Strictly star declares show judges should be sacked over high score fury

Shirley Ballas
-Credit: (Image: BBC/Guy Levy)


Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan has called for the BBC bosses to let go of the show's judging panel, which currently consists of Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas. Slamming the amount of high scores being given out this series, James has declared that being scored a ten by the judges no longer has the 'same worth' as it did in the show's early series.

Often giving his commentary on the show via X, James took to the platform this weekend to share his opinions, hailing Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell - who danced an American Smooth to Paul Anka's 'Jump' - as his favourite couple. "Wow!!!! I love Chris and Dianne and would actually like them to win BUT 10’s don’t have the same worth as they did back in my day. Time to shake up the show maybe and replace some of the judges," wrote James.

James and Ola Jordan in 2013
James Jordan (pictured in 2013 with his wife Ola) is a former professional on the show -Credit:WireImage

With only eight couples left competing for the coveted Glitterball Trophy, Chris and Dianne scored a high 37 out of 40. Craig gave an 8, Motsi a 9, while Shirley and Anton each awarded perfect 10s.

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Alongside Chris, Tasha Ghouri and Sarah Hadland also scooped up at least one score of ten from the judges, leading to James suggesting: "Just give everyone 10’s - get rid of the judges and just let the public decide 100%".

A fan replied to James defending the show as they pointed out that the public do decide via voting for their favourite stars, but James argued back that the leaderboard makes a difference when it comes to decisions. "That just shows how much you know about the show. The leaderboard being correct makes a massive difference".

Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
James hailed Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell as one of his favourite acts -Credit:BBC/Guy Levy

This weekend marked the show swapping London for the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, a milestone half-way moment in the competition. Following a night filled with impressive dances, as well as a performance from the Pet Shop Boys, it was Sarah and Vito Coppola who secured the joint-highest score after they scooped 39 with their couple’s choice dance. Alongside them at the top of the leaderboard were Tasha and Aljaž Škorjanec who also scored 39 points.

While this series still has plenty of action to come, the BBC are preparing for it's Christmas version of the show - which is a much more compact, spin-off competition. Three celebrities have already been confirmed for the competition; Vogue Williams, RuPaul's Drag Race star Tayce and Josh Widdecombe.