Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left split over Craig Revel Horwood after the judge appeared to take no prisoners during last night’s show.
The 61-year-old found himself at the centre of a heated debate over his scoring, with some fans accusing him of being unnecessarily harsh while others were delighted to see him handing out lower marks.
Craig was branded ‘harsh’ (Credit: BBC)
Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood scores low
Craig certainly wasn’t in a generous mood during last night’s Strictly, with his marks differing considerably from those of his fellow judges.
The star handed out several eights, but also dished out a five and even a couple of fours as the celebrities took to the dancefloor.
Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby were among those who failed to impress him, receiving just four points for their routine. John Nellis and Katya Jones were given exactly the same mark.
Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley fared only marginally better, with Craig awarding them five points.
His only eight of the evening came at the very end, following Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin’s performance. Their impressive score helped them finish at the top of the leaderboard with 36 points.
And it wasn’t just his scoring that caught viewers’ attention. Craig even appeared to lose patience with the audience at one point, telling them to “shut up” as they booed his comments!
Craig scored as low as four yesterday (Credit: BBC)
Fans react to Craig’s behaviour
Craig’s no-nonsense approach certainly divided the Strictly audience, with some viewers questioning whether the judge had gone too far.
One unhappy fan fumed: “What is wrong with Craig tonight?!!! He’s not being constructive at all; he’s just being a total [bleep].”
Another questioned the difference between his marks and those of the other judges, writing: “The score difference between Craig and the other judges is ridiculous. So is Craig being super harsh or are the others over marking.”
A third viewer wasn’t holding back either, asking: “Craig what the [bleep] are you playing at.”
Others were equally unimpressed with his apparent mood, with one fan joking: “Ok… who urinated in Craig’s cornflakes today? He seems super grumpy tonight.”
Another added: “He was in terrible form tonight. Some of those scores were unreasonably low.”
Fans loving Craig’s ‘super harsh’ behaviour
But not everyone was calling for Craig to lighten up. In fact, some fans were thoroughly enjoying his tougher approach, with others seemingly pleased to see the judge bringing back his old-school Strictly attitude.
“Go on Craig! Yes – at last!!” one viewer celebrated.
Another praised the judge’s return to form, writing: “Craig is ON one tonight! It’s like series 1-4 Craig has turned up. But I think he’s utterly exposed Anton as a judge. The guy isn’t judging, he’s fan-boying.”
And one fan was particularly amused by Craig’s blunt response to the booing, writing: “‘Shut up.’ Craig is a [bleeping] icon, I’m laughing so hard.”
Clearly, Craig’s scoring wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but while some Strictly fans wanted him to show a little more kindness, others were more than happy to see him bringing back his famously tough judging style.
Read more: Strictly judge Anton Du Beke hits back over changes on BBC show as he warns viewers ‘don’t moan’
Strictly continues tonight (Sunday, November 8) from 7.10pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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