Strictly Come Dancing viewers have hit out at the show over a “harsh” new twist in Sunday (1 November) night’s results show.
After a Halloween special filled with spooky costumes and routines, the dance competition culminated on Sunday in the show’s first ever three-way dance-off.
The three least popular pairings, who were up for elimination, were made to dance again. After this, the judges voted for the couple they wanted to send packing, rather than save.
Actors Bethany Antonia, Jaime Winstone and Lawrence Robb all found themselves in the bottom three, with Emmerdale star Robb being sent home as all four judges noted how he’d made mistakes, while Antonia and Winstone had improved on Saturday (31 October) night’s live show.
Watching at home, fans shared their frustrations with this “nonsensical” twist as they argued that it felt particularly “brutal” on Robb and his pro dancer Jowita Przystał, who had not been in the bottom two before.
“What was the point of this change?” one commenter asked. “Didn’t make any sense at all and harsh to be choosing to send someone home instead of saving.”
“I seriously didn’t see the point of three-way dance-off,” another wrote, while another comment read: “What was the point of having three couples in dance-off? Just to make the show longer? I thought two couples were going home… this makes no sense.”
“Three-person dance-off is the most pointless thing I’ve seen,” one poster wrote.
Other viewers pointed out that the twist mirrored the ways The X Factor used to eliminate contestants, while Strictly had always the more positive version of a reality TV competition.
“Very X Factor coded for me, not a good fit for Strictly at all which [has] historically been much less serious and goofy,” commented one fan.
Another echoed: “I know send home is how they always did X Factor but it always felt just a little bit extra for no reason. If they’re going home anyway why not make it even a tiny bit kinder?”
“I enjoy a switch up but it was brutal,” another said.
The Independent has contacted the BBC for comment.
Robb, who was considered a “ringer” and frontrunner before the series started, had been on the receiving end of criticism from the judges in recent weeks, but had earned their praise on Saturday.
However, some viewers argued that the song choice and theme – a tango to the Ghostbusters theme – worked against him, while others pointed out that the height difference between him and Przystał was impacting his frame.
The bottom three marked Winstone and her partner Carlos Gu’s third time in the dance-off, while Antonia and Nancy Xu have now been in the dance-off twice.
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 7 November at 6.30pm on BBC One.