Strictly Come Dancing viewers slam ‘cruel’ Samba-Thon as ‘discriminatory’ against Chris McCausland

Strictly Come Dancing viewers person slammed the show’s ‘unfair’ determination to revive 1 constituent of the show, putting a circumstantial contestant astatine a disadvantage.

In a diversion from the accustomed format, contiguous the remaining couples had to vie successful a Samba-Thon, which follows the archetypal chaotic Lindy-Hop-A-Thon successful 2018.

The creation situation offered the stars a accidental to flip the leaderboard connected its head, arsenic the apical scorers were awarded 7 points, portion the bottommost scorers received conscionable 1 point.

After taking to the ballroom level and dancing the samba similar their lives depended connected it, 1 by 1 pairs were asked to permission the level until lone 2 remained and a victor could beryllium declared.

The erratic quality of the situation has been wide criticised by viewers, who judge Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell were doomed from the start, fixed that each 7 couplings had to creation astatine once.

Taking to X, audiences accused the conception of being ‘not successful bully taste’, fixed that Chris is blind and has nary conception of spatial awareness.

Viewers argued the Samba-Thon was peculiarly unfair arsenic the celebrities were adjacent actively encouraged to ‘move around’ the level by justice Craig Revel Horwood beforehand.

‘I find it shocking they chose this twelvemonth to bring backmost the sambathon erstwhile Chris cannot spot immoderate of the different couples/be spatially alert of different couples. Like of people he’s gonna get voted disconnected first? Not successful bully sensation successful my opinion’, wrote X idiosyncratic thatsmypeachx.

‘Isn’t it a small unfair to bash a sambathon with Chris successful the competition? It indispensable interaction his dancing erstwhile there’s different dancers perchance entering his space’, added missp606.

She added that Chris’s pro spouse Dianne ‘looked truly stressed’ passim the challenge, arsenic she ‘kept him successful clasp alternatively than doing thing fancy’ to guarantee his safety.

Do you hold that the Samba-Thon was unfair connected Chris?Comment Now

SallyBriars wrote passionately: ‘I’m atrocious but the sambathon was precise discrimatory against Chris, helium had nary cognition of wherever the others were and helium wasn’t capable to bash fractional the moves the different couples were doing due to the fact that helium had to beryllium connected to Dianne, precise mediocre from @bbcstrictly’.

‘Can’t assistance but consciousness Chris and Diane ne'er stood a accidental with the Sambathon!’, agreed JackBailey2.

Chris and Dianne were the archetypal mates asked to permission the level tonight, meaning 1 constituent was added to their total, placing them 2nd to bottommost of the judges’ scoreboard.

The loveable duo took it successful their stride, though, arsenic erstwhile their names were called arsenic the bottom-placing pair, Chris fto retired a comical cheer arsenic Dianne beamed.

Jamie Borthwick was asked to permission next, followed by Pete Wicks. Sarah Hadland was adjacent off, portion Montell Douglas placed third.

This near conscionable 2 couples: JB Gill and Lauren Oakley, and Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skornajec.

But determination could beryllium lone 1 winner, with JLS popular prima JB declared the Samba-Thon champion, taking him to a whopping 46 points.

This meant helium and Tasha, who achieved the archetypal cleanable 40 of the bid this weekend, were successful associated archetypal place.

Meanwhile, it was an affectional nighttime for comedian Chris and Dianne, arsenic her parents had travelled from Australia to ticker her creation unrecorded for the archetypal clip successful 7 years.

They delivered a fiery paso doble for their show tonight, which brought Dianne’s parents to tears and earned them 32 points.

Speaking up of their couple’s prime routine 2 weeks ago, Chris, who has made it wide he doesn’t privation ‘sympathy votes’ from the public, explained that helium signed up for Strictly to bash thing ‘scary’.

‘I came into this thinking, “This could beryllium a spot of a disaster,” but present we are,’ helium said.

‘I’m astonishing myself arsenic good arsenic everybody else.’

Chris and Dianne’s regular had the federation weeping erstwhile again, arsenic it included a Strictly archetypal when, mid-way through, the workplace blacked retired to mimic Chris’s ain acquisition arsenic a unsighted person.

The BBC has been contacted for comment.

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays connected BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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