Reality TV star Pete Wicks should not have been kicked off Strictly. It should have been head judge Shirley Ballas who walked. Now it is the weakest link in the dance show.
Us devoted Strictly superfans knew that when Pete finished at this weekend’s dance, the judges would kick him out no matter how well he performed and even though he had millions of followers.
Once again, Shirley and her fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke decided to save his favorite, Tasha Ghouri from Love Island. Although she took ballet lessons as a child and graduated with first class honors in Dance from the Creative Academy in Berkshire.
According to his CV, he has competed in major dance events in the past, specializing in “commercial”, a broader dance style popularly seen in music videos or on stage at music tours.
The point is, Pete had never danced a step in his life before Strictly and is the embodiment of the show’s original promise of teaching beginners the magic of the ballroom.
Still, the judges seemed determined to reject him, even though Shirley told Pete, “You remind us what this competition is all about, so you give it your all and you don’t give up.” You are absolutely Mr Strictly Come Dancing.’
Shirley Ballas and her fellow judges opted to save their favourite, Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, instead of dance newbie Pete Wicks and his dance partner Jowita Pryztal.
‘Shirley seems to have forgotten that it is we, the viewers and fans, and not her, who must decide the fate of the dancers’
Why then did you vote to get rid of him in favor of a woman who was already a professional dancer?
Shirley represents something really rotten at the heart of today’s Strictly, a prejudice against the amateurs who once made it great, including first winner Natasha Kaplisky, who was a complete newbie.
I blame all the judges but especially Shirley who has come to believe she He is the star of the show.
She seems to have forgotten that it is we, the spectators and fans, and not her, who must decide the fate of the dancers.
On Sunday, the Mail’s showbiz supremo Katie Hind revealed that Strictly judges were “furious” that millions of viewers were ousting the most talented celebrity dancers, while the least capable were staying, thanks to votes of the public.
Their concerns became clear after Pete Wicks and the show’s first blind contestant, comedian Chris McCausland, 47, reached the semi-finals. They feared that Strictly would no longer be a dance show but a “popularity contest”.
And what’s wrong with that? Surely ought be a popularity contest, especially since the production company and the BBC make a small fortune from the program, since viewers have to pay to vote.
What out-of-touch snobs these judges have become, mocking dance newbies Pete and Chris.
Pete Wicks and Jowita dance their last dance on Strictly, an Argentine tango to The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony.
“The judges’ concerns were made clear after Pete Wicks and the show’s first blind contestant, comedian Chris McCausland, pictured, reached the semi-finals.”
A source tried to explain it from the judges’ point of view: ‘They are dancers and choreographers. His entire career (and life) has been about being the best and greatest dancer.
“So to see the show focus on who likes who more, rather than the quality of their dancing… you could say it’s pretty depressing.”
It’s not half as depressing as watching bitter judges favor experienced dancers and reward them with perfect 10 paddleboards while scornfully criticizing newbies.
BBC insiders say “those at the top” of the show are so concerned about the quality of the dancing this time around that it “has caused a bit of a crisis”. They believe that we are now facing a final “where the dancing is not up to the standard, but rather has celebrities that people really want to see.”
But that’s surely the goal of the show: viewers vote for the dancers who want.
Perhaps Shirley is secretly afraid that BBC bosses will strictly expel her. Perhaps that is why she has resorted to wearing increasingly extravagant outfits, dressing like the singer Cher, for example. And what’s with all the sexual innuendos? After Pete Wicks performed in crotch-hugging pants and she started fanning herself, she said, “I don’t think I’ll forget this night as long as I live, darling.”
She’s around 60, for God’s sake, while Pete is 36. And it’s not the best way to boost a show that has lost millions of viewers.
After the psychodrama of actress Amanda Abbington’s accusations against Giovanni Pernice, our favorite show needs a period of calm, to get back to basics and its fundamental promise of turning ugly dancing newbie ducklings into graceful swans.
By ousting Pete Wicks, Strictly judges misread the living rooms of their more than six million viewers. That’s down from 10.2 million in 2020 and 13.1 million in 2017, when Shirley Ballas took over. He currently earns a staggering £500,00 per series, compared to his predecessor Len Goodman’s £120,000.
Surely BBC bosses must have done the math. If there was any justice, it wouldn’t have been Pete who was strictly ousted this year, but the woman who has presided over the fastest decline in what was once the jewel of BBC Saturday night viewing.