Strictly Come Dancing Final Betting

Ricky Whittle and Natalie Lowe overcame a fall in support after Ricky was arrested for an alleged incident with a photographer two weeks ago to book their place in the final. In a surprise twist TV presenter Chris Hollins and partner Ola Jordan had the publics love of their fun training videos and comedic screen partnership to thank for getting to the final, beating lovelorn duo actress Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna for a spot in the live final to be screened live on BBC1 this Saturday.

Entertainment betting fans have enjoyed a good end to 2009 with X Factor winner Joe McElderry from South Shields winning what was an excellent series of the singing talent contest with an array of young talent on show. As Joe was the hot tip to land the X Factor many entertainment betting fans went home happy with that result collecting some nice wins.

Who will win Strictly Come Dancing? It is difficult for the male celebrities as they are required to lead the dance yet are dancing with professional female dancers who choreograph the dance and train them during the week. It is natural, therefore, for the male celebrities to look to be led by their professional partner, rather than the other way around. Chris Hollins and Ricky Whittle deserve praise for making it this far, particularly Chris who is not a particularly strong dancer but gets by with the determination from partner Ola for him to do well each week.

Ricky and Natalie have been solid throughout the show with the professionals constantly praising Ricky for his musicality and ability to dance. There have even been rumours of romance between Ricky and Natalie although this has been played down by both of them. They are favourites to win the show with odds of 1.75 with bwin.com. Chris and Ola have odds of 1.95 with the bookmakers recognising that public support alone have got them this far beating the fantastic dancing of Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna in the semi-finals.

The couples must dance a freestyle routine in the final which will be hard for Chris as he struggles with learning his steps and forgot his routines on occasion earlier in the competition. They already have the publics support and are particularly amusing in their vignettes in training with Chris the perfect foil for the fiery training methods of Ola Jordan. She will undoubtedly be wearing her revealing outfits as they seek to cash in on their popularity and win the title of Strictly Come Dancing champion. This will help her get the votes of many admiring male fans of the show.

Whether you bet on Ricky and Natalie depends on how much you believe they are getting votes based on their dance performances or whether the obvious bond between Chris and Ola and Chris’s effort to be a good dancer wins you over. How do you think the public will vote on the night? This is the key question to ask before you place your bets.

My tip is for Ricky and Natalie to win. Ricky can cope with difficult routines and the judges will be praising him to the skies because they want the best dancer to win the competition. They will do a great freestyle routine with Natalie in her first Strictly series showcasing her own ability as well as partner Ricky’s. Combine that with strong judge support and I think this will persuade the public to vote for him. The one bad thing for Ricky was being in the dance-off in both of the two weeks after his bad press regarding an alleged assault. Obviously the judges saved him when that happened but when purely down to a public vote to decide the winner will this be the trump card for Chris and Ola?

It promises to be a great show to watch on Saturday and the betting is rightly very close. Remember to bet early because there is only the winner market to bet on and the odds are likely to fluctuate as the final gets closer. Good luck with picking the winner!

By Malcolm Clarke