Love Island winner Cach Mercer has spoken out after receiving tough criticism from the judges during his Strictly Come Dancing live debut. The 25-year-old danced a Quickstep to Bruno Mars' track 'I Just Might' with partner Maddie Ingoldsby on Saturday evening, but failed to impress the panel despite his dancing background.
Judges' criticism
Craig Horwood was blunt in his assessment, telling Cach: "Too much freestyle for me. You're a great freestyle dancer that is a fact, we know that. We don't need to see that here in a Quickstep. The whole point of this is that you're learning a new genre of dance so I'm finding it hard to judge that. I'm going to judge what Quickstep you actually did. The posture wasn't great, the frame wasn't great, so I'm sorry."
Shirley Ballas echoed Craig's views but acknowledged the reality star's potential. "I liked the beginning where you start solo and I wouldn't have minded a little bit at the end, but you've got potential to be a great ballroom dancer. This was more what we would see in a street dance, which is coming you're gonna get that. Are you gifted? Absolutely. Can you feel? Absolutely," she remarked.
Scores and response
Cach received scores of 3 from Craig, 6 from Motsi, 5 from Shirley and 6 from Anton Du Beke, totalling 20 points. He has now broken his silence about his first Strictly outing, addressing the judges' harsh critique.
Sharing a snap from the live show on Instagram, Cach wrote: "Absolutely amazing experience, thank you @maddieingoldsby for everything it's been amazing learning the quickstep with you." He added: "It was such an honour to be able to express myself on that dance floor. Thank you to all the judges for your feedback, I can't wait to do it all again next week!"
Maddie also posted her own message backing her partner. "Week one AND YOU CAME OUT AND DID THAT!!!! I cannot wait for the world to see you blossom you are so talented I'm so proud of you," she shared on her Instagram story.
Fans rally behind Cach
Home viewers rallied behind Cach following his performance, with many questioning whether the celebrity deserved criticism for the routine when it's actually crafted by professional choreographers. Fans have continued flooding him with encouragement, with one fan writing: "You were amazing and the judges were too harsh in my opinion. Can't wait to see what you do next week."
Another chimed in: "You were the best on that dance floor! So much personality, don't be disheartened." While a third supporter declared: "You did well. Take instructions and you will do amazingly." The new season of Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
