SCD #14 Voting Shenanigans At The Business End NO SPOILERS

[EineReiseDurchDieZeit]

KEEP DANCING

Finalists since I started watching in 2016:

2016 Ore, Danny and Louise.
Will Young withdrew early in the competition.

2017 Alexandra Burke, Debbie McGee, Gemma Atkinson and Joe McFadden.
No withdrawals this year.

2018 Stacey Dooley, Joe Sugg, Ashley Roberts amd Faye Tozer.
No withdrawals this year.

2019 Kelvin Fletcher (replaced Jamie Laing after he sustained an injury at the launch show), Karim Zerol amd Emma Barton.
Will Bailey withdrew due to a injury after a jump in rehearsal.

2020 COVID year.
HRVY, Maisie Smith, Bill Bailey, Jamie Laing
Reduced number of contestants, Nicola Adams also had to withdraw early due to COVID. If she was still in, there would have been a 5 person final, as a couple was eliminated in the week they withdrew. Either that, or Strictly finished a week early!

2021 Rose Ayling Ellis and John Waite were the only finalists since Robert Webb withdrew after week 3 and AJ sustained a leg injury before the final.

2022 Hamzah, Helen Skelton, Mollie Rainford and Fleur East.
No withdrawals.

2023 Ellie Leach, Layton Williams amd Bobbie Brazier.
Nigel Harman withdrew just before Musicals week and Amanda Abbington withdrew after week 4.

There have been a lot of withdrawals which would be why a 3 person final seems like the norm!

Thank you @xsquared !

@StarDolphins I'm pretty sure you'll get your wish. I think we'll all be very surprised if he doesn't win. I think he will be blown away when he almost certainly does win and even though he's not the best dancer it will be lovely to see his face if/when it happens. I think Dianne deserves it too. I've never been a fan but this year she's gone above and beyond and been a total star.

To add to that excellent summary.
In 2023 they didn't have an elimination in Musicals week. Because Nigel withdrew on the day, and Amanda had already pulled out, they'd have been facing a 2 person final if they'd evicted someone as usual that week.

Presumably with the memory of AJ's injury in the final week of 2021 fresh in their minds the producers decided that their nerves couldn't stand the risk of a one person final hanging over their heads (it's not as if you can reinstate a previous contestant at short notice: you need every single second of that last week to rehearse three dances).

So votes from Musicals Week were carried over and combined with semi finals week votes, and Annabel was eliminated in SF week to leave a 3 person final.

Back in the old days they scheduled for a 3 person final and then if someone dropped out they had two, but that was always risky, which is why they moved to a 4 person default - in 2012 I think.

Oh I hope you’re right! He’s so lovely & funny! His face when he’s concentrating too!

Same for me about Dianne too, she’s really been a super star this year.

Is it a bit slow for a Charleston? Like Helen Skelton's to the Blue Peter theme tune which the judges loved but I hated. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong song.

Ooh @xsquared I do love a bit of Strictly history, thank you 😊

Yes, I think aim for a 4 person final and you'll be lucky to get 3, I think that's the way they work it.

4 couple final I mean of course, not person!

I'm seeing Wicked tonight, so I'll hear it and see it in context. I'd love to see Vito dressed up as Fiyero, but it's meant to be about Glinda making Elphaba more popular.

Wicked is the biggest film out at the moment, so that alone will pull lots of votes, I think.

I suspect it'll be sped up.

I heard it today for the first time. Well, maybe not the first time as it rang a bell but blah. Anyway, it seemed fine for a Charleston. Slower than some but not slow so it's possible that they'd sped it up a little - I saw it on It Takes Two. Ore was on the panel and he said that the person singing it is the woman who played the part - at one point, obviously but I have no idea if she was an original cast member or later, or ... I'm ignorant about so much of this! - in London. That should mean people will enjoy the singing of at least one song this weekend. 🙂

There is a video on Motsi's Instagram of finalists in DWTS, I assume the German version, doing an AMAZING AT. Couldn't tell who was the pro. Sorry, don't know how to share videos from Insta (and I know this isn't the right thread anyway 🙂)

Found it on YT and have posted on the videos thread. It was the US DWTS. I would've thought they'd have had a black couple before in the final, but apparently they are the first.

Hi @TheShellBeach are you up for taking your turn as OP tonight or do you want me to do it?

I saw Wicked last night, and I think Popular will work well to the Charleston.

I hope they put Vito in a waistcoat rather than paint him green.

Okay, I'll do it.

Searches frantically for splendid thread title from last week in back of notebook

Saw a bit of Vito and Sarah’s rehearsal on ITT last night looks good to me. Only a little snippet though so could be miles out.

Great I've got a night off  Thanks @TheShellBeach

I thought she looked good too. I was watching most of the clips from the remaining dancer's rehearsals - I missed MoJo and Chris and Dianne - and only Sarah and Vito and JB and Lauren stood out to me. I think the latter have such a great song to twirl around the dance floor to and will be a real pleasure to watch. The former looked really good but I'm hoping the lifts aren't too overwhelming/overbearing/over something. They're so good at lifts but they can become a bit too much.

Yeah true they did say they were doing lots of lifts.

I saw a video of Mark Ballas (son of our Shirls) and Derek Hough, both judges on DWTS, doing an AT. It was phenomenal!!

I think doing lifts in a Charleston is a given, so Sarah and Vito will capitalise on that.

I do feel sorry for Montel this week

@AlexaSetATimer , yes I saw that on Shirley's Instagram, it was amazing. Derek lived with Shirley in London when he was 12, he is best friends with Mark.

Evening all

Evening! Prosecco at the ready.