Unbelievable Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan WIN Strictly Come Dancing 2009!

judges can say what they want,a dancer can do fancy lifts,but chris you performed the best lift of the night ,you lifted the trophy.

It just goes to show, how the Brits vote, its like X factor, the best singer did not win!

I said earlier, that Ricky should win, but most probably won’t as Chris is a popular chap! Shame really as it is a dancing competition, but apparently it is all about who progresses from the start…

chris great!!!!!!!! Ricky rubbish!!!!

When the better team who tried just as hard and put just as much effort, heartache and time in, do not win, what is the point of the competion. I will not be watching the show again as I already know the worst couple will win because of the sympathy vote for the under dog. The show is no longer entertaining.

I am sure your mentality would never change! Who the hell on the earth would say Chris knows to dance.
Shame on those who promotedChris.

Personality wins! Ricky Whittle hasn\’t got any! good looks aren\’t everything. Feelings and emotion count in everything in life. Ricky too \"clinical\" with his dancing with no \"personality\" that\’s why the public voted for him. I\’m so glad Chis won!! Just shows you can be good and something and have feelings! Something that 20 something people don\’t have these days!! Success means nothing unless you appriciate it ! Ricky doesn\’t appriciate what he\’s got cos he\’s good looking and know\’s it too much! True Justice! Great !! Congratulations again Chris ! Love to meet you with my husband! XXXX

Personality wins! Bull shit!!!!!!!!!!!
How I wish u had a bit of sense of humour to judge a personality!
Biased people like you spoilt the show by voting for Chris.

Why do the British public like a loser? What’s the matter with success? Ricky is an outstanding entertainer and his dances with Natalie were legendary. The wrong guy won-

Chris was so good tonight I loved every dance you did. Well done

@ 14… you just sound like you’re just a hater. hates excellence. may be you’d want to come out and say u dont like Ricky because he’s just too good for your liking or probably for other reasons. you know what it is. pure dislike for an outstanding dancer

By implication are you saying that Ricky was not a gentleman. What has Ricky done to show he is not sincere or honest. You can’t get as good as him by not being committed and sincere with your work. Ricky is the example of becoming a true professional not propped up by popularity. Ricky has a talent that he worked hard to improve to a PROFESSIONAL STANDARD,even if he made it look easy!!!!Good on him. Ricky and his partner are the true winners

getting personal now mrs ‘hubby’. may be watching chris win would help you win the husband over again. good night!!

Got to say i didnt think chris deserved to be in the final…..BUT he won me over on the night!
proved he deserved it by dancing better than he,s ever done!
ricky was great as usual,and he,ll know he was better.
but lets not get to serious…ITS ENTERTAINMENT

Dont need to win hubby again. You were getting personal by swearing. Hope you have a nice life.

Yes she did, but at no other time in Stricly did personality factor in the competition. Through out all the series they stuck to the concept of it being a dance competition. The best and most elequent, exciting and most entertaining dances won. Please tell me from the result if this is still the case. It is like sitting an exams getting all the right answers, with all the sequenced logic and still failing.

I think we are getting carried away. We are assuming a lot about everyone. All superficial impressions. Media creations we are all \"sucked\" into. Ricky and Chris are nice people. Hope they all have a nice xmas . Let\’s all have a nice xmas (however perfect we think we are?) all on the website and all stricly contestants. It\’s a biased contest which unfortunately depends on peoples opinions.Happy xmas everyone . xxxxd

oh and i’m sure you’re still there…@24 you claim you’re excellent at what you do and you do not recon an excellent performance deserves a prize?

Rossiee, High time to wish you GOOD NIGHT and hope you have a wonderful dream about Chris !! I’m sorry his PERSONALITY !

good night everyone… off to watch match of the day. not ready to go to bed yet

Good entertainement over all! But quite unfortunate the best dancer lost. If judges marks can’t count, why use them in the first place?

I found it difficult to listen to Aleshia, with her inane comments and awful English and then the a man who shouldn\’t have been in the final won! I shall not bother to watch again.

I don’t think it was racism, Chris is simply on Breakfast TV every morning. I wanted Ricky to win, the best dancer, but I have never seen him on TV before. He was unknown to most people.

Having read all the comments so far, I would like to say to those who voted for Chris Hollins, enjoy your moment. To those of us that love the kind of Ballroom dancing that Ali and Ricky produced, I say at least we can look back and say that we saw some great stuff. I will have fond memories of those two.

I don\’t think that anyone will disagree with me when I say that once again the BBC\’s blatant and crude changing of the rules, especially in the semi-final to suit their own ends is the worst part of all this.

The show is flagging badly now and a pale shadow of what it was.

Cf. 43 “He is unknown to most people” That statement tells why it is a popularity contest and not a dancing competition where the best dancer should win. Unfortunately, the most popular because “on BBC Breakfast tv every morning” won. Ricky congratulations! You have won the gorgeous Natalie and that’s the most important price.

I knew neither of these people before SCD as don’t watch Soaps and not interested in sport. I wasn’t even interested in Chris until he was so poorly marked for that remarkable Charleston when the judges put that insipid Charleston of Ali’s above him that looked like a limp rag doll. Then I started to noticed that he was constantly pilloried and undermarked and took it all on the chin. I warmed to him and I think to make unkind remarks about someone just because you do not like them is the height of arrogance. Poor Ricky his fans seemed to be in the habit of doing just that and probably lossing him votes if the SCD Forum is anythign to go by!

Undeserved winner..!!!!!
For Ola yes !!!…for Chris NO..!!!
All this personality thing is wrong to what this competition is about Maybe we should rename it Stricktly come under-dog!!!……They all have nice pesonalities but Chris hasnt got the standard of dancing compared to Ricky and Alli,, he should not have be in the final!!…Out of the last 7 series only two finals had deserved thier title ,,,Mark R and Jill H….maybe Alysha.D too, but not others. last year a person won even though he made so many mistakes…..this is unfair to the ones that were out right GOOD dancers and winners ! This thing about the journey is noncence ,,,,its about who can DANCE !!..maybe the program ratings have dropped because of this !!!

Judges bang on about how it\’s a dancing competion, IT IS NOT, it\’s a popularity contest and last nights final proved it, full stop. I watched the final without voting and fell on the floor laughing when the results were given, the BBC wont be conning money out of me again. I wouldn\’t expect the judges to agree with me as they are paid by the BBC, they as professionals ought to hang their heads in shame for being associated with such a show.

I thought Natalie looked prepared to go swimming or to an exercise class, not to a glamorous ballroom, in the Show Dance. Unflattering words such as ‘she’s like a bean pole with tinsel stuck on’ crossed my mind – detracted and distracted from their excellent dancing and lifts. For once the Costume Dept let down a contestant. Ricky kept the glamour, pity his partner didn’t. Glamour is part of the show. I changed my vote to Chris and Ola.

sue, so what you\’re saying is that the show is a popularity
show and not the talent show that it should be. Well, that\’s what we\’re talking about. It\’s unfair to the talents,
don\’t you think? which ever way, popularity or racism being
the determinant factor is simply disgraceful and a big shame
This is supposed to be a civilized world but I suppose it\’s
a racilized one. However Ricky, hold your head up high, go
home knowing you were the true winner by all standards.
You were never supposed to be in the bottom two ever in that
show. As judge Len said; you should go knowing you were
simply the best.

What\’s the name of the last female judge that joined in on
the panel? She is the one that doesn\’t know what she\’s
talking about and should be relieved of her duties as a judge not Alesha dixon. After that outstandingly superb last dance that Ricky gave that could not be faulted, even Greg couldn\’t fault that dance and gave Ricky a 10, This obviously blind or biased woman gave him a 9! robbing Ricky the perfect score of 50. Unbelieveable!

Please patty. It’s quite clear the Ricky’s colour had nothing to do with it.

There is a clear prejudice in this country for bald men!

Just look and the past prime ministers, Maggie, full head of hair, won. John Smith, bald, lost. Blair, hair – won. Hague, bald – lost.

No No, it’s because he’s tall.

No No, it’s because he has no football connections.

Skin colour has nothing to do with it.

Was Ricky the best dancer? The experts gave him more points. yes 2 more! not a massive margin. The expects also scored two dances to Chris and two dances to Ricky. When they did the same dance, there was really nothing in it. Ricky started strong, and worked more hours then any of them week on week. Chris did massively well to compete in the same level as Ricky, and I think that he did. The real shame is that there had to be a winner. Well done to both.

Ali did a great ballroom, but she deserve to go when she did. She danced the worst that night.

I think the next series of Strictly needs to be really clear from the start that it\’s the best dancer that should receive the vote, not the most improved.

Ricky will be really upset, he\’s put so much work in and provided fantastic entertainment to be beaten by a much improved dancer but not a better dancer, who is probably better known by the viewers of Strictly, unfair.

Let be honest the show is now getting weak. Last nights Grand Final was ruined as there were only two couples instead of three and to fill the time we had to endure the singing of Bruce and Aleshia, terrible!! Then it was clear who would win and it wasn\\\’t going to be the best dancers. I will watch it next year for the shear comedy value. For those of you who waste their money voting, I say give it to a worthwhile local charity. Merry Christmas
P.S Does anyone else think Bruce is well past his sell by date?

New name for strictly;strictly come underdog!just bring your crap personality and pull silly faces and OH,ABILITY TO DANCE OPTIONAL!!What a load of rubbish.

Calling all Ali and Ricky fans, and fans who support Dance.

I have asked the BBC and the BBC Breakfast team to explain why they withdrew the dance-off in the semi-final, robbing us of a chance of a great final. They don\’t seem very keen to reply. Now we all know why, don\’t we, but I would like to hear what they have to say.

You would think that they would try to deny any Bias, at least.

Flood them with e-mails and ask them the same question and any others you can think of. Don\’t let them get away with it lightly.

The one given the trophy,(I refuse to call him the winner), obviousy won through block votes as described in comment 48, and with a little help from his friends. There should only be one vote per head.

Okay so Ricky Whittle CAN dance, but what was more pleasing to the eye? Ola and Chris looked vibrant, full of energy and fun, and they were very entertaining. They deserved to win after all of their hard work. Lets not forget Chris had not danced before, so he is in fact a TRUE winner. Class won out against cheapness.

Dear L Ali+Brian,

Its the BBC’s fault that the dance-off was shelved in the semi-final to suit their ends. I think that I have a valid point.

I respect your opinion very much, but I think we have a right to know.

Ann Miller, what are you on about, cheapness? In what context?

What was more pleasing to the eye? DANCE Ann, DANCE. And that came from the DANCER who was overlooked.

The running about of Chris Hollins. Class?

Actully for once I agree with you Ken…

For Chris and Ola to have won has just made a mockery of this programme. After Brian and Ali were voted out at the semi finals I felt there was no longer a contest.

Brian and Ali along with Ricky and Natalie would have been the perfect final. I refused to watch the final and I will never watch Strictly again

Partly…

Chris getting to the final wasn’t so bad everyone says it’s an outrage… But he has inspired me to start dancing again so it can’t be that bad can it…

Well I only said ‘Partly’ but depends on how you view Partly….

I think Ricky and Natalie should of won!!!
The judges said their dances were mor ENTERTAINING but actually Ricky and Natalie deserved to win because they’re better dancers!!

Chris and Ola deserved to win, they gave more of a performance. Ball room dancing is not just about dancing ability it is about selling the dance and playing the part. Yes Ricky was the better dancer but he always seemed insincere when it came to an interview…..remember he is an actor at the end of the day!!!

The judges were bias this series the amount of times they told Chris off for singing along to the tunes whilst dancing but they never picked up on the fact that Ricky was mouthing the words during his first dance in the final……..if the judges are going to give criticism then at least be consistent with it rather than letting it pass on the couple they like more than the rest……Bruno is the worst for this and he should have left the show!

As for Ali she was not the perfect dancer she used to wobble and did not look very stable but she was very good at ball room, her Latin was terrible!!

At the end of the day the judges have their favourite that’s why the final decision goes to the public so to all the people who didn’t think that Chris and Ola deserved to be in the final or win it why not vent your anger at the general public and not show!!!

I am so please Chris and Ola won……..Ricky was a good dancer but he did not win the public over.plus i suppose the fight he had in a bar in Liverpool didn’t help his street cred either what kind of a man in the public eye on such a huge show and who had children for fans starts a fight in a bar???????

Nathalie had already won the American version of the show so let someone else win it.

Chris went on a true journey and the best couple won!! To be honest Ricky and Nathalie thought they had it in the bag and I loved the look of shock on their face when they lost pure classic…..just goes to prove you should not assume anything!!!

My final word is to all the nasty people who sent emails to Chris after Ali went out………….how childish can you be??? It is a game show the public obviously didn’t want Ali to win so get over it and don’t send snide horrible emails to a great dancer to put his confidence down and make him think he did not deserve to be in the final…..you people make me ashamed to be British!!!!!!

Agree that Ricky is the better dancer and showed at start of the competition. However, Chris’s improvement was brilliant through his ability to enjoy the dance experience and deal with criticism but also down to Ola’s exceptional tuition skills and character. Gives hope to guys like me who are ‘strictly hopeless’ but wish can take a ‘brave’ lass and whisk her round the dance floor leaving her in one piece !! My wife keeps praying for the past two years for some improvement !!. Well done Chris, numero uno (but only just !!)

i have always enjoyed this program until now! the bbc rigged it so that chris & ola won! the final should have been between ali & brian and ricky & natalie then it would\’ve been exciting as they were both good dancers after all is that not what this show was all about? so the public liked him but he wasn\’t as good as the 2 runners up!! i won\’t be watching next year unless the judges score holds a higher percentage!

Carolyn Davies is quite right. It was a travesty of justice, engineered by the BBC not having the dance off in the semi finals! Is it now a personality competition rather than a dnace competition? Ricky should have won by miles with Ali and Brian second. I have watched all the Strictly series, but I won’t be watching the next one!! X Factor here I come.

I would just like to say a huge well done to Chris and Ola. To all the people who think they didn’t deserve to win, I think it is clear why they did. Chris, whilst not being the better dancer, admitedly, could entertain in his dances. Remember, he is from neither a dancing backround nor an acting one. And to produce such entertaining dances such as the Charlston and his show dance, I think he deserved the trophy. My final point being that everyone has the right to vote on the program and therefore are entitled to their opinion, with the majority opinion being that they were better.

Using friends lap-top but have to say that the word strictly must be re-moved from the title if the show returns next year or we band of tap-dancing pensioners will not watch again. Call the show a similer title like the US dancing with the stars or teaching a celeb. to dance but never, never use the word strictly again. It is an insult..The most amazing dancer who we heard so little from because he worked a long day and then re-hearsed in Liverpool so little video footage was of course wonderful Strictly dancer Ricky Whittle. Too much footage of Chris and Ola. We too ask why on earth was there no dance-off in the semi-finals, BBC you have had time to dream up an answer. 70 years plus pensioners who enjoy good dance…..

In response to number 69. My partner works for the BBC and the reason the dance-off was removed from this year was because of Tom Chambers and the voting farce last year. The production team knew that with two strong dancers such as Ali and Ricky there was a chance that the judges votes for them could have been tied therefore meaning that the public vote could not have saved Chris and Ola under any circumstances. So I suggest that before you start blaming the BBC, look to the people that held the power…the public. Oh and also there was a point in the night that Ricky had much more votes and then it changed so how could it have been rigged. Some people need to get it through their small minds that competetions where the public are spending money to vote is regulated by Ofcom so why would thay rig it?

To all of those disappointed that there wasn\’t a dance off in the semi-final – just look a the quarter final. I\’m not sure if the BBC will release the public votes for each contestant in each round, but one thing was for sure, Chris always got high (if not the highest) public vote. Chris was number one in the quarter final and Rickie was last (with Ali somewhere in between) on the public vote – just do the maths.

Therefore if there had been a dance off in the semi-final, it would have been between Ali and Rickie any way (as, in the case of a tie on points, the public vote carries the most weight). The questuon is, would Ali or Rickie then have got through to the final?

I was very upsett. How can the british public be so gullable. Chris Hollins was obviously not the best dancer. It was not a popularity competition. How must Ricky Whittle feel. I am absolutely disgusted that the BBC can allow this to happen. It could actually only happen on the BBC. I will never watch strictly come dancing again. There is no point in having any judges, because they cannot decide. Absolutely a farse.

Personally I thought the final show was fantastic.Having bought tickets for the live show I had wanted Ricky and Natalie to win. However, after seeing Chris and Ola, on the final night I thought they were amazing. The public alway love an under dog and Chris Hollins is such a great guy. Ricky was the best dancer overall but there was something special about Chris and Ola. Credit to both couples they worked incredably hard week on week – thank you for bringing so much pleasure to my saturday nights!

How come I couldn\’t get through for a long time because the phone was engaged when I was trying to vote for Ricky Whittle. It\’s a fix!

You wanted a BBC personality to win and so the best dancer didn\’t. I won\’t be watching again.
Rage Against Strictly!

As far as I was concerned Ricky Whittle is not a celebrity

Once again the Brits have let themselves down with their preoccupation with supporting the underdog (great on the world stage, but not so good for TV), the public need to be reminded that this is a dancing competition not a popularity show. Srictly is not about ‘the journey’, or ‘jo blogs seeing themselves’ in Chris (who I’m sure is a lovely fella,)and voting for his effort, but about the best dancer. The Beeb producers need to recognise this public popularity voting is turning many off the show. This is the first time I’ve sat down and watched the show in its entirety and feel I’ve just wasted 16 weeks tuning into what I thought was a dancing show..I for one shalln’t be wasting my time again… I shouldn’t really be suprised I suppose… from what I saw Colin Jackson was robbed of the series 3 competition by the ‘loveable’ yet vaguely cringy Darren Gough (though I don’t believe this to be a race issue as stated in a previous comment) and looking at previous competitions there appears to be a disproportinate number of male winners to female, and we all know that women are more inclined to take the time to vote for their ‘favourite’ (most often a man)….come on BBC sort this out, Len said it all really when he said that Ricky was the best dancer but might (probably) not win…(too wordy I know, just felt this issue justified a rant)

Another Strictly ruined by the public vote which negates the judges professional opinion and turns the show into a personality contest not a dancing contest. It happened last year; again when Hingis came out in the first round whilst the lumbering Welsh boxer survived; and now again in the final. Both Ali & Ricky have more dancing ability in their little fingers than dear old Chris.Even he could not believe the outcome.

The public should control less points as they do not vote for the best dancers. Don’t worry BBC you will still get your telephone revenue.

Agree with lots of the comments – of course Ricky should have won and the final should have been between him and Ali.
But when you read some of the reasons people give for voting as they did, eg. Ola\’s a beautiful woman; James and Ola helped Chris move; didn\’t like Natalie\’s outfit so changed vote to Chris and Ola, you can see why the whole thing degenerates into a complete farce.
I will not be watching again unless some changes are made – and, no, I\’m not being pathetic, as suggested by one person, just true to myself. (And life doesn\’t hsve to just be about the choice of watching either Strictly (Come Personaity/Underdog) or X Faxtor.
I don\’t suppose the BBC would be keen to have the judges having the final say in the vote because the revenue from the public vote would most likely drop, but maybe, as suggested by someone else, there could be a few different categories – best overall dancer, most improved and, if we really have to ( as it seems we do!!) the most endearing personality. Although if that\’s the case why didn\’t Natalie Cassidy get further?

As a new contributor to this forum, I would like to say that its obviously a split between dance fans and those that cast their votes for personalities. As a lover of Ballroom dancing for many years, I am firmly in the dance camp, but appreciate that everyone has a right to their opinion.

However, some of the views are very contradictory. The contributor I L Ali+Brian, (for example comments 72 and 74), writing under the name above, obviously supported Ali Bastian, surely one of the most wonderful celebrity ballroom dancers in the history of SCD. So I would have assumed that the above was a supporter of dance. When Ali went out, allegiance was evidently switched to the plodder (But likeable) Chris Hollins. CH went through at the expense of AB, so while accepting that we are all different, I nevertheless find it strange.

I personally think that it is harder if you are a lover of technically good dancing to accept anyone that we view as incompetent, rather than the reverse.

Lets face it, the best dancers in the competition were Ali Bastian and Ricky Whittle, and we have to make up our minds whether, given who won, we want to continue to watch the show.

I agree completely with contributor in comment 108, and his description of the contributor regarding comment 100, I fully endorse.

The no dance-off change of rules in the semi-final leaves room for much doubt.

I will finish by saying that whether you are a dance or personality person, the show has obviously lost something.

Chris always sold the dance. No, he obviously wasn´t the better dancer technically, but it´s never just about that is it? That´s why talented dancers go out of competitions, excellent singers go unnoticed. Having the skill isn´t enough, you have to have that extra quality that sets you apart. Ricky obviously has it, but Chris had more of it clearly. He won the competition, deal with it. Well done Chris & Ola.

In answer to 121, When he says that \\\’Having the skill isn\\\’t enough\\\’, Having no talent at all is worse. The cheeky chappie was handed the trophy, but did not win the dance competition.

In answer to 122, GOOD Dancing is entertainment in itself and was portrayed only by the best dancer, while the talentless cheekie chappie just ran around. You say that you didn\\\’t like Ricky and Natalie from the start. Is that your criteria for deciding the winner? You obviously were against them and never gave them a chance. RW is not exactly a favourite of mine when it comes to personality, but he was miles ahead from your choice when it came to Dancing. The only thing I agree with you on is about Tom Chambers. That was about a no dance-off fix in the semi-final, just like this year\\\’s when the BBC Bias allowed through their man, surely the worst winner in SCD history.

The SCD Christmas show should be interesting——- is it judged on the public vote. If it is then, a tip for Chris will be to jump around in father CHRIS-mas outfit ,with olla in an elf outfit ——-that should win the personality vote for sure.

Following on from comment 126, no release of viewers votes, no dance-off in the semi-final, allowing the BBC Sports Correspondent through. The vast majority of comments show a great support for the better dancers and are appalled that the circus act won. How did he win? It can only be through repetitive block voting as described in posting 48, which states that the supporter of the plodder spent £30 phoning in for him. Or something more sinister perhaps.

But we must accept that he’s an entertainer, that he’s made “The Journey”. Tosh!

The idiots are running the asylum.

i think the ola and chris where very good and was please they won. Was a great programme will watch the next series.

Watched today Christmas SCD video. Such a shame how badly Chris danced. He could be popular, but he is not a good dancer. How it is possible, he was a winner 2009? Good luck to Ricky – he is in my eyes the winner of 2009, and congratulations to Ali – she deserved Christmas trophy.
ALI and RICKY – you both are THE GRATEST DANCERS.

In answer to comment 132, the problem is Debra that although you think it is solely an entertainment programme, I hope you will agree with me that it is surely better for the show if the better dancers have at least a fair chance of getting through. Given the fact that the judges have had no input at the semi-final stage for the last two years, the lovers of good dancing feel that the show is being manipulated in an unfair way.