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

"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.

Felt sorry for Lisa - getting 80 out of 80 and still getting knocked out first :-(

Have watched Tom's showdance approx ten times already this morning, and still smiling every time I see it. Lisa's showdance gave me the creeps, and I spent the whole thing watching through my fingers in case Brendan dropped her and broke her neck or something - that rolling-her-up-his-body thing was horrible.

Amazing scenes in our village pub on Saturday night, especially when Strictly Our Tom gave us a shout-out during his acceptance speech. Grown men were weeping!

(And now that the cat's out of the bag, the stats on our village blog have gone mental...)

Aye, your village blog got a mention on Digital Spy as well, which can't have done it any harm. Or has done it lots of harm, if the hamsters in the wee wheel that operate it can't run fast enough to keep up with pervy interweb creeppoid mentalists.

Lisa and Brendan's showdance gets funnier every time I watch it. What was he thinking?

Right then.

It appears I am on my own here.

i will try and watch because of ALIONA. wowza.

wow @ Martina Hingis being in on this...

Joe Calzaghe is rubbish, and Richard Dunwoody will be even rubbisher. Ali Bastian for the win, based on one dance.

Not a big fan of Alesha Dixon's role as Strictly's Cheryl Cole so far.

Chris Hollins <3

lol at his mum and dad turning up

Also <3 Ricky Groves.

OMG GREAT BRITISH PUBLIC ARE MENTAL

SUPER MENTAL

Seriously, what is WRONG with people?

Drawing on the voting patterns of last year, the public would seem to prefer blokes with comedy balloon muscles.

Are you talking about Rav or Joe? Either way, fuck 'em. It usually takes me a few weeks to get pissed off with this thing, so fair play to the Beeb. I sort of assumed they'd keep Martina in to justify whatever they paid her to appear (Rav's a BBC employee anyway).

Talking about both of them! I was hoping for a Rav vs Joe dance off, but when they said Joe was safe, I really wasn't surprised.