The couples are of a very high standard
The judging is very fair. The comments and advice given by the judges to the dancers on what they did and did not like was also very fair. But the public vote is something else. How a high scoring couple can get the push beats me. The same thing happend the week before.

If it's anything like the US show then it's a popularity contest and not a dance contest.

jj

Especially in the early rounds.
In the end, the best couple usually wins or finishes a close second. In the past five years, there's probably been one, or possibly two, instances in which a couple that could have finished first got knocked out within the first four weeks.
The "popularity" contest aspect of it makes it a prime time broadcast TV show. If it was truly a dance contest, it would be on PBS and targeting just that niche audience that knows the dancers and their backgrounds -- thus, low viewership and no ad support.