Strictly Come Dancing reached the halfway stage of the competition on Saturday, November 7, but Week 7 performances were only part of the talking point as BBC viewers noticed something strange.
Closing the evening in style, Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin danced their way to the top of the leaderboard with an American Smooth to Harry Connick Jr's "It Had to Be You." Their 36-point total came from marks of 8, 10, 9 and 9, with Motsi Mabuse awarding them their first 10 of the series and Shirley Ballas rising to give them a standing ovation.
Top Scores and Bottom of the Leaderboard
Tabby Stoecker proved equally remarkable as she and Strictly dance partner Mark Karmalita delivered a sharp Paso Doble to Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole," following closely behind with 33 points.
Meanwhile, YouTuber John Nellis and Katya Jones and Love Island star Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby occupied joint bottom spot with 26 points each.
Despite escaping the bottom two on the leaderboard, Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu left during Sunday night's results show following a dance-off with Cach and Maddie. The judges split equally, leaving Head Judge Shirley Ballas to cast the deciding vote, with the star choosing to save Cach.
Fans Question the Judges' Scoring
Sharing thoughts on Instagram after Saturday's show, one Strictly enthusiast confessed he couldn't shake the feeling that "something's off" with the programme at present.
Speaking to his 2,800 Instagram followers, Jordan Cant remarked in a reel: "What was up with that of Strictly? Because I've come away feeling a little bit deflated. Like, there would be a great dance, and I'd be like 'Yeah, that was so fun', and then Craig (Revel Horwood) pulls up a 4, and I'm like, 'Huh?''"
Jordan identified multiple instances during the programme that left him perplexed, including dog trainer Graeme Hall "not getting much love" for his Couple's Choice dance, even though he danced it really well.
Themed Weeks and Fan Reactions
He continued: "I have a theory that there's too many themed weeks going on, which has made every other week feel like it's falling a little flat."
Jordan noted that genuinely refined performances generally don't materialise until Blackpool week, rendering the harsh marking even more bewildering to him. "I was really enjoying all the dancing and then it just felt like the tone would be brought down every time they got judged," he stated.
The message attracted hundreds of likes, with countless fellow Strictly devotees expressing their concurrence in the comments area. One individual commented: "Loved the show, but the scores are all over the place."
Meanwhile, another concurred: "I don't think it was necessarily the best night of dancing but Craig giving out such low scores really killed the mood! Also it makes zero sense how the same dance can get a 4 and a 9?!"
A third weighed in: "It was so off." While a fourth remarked: "The week after a themed week there always seems to be a slump in scores like this, definitely too many themed weeks this year."
This week also saw Jaime Winstone and partner Carlos Gu absent after she sustained a torn abdominal muscle during rehearsals. The duo have been awarded a bye into the subsequent week, in accordance with Strictly rules.
