Ola Jordan predicts mass cull of Strictly pros as she calls for 'half' to be replaced
She wants some of the judges gone, too!
Strictly Come Dancing bosses have been urged to make huge changes ahead of next year’s show by former pro dancer Ola Jordan.
Ola, who was on the show between 2006 and 2015, said she’d replace some of the judges, “half” of the pros, overhaul the voting system, change the way the VTs are filmed and put Anton Du Beke in place as host.
And, with hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman leaving, perhaps now’s the time to really switch things up…
Ola Jordan declares ‘half the pros should go’
Speaking to Mecca Bingo, Ola shared her plans for a Strictly shake-up.
She said: “There are still professional dancers there who make an impact. But I think about half should go.
“Bringing someone like Alexis [Warr] into the show this year was amazing. Some of the lifts she did, I couldn’t do, and you’ve got to be honest with yourself. It just shows that bringing fresh blood into the show freshens things up.”
She added: “There are so many amazing dancers out there, and they should be bringing more in. Some professionals now look a bit bored. They’re not really bringing much to the table any more.
“When I did my 10 years, there was a point where I thought, I’ve done enough. Otherwise, you’re just there for the sake of being there. At the beginning, there’s excitement and drive, you work really hard. But after 10 years, you think, I’ve done it all. I’ve won. I’ve had different partners. What else can I bring?
“Some of them feel like that but are scared to leave because life after the show is very different,” she added. “But as an audience, you can see when people are over it.”
‘Let’s shake it all up’
Another thing she’d shake up is the judging line-up.
“I do agree with a big shake-up. It’s already going to change because of the presenters, but let’s shake it all up. Let’s do big things. I think it’s time. I think people are getting slightly bored, and the viewing figures are dropping. Let’s shake it up and do something different.
“I would definitely change some professional dancers. I’d change some judges. Shake it up properly. I’d also maybe change the voting system. You can’t have ties on the leaderboard – the judges need to decide who’s done better and rank them accordingly.”
Speaking more about Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke’s future on the show, Ola continued: “I’d change some judges, not all of them, change the format slightly, especially the voting. Maybe go back to Saturday night-only results. I’d definitely make changes.”
As for who she wants on the panel, there’s no surprises over who Ola is backing: “My James. He’s very honest, and he wouldn’t mess about. You couldn’t tell him to be soft, he’d say what he thinks, but never in a horrible way.
“There’s no need to be horrible when giving criticism. You just say: ‘You didn’t do this right.’ I think he’d be brilliant. Also, I’d make Anton the presenter,” she added.
‘Warning sign’
Ola also said the BBC has been handed a ‘warning sign’ after this year’s viewing figures dropped.
“Especially with the presenters leaving, it’s the right time to change things. I’d make big changes, voting, judges, and dancers. And also, the VT packages. Go back to the old-style VTs where people really struggled,” she said.
Explaining further, Ola added: “When we were filmed, there was a camera crew in the room all the time. You saw the arguments, the struggles, the funny moments. That doesn’t happen any more. People want to see them struggling with a step, dropping lifts. I was dropped on my head so many times.
“You see the chemistry building that way. You don’t want to see them going to a café saying: ‘I brought you here because you need a coffee.’ That’s boring. Show them learning the routine, struggling with the lifts. People love that. It feels more authentic. They want to see the reality, not someone bouncing on a trampoline because they’re doing the jive. That’s rubbish,” she concluded.
So will the BBC listen to Ola, and many fans of the show, and shake things up? We guess it’s a case of watch this space…
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