Strictly judges ‘over-scoring celebs to keep them out of the dance-off’ weeks before final, says former pro

FORMER Strictly dancer Brendan Cole has waded into the debate over the judge’s scores on the BBC competition weeks before the final.

Furious viewers hit out on Sunday following the departure of Gladiator Montell Douglas during Musicals Week.

She found herself in the dreaded dance-off with Tasha Ghouri after a combination of her scores and the public vote left her vulnerable.

Montell achieved the same score as comedian Chris McCausland, who has wowed the judges and viewers alike with his ability to dance blind.

Speaking on behalf of SkyVegas after the results show, Brendan told The Sun: “The nine (that Chris McCausland got) from Anton (Du Beke) was outrageous.

“He’s supposed to be all about ballroom, but you can easily, as a judge, be swept up in the moment.

“You can be swept up in the euphoria. Essentially, he’s (Anton) saying, by giving Chris a nine – who was probably the worst on the night in terms of dancing – that he was the same as what everybody else was.

“It’s not fair in terms of the positioning on the leaderboard.

“If you’re giving an extra mark because you’ve just got swept up in the euphoria, that could mean somebody else finds themselves in the bottom two, that otherwise wouldn’t be there if they marked it correctly.”

Speaking about Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola’s Charleston, Brendan added: “I didn’t love it. She spent a lot of time upside down and that, to me, is not amazing dancing. If you’re spending that much time in the air, you’re not doing anything – you’re being held and thrown around.

“I was surprised it was as highly marked as it was, but she belongs in the final, and I’d still love to see her challenge for the win – because she’s great.”

Brendan was also shocked to see JB Gill and Lauren Oakley at the top of the leaderboard on Saturday night.

He said: “I was surprised that they gave such a raving review. I picked holes in it from start to finish. I found it off balance, his feet closing was a bit average, and his head was tilting in.

“He’s lovely – and I like what he does – but the dancing itself needs to be better and for some reason, they think it’s the best thing since sliced bread.”

Montell and pro Johanes Radebe had been in the dance-off four times in the show’s run.

Their luck officially ran out with the judges voting unanimously to send them home after an emotional Rumba to I’m Here from the musical The Color Purple.

Tasha had competed with an Argentine Tango to music from the SIX soundtrack during the exciting quarter-final.

Despite being less talented on the dance floor, Brendan hopes two couples will make it to the final.

He said about who could leave the competition in the semis: “I would hate for it to be Pete [Wicks] or Chris, because they’ve got this far.

“If I was going to choose, it would be Chris, because the dancing hasn’t improved enough across the course of the series.

“Everybody else has really stepped up with the attention to detail.”