Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left feeling frustrated on Saturday night.
Sara Baalla Screen Time TV Reporter
21:11, 13 Dec 2025
Strictly Come Dancing sparks ‘fix’ row as BBC viewers hit out at judges
Strictly Come Dancing viewers have hit out at the show’s judges as they fumed: “What a fix.”
The hit BBC dancing competition returned to screens on Saturday night (December 13), as hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman welcomed the final four couples back to the iconic ballroom for the semi-final.
Judges Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, and Craig Revel Horwood were also ready to critique the performances, ahead of next week’s grand final.
EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and her partner Julian Caillon were the first to take to the dancefloor with a Salsa to a Gloria Estefan mash-up of Rhythm is Gonna Get You and Get on Your Feet.
West End performer Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin were up next with their Tango to Higher by Michael Bublé.
EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon performed a Salsa(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing fans left ‘screaming’ as eliminated stars return to ballroomREAD MORE: Strictly’s Nadiya Bychkova sparks concern over BBC future with ‘next step’ message
Shirley and Anton notably scored both dances a 9, though fans felt they shouldn’t have received the same score.
“Shirley and Anton trying to fix it that Balvinder gets to the final,” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter), with another adding: “Shed loads of critique for Amber, but none for Balvinder. What a fix this show is. If Balvinder was given 9’s by the over markers this has to be a 10.”
A third said: “I don’t know how Balvinder is in the semi-final. Lewis who is the best dancer to get voted out last week what a fix.”
A fourth fan echoed the sentiment, saying: “If Balvinder is in the dance off again this week and gets saved by the judges, we all know it’s 100% a fix.”
Meanwhile, other viewers shared their support for Balvinder, with one person writing: “Absolutely stunning. I’m so proud of Bal and what an amazing partnership with Julian.”
Amber Davies and her pro partner Nikita Kuzmin performed a Tango(Image: BBC/Guy Levy)
Another added: “What an incredible journey Bal and Julian have been on and such a beautiful partnership. Let’s get them to the final.”
A third said: “Bal deserves her place in the final for her resilience and dedication alone. A final placement would be a fairytale ending!”
After performing two dances each, Karen Carney and Carlos Gu topped the leaderboard with a joint score of 78 points.
Amber and Nikita were in second place with 77 points, followed by George Clarke and Alexis Warr with 72 points. Balvinder and Julian, who have previously survived five dance-offs, were at the bottom of the rankings with 70 points.
Craig Revel Horwood will have the deciding vote in this week’s dance-off, which will determine this year’s grand finalists.
Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
