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Dancing On Ice: Can Fountain finish the job he started

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In this week's Dancing On Ice update; why Greg has to go, and why victory is not necessarily a 'Shaw' thing for Chris Fountain.

The sight of Greg Rusedski, [46.0] to win, prancing gracelessly around the ice was never going to make the nation's pulse beat faster, but now it is really beginning to grate. The hilarity of watching people fall over ended around week three (we're now on week seven), and those still with the show want to see some dancing, or at the very least, "a journey". As happens with other reality shows like American Idol or X Factor, there are enough funny rubbish people for a few of them to muddle through the early stages. Once the joke has worn off, it's time to see the brilliant performances. Rusedski's killing the vibe.

This weekend, however, he had not only the spectacular decline of Zaraah Abrahams ([46.0]) to thank for his survival, but also Linda Lusardi's increasingly geriatric performances. Lusardi lost the skate-off.

Although she started strongly when brought in mid-season to replace the injured Michael Underwood, and was at one point was backed as short as 7.0 to win, Zaraah Abrahams was facing a near impossible set of circumstances. "New girl" status is a handicap in itself (a latecomer has never won a Big Brother, or an X Factor, or a Pop Idol), as the kind of people who actually pick up the phone when instructed to do so will often have already chosen which horse they want to back. Plus, of course, she could be yet another victim of middle England's inability to back a black person on a reality show. The BBC and Channel 4 audiences may be learning to tolerate other cultures, but ITV's reality voters might still be a little behind the times. Oh, and her dance this week was pretty lame (score: 18.5, a whole three and a half points worse than last week).

And so to the tussle at the top, where Suzanne Shaw [3.2] is now making a strong case to win it. Whilst her steely determination and must-win attitude is an unbelievable turn-off to some (it worked against ambitious Gabby Logan, booted off Strictly Come Dancing), she is the only contestant who appears to be on the all-important reality show 'journey' - now even surpassing the brilliant Chris Fountain on points (she gained a series high of 27.5, Fountain managing just 27). She has broken a rib, caused the judges to bicker, and appears to be getting better and better. In contrast to Fountain's consistently good dances, her ascendency has been far more dramatic. Should she continue on the upward curve, she could end up swiping some of his vote - previous shows indicate that a considerable number of votes go to the best dancer on the night, and that could prove to be Shaw.

All this means Fountain [1.6] will need to really up his game. His performance at the weekend was brilliant, but he seems a little too comfortable on the surface - no one likes a high-achiever, these people need to earn their victory. Next week, he would do well to sweat blood.

As for Gareth Gates [7.6], he is looking a bit short of dazzle at this point. Compared to the other two, he still skates a little too gingerly to excite the more passionate viewers. The last two series have featured better skaters in the final, so barring a sudden surge, he looks like having the number three spot nailed on.

Chris Fountain will also be terrified to hear that the top-scoring skater at week seven last year had been second best until then, but never relinquished the lead and won. Might it be time to pile in on Shaw?