Strictly fans fear for Ellie Taylor after Craig slams "lacklustre" jive

But as the competition for the Glitterball trophy heats up, some viewers fear that scathing comments from Craig Revel Horwood could put Taylor and partner Johannes Radebe in danger this time around.

After performing a Thelma & Louise-inspired jive to Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, the couple received a decidedly lukewarm response from the Strictly Come Dancing judging panel.

Craig Revel Horwood kicked things off by saying of the routine: "It lacked punch, it lacked precision, the footwork was messy, you went wrong down here as well – you got off on the wrong foot or something. In all, it was lacklustre, I'm afraid."

Motsi Mabuse countered: "What I do think you had was the fun of jive. You looked actually like you were having fun with that dance... You had the taste of the jive, which was nice to see."

However, Shirley Ballas was also critical: "I loved the theme, I thought the narrative was good, I could see that you were enjoying it, so I agree with Motsi on that. But, for me, the technique missed completely – it looked quite heavy and a little bit flat-footed.

"There is no mistaking your personality is exquisite, but at week 10, I want a little bit of both if I can."

Anton Du Beke landed on the more positive end of the spectrum, telling Taylor she "could be a musical theatre star" with such strong characterisation, but accepted that the jive "lacked a bit here and there".

In total, Taylor scored just 25 points from the judges, landing her at the bottom of this week's Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard.

Strictly fans rushed to her defence with a flurry of memes and tweets, some of which suggested that Craig and Shirley had been too harsh in their feedback.

One user wrote that they found it "really irritating" that Ellie was the recipient of "overly critical" comments each week from the Strictly Come Dancing judges.

Another viewer disagreed with the judges, adding that Ellie and Johannes had a "camp" and "cute" jive, which they clearly enjoyed performing.

Tune in to the results tomorrow to find out who makes it through to Musicals Week.

Strictly Come Dancing: The Results airs tomorrow night at 6pm on BBC One. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide for more to watch.

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