Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left unimpressed during the week three live show and rushed to social media with complaints. As the remaining 14 celebrity contestants took turns impressing the judges, fans were left "cringing" at an awkward moment between new hosts Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe.
While Johannes Radebe was assigned to the Claudiatorium, his co-hosts were tasked with introducing the stars. Just moments before Delta Goodrem took to the dancefloor with pro Kai Widdrington, Emma and Josh showed off their inept dance moves. The pair did a disjointed finger-pointing, which Josh seemingly ended prematurely, and then quickly continued after noticing Claudia was still going.
Fans share their fury online
Picking up on this, one viewer shared a clip of the moment on X and complained: "I’ve loved and lived and breathed Strictly Come Dancing since 2004. Why is this so bad? I can’t disagree with any of the haters. I don’t understand how they got this so wrong. Reserved judgement for three weeks, hoping and praying it’d get better – no."
Taking to the comments, another agreed: "Absolutely bloody awful. I mean, I like Emma normally, and I find Josh really funny. But this is just cringe. Plus, I miss the glamour. The Saturday night glitz that Tess and Claudia, and before her, Bruce, brought to the show. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned."
"Unfortunately, it's Josh for me. He doesn't fit. Jojo and Emma are perfect, and personally think they could do it justice alone," added a third. Another fan fumed: "Purely mismatched. Producers have a lot to answer for with this travesty."
Mixed reactions and mounting complaints
One remarked: "Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox at the Brit Awards did a better job and had more chemistry." Meanwhile, a sixth defended the hosts: "Oh come on, even Tess and Claudia used to goof around, and Tess was as wooden as an ironing board! Give them a chance to settle in, they’ve improved a bit already."
This comes after mounting complaints about the new hosting format, with many taking issue with Josh's addition to the trio following Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly's 2025 departure. As others complained and suggested that bosses should move the comedian upstairs to the Clauditorium, and Johannes return to his Strictly roots as a dancer, the bigwigs reportedly have no plans to implement any changes.
According to a source via the Mirror: "The fact that there were no changes made between week one and week two is very telling – you can read plenty into that. The producers and the presenters had fun playing around in the run-up, but now these roles are sticking. Emma and Josh are a double-act on the ballroom floor on Saturday nights, while Johannes does his own thing with the relieved dancers and their partners upstairs."
Another awkward moment during the live show
Despite this, this wasn't the only awkward moment of the Saturday live show, as fans also pointed out an uncomfortable moment after Lacey Turner performed her Samba routine with pro Vito Coppola. After the pair received judges' feedback, Emma remarked: "You're always so like, 'oh, I don't know'. But it's done now." But Josh interrupted and abruptly interjected: "Just so you know that's (the judges' feedback) really good, get upstairs, get away from them."
This prompted some audience members to applaud, assuming the conversation had ended, but Emma made it clear she hadn't finished and continued: "You came out here first and it's all out the way, and you can relax." Uncertain whether to depart for the Claudiatorium or stay for additional commentary, Vito enquired whether they were heading up to speak to Johannes, and both confirmed.
