STRICTLY FURY! Craig Revel Horwood BOOED By Furious Audience As Viewers Accuse Judge Of ‘Ridiculous’ Undermarking

Strictly Come Dancing descended into another scoring controversy on Saturday night as Craig Revel Horwood faced a chorus of boos from the studio audience after delivering a brutal assessment of John Nellis’s salsa. But the criticism did not stop there. Viewers watching at home also accused the notoriously tough judge of being unnecessarily harsh, with some questioning whether his scores were becoming more personal than professional.

The latest backlash comes just a week after fans accused the judging panel of being ‘disrespectful’ following the elimination of Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb and his professional partner Jowita Przystał.

CRAIG’S BRUTAL VERDICT LEAVES THE AUDIENCE BOOING

This time, the spotlight fell firmly on football content creator John Nellis and his dance partner Katya Jones, who took to the ballroom floor with a salsa routine set to Get Lucky by Daft Punk, featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.

The performance received some encouraging comments from the panel.

Shirley praised the lifts and choreography but felt the routine needed more rotation in the basic steps and greater musicality in John’s body movements.

Anton also highlighted John’s confidence, describing him as secure and unflinching, although he felt the dancer needed to bring more groove and rhythm to the performance.

Craig, however, had a very different reaction.

Delivering his verdict, he compared John’s performance to a toddler throwing a tantrum, saying:

“It was like a three-year-old having a tantrum, Darling.

“It was too placed and ploddy, you were completely stuck in the mud the whole way through it.”

The criticism prompted an immediate reaction from the audience, with loud boos echoing around the studio.

Even Strictly host Josh couldn’t resist joining in with a cheeky response, telling Craig: “It’s rich him calling you a three year old having a tantrum isn’t it?”

But the judge wasn’t finished. Craig awarded John and Katya just four points, setting off another wave of boos from the crowd.

VIEWERS TURN ON CRAIG AS ANGER SPREADS ONLINE

The unusually low score quickly became a talking point on social media, with viewers questioning whether Craig had been too harsh on the pair.

One frustrated fan wrote: “Someone p***ed on Craig’s cornflakes this morning!!”

Another questioned the score directly: “4 Craig?!! Bit harsh.”

A third commented: “Craig’s feedback for John was incredibly harsh.”

One particularly furious viewer went even further, writing: “That 4 from Craig is genuinely disgusting.”

However, John’s salsa wasn’t the only performance that left fans questioning Craig’s judgement.

Several viewers argued that the judge had consistently marked dancers lower than his fellow panellists throughout the evening.

One viewer complained about Will’s quickstep, writing: “First dance and the judges already piss me off- that was Will’s best dance yet! Great music and a proper quickstep. Ridiculously underscored, a 6 is silly for that.”

Another was equally unimpressed with Craig’s score for Graeme:

“5 from Craig. Really? There is a point where it goes from being mean to just being nasty. Graeme gave us a beautiful dance, he deserved more from Craig.

“Time for Craig to come out, dance an emotional routine, and allow us to shred his dance to pieces.”

Others were simply baffled by his apparent mood, with one commenting: “Craig’s in a right bad mood tonight!”

THE LEADERBOARD REVEALS JUST HOW FAR CRAIG FELL BEHIND

And the night’s overall scores gave viewers another reason to question the judge’s approach.

Craig finished with just 53 points across all the performances, placing him well below the rest of the panel.

The other judges’ totals were considerably higher:

• Craig Revel Horwood: 53 points
• Shirley Ballas: 66 points
• Motsi Mabuse: 74 points
• Anton Du Beke: 76 points

The 23-point gap between Craig and Anton underlined just how differently the judges had assessed the performances throughout the evening.

DANI DYER GETS A VERY DIFFERENT REACTION

Interestingly, Craig’s tough approach didn’t extend to every contestant.

When Dani Dyer took to the floor, the judge appeared considerably more impressed, awarding her eight points for her American Smooth.

He praised the performance, telling her: “I loved it, a classic American Smooth. You did brilliantly.”

The contrasting reactions were unlikely to settle the debate among viewers, particularly after the boos that followed his assessment of John Nellis.

With Craig’s scores attracting criticism throughout the night, the question now is whether fans will continue to challenge his notoriously strict judging style as the competition moves closer to its final stages.