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Why I Love...John Sergeant in Strictly

Kristina Rihanoff and John Sergeant
  • Posted at 1:20pm
  • 17 November 2008
  • by LauraPledger-RT
  • 16 comments

Forget the historic US election and the ever crunchier credit crunch. Forget, if you will, the Ross/Brand furore and Laura White being booted out of The X Factor. What everyone's talking about is this: how come John Sergeant's still in Strictly Come Dancing?

Admit it. When the series started, you thought he'd be the first to go, didn't you? I certainly did. Poor John, I thought, as I scanned the list of would-be twinkle-toed stars. Who's going to vote for a chubby, retired political correspondent when there are all those muscly sportsmen, hunky actors and long-limbed lovelies in the line-up?

But what do you know? The British public, always suckers for an underdog, have voted in droves to keep him in the competition.

It's easy to see why. Everyone else is trying too hard, and as any self-respecting singleton knows, that's deeply unattractive. Where behind-the-scenes footage shows his fellow celebs crying tears of frustration over a missed step in rehearsal, John is delivering witty asides to the camera. His personality shines through, and it's a hard-hearted woman who doesn't respond to that cheeky smile and the twinkle in his eye.

When some couples strut out onto the dance floor, you can see how desperate they are to impress. But when John steps into the spotlight with Kristina Rihanoff, you can see he's there to have fun, and you instinctively warm to that.

Other couples listen closely to the judges' comments and vow to do better. John's only armour against the onslaught of the judges' barbs is a world-weary shrug, and we love him for it.

Let's be honest. If we were summoned onto the dance floor, how many of us would turn out to be John Travolta? Most of us would be closer to David Brent.

And remember, a lot of the people voting for their favourite couple are veterans of doing their homework at the last minute, cramming for exams, and thinking up plausible excuses for the boss when they're hungover and can't make it in to work. They're not going to vote for some show-off who's put in hours of punishing rehearsal just to dazzle in a two-minute dance. But they will vote for the bloke who thumbs his nose at dancerly convention and - uber-cool, this - who consistently gets away with it.

If you had to dance to save your life, you wouldn't choose John Sergeant as your partner. But if you wanted to wave two fingers at humourless death before he claimed you, Sergeant would be just the guy to do it with.

**

For a whole host of Strictly features, including photo galleries and blogs, visit our Strictly Come Dancing page.

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Comments

  • Posted on 20 December 2008
  • at 4:45pm
  • by FFarnes-Barnes

Well here we are on the 20 December 2008 and its nearly all over - thank goodness..........this show really has become tiresome and with the semi-final voting fiasco it really has turned into a non-event.

I should think the celebs will be glad to get back to their day job, Bruce can return to his mausoleum and Tess can go back to wherever she came from!

  • Posted on 06 December 2008
  • at 8:04pm
  • by Annie

I think that we should get rid of the judges and just let us viewers do the voting. The judges will only pick their favourites and it is not always to do with the quality.

  • Posted on 27 November 2008
  • at 9:48pm
  • by Sarah

So do you not think this whole 'controversy' has been created by the show to increase viewers? JS is popular but not the best dancer (who couldn't have predicted that), the judges criticise him and say they are there to judge the dancing, It Takes Two make it all into a big debate, John responds with humour and the cycle repeats itself until the grand finale when John quits and Strictly gets lots of free publicity (JS was on the cover of every paper except the FT the day after he quit). Am I too cynical? Love the show of course :)

  • Posted on 26 November 2008
  • at 4:00pm
  • by Ionaclio

I'm really going to miss John. "Strictly" will not be the same without him. He gave me hope that some day I would get my better half up to dance...now all hope is gone! The judges' behaviour is appalling. I keep expecting, "Murder on the Dance Floor..."

  • Posted on 23 November 2008
  • at 11:23am
  • by Teabag

I am completely torn between the entertainment side of things and the competion side, the only thing I would like to comment on is that with John in it I have had more pleasure watching because he has made it more entertaining.

  • Posted on 20 November 2008
  • at 2:07pm
  • by Anne

Much has been printed and said about John Sareant and his untimely withdrawal from'Strictly' but personally I think he has won hands down for just being himself, a cuddly witty laid back sort of guy.

  • Posted on 19 November 2008
  • at 7:34pm
  • by Grace

Come back John. This is Sat night entertainment, the dancers and celebs, incl John have inspired people to give dancing a go and if it makes people smile whats wrong with that. As an X professional myself I saw too much over seriousness of self and John is just the tonic TV needs. Come on everyone, stop being so serious, life is too short and when did anyone ever say it was fair?

  • Posted on 19 November 2008
  • at 5:41pm
  • by Binky

It is an absolute travesty of all that is right, that JS has been pressured to resign from this show.

The voting rules were clear from the start of the competition. even as the debate to change the rules got underway, enormous pressure was brought to bear on John to "do the right thing".

Well I'm sorry. the right thing would have been to continue doing what everyone who voted for him was clearly enjoying. Someone having fun, and not taking it too seriously.

Anyone who thinks this is a dancing competition is COMPLETELY missing the point.

As for the judges, words fail me. How such plastic people ever managed to make an impact in life is beyond me.

Everyone who expressed the opinion that JS should go, and helped to pile on the pressure, should hang their heads in shame. You have corrupted a democratic process and undermined whatever success the eventual winners will feel they have.

  • Posted on 19 November 2008
  • at 3:18pm
  • by Hannah

Unlike "I'm a Celebrity", SCD was never set up to be a popularity contest. Rather, it was supposed to be a competition, a challenge to celebrities, to see who was best at learning to dance from scratch. (We did a similar thing at my University, with the Dancer team and complete beginners, before Strictly ever existed).

The issue is of course confused by Tess/Bruce's insistance that one should vote for "your favourite celebrity" rather than the one you you thought had performed best. Also Eastenders tend to garner large number of votes because of audience sympathies for their chracters as much as for the celebs themselves.

  • Posted on 18 November 2008
  • at 7:37pm
  • by FFarnes-Barnes

I feel sorry for the professionals and the dance experts - this programme has turned into farce with the JS thing.

Bruce is fading rapidly. Tess Daly is looking a bid jaded too - the main interest now is when she is going to fall out of her evening dress.

  • Posted on 17 November 2008
  • at 11:48pm
  • by Jovana

Austin, Rachel and Tom are good dancers. All others are not very good in my eye, because they are tense and stiff. Tense in face, tense in posture. John and Kristina are a nice couple to watch, they dance well together. John is relaxed and moves weel with a beat of music. I wish they keep dancing.

  • Posted on 17 November 2008
  • at 7:47pm
  • by Clare Cook

I think it is ridiculous that some people are trying to make out that John Sargeant has something to feel guilty about it. The public love his warm personality and great sense of humour so more power to his elbow!

  • Posted on 17 November 2008
  • at 6:16pm
  • by Lynda

He's still going out there and DANCING each week the same as the others. OK, he may not be as good-I'm no judge, but good for him for making it entertaining and enjoying himself without taking himself too seriously. That's why people vote to keep him in....he's likeable.

  • Posted on 17 November 2008
  • at 4:56pm
  • by Fred

I love that we're subverting the nonsense of these shows. they're good entertainment and the celebrities work very hard at it. but some are dancers already, some are fit, well coordinated etc, some older, some younger. On no basis can it be about dancing excellence - after all they've only been doing it for a few weeks. Why do we pretend that any of them on any absolute scale are dancing that well compared with any of the experts who have dedicated their lives and years of training and committment. Of course they're not. So it's about attitude, and it seems to me that JS's attitude is just fine: "I'll never be as good as a real dancer, so I'll enjoy it and entertain." Spot on - and respectful to the pro's.

This is a personality show, not a skills show.

  • Posted on 17 November 2008
  • at 2:50pm
  • by Margaret

Yes it is a dancing competition but it is also a saturday night ENTERTAINMENT programme!! Viewers are asked to vote for their favourite - not who they think is doing the best job. To all the moaners - get over it - whoever is going to win will, no matter how long John Sargeant stays in. If you want a purely dancing programme call it Come Dancing and have the judges only deciding the outsome.

  • Posted on 17 November 2008
  • at 2:17pm
  • by Mark

Nonsense. It is a dancing competition. Viewers should vote for the best dancers. Cherie Lunghi was good enough to win the competition. She is out because viewers voted for someone they like rather than someone who was taking the competition seriously, trying hard and doing well. Without wishing to sound like someone twice my age, what sort of example does that set?

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