that voting was suspended becase it was very likely that all contestants would get four points. Um, no. How fucking hard is it to work out, really?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/strictlycomedancing/news/december/wk13_news_update_151208.shtml

Everyone with a shred of common sense who realised it was pointless voting for Tom is going to be well fucked off now that the BBC have decided to add Tom's vote to his score for next week.

I mean his vote for this week + his dance score for this week, then use that as the basis for the starting point for next week. Or something.

nothing could separate the girls because they were tied

*insert next Sunday's News of the World/Mail on Sunday front page headline of your choice*

anybody else watching this?

Never in doubt.

ar.