Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan has criticised Cach Mercer's couple's choice routine, saying the street dance has "no place" on the BBC show. Jordan, who was part of the programme for eight years before leaving in 2013, acknowledged the performance was good but argued it did not belong on Strictly.
Last weekend (October 10), Cach and his professional partner Maddie Ingoldsby performed a street dance routine that impressed the judges and earned them a score of 31. This placed them joint second on the leaderboard in week three.
Jordan's criticism of the routine
Speaking to Reach Plc via WhichBingo, Jordan commented: "Shock horror, a professional street dancer being good at street dance. What shocked me more was how good Maddie was in that dance, because it's totally out of her comfort zone."
He added: "I think she's a brilliant addition to the Strictly family as a professional dancer, showing her versatility. I thought she was bl**dy amazing, because she was out of her comfort zone - and that just shows you, right?"
Jordan continued: "She's not a street dancer. However, she's a brilliant dancer, so she was able to do his style. He is a dancer doing our style, so it is a massive advantage. For me, this dance has no place on Strictly."
Mixed reaction from viewers
Jordan also said: "And although people might be wowed with it, there are no real partnering skills apart from a couple of tricks. I just don't want to watch dances like that. I want to watch the ballroom and Latin. I don't want to watch street dance."
However, some viewers were full of admiration after witnessing Cach's performance. One person on X stated: "I think Cach and Maddie have just smashed the night." Another penned: "This is what you call a couple's choice dance. This was amazing and it's only week 3, love watching Cach and Maddie on the dance floor."
Another fan remarked: "CACH KILLED THAT....... WOW HE IS SO GOOD !!!!!!" While another viewer shared: "Forever stuck on Cach and Maddie. It's so refreshing to see a couple like this on strictly."
Maddie's emotional response
Once the duo had concluded their routine, Maddie was visibly moved while speaking to host Johannes Radebe. Reflecting on venturing beyond her comfort zone with the dance style that Cach is so familiar with, she said: "I'm going to cry!"
She added: "Obviously, it was really out of my comfort zone and also Cach's as well, so in this experience, we went through it together, and it was a nice way to put myself in his shoes as well because that's how he's felt for the past three weeks."
Maddie continued: "I couldn't have done it without him. I'm going to start tearing up, gosh. But, he really inspires me, and I think he's amazing-" She was unable to finish her sentence as she became overwhelmed with emotion, and Cach gave her a comforting hug before they received their scores.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday on BBC One from 6:15pm.
