Strictly Judges Clash Over Scoring, Craig Revel Horwood Calls Shirley Ballas a 'Fun Sponge'

Judges on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing experienced significant disagreements during Saturday night's third week of competition, with head judge Shirley Ballas facing criticism for her 'harsh' critiques and scoring. Craig Revel Horwood, known for his tough assessments, labeled Ballas a "fun sponge" due to her critical feedback.

Viewers observed that Ballas was issuing lower scores and receiving more boos from the live audience compared to her fellow judges. This was particularly evident during the performance by Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb and his partner Jowita Przystał. Ballas, who is referred to as the 'queen of Rumba,' described their Rumba as 'not my cup of tea,' citing it as 'flat-footed' and having 'too much standing around,' despite awarding an extra point for 'hitting one nice line.'

Anton Du Beke, another judge, disagreed with Ballas's assessment, stating he "liked that style of Rumba." Revel Horwood then commented on Robb's performance, calling him "talented" and praising his "great storytelling" before branding Ballas a "fun sponge." Motsi Mabuse lightened the mood by joking about the tension between Revel Horwood and Ballas, saying, "I feel like a child having to help my parents through a divorce."

Robb and Przystał received a total of 20 points, with Craig and Motsi scoring them five points each, Anton awarding six, and Shirley giving four.

Viewers took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express their opinions, with one user stating, "Lawrence is getting my vote tonight because you cannot blame bad choreography on the celebrity #Strictly." Another viewer commented, "Shirley could have been a bit gentler with Lawrence then, he's just danced a rumba for the first time in front of millions of people." A third user noted, "What is up with Shirley tonight?! She has turned into Craig!"

Shirley Ballas also faced scrutiny for her scoring of Olympian Tabby Stoecker and her partner Mark Karmalita, who performed an Argentine Tango. The performance received a standing ovation from the audience. Mabuse described the dance as giving her "goosebumps" and called the pair a "dark horse." Du Beke used Revel Horwood's phrase, "Love, love, love!" to describe it.

Despite the audience's positive reaction and Mabuse awarding "goosebumps," Ballas scored the pair a seven, while the other judges awarded eights. This decision led to further viewer complaints on X, with one user asking, "Shirley only giving Tabby a 7?????? WHATTTTTT?!". Another commented, "Tabby and Mark were incredible Imagine doing that in week 3. UNDERMARKED !!!" A different viewer suggested, "Shirley's critique was more a matter of personal taste and about the choreography rather than the actual dance…"

Stoecker and Karmalita's score of 31 placed them jointly second on the week three leaderboard with Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby. The leaderboard showed Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington at the top with 33 points for their Salsa, the highest score of the series so far. They received praise from Motsi Mabuse for bringing "the D.I.S.C.O" and from Craig Revel Horwood as "a-may-zing."

Other pairings on the leaderboard included Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin, and Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, who tied for joint fourth place with 27 points. Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, along with Will Best and Dianne Buswell, secured joint sixth place with 25 points. A three-way tie for seventh place included Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon; John Nellis and Katya Jones; and Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał, all with 20 points. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr finished last with 15 points.

The results show is scheduled to air Sunday at 7:10 p.m. on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, featuring a group dance where Strictly Professionals will compete in a Ballroom versus Latin showdown, led by Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas respectively. Craig Revel Horwood and Neil Jones will serve as referee and assistant.