Strictly Come Dancing's professional dancers are now feeling the heat, as the judges' harsh scoring and critiques in Week Three sparked backlash from viewers and fans alike.
Judges' Criticism Sparks Backlash
During last night's show, the judges caused the upset, not the presenters. Shirley Ballas was met with boos by the studio audience after her feedback for Emmerdale's Lawrence Robb's Rumba left a sour taste for fans at home. The Queen of Latin said it wasn't her "cup of tea," adding that she'd have loved to have seen him "dance more". Even regular critic, Craig Revel Horwood disagreed and branded his fellow judge a "fun sponge".
Anton Du Beke also caused a stir with his comments when he corrected Paralympic champion Dame Sarah Storey and her professional dance partner Julian Callion. He urged the amateur dancer to stop counting and "just do it in your head". Viewers branded his comments "way below the belt," and I somewhat agree. It was all a bit awkward when the pro dancer hit back confirming the athlete has "never danced before".
Early Days, High Expectations
While we can all agree that the judges' scores can be all over the place, the criticism seemed unusually harsh considering we're only three weeks into the competition. It's still early days and I'm not exactly sure if the Strictly judges are expecting world-class performers at an amateur level.
Week Three saw 14 celebrity pairings take to the dancefloor showcasing various styles and performances. It was quite a mixed bag from Love Island winner Cach Mercer delivering his Couples Choice with some fancy footwork to dark horse Tabby Stoecker's steamy Argentine Tango gave Australian singer Delta Goodrem's Salsa a run for her money.
Pressure on Professionals Intensifies
With five new dancers—Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita who have been paired with celebrities—joining the Strictly line-up, the pressure on the professionals to maintain their spots will only increase, especially after fan favorites like Gorka Marquez, Karen Hauer and Nadiya Bychkova exited Strictly.
Julian and Sarah floundered near the bottom of the leaderboard with a score of 20 out of 40 for their Paso Doble; Delta Goodrem stole the show with an impressive salsa that scored 33 points. Tabby Stoecker closed the show with a sizzling Argentine Tango and even got a standing ovation from Motsi Mabuse. Overall, it seemed the Strictly that viewers adore has finally returned but it looks as though the current professionals have their work cut out to stay in the judges' good books.
