Strictly Come Dancing fans were left fuming as Chris McCausland and Tasha Ghouri took to the floor
Strictly Come Dancing enthusiasts have expressed their disbelief, insisting ‘it shouldn’t be allowed’ as they watched Chris McCausland and Tasha Ghouri in the 2024 final. Comedian Chris McCausland, actress Sarah Hadland, JLS’s JB Gill, and Love Island alumna Tasha Ghouri reached the final of the BBC One dance competition with their pro partners Dianne Buswell, Vito Coppola, Lauren Oakley, and Aljaz Skorjanec.
In the grand finale on Saturday night (December 14), each couple delivered three performances across the two-and-a-half-hour episode – one picked by the judges, their personal favourite and an enthralling showstopper.
The finale was kicked off by singer and presenter JB, alongside Lauren, who revisited their quarter-final Viennese waltz to “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” from Mary Poppins. The pair received guidance from Anton Du Beke during training who described their performance as “amazing” and praised himself as an instructor.
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“I know you’ve got three dances tonight, I would like to see that three times,” Anton commented. Motsi Mabuse commended them saying, “that’s how you start a Strictly final,” leading to a perfect judge’s score of 40.
Tasha Ghouri then astounded audiences and was celebrated as potentially the greatest dancer ever witnessed on Strictly Come Dancing after she and partner Aljaz executed a couples choice dance, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Despite garnering 39 points from the judges, Craig Revel Horwood remarked he expected “more from the pair”.
Head judge Shirley Ballas commended Tasha for mastering her emotions and allowing them to shine through in her performance. Anton remarked, “Are you the best dancer on Strictly Come Dancing? Quite possibly”.
In a dramatic moment during the final, Chris recreated his “blackout moment”. His and Dianne’s couple’s choice routine – performed to John Lennon’s “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)” – was hailed as a “genuine improvement” by Shirley, having first been showcased in week eight. Motsi was in awe, saying “watching you dance is so, so incredible”, and highlighted that despite not having the “orientation” to see himself spinning his partner around on his shoulders in the dark, he executed it flawlessly.
They were awarded 38 points by the judges. However, some Strictly fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the inclusion of couple’s choice routines in the final, especially since the Show Dance already allows couples creative freedom.
@fansvfavourites tweeted their discontent: “You’re doing a couples choice in the final then you shouldn’t be allowed to win btw #Strictly.”
Similarly, @roscoeleebarnes voiced frustration: “Couples choice again. WTAF #Strictly.”
And @CaptMagenta questioned the fairness, writing: “Why are they allowing couples choice in the final. Seems unfair to me. It’s not a proper dance style. #Strictly.”
@mariamilann urged: “Stop picking couples choice for the final! ! ! #strictly.”
@TeacherBusy tweeted: “Ooooo! Should we be allowing couples to do their couple’s choice again in the final? Doesn’t seem fair if they aren’t all doing them #StrictlyComeDancing #strictly #StrictlyFinal.”
@RyanTheSoapking commented: “I’ve always said a Couples Choice should never be a judges choice because it’s a similar rule for the show dance. Chris and Tasha should’ve had one Latin and one ballroom dance each to make it fair. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing.”
