shake up
James Jordan leads calls for Strictly judges to be SACKED after fury over high scores
It comes after Shirley Ballas came under fire from fans too
FORMER Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan has called for BBC bosses to "get rid" of the show's judging panel completely.
His stark comments come as he urged for the reality series - which is in its 20th year - to instigate a huge shake-up when it comes to the results.
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James, 46, starred on Strictly Come Dancing from 2006 to 2013.
He sadly didn't ever scoop the iconic Glitterball Trophy yet came second in 2010 with Pamela Stephenson.
Fans love his online commentary on social media site X through the live shows and, following the Blackpool Week extravaganza, he hailed Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell as his "favourite."
Aussie pro Dianne broke down in tears following the pair's stunning American Smooth, which scooped a 37 score from the judges.
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He took to his page on X to write: "Chris and Dianne are still my favourites this week - and also the best dance. Pure class!!!"
Yet he was less than impressed with the judging panel as a whole, which includes Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge, Shirley Ballas.
His gripe centred on the huge number of 10 scores being dished out.
The top three celebs - Tasha Ghouri, Sarah Hadland and Chris - all scooped at least one 10, while the rest of the table scored highly.
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In a stark remark, he wrote on X: "Just give everyone 10’s - get rid of the judges and just let the public decide 100 per cent."
He then replied to a fan and insisted: "The leaderboard being correct makes a massive difference."
Furious Strictly fans blast judge Craig Revel Horwood as he shocks crowd with bizarre comment
During Saturday's live show, top scoring couple Tasha and Aljaz were agonisingly close to a top score with 39 out of 40.
Pete Wicks was at the bottom of the table with 27 - a mark that was significantly boosted by two eight scores.
After the contestants perform the judges give their scores, before the marks decide their position in the table.
Yet the public vote can change everything - meaning the bottom two who tackle the dance off often aren't the same as the bottom two on the table.
Strictly 2024 pairings
Here's who is matched with who this series...
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
JB Gill and Amy Dowden MBE
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
One fan was quick to take to X to support James' view and put: "Yes agreed they are making it a farce overmarking constantly."
Another put: "Craig is only one I would keep."
A third then posted: "Shocking scores!"
Yet others were quick to stick up for the panel, with one writing: "Understand your frustration but we can never get rid of
@bbcstrictly @CraigRevHorwood Motsi @ShirleyBallas @TheAntonDuBeke."
Another clapped back at the pro and said: "I wouldn't go as far as saying that."
FAN FURY
Yet some had echoed James' remarks during the live show.
During the episode, fans pleaded for Head Judge Shirley to be given the boot after they claimed she "overmarked" Pete.
She pulled out an eight score for their routine to Right Said Fred's I'm Too Sexy.
Pete dressed for the occasion in a pair of skintight pink PVC trousers and fur jacket.
One wrote on social media: "Need Shirley to leave after this series. So f****** unprofessional. Pete gets 'very entertaining' for that."
Another said: "Shirley losing all credibility as a judge."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Yet The Sun exclusively revealed how Shirley clapped back and said: "I'm not going anywhere."
Additionally, Craig came under fire for a bizarre comment during his analysis later in the episode.
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