Strictly Come Dancing judges disagree over Layton Williams' Jive
Despite getting the highest score for a Jive this season so far, Layton Williams left the judges divided on Strictly tonight.
While the Strictly Come Dancing judges often don't completely agree when it comes to their opinions on the performances from the Strictly line-up of celebs, tonight's Jive from Layton Williams saw a distinct division emerge on the panel.
Layton and his partner Nikita Kuzmin have been holding firm near the top of the Strictly leaderboard week after week ever since the competition began, but his natural talent means the judges have high expectations of him.
As we enter the second half of the season, Craig Revel Horwood, Most Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke have made it clear they won't be pulling their punches any more – some and it seems some are going to be harsher on that front than others.
Layton and Nikita put on a dazzling opening to the show this week with their glittering Jive, which saw Motsi and Shirley on their feet for a standing ovation by the end.
Craig and Anton, however, not so much.
Shirley kicked off the judging with a glowingly enthusiastic review before host Tess Daly moved on to Anton.
While the former Strictly pro-turned-judge agreed "to a point" with Head Judge Shirley, he had some criticism too, seeming a little underwhelmed overall.
"Your Jive kicks forwards and backwards were incredible, the side ones were a bit loose," he said, also citing some dissatisfaction with how much (or little) Layton was nailing the classic Jive elements of the routine.
"Am I nitpicking?" he said. "Probably."
Craig then followed:"I am inclined to agree with Anton."
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Criticising Layton's foot positioning, he added: "In Latin, you need to have a turnout of some description. Force those toes out.
"You need to really work on that. You've got absolutely everything else," he said.
But Morsi disagreed, defending Layton's approach to the dance by saying: "I don't mind if you add a bit of extra, whether it belong to Jive or not."
There was a clear line with two judges on each side when the scores came in, with Anton and Craig awarding the performance eight points, while Motsi and Shirley gave it a perfect 10.
The Strictly results show airs tomorrow night at 7:15pm on BBC One. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Minnie Wright is the News Editor of Radio Times, covering TV, Film and Entertainment from the latest dramas and thrillers to sci-fi, fantasy and reality TV – from BBC to Netflix. She has a background in TV, Film, Showbiz and Music at a major national publication and a degree in Popular Music Journalism.
