Shirley Ballas Forced To Clarify Tyler West's Mark After Strictly Come Dancing Scoring Mix-Up

"I was in a bit of a muddle."
Open Image Modal
Tyler West receives his scores on Strictly Come Dancing
BBC

Shirley Ballas was forced to clarify her score for Strictly Come Dancing contestant Tyler West after a mix-up on Saturday night. 

The new series of the BBC ballroom show saw the Kiss FM DJ and professional partner Dianne Buswell perform an American Smooth to Falling by Harry Styles as the 15 latest stars all took to the floor for the first time.

During the routine, they attempted the challenging Angel Lift, which saw Tyler lift and spin Dianne over his head.

Shirley praised the couple for their lift, saying “any girl would feel safe doing any kind of tricks” with Tyler, but when it came to giving her score, there was some confusion. 

As the judges were called to reveal their marks, Shirley could be seen still scrambling to find the correct paddle, before she remarked: “I’m putting up a 7.”

However, a score of 6 – which Shirley would have entered into her electronic keypad prior to revealing her score – appeared on screen, leading to some confusion. 

Host Claudia Winkleman remarked: “OK, we just need to clarify because Shirley held up a 7. I’d imagine you’d prefer a 7...”

Confirming she was awarding a 7, she said: “I got muddled up with my paddles. I was in a bit of a muddle.”

Open Image Modal
Shirley Ballas
BBC

As Tyler and Dianne’s total of 22 was confirmed, it left them joint 11th on the leaderboard, alongside EastEnders star James Bye and his partner Amy Dowden.

 

Will Mellor and Nancy Xu and Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal both topped the night, landing top of the pile with a score of 34 for their routines. 

The first week’s scores only tell half the story though, as next Saturday, the couples will take to the floor once again, with their totals from across the two weeks combined. One couple will then become the first to be voted off this year’s show.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One.