BBC Strictly Come Dancing fans claim show is 'fixed' after controversial axe

BBC viewers have expressed their outrage over the results of the first Strictly Come Dancing elimination this series, with one of the show's professional dancers making a significant remark on social media.

Sunday night saw 24-year-old Tom Dean bidding farewell as the first contestant eliminated from Strictly. The decision followed a split amongst the judges over who to send home between Tom and actress Toyah Wilcox.

While Anton Du Beke was in favour of keeping Tom in the competition, Motsi Mabuse and Craig Revel Horwood opted to save Toyah, leaving Shirley Ballas with the casting vote. Ultimately, Shirley chose to keep 66-year-old Toyah in the contest, causing Tom to exit.

This verdict has sparked uproar among fans, prompting accusations of a 'fix' on the show.

Disappointed viewers took to Twitter to voice their discontent, with one writing: "Absolute fix. They obviously have some deal to give Neil more air time this year. Poor Tom. Not on at all", reports the Mirror.

Another stated: "Tom has been robbed!! Toyah was by far the worse dancer!!! Absolute Fix." Additionally, another tweet read: "Jeez. First week and already a disgraceful decision. Wasn't your fault Tom."

Another fan expressed disagreement with the evening's result, saying: "Totally disagree with the decision this evening. Tom was far better," meanwhile, a comment from another viewer read: "Actually gutted Tom left #Strictly, his week 1 dance was the best of the night - the chemistry between the two of them was so good. Should not have been in the dance off."

Nadiya Bychkova was left heartbroken after she and Olympian Tom Dean made a shock departure from Strictly Come Dancing, taking to Instagram to express her emotions.

She wrote: "I really appreciate all the messages but I'm not ready to talk about what happened tonight just yet." She concluded her post with a praying hands emoji and a white heart as symbols of her gratitude yet tempered sorrow.

Amidst the competition, Nadiya had earlier commended Tom for more than his Olympic glory, saying on the show: "He taught me how to work really hard and how to put everything in. And you know what? On this programme, sometimes to win, you don't need to win, and that's how I feel this year."

Head judge Shirley Ballas weighed in during the tense moments following their performances. She acknowledged the pressure of the first dance-off, commenting: "I think both couples appeared a little bit nervous to start with and of course, this is our first dance-off.

"Both of them had some qualities, the first thing required as a dancer is timing and clarity. Both couples were a little bit in and out but one was a little bit more out than in, the same as what Motsi said. Due to musicality and other things that I had to pick and getting out there, your life depending on it, I have to save Toyah and Neil."

The week's competition saw Tom Dean and Nadiya score 23 points for their Cha Cha, leaving them ninth in the rankings. Previously, Tom had managed the same score with his Tango, culminating in a total of 46 points across two weeks.

Before hitting the dance floor for his last performance, he opened his heart to judge Tess Daly about his journey on Strictly. His fond words were: "I've had the best time the last few weeks and getting to work with Nadiya has been incredible.

"I wish I could have gone further and done more dances. I've had the most fun and I wish we could keep going longer and longer. We'll still go out for loads of brunches I'm sure."

Even as Tom bids a heartfelt goodbye to the competition, bookmakers are now tipping Chris McCausland as the hot favourite to take home the glitterball trophy. Chris, alongside his partner Dianne Buswell, scored a respectable 29 for their second week performance, landing them in sixth place on the leaderboard.

Ladbrokes' Nicola McGeady revealed: "Tasha may have topped the leaderboard, but punters adore Chris. He has attracted the weight of money for the second week running and stands as the one to beat."