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Tright here was one star everybody wished to win Strictly Come Dancing. And on Saturday night time, he did it. Chris McCausland, and his professional associate Dianne Buswell, took dwelling the Glitterball trophy. The comic’s victory is a second that transcends the present itself and one which has given this controversial collection of the BBC present an outstanding, healthful ending.
McCausland’s triumph, as a person misplaced his sight on the age of twenty-two, is a milestone that ought to actually be celebrated (and I’ve little doubt the Strictly Class of 2024 will be certain that the bubbly is flowing nicely into the early hours). However behind the scenes, I wager there’ll be some sighs of aid that this collection is over.
This season was marred in scandal earlier than the faux tan had even been unpacked, when two professionals left amid abuse allegations within the spring. Giovanni Pernice stepped down from the present as a long-running investigation into his behaviour in direction of 2023 associate Amanda Abbington continued (the BBC has since upheld a number of the 17 complaints towards him, however cleared him of essentially the most severe ones). Then Graziano di Prima adopted Pernice out of the door, after admitting to kicking his 2023 associate Zara McDermott throughout coaching.
When the collection started, Strictly caught to its royal-style “don’t complain, don’t clarify” PR technique, and made no acknowledgment of the behind-the-scenes sagas. However there wasn’t lengthy to go till additional controversies hit the present (these too, would go largely unmentioned on the programme itself).
Singer Toyah Willcox and Olympian Tom Dean discovered themselves within the unenviable place of being within the first dance-off. Regardless of Dean having scored a full 13 factors greater than the rocker throughout the primary two weeks and – let’s be trustworthy – proven much more promise, the judges voted to save lots of Willcox. Cue lots of of outraged tweets claiming favouritism was at play, as a dejected Dean admitted he was “gutted” and his clearly livid professional associate Nadiya Bychkova wrote on Instagram: “[Dean] will go on to greater and higher issues.”It was onerous to not really feel dangerous for the Olympian, who actually had much more to offer within the competitors. For his or her half, the judges nearly redeemed themselves after they eradicated Willcox within the following week’s dance-off.
Simply two weeks later, we had “hand-gate”. GoCompare man Wynne Evans had been thriving on the present, and unexpectedly impressing along with his routines – however his Strictly journey hit an enormous blip in week 4. Throughout a phase within the Clauditorium, Evans was caught on digicam sliding his hand down associate Katya Jones’s waist, earlier than she moved it again up with a good smile.
One other clip from the identical episode appeared to indicate Jones dismissing Evans’s bid for a excessive 5, then strolling away seemingly aggravated. The footage (rightly) hit a nerve for a lot of viewers, particularly ladies who’ve seen and skilled this behaviour time and time once more. Each movies went viral and sparked back-pedalling from Jones and Evans, who posted a considerably weird apology video and insisted they have been simply joking round, earlier than showing on spinoff present It Takes Two to make the identical protestations. The pair lasted one other 5 weeks within the competitors, however it’s honest to say issues for them weren’t fairly the identical after the wandering hand saga.
The present was dealt one other blow when Amy Dowden – who had solely simply returned after most cancers therapy – was heartbreakingly compelled to drag out of her triumphant comeback collection because of a foot harm.For me, Dowden’s premature exit was one of many low factors of the collection. It was such a pleasure to see her again on the present after an extremely powerful yr and it will have been unimaginable to see her dancing with JB Gill within the remaining. Although it should be mentioned, this example seems to have been dealt with nicely. Lauren Oakley stepped in to bop with Gill, first on a brief foundation after which completely. She has regularly voiced her gratitude to Dowden for the way she taught the JLS singer and insisted she’s nonetheless a part of their staff.
After which there was Pete Wicks. Not since 2008, when John Sergeant dragged poor Kristina Rihanoff throughout the ballroom, has there been a lot discuss a contestant’s lack of abilities. Whereas the journalist finally give up his collection in mid-November of that yr – citing the “actual hazard that I would win the competitors” – TOWIE star Wicks soldiered on. As he defined in his VTs, the reformed lothario felt he owed it to viewers who had voted for him to maintain dancing. Even when mentioned dancing largely concerned stomping round in scorching pink PVC trousers and combating the footwork. Fortunately, we have been spared one other week of the discourse when Wicks lastly ended up within the dance-off final week and exited the competitors.
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Going into Saturday night time’s grand finale, statistically, it appeared as if something may occur. Tasha Ghouri had been high of the leaderboard essentially the most, however fell into the dance-off within the earlier two weeks (regardless of Anton Du Beke later calling her one of the best movie star dancer the present had ever seen). In the meantime, Gill and Sarah Hadland had been scorching on her heels. McCausland, it should be mentioned, had been the bottom scorer of the bunch. However right here’s the factor about Strictly: no matter anybody says, it’s about a lot greater than dancing.
McCausland’s stint on the present will rightly go down as probably the most magnificent within the present’s historical past. Booked to carry the laughs, he stunned the judges and the viewers alike by displaying an actual aptitude for dancing (and unimaginable musicality) within the early episodes of the collection. He then went from power to power, mastering difficult lifts that have been solely doable as a result of Buswell actually trusted her associate. The judges had rightly vowed to critique him as they do each star, making no concessions for the actual fact he’s blind. However as McCausland’s abilities grew and grew, the gravity of his achievements have been plain.
In Saturday night time’s remaining, he lowered the panel to tears on a number of events and no matter occurred, he would at all times be a winner. Fortunately, for as soon as, the British public obtained the vote spot on. And in terms of summing up McCausland’s Strictly journey, Motsi Mabuse defined it greatest. “You mentioned in your VT, you’re a job mannequin for the blind neighborhood,” she mentioned. “However I believe at this level, you’re a job mannequin for us all.”
