Cricket legend Darren Gough, who triumphed in the third series of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2005, has been sharing some backstage insights as the BBC show gears up for its 20th anniversary Halloween special this weekend.
Gough has suggested that the judges form their opinions before the live performances, basing their scores on what they see during final rehearsals. “I believe that’s where the judges get a lot of their info from [final rehearsals] because they have to prepare as well. They have to have some idea of what they’re going to do,” he revealed to OLBG.
Despite comedian Chris McCausland currently leading the odds to win the 2024 series, Gough reckons if McCausland ends up in the dance off which he has so far avoided he might be eliminated, and instead tips EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick as the potential winner, with Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri also in close contention.
“If he gets in there (dance off), I think he goes,” Gough said about McCausland, who received praise from judge Craig Revel Horwood earlier this month: “You can dance.”
Gough, who is keen to see sports stars like Kevin Pieterson, Gareth Bale, and Andy Murray take to the dance floor in future series, commented that the judging process is “very difficult now” due to the variety of dance styles performed each week, reports Birmingham Live.
He said: “Back when I did it, we all did the same dance that week, so you could judge everyone. I find it very difficult now, how do you actually judge someone when you’ve got someone doing a Waltz, someone doing a Quickstep and someone doing a Jive? Naturally, some of the dancers are full of energy and some aren’t, and the public is like, ‘This is a boring dance’.
“They’ve just seen a Quickstep and then they watch a Rumba… you’re going to struggle to get points.”
Sharing his opinion on the revised voting system, where the judges now have more sway than the public in the event of a dance off, he believes the finale will showcase those with the best dancing skills rather than the audience’s favourites.
Highlighting recent events, both Shayne Ward and JB Gill, who are considered strong contenders, found themselves in jeopardy yet managed to be saved by the judges’ decision.
Emphasising the change from his own time on the show, Darren remarked: “I was never in the bottom two because the public mainly voted, but now, if you’re a good dancer, you’re literally guaranteed to get to that last four because the judges always have that final say, right? “.
Looking ahead, he predicts: “I think JB, as long as he’s not in the bottom two with one of the other three or four who are better than him, he’s going to keep getting through.”
“So, that’s the secret, stay out of the bottom two, but the public have got to enjoy you and at the minute, they’ve not really attracted themselves to JB or Shayne. I think Shayne is an absolutely fantastic dancer and he’s another one who could improve; but again, the public is not really buying into it yet, but that can change quickly.”
Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer