Strictly Come Dancing fans were left outraged and confused during the semi-final as they flocked to social media to comment on the judges' scoring. Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas were back on the panel as the five remaining couples eyed up a place in the dance contest's grand final.
Each celebrity - Molly Rainford, Hamza Yassin, Will Mellor, Fleur East, and Helen Skelton - and their professional dance partner performed twice during the penultimate live episode of the 2022 episode on Sunday night (December 11) after it was moved due to the World Cup.
But only four will make it through to the final of the 20th series of the BBC One show, due to be held on Saturday (December 17). And as the couples gave it their all in the ballroom, viewers couldn't help but notice that the scoring between each judge differed massively and Shirley specifically was more critical than she has been throughout the competition so far.
However, some of those tuning into the semi-final felt that the judges were giving their scores based on who they wanted to make it to the final. @cfs123plays tweeted: "Notice how Helen got same score as Fleur despite Helen being clearly better. They're clearly trying to shoehorn Fleur and Molly into the final #Strictly."
@ashmcgregor commented: "The judges seem to be HEAVILY hinting who they want in the final don’t they? Molly, Hamza and Helen have been highlighted. What about Will and Fleur? #SCD #Strictly." @paradiseIeah claimed: "The obvious bias and over scoring from the judges towards the pros that they’re pushing for the final #Strictly." @cestriansaint added: "Do these judges have motive? Seems like they know who they want in the final. #Strictly."
Meanwhile, others think the winner of the series is already 'obvious' - whether they agree or not. @cumiskey55 said: "Well there’s definitely been a big push from certain judges tonight to make sure someone gets into the Final. There’s a lot of men out there who will be encouraged to dance because of Hamza. #Strictly."
@TaeTheEternal tweeted: "It’s obvious Hamza will win since everyone loves him but I just hope by some miracle Molly can make it through #Strictly." @GarethW_1 posted: "That was tremendous! And look, Hamza is winning this year. It's been obvious for weeks now, and it's still the case. He's great, Jowita is great, they're great together, and that dance was great. #Strictly #SCD." But @philm2244 argued: "I think the judges are obsessed with Hamza and want him to win and they're ignoring the brilliance of the other contestants. #strictly."
The comments about Hamza comes after he was left in tears following his two routines of the evening. As they spoke to Claudia Winkleman following their Charleston and Waltz, Hamza and Jowita became tearful as they revealed what it would mean for them to reach the final this weekend.
When asked why she thinks Hamza deserves to be in the final, Jowita told him: “First when I met you, I asked you for the trust, and your energy and you gave me much more than that. And seeing you every day, going out of your comfort zone and working so hard and giving me one hundred percent, is amazing.
“But, what made me the proudest teacher in the world is that you always go there on the night and you dance from your heart. Thank you for that." Following her kind words, Hamza was unable to speak as the tears rolled down his face as he pulled Jowita in for another hug.
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