Strictly Come Dancing '24 Thread 1 : Who will be our celebs and Pros?

[EineReiseDurchDieZeit]

Starting a new SCD thread for chat prior to the series as the last is about to fill.

These threads are usually helmed by @PolkadotsAndMoonbeams and I normally deputise, but I haven't seen her around in a while

This thread will discuss who has been chosen for the show, but not who has been paired with who as that's a spoiler for the first show.

This is a NO SPOILER thread

Get Ready To KEEP DANCING.

Is Pasha the one who’s married to Rachel Riley?

The other change I would like to see is chairs on It take two. No forced snuggling up on the sofa. The whole are they 'at it' narrative needs to go. For me it adds nothing to the show. I want to see people learning to dance not to speculate if they are getting it on - if I wanted to do that I guess I would watch Love Island which I don't.

Yes that's the one .

Definitely chairs on ITT the cuddle couch is ridiculously small.

I would have thought that professional ballroom and Latin dancers are subject to a very strict regime when they are learning/ training, just as the working life of a ballet dancer is brutal, with very hard taskmasters and injuries,

Surely it can’t be unusual that someone undertaking a physical activity that they’re unused to, might suffer some discomfort or injury. That doesn’t excuse deliberate cruelty, but they can’t be surprised if it causes some problems. If they’re complaint about injuries some years after the event, which is what I've read, they really should have said something at the time. AJ Ododu was seriously injured, but that was unusual wasn’t it?

AJ Ododu was seriously injured, but that was unusual wasn’t it?

It's happened before AJ. Jade Johnson was injured out, @FailBetter did a comprehensive post earlier in the thread of the various problems people have had - it amounted to quite a lot

And Nigel was broken last year just before the quarter-finals. Still gutted. He and AJ were my favourites of their years.

How did I forget Nigel?!

Remember the year when Scott Maslen, a genuine contender, basically petered out with exhaustion? He had to skip an episode of ITT because he needed a sleep on one occasion. He ended up forgetting big bits of routines and looked like a sleep-deprived skeleton by the quarter-finals. It's really annoying when the show banjaxes decent contestants. The latter stages of the last series would have been much more exciting with Nigel in them. Stop making celebs leap off tables or throw pros over their shoulder. In fact, I think quite a few of the pros have now got permanent injuries from having to do moves that a regular ballroom or latin dancer would never have to attempt.

Call me lowbrow (although I've never watched Love Island) but I quite like to guess who's fallen victim to the Strictly Curse. I felt like Columbo the year I correctly guessed the reason Pasha and Rachel Riley were so awkward together was because they were in love.

Call me lowbrow (although I've never watched Love Island) but I quite like to guess who's fallen victim to the Strictly Curse

The Strictly Curse is literally as old as the show itself, it's nearly integral. I remember the hoo ha over Natasha and Brendan well. It probably did contribute to people tuning in.

It's not 'the curse' that bothers me so much as the forcing all the couples to look like they have been it's victims.
I find pairing like Susan and KfG and Annabel and Johannes so refreshing because there was no nudge nudge are they doing it.
The oh my god they are so obviously loved up vibe from Kara and Artem is so different to the enforced draping arms over each other at every opportunity, practically sitting on each other thing. You should be able to take part without the production style demanding that you sow seed of doubt about your relationship status.
In the highly unlikely event that I became famous I wouldn't go near Strictly, much as I would love to because I wouldn't want to play along with the have they fallen for each other script. It should be perfectly OK to say there is no sexual tension between us and I'm not going to pretend there is so let's not be all touchy touchy every time we are on camera.

Runningupthecurtains I agree with every word. It made me feel really uncomfortable to see Gio and Amanda sitting so close to each other and being touchy-feely. At the time I thought it was because I’d really believed that the affection between Gio and Rose was genuine and seeing him be like that with Amanda as well made me wonder whether it was all a big act. But now I wonder if I sensed some kind of weird vibe between them. As well as it all being a big act, obviously! I really don’t want to have been taken in by the Rose and Gio relationship - makes me feel like a prize mug!

We are big Strictly fans but we are not looking forward to the show this year. The idea that someone went through unfair and even abusive treatment to entertain us by their dancing is not a nice one.
I was wondering last year why Zara looked a bit tense, I would expect her to be less shy around cameras considering her experience and turned out she was practically scared. It’s outrageous that she was treated like this and felt that it was a norm and was scared to complain!!!

And don’t get me wrong I absolutely blame Graz for his behavior but it seems the tolerating of this behavior was inevitable with the current structure of the show.
How on earth we can expect 23 or 25 years old to be good teachers especially in such an intense and competitive atmosphere just because they dance well???
I thought that the level is so high because most of celebrities are generally more sporty than overweight me and that celebrities take some dance training once they signed up BEFORE the show. But it seems now that it’s about cruel and intense training.
I understand that it’s intense but I don’t support cruel.

The whole show is tainted now and I'm gutted but I think it will bow out after the 20th anniversary. My favourite tv show I look forward to the build up each year.

I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a break after this year. They will have already signed up the pros for this year. Like you I'll be upset as it was always my favourite show, but that's before we knew all this was going on behind the scenes.

New revelations- Graz allegedly screamed extremely angrily at Zara, who ran off to the toilets in tears. He chased after her yelling and screaming 😳

Amanda Abbington has said Gio's behaviour was mean and unnecessary, and left her traumatised.

And a female pro has now also been accused.

Which female pro?

Poor zara, she seems a sweet lady. I hope she finds sapce to heal with this all being so public.

Amanda still hasn't said what he did though, just that he was mean - that's the bit that I can't understand. Why has she not clearly states what he has done?!!

It's all in the hands of very expensive lawyers so she won't be allowed to give details, I guess.

She hasn't been named yet.

I feel awful for Zara. She's vulnerable anyway. But she's been thrown into this situation through zero fault of her own, and she's getting loads of abuse. Horrible.

It's awful the amount of comments online making out that Zara and Amanda just couldn't keep up the work ethic. Same old same old though - people don't like women who complain especially if it's about a successful good looking man.

I'm sure I heard that Amanda Abington is on Lorraine next week maybe Monday I just heard the end of the programme. Iwonder if she will say anything,

I can see Strictly being cancelled or at least taken off air for a few years at this rate.

Does anyone remember Fiona and Brendan's partnership? At the time people found it hilarious but In light of the latest news I imagine the public perception be different if it was today ... watch from 4:50. I can't imagine this on Strictly nowadays!

That was awesome! I really enjoyed him because it felt honest and real.

It certainly wouldn’t be shown now, as you say, for the honest comments on the Strictly format.

The people saying that Amanda couldn't take the work ethic obviously didn't see her salsa. That's not a woman who wasn't prepared to put the work in.

And Zara's dances exuded work but no natural talent to me.