Strictly Come Dancing viewers have accused judge Shirley Ballas of showing a clear dislike for Jaime Winstone after she chose to save Shaun Wright-Phillips in the week five dance-off, leaving fans stunned.
Week Five Performances and Scores
The BBC competition's fifth week kicked off on Saturday night, with celebrities and their professional partners aiming to impress the four judges. Jaime, 41, and her partner Carlos Gu, 33, opened the show with a Foxtrot to Man I Need by Olivia Dean, receiving three 6s and one 7 for a total score of 25.
Shaun Wright-Phillips and his partner Alexis Warr performed a Jive to Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande's Faith. Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley awarded them a 3, Motsi Mabuse gave a 5, and Anton Du Beke scored them a 6, leaving them at the bottom of the leaderboard with 17 points.
The Dance-Off and Shirley's Decision
Jaime and Carlos, along with Shaun and Alexis, ended up in the dance-off. After they performed again, Craig, Motsi, and Anton voted to save Jaime and Carlos, meaning Shaun and Alexis were eliminated. However, Shirley's vote to save Shaun left viewers gobsmacked.
Issuing her vote, Shirley said: "I enjoyed both performances but one couple really took their dance to a different level from Saturday night. The couple that I would like to save is Shaun and Alexis."
Viewer Backlash and Accusations
Some viewers have since accused Shirley of disliking Jaime, speculating this may explain her decision. One viewer said: "Shirley clearly dislikes Jamie for some reason. She seems to have a gripe with someone specific every year." Another agreed: "Not Shirley saving Shaun cos she's decided she hates Jaime for no reason."
A third added: "Shirley really doesn't like Jaime, does she?" A fourth remarked: "Can we vote to eliminate Shirley? She's being an absolute b***h this series, for whatever reason she doesn't like Lawrence, Lacey and Jaime."
Others argued that young female contestants are the target of Shirley's apparent bias. One claimed: "Shirley likes the boys always. She's been a bit nasty to Jaime and Lacey and very unfairly imo." Another fumed: "How the f**k did Shirley think that Shaun danced better then Jaime? Her blatant hatred for young females on SCD is glaringly clear at this point."
A third said: "Shirley's vote for Shaun was absolutely mindboggling. Jaime is a good dancer. She performed well. Her big problem was going first (too easily overlooked) and doing one of the less dramatic dances. Shirley picks on young, female contestants every single year. It's a pattern."
