Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas faced backlash from BBC viewers during Saturday night's Halloween Week episode (October 31), with fans criticising her remarks and scoring as 'ridiculous.'
The show returned to screens with Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe fronting the Halloween special. Last week, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr became the fourth couple eliminated after losing to Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu in the dance-off. The remaining couples performed in front of judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke.
Viewers React to Shirley's Scores
Throughout the show, Shirley frustrated viewers with her comments to celebrities after their performances. She critiqued Delta Goodrem's Viennese Waltz and scored Tabby Stoecker's Quickstep a five.
One person fumed on X: "Is Shirley ok tonight? Giving Tabby a 5 for that dance. It was clearly way better than a 5. She needs to get out of her mood, ruining the vibe of the show." Another added: "Shirley being harsh on Delta and Tabby but giving John stupid amounts of praise?" A third said: "A FIVE?! Shirley, I am stealing that five panel from you. IT'S BEEN OUT TOO MUCH, AND IT'S UNFAIR EVERY TIME."
Someone else echoed the sentiment, saying: "There is no way Tabby's Quickstep was a 5." Another fan said the scoring was "truly ridiculous," while another added, "FIVE??? IS SHIRELY ALRIGHT??"
Defenders and Shirley's Response
Other viewers rushed to defend Shirley, with one person writing: "BAFFLED by the booing of Shirley at her comments for Tabby. I didn't think there was anything rude or mean."
Speaking to Tabby and her partner Mark Karmalita after their dance, Shirley said: "It wasn't your best for me, but I can see potential in this team." The crowd began booing, before Shirley responded: "Listen to your auntie Shirley, because you've got a chance to go far." She added: "So, if you've got more ballroom dances, you're gonna have to correct the postural element and some of the footwork. But, good job."
Halloween Week's Triple Dance-Off
In an unprecedented moment in Strictly history, the Halloween results show will feature a triple dance-off. Three couples will battle it out before the judges deliver their verdict, with each judge revealing which couple they'd like to see eliminated rather than voting to save.
The professional dancers will perform a Halloween group routine to Dracula by Tame Impala. The routine opens at a drive-in movie theatre, where Alexis Warr and Nikita Kuzmin are on a first date, taking a spine-chilling twist when it's unveiled that Nikita is a vampire. The routine includes a vocal appearance from Sir Ian McKellen, who has recorded a specially tailored extract from Bram Stoker's Dracula to be played at the close of the performance.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
