‘Does his grandad work for the BBC?’ rant Strictly fans as they slam ‘constantly overscored’ star

Date: 2024-10-29

STRICTLY Come Dancing fans have accused the judges of ‘overmarking’ one contestant and speculated whether his grandfather works for the BBC.

The EastEnders actor, paired with pro dancer Michelle Tsiakkas, was criticised on Reddit for not deserving the scores he received after his Saturday night performance.

a man in a striped shirt stands next to a woman in a black dress
BBC
Strictly Come Dancing fans accused the judges of ‘overmarking’ Jamie Borthwick[/caption]
a man wearing a pink jacket and pink pants smiles for the camera
PA
Fans speculated if the contestant’s grandfather worked for the BBC[/caption]

One Reddit user wrote: “Is it just me or is Jamie Borthwick constantly being overscored?

“I know it’s just the judges scores that doesn’t contribute as much but it’s definitely become a pattern.

“As a ballroom/ Latin dancer, his technique is nowhere near what they make it out to be – Michelle is just a really clever choreographer.

“He seems like a lovely guy and I’m glad he’s gained so much confidence but his dancing is not on par with Tasha/ Sarah/ Montell/ Wynne etc.”

Whilst another added: “I think generally speaking the judges have been overmarking across the board and I don’t think this is because the dances are remarkable.

“Personally I think it’s happening because the show itself wants to present itself as being better and more positive than the last series because of all the negative press it’s had recently but maybe that’s just me with my tin foil hat on.

“I like Jamie and Michelle, and it’s been great seeing their rapport build over these last few weeks but Jamie has definitely been overmarked quite regularly.”

Some fans came to Jamie’s defence with one penning: “Jamie’s technique is good and his performance level/acting is even better. He made no actual mistakes last night or last week. Yet some want him penalised for this as he’s just not their favourite.

Michelle’s fantastic choreography wouldn’t work or be noticed as much if Jamie wasn’t also a good learner/dancer. It’s sad that no one will give the man credit where it’s due just because they deem him ‘undeserving’ due to ‘over praise’ from the judges.”

Fans also took to Reddit to express their frustration over the unusually high scores across all contestants, not just Jamie.

Saturday’s live show saw the programme’s highest-ever scores in a Halloween episode in the series’ 20-year history.

Strictly fans have claimed the 10-paddle was over-used during the spooky show and are calling for a huge change.

One user wrote: “There’s been so many 10’s this series it’s starting to lose meaning! All the judges except Craig are forgetting what a 10 means: there is no room for improvement, everything was perfect.

“But they’re giving them out for less than perfect performances! When a genuinely outstanding dance comes along, it can’t be appreciated as much.

“So the solution…? We now need a higher score than 10! Give them a glittery golden 10, or an 11, or even a 100!”

Another added: “Instead of an 11 or golden 10, I’d put restrictions on the scoring, nothing above a 6 until week 5/6 then from there it can go up and no 10s until Blackpool.

“Make Blackpool even more of an event.”

a couple of people are dancing on a colorful stage
PA
The EastEnders actor, paired with Michelle Tsiakkas[/caption]
a man and a woman are dancing in front of a sign that says ticket
PA
Viewers felt he didn’t deserve the scores he got after Saturday’s performance[/caption]
a man and a woman are dancing on a dance floor
PA
They pointed out that judges forgot what a perfect score truly meant[/caption]

This week's Strictly leaderboard in full

Marks from judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke

  • Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas: (9+10+10+9) = 38
  • Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola (9+10+9+10) = 38
  • Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Å korjanec (9+9+9+10) = 37
  • Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe (9+9+9+8) = 35
  • JB Gill and Amy Dowden (7+9+8+8) = 32
  • Pete Wicks and Jowita PrzystaÅ‚ (7+8+8+8) = 31
  • Wynne Evans and Katya Jones (7+8+8+8) = 31
  • Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu (8+8+7+8) = 31
  • Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin (7+8+8+8) = 31
  • Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell (5+7+7+7) = 26
  • Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez (6+7+7+7) = 26

Leave Your Comments