Strictly Come Dancing Fans Divided Over ‘Overmarked’ Week 5 Performance

Strictly Come Dancing fans were left divided after EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick’s week five performance on Saturday night, with many feeling the judges had “overmarked” the routine. Borthwick, dressed as a matador, performed a powerful paso doble to the flamenco classic Malagueña by Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, alongside his professional dance partner Michelle Tsiakkas, told Manchester Evening News.

The performance impressed the judges, with Craig Revel Horwood offering rare praise for the duo. Anton Du Beke went even further, telling Borthwick, “You will never dance a better dance than that, you were brilliant.” Their efforts earned them a near-perfect score of 39 points, placing them joint top of the leaderboard for the current series.

While some viewers at home celebrated the high score, many took to social media to express their belief that the judges had been overly generous with their marks. One viewer, @cathalhaughey02, shared on X (formerly Twitter), “That was a wee bit overmarked. I gave it an 8.” Another fan, @theatresnob, wrote, “Oh for God’s sake, judges! Don’t you realise this leaves you nowhere to go with your marks?”

The sentiment was echoed by @Brekkietweets, who commented, “They give 10s out far too easily now. Should be reserved for the great, not the very good.” Similarly, @Evelynsmin added, “39???? I’m sorry but WHAT?? How can you even compare that with Tasha’s Charleston?”

Despite the criticism, many other fans were full of praise for the performance. @xliam93 admitted, “I’d written off my Jamie to score the first perfect 40 of the series bets, but that was mighty close,” while @aama25_em added, “Jamie and Michelle 39 out of 40. Should have been 40 but 39 is alright, so we move.”

The debate over the scoring highlights the challenge of balancing technical critique with the emotional impact of a performance, as fans continue to passionately weigh in on who deserves the top spots on the leaderboard.