Dancing On Ice fans have been left fuming at 'harsh' and 'inconsistent' scoring by the ITV figure skating show's judges. Viewers were particularly annoyed at the scores given to Michelle Heaton for her Chicago-themed routine for Musicals Week last night (January 29).
Fans were impressed by the singer's clear improvement compared with the week before - with even Holly Willoughby, who co-hosts alongside Phillip Schofield, commending her boosted confidence, reported the Daily Star. However, the four judges - including Nottingham pro skating duo Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean - were less impressed, giving scores of 5.5, 5, 5 and 4.5 for a total of 20 out of a possible 40.
It left some viewers scratching their heads, claiming other celebrity contestants had performed worse but scored better. And it ultimately led to Michelle, who did have a few wobbles as she skated around the rink, being voted off the show after the public vote was factored in.
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With other skaters getting solid scores of 6s and 7s, fans shared their frustrations on Twitter at how Michelle was judged. Charley tweeted: "I can’t… why do they hate Michelle? Has she p***ed someone off?
Debbie posted: "Love this show, but was annoyed watching it tonight. The judges clearly showed favouritism! Michelle was loads better than week 1, she skated on her own, plus she never fell. But other contestants that weren't so good got scored better!"
Joey wrote: "The judges are clearly rigging it this week so Michelle leaves. it’s not good tv to watch. Darren and Siva both did worse than her."
Rosalind commented: "Thought Michelle deserved better scores, considering improvement from last week. Seems bit inconsistency from judges." Lungowe agreed: "I prefer the Michelles where you can see the progression week by week."
After her performance, Michelle took to Instagram to urge fans to vote for her and professional skate partner Łukasz Różycki when voting lines opened. Many of her followers shared their displeasure at the judges' scoring as they posted messages of support in the comments.
Rafael wrote: "The show is rigged. Deserved better score." Neil commented: "Undermarked from what i was watching, you deserved higher scores. A brilliant performance and solo skating as well."
Claire added: "I'm shocked at the judges scores, I thought you done so well. I could see the disappointment in your face when they gave their scores ; really not sure what they were watching xx".
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