STRICTLY OFFSIDE
‘He doesn’t want to be there’ rant Strictly fans as they spot celeb ‘looking so unhappy’ on show
The BBC has already been accused of 'patronising' the contestant
STRICTLY Come Dancing fans are convinced one celeb already wants to throw in the towel after accusing him of looking "so unhappy".
This year's 15 stars took to the dance floor with their pros for Week 1 on Saturday night and the majority appeared to have a ball.
6
6
6
But eagle-eyed viewers were left believing one of the contestants 'didn't want to be there'.
Former Arsenal and England footballer Paul Merson appeared on camera several times during the night with his pro partner Karen Hauer.
However, fans were unsure about exactly how keen he was to be taking part in the BBC One show.
One wrote online: "Paul really doesn’t want to be there!"
READ MORE ON PAUL MERSON
Another agreed, saying: "I just said the same thing to my OH - are they blackmailing him to be here or something!"
Paul and Karen performed an American Smooth to the 90s football anthem Vindaloo for their debut dance.
But even before they had taken to the ballroom, Paul was already complaining about his footballer-themed costume.
He moaned to Strictly's Claudia Winkleman: "We look like we work on a boat.
Most read in Showbiz
"That's what we look like. On a cruise ship...on a cruise ship. Look! Seriously!"
Paul Merson makes his Strictly Come Dancing debut
Making light of his comments, Claudia replied: "We are ready to go on that cruise with you.
"Are you ready? How are you feeling about this dance?"
He nonchalantly replied: "Oh yeah, alright. Yeah."
Paul was later shown walking down the street in jeans and a T-shirt, mimicking the music video for Fat Les's 1998 song Vindaloo.
Just like in the music vid, footballs were thrown around behind him.
Paul was then tossed a Strictly Come Dancing glitter ball, which he quickly threw off camera.
After watching the footage, another viewer joked: "Paul throwing away the disco ball is a meme of how he feels being on the show."
Strictly 2024 Week One Scoreboard
Here's how the first week scoreboard looked:
- JB and Amy = 31
- Tasha and Aljaz = 30
- Sarah and Vito = 30
- Wynne and Katya = 26
- Montell and Johannes = 26
- Shayne and Nancy = 23
- Jamie and Michelle = 23
- Chris and Dianne = 23
- Sam and Nikita = 21
- Dr Punam and Gorka = 19
- Tom and Nadiya = 18
- Nick and Luba = 18
- Pete and Jowita = 17
- Paul and Karen = 17
- Toyah and Neil = 12
Paul and Karen danced to the track before receiving a low score of 17.
This placed them joint second from the bottom of the leaderboard.
"I love Paul Merson but he is not happy with that score!" another viewer remarked.
This isn't the first time Paul has shown his dissatisfaction on camera, either.
During the launch show, he and Karen were told what song they would be dancing to and he put his head in his hands.
But jumping to his defence, some fans have blasted the Beeb for giving Paul "patronising routines".
READ MORE SUN STORIES
One angry viewer wrote on X: "Right! I’m voting for Paul Merson every week now after that ‘vindaloo’ music stitch up and encourage everyone to do the same.
"When someone agrees to do this show, you should treat them with respect not make them a laughing stock IN THE FIRST WEEK."
6
6
6
Topics