Furious Strictly fans claim ‘curse’ has hit show couple – saying judges ‘undermarked’ star
STRICTLY Come Dancing fans think Ellie Leach has been “cursed” by the show’s running order and left with lower marks than she deserved.
The 22-year-old was the first performer of the evening and scored 28 out of 40, facing a wave of stern criticism from the judges.
All four judges scored the pair a 7, making their score for the week 28.
Viewers watching at home criticised judges Craig Revel-Horwood, Anton du Beke, 57, Motsi Mabuse, 42, and Shirley Ballas, 63, for their comments.
One Reddit user said: “It’s the curse of going first. If she had performed mid-show I’m certain she would have got straight 8s.”
Another added: “Agreed! The judges tend to mark the first dance harsher in comparison to the others though.
“Since she won’t be going first in the coming weeks, she’ll be marked more appropriately (hopefully).”
One last viewer pointed out that Ellie’s more challenging routine deserved a higher score, stating: “The judges don’t seem to consider how hard the routine actually is i think Ellie had quite a hard routine and still did remarkably well- she deserved more.
“Some contestants are overmarked when they have a really easy routine- for example nikita and gorka last week were rubbish but because the choreography was easier she still got an ok score.
“Couples choice tends to score higher because it tends to be easier (fleur and vito i thought we’re overmarked for theirs i think)”.
The ex-Coronation Street actress exuded high energy as she kicked off the performance alongside her dance partner, Vito Coppola, 31, delivering a lively samba to Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana.”
The soap star recently teased that she may be returning to Coronation Street after Strictly.
Ellie also revealed that her previous co-stars are rooting for her as she takes on the challenging dance competition.