Strictly Come Dancing viewers have criticised the judges for handing out "inconsistent scores" during Saturday's live show (November 7), as the contest reached its halfway point. Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe continue to host the show, alongside judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.
Throughout the broadcast, fans watching from home noted that Craig's marks for most dancers were considerably lower than those of his fellow judges, with Anton appearing to be the most generous when it came to awarding points.
Couple's Choice and low marks
Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley performed a Couple's Choice to "The Book of Love" by Peter Gabriel, earning a total of 28 points, including five from Craig, eight from Motsi, seven from Shirley, and eight from Anton.
YouTuber John Nellis and pro partner Katya Jones were handed four points by Craig, while Motsi and Shirley awarded them seven apiece, and Anton gave them eight, for a total of 26 points. Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby were also given four points by Craig, as Motsi and Anton awarded eight points each and Shirley gave six, leaving them joint last on the leaderboard for week seven with a score of 26.
Fans react on X
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin topped the leaderboard with 36 points after securing eight from Anton, 10 from Motsi, and nine each from Shirley and Anton.
Strictly fans took to X to criticise the scoring on Saturday night. One person highlighted: "A 4 and an 8! ? The judges' scoring is absolutely atrocious tonight," as a second said: "I'm sorry, but the scoring tonight makes NO SENSE. #strictly".
A third added: "There's no continuity with the judging scores. They're all over the place. #Strictly", as another questioned: "Why are the judges' scores so varied tonight? Going from a 6 to a 9 is crazy #Strictly."
"WHAT IS WITH THESE SCORES?!?! A 4 and an 8 for the same dance?? # Strictly," blasted one viewer as another echoed: "Every dance has had at least 3 different scores from the judges so far! #Strictly." "What the hell is going on with these scores tonight?! They're all over the place #Strictly", remarked one viewer as another said: "My eyes are bleeding with these scores #strictly."
Praise for Tabby and Mark
Nevertheless, some Strictly fans were delighted by the scores awarded to Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita after their Paso Doble to the Muse track "Supermassive Black Hole". They earned 33 points after Craig scored seven, Motsi nine, Shirley eight, and Anton nine, placing them second on the leaderboard.
One viewer posted: "#strictly great scores", while another added: "Some decent scores, at last! #Tabby #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing #SCD." "#Strictly This may be an unpopular opinion, but I agree with Craig's scores. He is consistent and doesn't get carried away. The other three are all over the place. Some favourites are being over mark," added a third.
Week 7 leaderboard
- Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin - 8 + 10 + 9 + 9 = 36
- Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita - 7 + 9 + 8 + 9 = 33
- Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington - 7 + 8 + 7 + 9 = 31
- Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola - 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 = 30
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu - 6 + 9 + 7 + 8 = 30
- Will Best and Dianne Buswell - 6 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 29
- Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley - 5 + 8 + 7 + 8 = 28
- John Nellis and Katya Jones - 4 + 7 + 7 + 8 = 26
- Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby - 4 + 8 + 6 + 8 = 26
- Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu - absent due to medical advice
The Strictly Come Dancing results show airs Sunday at 7:10pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
