John Seargant walked off strictly

[twinsetandpearls]

What a noble thing to do.

i think it is sad and horrible that he has left.
i don't even watch the bloody show! but with all the media hype surroundign this was tempted to watch it!
now i've missed it.

such a unnecessary furore about it

and all this in anti bullying week!

Too right, Slarty.

Tis a disgrace

Just watched him on ITT. It seems obvious that it was the animosity of other contestants which got to him in the end rather than the media hype or the judges. I think that is rather sad, though I have been willing him to go for weeks now. Not like this though.

I do understand why John left. It was interesting what he said about walking into a 'trap' - he may have huge public support now, but he knows perfectly well that that public support could turn against him.

I thought James Jordan was unnecessarily nasty on ITT.

I don't feel sorry for Kristina that much, I think she's come out of this looking very good,and she's become very popular.

i shall be boycotting it too

I think he did the right thing, better jump than be pushed TBH and the public opinion could have easily swung against him. Very enetertaining while it lasted, though!

I am glad he went. It was pissing me off. Not that it really matters of course, but it did seem to me it was making a mockery of the dance competition. I actually got quite irritated with him in the end. If he had laughed and acknowledged people were voting for him because it was funny watching him, that would have been less irritating than pretending the public were voting for him because they appreciated his dancing abilities.

I don't think he was under any illusions that the public were voting for his dancing ability. He did after all say 'Kristina does the dancing, I do the jokes'

Oh maybe I misunderstood some of his comments then.

Anyway, what is going to happen about the number of contestants now? Might poor Cherie, who is an amazing dancer, be allowed back in?

No I don't think Cherie will be allowed back in, I think they will have just two in the final rather then 3.

I think he did the right thing for him - if he had got to the final and won, the public would have turned on him - but he should never have been put in that position to begin with. The media turned this into something it should never have been, fueling the public to vote for him more and now the man has been left in an impossible position. If the media hadn't made such a thing about it, people would have got bored and voted him out a few weeks ago when it was probably his time to go!

I don't think leaving was noble.

It's not a dance contest it's an entertainment programme.

And all the money raised by the public votes wor him will be returned - none of it will go to charity.

Is that a good thing then?

These people are in the public eye. They're not some naive members of the public who don't know what they're letting themselves in for. He knew full well that even if he remained popular opinion could turn.

James Jordan is up himself.

wannabe - an entertertainment program is exactly what it was. Otherwise why is it on prime time crap entertainment TV. And let's face it, celebrities who already have careers are hardly desperate but talented unknowns who's lives will turn around after a win. I think it is all being taken too seriously. FFS it's just flummery !

I don't understand why the money from the votes is being returned - how will that work?

"And all the money raised by the public votes wor him will be returned - none of it will go to charity.

Is that a good thing then?"

None of this years money has gone to charity

IMO, John was bullied off Strictly.

Bullied by the judges with their "doom and gloom" and "these two shouldn't be in the dance off because John should have been voted off" and then turning round with their "oh, he should have stayed, he's let the voting public down". Hypocrites, it's fine to criticize him but they practically ordered him off!

And bullied (although this is hearsay) by the atmosphere created by the other contestants. I'd love to hear Kristina's take on this as she must have felt it too.

Shame. I may even boycott this Saturday in protest (although almost certainly won't!).

Because of the whole phone-in rigging debacle from last year, I read somewhere that BBC can no longer donate part of the phone-in money to charity...

What exactly are you protesting about??

Oh yes - he also has a previous engagement booked on a cruise next week - more to this than him being pushed out me thinks. He needs to get down to Boots to stock up on suntan lotion and insect repellant

I agree people take it too seriously.

And I only found out this morning that the money no longer goes to charity.

i will not be joining that facebook group - i will not accept that i am part of that demographic (though i so obviously am)

Have waited a long time on MN to write this....

meh.

John in the Express today "Anyone thinking I can be leant on or bullied does not know me very well."

SO, who here knows him then?