Chris McCausland has clapped back at Craig Revel Horwood after the Strictly Come Dancing judge described his semi-final performance as “slightly under-energised.”
Together with his dance partner Dianne Buswell, the comedian wowed audiences and made it into the final with two stunning performances last week. However, Craig couldn’t resist offering a critique, pointing out that Chris appeared “slightly under-energised”.
In response, Chris hit back in his column for The Telegraph. He wrote: “The semi-final was emotional, but I’d made the decision to have a laugh with Craig when it came to him judging our Charleston. He criticised me for being ‘slightly under-energised’.”
“I thought, if I’d given more energy, I would’ve been carted off in an ambulance! To be fair, I really do understand what Craig’s role is on the show. He often makes a lot of sense and just has standards that are probably a bit higher than everyone else’s.”
Chris also opened up about feeling like an “emotional wreck”, while extending gratitude to his partner and acknowledging how “overwhelmed” he has been by the entire journey.
Craig, known for his harsh critiques and scoring, is part of the judging panel alongside Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke. Despite his reputation, Erin Boag from Strictly has hinted that over time, Craig’s approach might have mellowed somewhat.
In November, talking to Slingo, Erin expressed slight dismay that Craig “seems to have gone soft on them” though she acknowledged he is still the most stringent judge. She reminisced over missing his usual “little digs” and noted that while he’s not free with his 10s, she felt he had mellowed.
During the semi-final Craig did observe a “little hesitation” in the Chris’ performance. He said: “It wasn’t messy it was slightly under-energised you have to be outrageous, there was a little hesitation.”
He even critiqued a particular heel click but also admitted he was “really picky” considering it was the semi-finals stage.
Judge Motsi also chimed in with compliments about their “great personality and rhythm, loved the funny gags”.
Shirley agreed, describing Chris’s effort as “perfectly synchronised,” and Anton added his view, finding it not quite perfect but “pretty close”.