"What is going on?": Former Strictly star Oti Mabuse hits out at the judges' scoring

Former Strictly Come Dancing pro Oti Mabuse has taken aim at the judges' scoring this season, labelling the most recent episode of the BBC series "the most frustrating".

Taking to TikTok, Oti shared that she had just recorded an episode of her podcast The Fifth Judge, which she co-hosts with her husband, pro dancer Marius Iepure.

"Was that not the most frustrating episode that you have ever seen?" Oti asked her followers in the clip.

The dancer said that she felt that the judging panel, which includes her sister Motsi Mabuse alongside Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke, had been too strict with some of the celebrities.

Oti said that "a lot of the celebrities were underscored" by the judging panel, asking: "What is going on?"

"Ultimately, I just thought a lot of the dances were underscored, and when they were, I wondered if we were focused on the couple," she continued.

"It left me wondering why they were underscored – it left me wondering why they would give a certain score. That’s what I need to know: why we're giving certain scores."

Oti then asked her 611k followers to share her opinions and went on to offer a piece of advice to the judges, arguing that the quartet need to offer better constructive criticism so to give dancers the chance to improve.

"Y'all need to tell people how to get better," she said.

Oti's puzzlement was shared by fans after last Saturday's episode when House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu became the latest couple to be eliminated from the show.

"Bethany and Nancy did not deserve to go home," wrote one viewer, with another viewer writing: "Honestly so gutted for Bethany and Nancy. Not sure what the judges were thinking. Dreadful decision!"

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.

The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of the world of K-pop, is here. Buy K-Pop in newsagents or online.

Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).