Strictly Come Dancing returned to BBC One with its first live show of the series, as contestants took to the dancefloor for their debuts. No one was eliminated in the opening round, but the judges' scores from week one will be carried over and combined with week two's scores, when the first contestant will be voted off.
The first week, which saw a drop in viewing figures, featured moments that left viewers frustrated as they struggled to understand the logic behind the judges' scores. Critics also took issue with the judges blaming elements like choreography on the amateurs, who are not responsible for creating the dances.
Week 1 leaderboard in full
Here is the full leaderboard after the controversial debut week, as the couples prepare to impress the judges again next weekend with a brand-new routine:
- John Nellis and Katya Jones - 31
- Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington - 29
- Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola - 27
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu - 26
- Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley - 24
- Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita - 22
- Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin - 22
- Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu - 21
- Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał - 20
- Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby - 20
- Will Best and Dianne Buswell - 18
- Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden - 16
- Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon - 15
- Shaun-Wright Phillips and Alexis Warr - 15
- Melanie Walters and Aljaž Škorjanec - 15
Fans react to the scores
Paralympic star Dame Sarah Storey, football pundit Shaun-Wright Phillips and actress Melanie Walters are all joint-last after their first week, with many fans disagreeing with the scores. Taking to X, one viewer said: "Shaun scoring the same as Dame Sarah?! DID WE WATCH THE SAME DANCE?!"
Fans at home were also shocked to see Love Island star Cach Mercer score so low, with his impressive Quickstep with partner Maddie Ingoldsby. One said: "F*** the judges. I thought Cach was fantastic. Choreography isn’t down to him. But he danced incredibly well." The judges had pointed out how Cach had too much freestyle and not enough Quickstep content.
Meanwhile, some viewers felt the judges had "double standards", with one later sharing: "So Motsi gushed over Cach doing street in his Quickstep but slated Jaime for not doing the ‘fundamentals’ in her Tango. Double standards as always with the judges having their favourites."
Running order concerns
After the final leaderboard was shared, one viewer exclaimed: "The scores this year have been the worst I've ever seen!! #strictly what's going on."
Will Best had been first to take to the floor with his Samba and found himself towards the bottom of the leaderboard, with some fans suggesting the running order has a huge impact on the stars' overall positions. One commented: "Sorry but Will Best has been done dirty with his scores after going first with his samba, after seeing some of these scores after him..." Another shared: "Truly Will Best increasingly undervoted as these scores come in."
Speaking about Tabby Stoecker's Jive after the Olympian finished sixth, a final fan added: "The scores are largely affected by your position in the running order, had this been on later in the programme, it would have scored much higher." Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday at 6.15pm.
