Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Vincent Simone has suggested that the song choice for Jaime Winstone's Foxtrot and her position in the middle of the leaderboard may explain why she has faced the dance-off twice.
The actress, daughter of actor Ray Winstone, was saved by three judges after landing in the bottom two against Shaun Wright-Phillips last weekend. She returned to the dance floor with her professional partner, Carlos Gu, for the Halloween special, performing a Salsa in hopes of securing her place for another week.
Song choice and performance critique
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk on behalf of Paddy Power Games, Simone said the song used for the Foxtrot, Olivia Dean's Man I Need, may not have helped their cause.
"I don't know, really. The way she did those spins was unbelievable," he said. "I was watching the show with some other fellow dancers, and we all went, 'Oh wow, look at her spins.' I don’t know. Do we blame the dance, the music? It wasn’t the best, because she did the Foxtrot, and the Foxtrot is a smooth, slightly romantic, slick dance."
"I think sometimes the songs don’t really help the dance. I can’t remember the name of the song, but if you play the song, you’ll never think, 'Oh my gosh, I’m going to dance a beautiful Foxtrot to this song'," he added.
Leaderboard position and public perception
Simone also suggested that Jaime's spot in the middle of the leaderboard could have led viewers to assume she was safe from elimination.
"I guess that's what has happened in the past. People think, 'Oh, they’re in the middle, they’re fine'," he continued. "I think people must have thought they were safe, unless they didn’t particularly like that dance in general, because it didn’t really give you much emotion."
He described the performance as "too happy" and "a bit too bouncy", adding: "It wasn't a beautiful, smooth Foxtrot."
This follows comments from former Strictly professional Ian Waite, who said he does not believe contestants with famous family connections have an advantage in the competition. "I personally don't think so at all. I don't think anybody cares, really. Well, certainly I don't. I mean, I just look at them the same as anybody else, you know," he shared.
