Strictly Come Dancing 2013 - The Final

One for old times’ sake and to make Tina’s festive period all the more merry but thought I would garner your opinions as to who would win this year’s final of Strictly Come Dancing? As those who have followed this years series will know it has been a belter. From the early dismissal of the frankly annoying Vanessa Feltz, to the wonderfully life affirming Mark Benton and frankly staggering display of hairy biker Dave Myers this is a series that has delivered on a consistent basis.

This weekend sees the final and as I am sure you all know it is a cracking all female line up which finds us with Coronation Street favourite Natalie Gumede, Murder on the Dancefloor songstress Sophie Ellis Bexter, model Abbie Clancy and BBC news presenter Susannah Reid. Hard to pick a winner, Reid looks the outsider for my money but picking between the other three seems tricky, Gumede and Clancy have on the whole been consistently excellent whilst Bexter is perhaps the most improved over the course of the series.

So the question is who do we fancy to win this one, or alternatively feel free to waste 500 comments telling us how manly you all are and do not watch it, all the time showing a remarkable knowledge of the inner workings of a show you never watch.

You're the best mod since Paul Weller.

I think Reid will win it. Although she is not the best dancer left, she is totemic of what the show is about. She is good enough to not be a novelty act and I think the people will be voting in their droves for her. She appeals to pretty much every demographic. Gumede is just too good, Clancy is too pretty and Bextor is slightly behind them pair in both moves and looks.

I would rather see Gumede win it, but I think Reid will walk away with the glitter ball.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:You're the best mod since Paul Weller.

I think Reid will win it.  Although she is not the best dancer left, she is totemic of what the show is about.  She is good enough to not be a novelty act and I think the people will be voting in their droves for her.  She appeals to pretty much every demographic.  Gumede is just too good, Clancy is too pretty and Bextor is slightly behind them pair in both moves and looks.

I would rather see Gumede win it, but I think Reid will walk away with the glitter ball.  

That's a polite way of putting the thoughts that go through my head when her Gert Stonkers are jiggling about on that dancefloor.

superflyweight wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:You're the best mod since Paul Weller.

I think Reid will win it.  Although she is not the best dancer left, she is totemic of what the show is about.  She is good enough to not be a novelty act and I think the people will be voting in their droves for her.  She appeals to pretty much every demographic.  Gumede is just too good, Clancy is too pretty and Bextor is slightly behind them pair in both moves and looks.

I would rather see Gumede win it, but I think Reid will walk away with the glitter ball.  

That's a polite way of putting the thoughts that go through my head when her Gert Stonkers are jiggling about on that dancefloor.  

Look super, this is a serious thread. Can you not drag yourself of the floor just once?

Having said that, have you seen Gumede when she runs up the steps to see Tess? She must have a solid chin, I'll give her that.

You may well be right Tina. Gumede is quite clearly the best but was pretty much brilliant from the off and so has not really had the “journey” considered the lifeblood of these things. Whilst Clancy has not had Gumede’s level of consistency she has similarly been pretty good from the off. Bexter has vastly improved but is still a bit hit and miss and also has the disadvantage of being partnered with Brendan Cole who most sensible people consider to be a complete bell end.

Reid could well sneak up on the rails, particularly as her partner Kevin seems a likeable kind of bloke. Gun to my head though would probably still back Gumede though.

Please don't spoil my thread, will have to contend with the Jay from the Inbetweeners stuff as soon as michaels arrives.

Clancy is very good as well, but I imagine some women will not vote for her simply because she is ridiculously attractive. Gumede has a more 'normal' look about her. That is based on listening to Mrs Windows who keeps telling me how Clancy is not "that" good looking...

Reid should have been in the bottom two last Saturday as her second dance was pretty poor. She wasn't though and I think the public vote will see her win it.

Did feel for Patrick, he could have made it if Reid had rightly been in the bottom two, he must have known his time was up as soon as it was him and Natalie.

Reid work in on the BBC & being popular with its viewers was always going to effect the outcome. She should of gone before Taylor Dawson or whatever his name was. Also the judges were giving Reid higher scores early doors jut because she did a cosy little iterview with the on BBC breakfast a week before the show. Its clearly rigged, she will end up winning n the fame will go to her head. She knows she's attractive n is a wannabe. Even ITV are reportedly offering her £500k to join. Her career will follow Bleakley`s down the pot in a year or so.

Hope Clancy wins it. Gumede was already trained. Not been a great series really anyway.

I think Abbey will win to be honest. Popular with the public, popular with the judges and strong on all dances and has great chemistry with her partner. Natalie may be the better dancer (chiefly due to years of training at dance school prior to taking up acting) but you don't get the same chemistry with her partner. Her and Artem tend to dance with less warmth in their dances (well that is the gist I get). Sophie and Brendan are a great partnership but Sophie reminds me of Vicky Pendleton last year. She finds it hard, almost gets inhibited, expressing herself and that just leaves something missing from some of her dances. Susanah and Kevin are great together and I would love to see her win but if truth be told she is just not as consistent on all dances as the other finalists but it would seem sh has a huge public support. Abbey to win for me.

Abby or Natalie will win. Reid is my favourite (magnificent body) but she ain't quite as good as the mentioned two. Sophie is bland, and again is not as good as Natalie or Abby.

I got the feeling throughout this series that the judges for one reason or another just didn't like Sophie much. She did some fantastic routines but because she wasn't a "favourite" like Abbey or Natalie, they were always that little bit more critical of her dancing. Still, she made the final which is a pretty amazing achievement for someone who has never danced in a ballroom before. Perhaps the judges also don't like Brendan Cole as he's a little outspoken amongst the professionals.

Susanna was the public's favourite, Natalie the best dancer and Abbey the most improved. For me the right person won   

I've only just noticed this thread, hence my belated comments.

This was one of the best series of Strictly Come Dancing ever.  The best dancers made it to the final and the fact that they were all female this year shouldn't detract from that.  In the end, it was a fair outcome which after last year's blatant display of shirtless showing-off-for-votes by Louis Smith which clinched it for him, was refreshing.

I too thought that Sophie Ellis-Bextor was given less favourable comments than Natalie and Abbey but I doubt it really made that much difference.  It wasn't her who dropped into the dance off in the Semi Final, was it..?

Natalie's show dance in the final was a cracker.  If people voted entirely according to merit, then that would have clinched it for her, but that's not how it works, is it..?

For a start, people have favourites and Abbey is a likeable girl.  I'm sure her personality probably swayed a number of votes she might otherwise not have got. I'm not suggesting she shouldn't have won, or that there was anything underhand involved, but sometimes there is a difference between being the victor and being the best.

Also, it must be remembered that the core voting demographic of SCD is the female 18-30 group, and in an all female final, many of those may well have been more swayed, not by the talents of the celebrity dancer, but by their drool - preference of male lead.   A straw poll amongst my wife and daughters all said Aljaz is hotter than Artem.  Coincidence..?  Possibly, but then again, understanding the whims of women is not an exact science, is it..?

Speaking for myself, I just enjoy the whole thing for the sheer entertainment value.  Saturday evening pro/am ballroom dancing is not something I would have thought would grip me in quite the way it has, but yes..... I do enjoy it.