Red Moon
22-12-2007, 12:49 PM
Strictly Come Dancing judges attack viewersTwo judges on Strictly Come Dancing have attacked the show's female viewers as "emotionally challenged" and "bloated".
On the eve of the final of the hit BBC One show, Len Goodman, the chief judge, said that the audience of millions who have voted every week for their favourite celebrity dancer was made up of middle-aged women who enjoyed "a bit of eye candy".
Fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood branded them "emotionally challenged".
It was not quite a faux pas to match the businessman Gerald Ratner's description of one of his company's jewellery products as "crap", but the audience will almost certainly take umbrage.
More than 12 million are expected to tune in tonight to watch the singer Alesha Dixon and the EastEnders actor Matt Di Angelo contest the final.
Dixon, best known for being in the girl band Mis-Teeq, is the bookmakers' runaway favourite.
Throughout the 12-week show, her spectacular moves have earned her perfect 10s from the three judges and the sobriquet of "the first lady of the dance".
Di Angelo suffered an attack of nerves and forgot his steps two weeks ago but the judges gave him four 10s for his waltz in the semi-final a week later, putting him in the final ahead of the Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones.
But even though Dixon is "Manchester United" to Di Angelo's "Watford", Goodman said he doubted that viewers would vote on the contestants' dancing abilities.
"I would imagine far more middle-aged women than middle-aged men vote," he said.
"I imagine them looking at Matt [and thinking] 'a bit of eye candy, a hunky young dude'. And they look at Alesha and they are sitting there eating their fourth KitKat and they've just had three square meals and a fish supper, all bloated out, and they go: 'Bugger her, I'm not voting for that'."
Revel Horwood said that people who vote on the show go on "emotional journeys" with the contestants because they cannot see their technical faults.
"If I say something really bad about someone, you can guarantee a million people will be on the telephone saying: 'I'll get him back.' It's really bad. They should be voting on dance ability," he said.
Goodman added: "The viewers come to people's rescue thinking they are doing them a favour and then moan at the judges because Gethin is gone. Gethin shouldn't have gone. Matt should have gone two weeks ago, when the judges had him 20 points below anyone else."
Tonight, for the first time, the public will have the final say over who wins the competition.
In previous weeks, viewers voted but it was up to the judges to decide who should be eliminated after a dance-off between the two bottom-placed couples.
Nick Weinberg, from Ladbrokes, agreed that male contestants in reality shows had a greater chance of winning.
"In a two-horse race, we'd expect to see a young man favoured ahead of a young woman," he said.
"But punters are clearly not convinced by Matt. Maybe they're still annoyed that he sneaked through at the expense of heart-throb Gethin Jones."----------------------------------------THE CONTENDERS
Alesha Dixon
Age: 27
Dance partner: Matthew Cutler
Showbiz background: Best known as a member of girl group Mis-Teeq, who topped the charts with singles including Scandalous and One Night Stand. Currently in the middle of recording a solo album. Has also hosted TV show CD:UK and presented ITV2's coverage of the Brit Awards this year. In March next year she will begin shooting her first film, Milestones, along side Alex Kingston and Brian Cox.
Best judges comment: Bruno Waterfield on Alesha and Matthew's waltz: "I was swept away on a sea of love."
Odds: 1-3 (Coral)
Matt Di Angelo
Age: 20
Dance Partner: Flavia Cacace
Showbiz background: Best known as Deano Wicks in EastEnders, although the show has confirmed he will leave. He was a student at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and began his career with modelling and TV commercials. In 2006 he was nominated for the 'sexiest male' award at the British Soap Awards. He has also appeared in children's TV show Smile, Harbour Lights and Telling Lies, where he played Derek.
Best judges' comment: Matt is the only contestant to score a perfect 40 in the competition, prompting a standing ovation from the head judge, Len Goodman. He added: "Winners never quit, quitters never win and you've come out and given it a winning performance."
Odds: 9-4 (Coral)
Source: Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/22/ndance122.xml)
On the eve of the final of the hit BBC One show, Len Goodman, the chief judge, said that the audience of millions who have voted every week for their favourite celebrity dancer was made up of middle-aged women who enjoyed "a bit of eye candy".
Fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood branded them "emotionally challenged".
It was not quite a faux pas to match the businessman Gerald Ratner's description of one of his company's jewellery products as "crap", but the audience will almost certainly take umbrage.
More than 12 million are expected to tune in tonight to watch the singer Alesha Dixon and the EastEnders actor Matt Di Angelo contest the final.
Dixon, best known for being in the girl band Mis-Teeq, is the bookmakers' runaway favourite.
Throughout the 12-week show, her spectacular moves have earned her perfect 10s from the three judges and the sobriquet of "the first lady of the dance".
Di Angelo suffered an attack of nerves and forgot his steps two weeks ago but the judges gave him four 10s for his waltz in the semi-final a week later, putting him in the final ahead of the Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones.
But even though Dixon is "Manchester United" to Di Angelo's "Watford", Goodman said he doubted that viewers would vote on the contestants' dancing abilities.
"I would imagine far more middle-aged women than middle-aged men vote," he said.
"I imagine them looking at Matt [and thinking] 'a bit of eye candy, a hunky young dude'. And they look at Alesha and they are sitting there eating their fourth KitKat and they've just had three square meals and a fish supper, all bloated out, and they go: 'Bugger her, I'm not voting for that'."
Revel Horwood said that people who vote on the show go on "emotional journeys" with the contestants because they cannot see their technical faults.
"If I say something really bad about someone, you can guarantee a million people will be on the telephone saying: 'I'll get him back.' It's really bad. They should be voting on dance ability," he said.
Goodman added: "The viewers come to people's rescue thinking they are doing them a favour and then moan at the judges because Gethin is gone. Gethin shouldn't have gone. Matt should have gone two weeks ago, when the judges had him 20 points below anyone else."
Tonight, for the first time, the public will have the final say over who wins the competition.
In previous weeks, viewers voted but it was up to the judges to decide who should be eliminated after a dance-off between the two bottom-placed couples.
Nick Weinberg, from Ladbrokes, agreed that male contestants in reality shows had a greater chance of winning.
"In a two-horse race, we'd expect to see a young man favoured ahead of a young woman," he said.
"But punters are clearly not convinced by Matt. Maybe they're still annoyed that he sneaked through at the expense of heart-throb Gethin Jones."----------------------------------------THE CONTENDERS
Alesha Dixon
Age: 27
Dance partner: Matthew Cutler
Showbiz background: Best known as a member of girl group Mis-Teeq, who topped the charts with singles including Scandalous and One Night Stand. Currently in the middle of recording a solo album. Has also hosted TV show CD:UK and presented ITV2's coverage of the Brit Awards this year. In March next year she will begin shooting her first film, Milestones, along side Alex Kingston and Brian Cox.
Best judges comment: Bruno Waterfield on Alesha and Matthew's waltz: "I was swept away on a sea of love."
Odds: 1-3 (Coral)
Matt Di Angelo
Age: 20
Dance Partner: Flavia Cacace
Showbiz background: Best known as Deano Wicks in EastEnders, although the show has confirmed he will leave. He was a student at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and began his career with modelling and TV commercials. In 2006 he was nominated for the 'sexiest male' award at the British Soap Awards. He has also appeared in children's TV show Smile, Harbour Lights and Telling Lies, where he played Derek.
Best judges' comment: Matt is the only contestant to score a perfect 40 in the competition, prompting a standing ovation from the head judge, Len Goodman. He added: "Winners never quit, quitters never win and you've come out and given it a winning performance."
Odds: 9-4 (Coral)
Source: Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/22/ndance122.xml)