Strictly Come Dancing viewers expressed discomfort during Saturday night's Halloween special, with some claiming the show has been "ruined" by pre-scripted presenter antics.
On October 31, celebrities and their professional partners wore spooky outfits to impress the judges. Throughout the programme, hosts Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe entertained audiences with Halloween-themed jokes and playful moments between performances.
Host Antics Draw Criticism
At one point, Emma attempted to scare Josh, but he insisted he would not fall for it. Moments later, judge Motsi Mabuse caught the presenter off guard, sending him to the ground. "Motsi, smashed it," Emma exclaimed, joking it was now 2-0 to them.
Earlier, Emma delivered a Halloween-themed joke: "What do witches love most about hotels? The broomservice." Anton Du Beke responded: "Ha! Oh yeah. You're on it tonight."
Viewers React on Social Media
Not everyone appreciated the playful segments. One viewer wrote on X: "These bits with the hosts and judges are so cringe." A second agreed: "I'm going to sound a right miserable cow, but I hate these non-comedy skits! Please make it stop!"
Another commented: "Why are doing the silly thing with Josh, falling onto a matt..Trying to make it funny?? When it's not. Josh needs to go imo." A fourth added: "After the last few days of a dreadful end to #CelebrityTraitors compared to the brilliant 1st series...does anyone else think this year's #Strictly is heading the same way? It's all just pre-scripted #bbc bulls**t. They've ruined both these programmes."
Another viewer said: "It seems like Emma Willis is having her presenting skills dumbed down with these rubbish scripted jokes."
The show continues to air weekly, with further episodes expected to follow the same format.
