Strictly Come Dancing fans were rallying behind Chris McCausland after what they considered an ‘unfair’ move from the judges during the semi-final. The comedian, who is paired with professional dancer Dianne Buswell, was among the five couples who made it to the penultimate week of the BBC One dance contest on Saturday night (December 7).
They began their quest to reach next weekend’s Strictly final by performing a Charleston to When You’re Smiling by The Blue Vipers Of Brooklyn, earning 33 points from the judges. Their second performance, a Viennese waltz to Nothing Else Matters by Metallica, garnered 36 points and left both Chris and Dianne in tears at its end.
An emotional Dianne explained why she believed Chris deserved a place in the upcoming final of Strictly’s 20th-anniversary series, stating: “I have taught Chris this whole time without a single visual cue.”
She added: “He’s never been able to watch a dance back to see if he’s done a great job or to look at anything and go, ‘Maybe I can improve on that!’
“He’s never been able to see any of his competitors, see what the competition is like, he’s had none of that yet he’s seen this competition so well because he’s captured the spirit of this show.”
Strictly viewers voiced their concerns for contestant Chris after comparing his scores with those of Pete Wicks and his pro partner Jowita Przystal following their first performances.
Strictly Come Dancing enthusiasts were left scratching their heads after Shirley Ballas dubbed Pete ‘Mr Strictly’, though Chris has a similar dance background, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The social media buzz was palpable, with one viewer tweeting: “Chris only having 1 more point than pete is offensive #strictly.” (sic)
Another added their two cents, writing: “Please can we make sure Chris is Mr Strictly. Thanks. #Strictly.” (sic)
Disbelief was apparent in another tweet, which read: “Pete getting the same score as Chris is actually absurd… #Strictly.” (sic)
A separate fan vented: “Sorry but the scoring and judging is wild this week, Chris is miles ahead of Pete as a dancer but they’re scoring is the same… A nonsense #Strictly.” (sic)
Concern rang out from a different quarter, with a tweet reading: “Worried for Chris this week… everyone please VOTE! ! ! #strictly.” (sic)
Amidst the critiques, one user found room for praise, penning: “If there’s anyone that’s ‘Mr Strictly’ it’s Chris. What he has achieved is nothing short of outstanding. It’s so emotional watching him every week. It’s beautiful #strictly.” (sic)
And finally, a viewer called out the judges, asking: “How can Craig criticise Pete as much as that and then give him the same score he gave Chris? And a NINE from Shirley? Make it make sense #Strictly.” (sic)
Strictly Come Dancing: The Results airs tonight at 7.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.