Craig Revel Horwood had Strictly Come Dancing viewers raging (Picture: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing viewers are not happy with Craig Revel Horwood… although, let’s be frank, are we ever?
The judge left audiences at home and in the studio raging and booing when he failed to give Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin a perfect 10 for their Argentine tango.
Despite giving zero criticism of the dance, Craig scored the Bad Education star and his Ukrainian pro a nine, while Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke all reached for their 10 paddles.
Layton and Nikita danced to Tattoo by Eurovision winner Loreen, wearing purple suits and delivering an epic, passionate routine packed with effortless lifts and intricate choreography.
Asked by host Tess Daly what she thought of the routine after giving a lengthy standing ovation, Motsi said: ‘Oh man, what are you doing to us?
‘Guys, (I’m) speechless that happens once in a lifetime to me.’
Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin danced an incredible Argentine tango (Picture: BBC)
She also called it ‘the bomb’ ahead of head judge Shirley saying the dance ‘went beyond perfection and pure art’.
Shirley added: ‘I’m lost in the Layton magic.’
Craig had just one word, three syllables for his comment.
‘A-ma-zing’, he said with a stern expression, leaving everyone convinced the 10 was finally coming.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, with the studio erupting in rage as Layton and Nikita narrowly missed out on a perfect score.
The rest of the Strictly cast and pros were also stunned, mouths agape as resident Mr Nasty gave no explanation for why he didn’t think the performance was 10 worthy.
Reacting on Twitter, viewers blasted Craig’s ‘ridiculous’ score and claimed Layton was ‘robbed blind’.
Despite saying their performance was ‘a-ma-zing’, Craig still gave it a nine (Picture: BBC)
Layton and Nikita earned 39 points (Picture: BBC)
‘I swear it must be in Craig’s contract that he can’t give out a 10 before Blackpool or something because Layton and Nikita were just ROBBED of their well deserved perfect 40’, one viewer tweeted, with Blackpool just one week away.
Another said they are ‘inexplicably angry’, adding Layton’s dance was ‘one of the best in Strictly history’.
‘WHAT?! I am shook! Layton & Nikita were fantastic. That deserved a perfect 40, Craig why?!’, one viewer wrote.
‘Craig is such a killjoy’, another declared.
Another viewer raged: ‘It’s official, I now hate Craig lol. LAYTON DESERVED THAT 40!! HE CAN’T JUST SAY AMAZING AND THEN GIVE IT A 9!!’
One viewer was actually so annoyed that they called for Craig to be replaced on the panel.
‘Enough of Craig R Horwood. Time for a change, sack him BBC! His Mr nasty routine is so worn out- scoring 9 for Layton & Nikita is just ridiculous. He spoils the positive vibe of the show every week’.
Despite not getting their first 40, Layton and Nikita were more than pleased with their own performance.
‘It’s been a pretty tough week,’ Layton told Claudia Winkleman.
‘I just want to say thank you, you’re the best partner ever,’ he said sweetly to Nikita.
‘That felt special.’
Having danced the Argentine tango for the first time this week on Strictly, Nikita added: ‘And what an Argentine tango to start with?!
‘So, so proud, he really worked so hard on this one.’
‘You did so, so well,’ he told Layton. ‘It was us dancing together through the whole routine, so beautiful, well done.’
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday and Sunday on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Viewers were ‘inexplicably angry’ that Layton Williams didn’t get 40.