Strictly Come Dancing fans have criticised the judges' feedback and scores after Lacey Turner's partner, Vito Coppola, was accused of breaking dance rules. Viewers rushed to support the actress, arguing she should not be penalised for choreography decisions made by her professional partner.
Week Eight Leaderboard Drama
The controversy unfolded during week eight of the BBC One dance series on Saturday night (November 14), as the competition heated up ahead of next weekend's annual trip to Blackpool, where the show relocates to the famous Tower Ballroom for one week only.
Cach Mercer and his professional partner Maddie Ingoldsby topped the latest Strictly leaderboard, a week after narrowly avoiding elimination. The former Love Island winner and his dance partner competed against actress Bethany Antonia and her partner Nancy Xu in the dance-off last week and were saved by Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas, who had the deciding vote.
The pair secured the top spot after performing a Charleston to Blame It On The Boogie by The Jacksons, earning a near-perfect score of 39 out of 40. Shirley and Motsi Mabuse gave standing ovations, with Motsi declaring it "the dance of the season".
Partner Change and Controversial Judging
Second place on the leaderboard went to Delta Goodrem, who was forced to undergo a partner change within 24 hours of the live show after Kai Widdrington fell ill. During the live show, she revealed her partner had been taken to hospital. The Australian singer, 42, performed the Argentine tango with Aljaz Skorjanec, impressing the judges and landing a score of 35.
The night was also marked by controversy when Craig Revel Horwood said Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin's routine was "littered with illegal lifts". He also took aim at Vito, declaring that their Foxtrot to Have You Met Miss Jones? by Robbie Williams "wasn't a Foxtrot".
He said: "It wasn't a Foxtrot, so I don't know how we're meant to judge it. There was literally 10 bars of Foxtrot and Foxtrot is not an open dance. I mean, you could have saved this for an American Smooth." Vito then politely interrupted Craig as he defended their routine, replying: "70% should be Foxtrot, so 30% is open, so literally I didn't break the rules."
Fans Rally Behind Lacey
Vito added: "I respect your opinion, so so much, I do. But I take full responsibility because I created the choreography, so the responsibility is ours as a pro, and so you (Lacey) don't have anything to worry about, because you've been amazing, you're beautiful and I'm so, so proud of you."
Strictly fans were quick to speak out, praising Vito for sticking up for his celebrity partner and criticising the judges' comments about Lacey's performance. @scddevereaux said: "I HATE THIS “it wasn’t a foxtrot so we can’t judge it” THATS NOT ON LACEY THOUGH IS IT! Don’t penalise Lacey for choreography #strictly." @Gruaig_Rua echoed: "@bbcstrictly #strictly #SCD Don't penalise Lacey for Vito's choreo!"
@michellesdowden noted: "I HATE when the judges have a go at the celebs when it isn’t their responsibility #strictly." @cosmictradegy shared: "Lacey dramatically under marked im actually so irritated #StrictlyComeDancing." @Karenation_St fumed: "Like f**k that wasn't a Foxtrot. Lacey always dances so damned well and they just find reasons to low score her. Give 'em hell Vito!! #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing." @StrictlyScore added: "That felt like such a shame for Lacey. She did everything she could with what she was given and looked right at home for maybe the first time and that’s all been lost. #Strictly."
