Strictly Come Dancing fans were left fuming after TV presenter Will Best's Quickstep earned 29 points, which they felt was "undermarked" and his "best dance yet."
The BBC One show returned for an emotional live show on Saturday night, with stars like Graeme Hall bringing the audience to tears with his heartfelt Couple's Choice. Viewers at home had plenty to say about the judges' inconsistent scoring throughout the night.
One moment fans could not look past was Will Best's performance, noting that he had been picked to go first twice in a row and that his partner Dianne Buswell's wardrobe malfunction could have "sabotaged" the whole performance. They were also quick to comment on how the judges "undermarked" his performance, as he ended up at the lower half of the leaderboard with 29 points.
Fans React to Will Best's Score
Fans took to X to share their thoughts, with one saying: "Another week of Will being undermarked. Another week of terrible song choice for his dance from producers. Another terrible costume for Dianne that bordered on sabotage. The producers hate Will and I have no idea why? #strictly"
Another fumed: "Will undermarked yet again. Also, that pearl dress was attempted sabotage by wardrobe." Another echoed: "The producers hate Will Best and are trying to take him out. I'm starting the conspiracy theory now."
Noticing his position in the running order, one fan shared: "Vote Will Best. Undermarked just because he went first again." Many shared their thoughts on the judges' scoring, with one saying: "First dance and the judges already p*** me off- that was Will’s best dance yet! Great music and a proper quickstep. Ridiculously underscored, a 6 is silly for that."
Judges' Feedback and Wardrobe Malfunction
Referring to the fact some of the judges scored other contestants a nine on the night, one fan said: "A Nine? Sorry but Will Best is getting tanked Anton's mental scoring." However, some viewers agreed Will needed some improvement, with one sharing: "Will has a really, really good frame, but very little musicality. But Dianne’s reaction tells me that could be the best he’s done that dance."
Another added regarding the judges' scoring in general: "Good show tonight. The judges were sensible and gave fair critique. Dani deserved that 10 from Motsi. Best dance of the night."
Strictly host Josh Widdicombe did address Dianne's wardrobe malfunction after Will's performance, but she was adamant she "didn't notice". He'd said: "You're a showman now. You didn't even mention the pearls fell from your dress, you were essentially dancing on ball bearings during that second half! You could have fallen over at any moment! Get off that dangerous floor and get your scores."
After they received their score, Johannes told them: "You left your pearls on the floor girl." Will immediately joked: "Should I go get them?" As for the feedback from the judges, while Craig Revel Horwood said he was "totally and utterly watchable", he did point out: "For me, it was a little bit bouncy on the top half and I felt like your torso was a little bit too active, and you were using your elbow a lot."
Judges See Improvement
Motsi Mabuse said she "loved the fact it felt light, you were on the road the whole time, no breaks, you were together with your partner". Shirley Ballas said he was "moving in the right direction" and he was definitely showing improvement. Will said he was really pleased with the comments and was heard saying "I'm happy with that" when his final score came in.
Strictly Come Dancing returns for the results show tonight on BBC One at 7.10pm.
