Strictly star George Clarke has been hit with a fresh blow after former pro dancer Vincent Simone said he was overmarked last Saturday (November 22) in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Daily.
The social media star, who is paired with American dancer Alexis Warr, performed a salsa to a mash-up of Rock This Party, Mr Saxobeat and Party Rock Anthem during Blackpool Week.
The energetic performance, which was filled with personality, was praised by the panel of judges — Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.
Craig gave the pair a nine while Motsi, Shirley and Anton awarded George and Alexis a perfect score of 10. On the leaderboard, they placed second behind Lewis Cope and Katya, who achieved 10s across the board.
Strictly pro believes George Clarke ‘didn’t deserve three 10s’
While speaking to ED! on behalf of Paddy Power, Vincent said: “Lewis was marked perfectly. Those four 10s were spot on. He couldn’t have done it better; he looked like a professional. I’ve never seen a celebrity deliver a performance like that on Strictly.”
Meanwhile, on the flip side, the former pro dancer, who competed on the hit BBC show between 2006 and 2012, wasn’t totally impressed with George’s scores.
“George didn’t deserve three 10s,” he insisted, adding: “Maybe a 9, 9, 8 or something similar.”
“The salsa was too clean and sweet – salsa needs grit, dirtiness, chaos. It didn’t feel authentically Cuban.”
However, many appear to agree with Vincent. On Saturday night, George faced initial backlash when viewers also took to social media to express that they believed Lewis was overmarked.
“10? For George? I do like George but that salsa was no 10!” one user wrote on X.
“I’m sorry, but in what world was George’s dance a 10???” another shared.
‘Everyone had a fair chance’
When asked whether any couple had more of an advantage, Vincent believes “everyone had a fair chance”.
“Everything felt balanced,” he said.
“Everyone had support from extra pro dancers; everyone had a fair chance. The only routine I’d have staged differently was the Argentine Tango. For me, that dance is about intimacy between two people. Adding more dancers breaks that connection. I’d have preferred Julian and Balvinder to stay together more.”
Ahead of Blackpool Week, Drag Race star La Voix was forced to quit the show due to an injury. As a result, no one was eliminated on Sunday.
Strictly continues Saturday (November 29) at 6.35pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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