by Saturday night programme Strictly Come Dancing as a major milestone for this season. Island of Love Star Tasha Ghouri, who is partnered with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec, received the first “10” score of the 2024 competition, leaving her with a near-perfect total of 39 for her Coachella-themed and selfie-themed Charleston, which is impressive . feat just four weeks into the live shows. And yet this triumphant moment was trumped by two brief interactions that took place away from the dance floor – and they were so fierce that you might have missed them the first time around. Perhaps the storm of speculation they provoked is the first sign that it is Strictlythe post-scandal era will be very difficult to navigate.
Towards the end of the show, the celebrities and their professional partners gathered in the “Clauditorium” – the upstairs area where host Claudia Winkleman chats with the contestants between performances – before the voting lines opened, just as they do every week. This time, however, dancer Katya Jones was caught on camera appearing to move opera singer Wynne Evans’ hand off her waist and onto her hip. Earlier in the episode, she appeared to reject a high five from her partner. Seeing these two incidents in quick succession had viewers wondering if Jones was feeling unwell. Social media was soon abuzz with comments from Strictly fans: “Something’s off,” claimed one Twitter/X viewer, while others called the interaction “uncomfortable.”
The pair quickly moved to shut down the rumor mill, sharing an Instagram video in which they said they were “messing up”. In his post, Evans wrote that the high provinces are a “running jock” between them. Jones, a Strictly eight-year veteran, later doubled down with another video on Sunday, describing the new series as “pretty absurd” and asking fans to focus on Evans’ “fantastic” progress in the competition. “The idea that it made me uncomfortable or upset me in any way is a complete revelation,” she said. And this morning, Evans discussed the matter on his program on BBC Radio Wales, revealing that he was “heartbroken by what has been written about him. [him]” and again referring to the moment as a “stupid joke gone wrong”, one that was “totally misunderstood”. Reports have suggested the pair have been checked in by the show’s welfare team, and no further action is planned.
After the backstage drama that took effect Strictly this year, it looks like viewers will be wary of any whispers of behind-the-scenes strife, real or imagined. Last month, the BBC published the results of its investigation into former competitor Amanda Abbington’s complaints made to ex-pro Giovanni Pernice. The corporation upheld complaints of verbal bullying and harassment, but found that Pernice was not physically aggressive, and also issued an apology to Abbington. Before that, during the summer, the dancer Graziano Di Prima left Strictly, later admitting that he kicked his famous partner Zara McDermott during a rehearsal.
While the long-running investigation may be over, it has definitely cast a shadow over the usually sparkling events. It is difficult to turn off this shade, although it is Strictly he seems to have taken a business-as-usual approach (the series has yet to be mentioned on the show, although zebras are now present during dance rehearsals and welfare protocols have been stepped up). In the context of this background, it is not surprising that fans are reading more closely any unusual interactions on the screen than they could have done a few years ago: at the moment, everything that happens on the air being seen through the prism of past scandals.
Perhaps because we didn’t see the tension brewing last season before it exploded into the press, we’ve become obsessed with sleuthing for any purported signs of discontent. After that controversy, this season marks the 20th anniversary Strictly The show has always been difficult, for precisely this reason: media and fans alike are used to any potential cracks in the glitterati. Whereas we might have scrutinized every dancing pair for any evidence of explosive romantic chemistry that might “Strictly curse” case – look at that eye contact during the Argentine tango! – our new default is to search for disagreement instead.
As the competition progresses and fans remain on high alert, the contestants, pros and showrunners will need to be scrutinized more closely, and be prepared for any possible outcome. managed there carefully. The way we look Strictlyit seems, has changed – and it will probably take more than a few smiling assurances to build back the trust of the audience.
