Strictly Come Dancing fans were left divided as they voiced their concerns over the scoring during Sunday's results show, with some branding the judges' marks 'ridiculous' after Shaun Wright-Phillips was saved from elimination.
The BBC favourite returned with Movie Week as contestants faced the possibility of becoming the first elimination of the series. Sunday's results programme saw four couples endure an agonising wait to discover who would be departing after only two weeks, with viewers eager to voice their opinions.
Dance-off result
The final four couples awaiting their outcome were Will Best and Dianne Buswell, Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden, and Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przysta. Lawrence and Will were spared after public votes were combined with the judges' scores, resulting in Chris and Jaime entering the dance-off, with Chris ultimately eliminated.
Fans flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to debate one specific result. Football pundit Shaun Wright-Phillips, who received one of the lowest scores, was the first contestant announced as progressing to the following week. This caught viewers off guard, with many anticipating he would face the dance-off.
Viewer reactions
They turned to social media to express their views, with one stating: "Sorry but who the hell voted for Shaun Wright-Phillips #strictly". Another contributed: "As always this is so unfair. Shaun was the worst dancer but here we are #Strictly".
Some viewers expressed doubts about the judging, with one adding: "#strictly some ropey scoring going on tonight with the judges esp Shaun!" Another remarked: "The scores for Shaun and Alexis tonight was utterly ridiculous, a 7 really what were they smoking." [Sic]
A final viewer shared: "I'm sorry the scoring on #strictly is so inconsistent like why did Dani [not] get a 7 on that foxtrot but Shaun got a 7 on that Salsa that didn’t have enough hip action." However, numerous supporters rallied behind Shaun, praising his considerable progress in his second week and expressing hopes for his continued success.
Support for Shaun
One stated: "I want Shaun to do well. I hope he stays and get consistently better and better.. #Strictly." Another posted: "Shaun was much better this week. I liked his and Alexis dance #Strictly".
Shaun, who maintains an active social media presence alongside his professional partner Alexis, has won over many audience members, with one sharing: "Feeling extremely maternal over Shaun right now please guys I can't stand to see him leave first." Another declared: "Shaun I love him, he must stay."
Following his performance, Shaun took to Instagram to tell fans he was ready to dive in to the next dance, sharing: "The nerves were VERY real last night but honestly...I had the absolute best time! I hope @alexis_warr and I made you proud! The love has been incredible and I appreciate every single bit of it."
He added: "Time to recharge the batteries today and eat a few well earned doughnuts!" The pairing had taken to the floor with a Salsa to You Should Be Dancing from Saturday Night Fever for their Movie Week performance.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 6.15pm.
