Strictly Come Dancing’s pro dancer Brendan Cole has pinpointed an error the show is making with contestant Montell Douglas.
Montell faced one of Strictly Come Dancing’s dreaded ‘curses’ last weekend when she performed first, with fans worrying that that could spell a potential early departure. Despite these concerns, Montell and her dancing partner Johannes Radebe were voted through to the forthcoming week, where they will perform a Viennese Waltz.
Brendan has now voiced his concerns, suggesting that Montell is at a disadvantage due to the programme’s decision-making, reports Birmingham Live.
Speaking to Sky Vegas, he said: “There’s one major flaw that the show is making with Montell. In Ballroom and Latin dances, especially in these Ballroom dances where they’re very elegant feet are massively important.
“The way somebody closes their feet, the way somebody goes through their feet walking from foot to the next foot, the way the heel goes down, the way the toe comes up, the way you rise up onto your toes, the way you lower down these things matter.”
Highlighting the issue further, he argued: “Flaws can be highlighted by something as simple as a shoe, then it can be a big problem. A dark brown shoe stands out on the foot it doesn’t blend into the foot.
“All I saw were her feet, because she looks like she’s got the wrong colour shoe on, it’s too dark for her skin complexion for me.”
Montell has spoken out about her fitness experience and the impact it has on her participation in the show, explaining to Digital Spy: “Flexibility and mobility is where I’m going to need a lot of work, as for so long I drilled the opposite, needing to be stiffer for power.
“My work ethic is stupidly high. I usually train for X amount of hours, and it’s short, power stuff, but this is brain power for a long, sustained time, and it’s also muscular endurance in an aerobic capacity, which aren’t my fortes.”
Johannes, Montell’s partner on the show, chimed in to add: “I’ve been sent different kinds of people every single year, and this won’t be my first rodeo working with a sports person, but what Montell already has is a plus to me, and that is presence. You have to teach some people how to be present.”
Strictly Come Dancing airs weekends on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.