Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas has responded to viewer complaints about her scoring, which some fans have described as 'harsh' and 'unfair' during this series. The backlash followed the Halloween special, which featured a first-ever three-way dance-off and resulted in the elimination of actor Lawrence Robb.
Backlash over Halloween scores
During the main show on Saturday, October 31, Shirley faced criticism for her remarks to contestants as she delivered her assessments. For Tabby Stoecker's Quickstep, she awarded a score of five.
Addressing Tabby and her partner Mark Karmalita after their dance, Shirley said: "It wasn't your best for me, but I can see potential in this team." The audience immediately began booing, according to Wales Online. Shirley then declared: "Listen to your auntie Shirley, because you've got a chance to go far."
Fans react on social media
Viewers at home were unimpressed by Shirley's judgement. One posted on social media: "Shirley being harsh on Delta and Tabby but giving John stupid amounts of praise?" Another wrote: "A FIVE? ! Shirley, I am stealing that five panel from you. IT'S BEEN OUT TOO MUCH, AND IT'S UNFAIR EVERY TIME."
Someone else commented: "There is no way Tabby's Quickstep was a 5." Another supporter described the judging as "truly ridiculous."
Shirley defends her judging
Shirley has now responded to the criticism during the new online spin-off series Strictly: Lights Up. Presenter Abi Clarke remarked: "Spooky vibes on the ballroom. People at home are a chatter that possibly your scoring is harsher this week than usual. Did anybody else notice that? I heard you said we should be harsher and more technical. Why a couple who may have got a 7 last week, getting a 5 this week."
Shirley answered: "The performance wasn't as good as last week. Everything is according to what I see at that particular time without fear or favour. I don't do fluff. We're not halfway through the competition, we're almost there. I expect to see some of the standards we set at the beginning. If I don't see them and other people use them, that's what I do. I just judge on what I see."
She continued: "5, 6, and 7 is a good score. 8 and 9, you're truly on your way. A 10 is perfect. For me a 5 is a good score, had it been a 2,3 or 4, we could have said it was a low score. 5 is not a low score in my book. The people are getting a 9 and you get a 5, do you want me to give you an 8 when you had a poor outline. You have to judge on what you see and be fair."
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
