Strictly Come Dancing viewers call out judges for ‘unfair’ scoring

‘What has Pete got on BBC producers?’ one viewer quipped on social media

Strictly Come Dancing viewers have called out the show’s judges for “unfair” scoring as they feel one contestant is receiving “softer” treatment than others.

As the semi-final takes place, with only one week until one contestant is awarded the Glitterball Trophy, the competition has been tougher than ever with celebrities scoring highly.

Tasha Ghouri was awarded a perfect score for her second performance of the night, a Waltz to “(You Make Me Feel) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin. JB Gill received the same for his Salsa to “Red Alert” by Basement Jaxx, which marks the first time a Salsa performance has received a perfect score in six years on the show.

But as Ghouri, Gill, Sarah Hadland, and Chris McCausland received technical critiques for their first performances of the night, fans claimed the panel takes a different approach with Towie’s Wicks and his partner Jowita Przystal.

Head judge Shirley Ballas gave the TV personality gushing praise as she said Wicks embodied the show, while usually critical Horwood told the star “I love you”. However, despite their compliments, the pair still received the lowest marks of the episode.

“Craig is never as picky with Pete, who can see what he’s doing, as he is with Chris,” said one person of his critique of the comedian’s performance.

“Tasha, Sarah, JB are definitely technically the best dancers,” wrote another. “The judges/producers definitely want a Chris/Pete dance-off and they will ensure they get it.”

Another added, “They want JB and Pete in the final clearly. Putting Tasha and Sarah in the dance-off”.

Wicks has received backlash for making it so far in the competition (BBC/Strictly Come Dancing)

“The way the judges judge Chris and Sarah compared to Pete is wild,” commented another on X/Twitter. “What has Pete got on BBC producers?!”

It comes as Wicks has received mounting backlash for making it so far in the competition, despite being at the bottom of the leaderboard on multiple occasions. The Towie star said he has received death threats for people unhappy with his progress.

Wicks reached out to fans on social media for their support ahead of the semi-final. In a post on his Instagram, Wicks and Przystal are seen looking forlorn along with the caption: “Today is semi-finals day. It’s been 12 weeks of hard work, ups and downs...can we do the unthinkable? We would love your support tonight.”