Strictly Come Dancing viewers have reacted to Cynthia Erivo's guest appearance during Movie Week, and a lot seem to have one common criticism of the setup despite heaping praise on her ability.
The Wicked star returned to the BBC series as a guest "mentor" for the third week of the competition, with the actor being sandwiched between judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.
Despite offering the various couples some considerate and wise advice throughout the week and during Saturday's (11 October) live show, Cynthia wasn't technically a judge as she wasn't given a scoring paddle.
This has irked some fans of the series on social media, with one viewer writing on X: "They could have given Cynthia a score paddle…. She’s just sat there like a lemon #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly"
"So Cynthia isn’t scoring, ROBBED #Strictly" wrote a second user as they echoed this sentiment, with a third quipping: "Cynthia just sat in the middle whilst they score is sending me, she’s like a competition winner #strictly"
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"The concept of having Cynthia Erivo just mentor them for 3 minutes during the dress rehearsal today and just sitting in the middle giving comments without scoring?!! #Strictly #SCD" joked a fourth viewer.
While the actor, who previously appeared as guest judge on the series in 2021, didn't have a scoring paddle this time around, she was praised by viewers for her supportive feedback to the contestants.
"#cynthiaerivo on the #Strictly panel as a mentor is another level.. so constructive and considerate. #MovieWeek is more entertaining than instructive but always fun.. Cynth's great (little bow) love her, wish she came in every week," wrote one happy fan.
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"I need Cynthia Erivo to give me a pep talk every morning #strictly" added one other impressed viewer, while another asked: "Can Cynthia be on Strictly every week? I just love her #Strictly #cynthiaerivo"
On the dance floor, it was Lewis Cope and Katya Jones who topped the leaderboard after scoring 37 points - including the first 10 of the season - for their Paso doble, while Ross King and Jowita Przystal were at the bottom with 19 points for the same dance.
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
