Strictly Come Dancing 2019

If you had 2 daughters would you honestly call one Oti and the other Motsi? 

Anyway. There we are. If they're going the sibling route why not Joanne? Let's just hope for the sake of all our eardrums she's the 'quieter' sister.

I don't believe that Motsi would be biased in favour of her sister - but perception is everything. And it is inevitable that the accusations will fly no matter what she says - either she is being too kind or too harsh.

Given the kerfuffle of the last series, the producers should have selected someone who was independent - and by failing to do so, they have let down Oti and set up Motsi to get a lot of (almost certainly undeserved) stick.

Oh heck no. I’d have to stop watching if Joanne came back.

Motsi seems lovely and I hope she does well.

I agree it’ll be difficult for Oti being scored by a sister but I’m sure they’ll get it right.

Oh good grief, what a sweeping assumption of a lack of professionalism on the part of both ladies! If people have a nepotism filter then that reflects badly on them alone and is their problem.

Many people very successfully separate working and personal relationships, and Motsi and Oti have in fact done so before on the German version of Strictly. She marked Oti just as hard if not more hardly than the rest of the judges, and funnily enough no-one blinked an eyelid.

Judge her dancing credentials all you like (they are almost as good as Shirley's), but to immediately clamour for her removal just because she happens to be related to Oti is just silly.

If anything, Oti is the loser here as Motsi will have no option but to mark her more harshly just to deal with all the people who assume she doesn't have any professional pride or integrity.

If you also looked at my second post, it explains my position further.

The BBC are the ones at fault here. They are creating a situation that will lead to unwarranted controversy.

It is unfair to both sisters. And I think it is a mistake to have made this appointment even though it has worked in the German version.

This is a no win situation for both sisters and it is wrong to have put them in this position.

I am absolutely convinced of their professionalism but I am equally convinced that every score will be over analysed to look for bias either way.

Strictly had a tricky 2018. They have now made 2019 harder than it needed to be.

It's not wrong in any way, shape, or form to hire a properly qualified judge with proven TV credentials who knows what she is talking about.

They both had a choice in this, Motsi didn't have to accept the role, but she shouldn't have to turn it down just because people decide to make silly assumptions just because she happens to be related to one of the pro dancers.


People keep going on and on about how it is only an entertainment show, so if they want to be hypocritical and now obsess about scoring then that's up to them, but they will be the only ones coming out of this badly, not the BBC.

When Joanne was suggested as a judge regardless of what her commitments were, the consensus on here was that there would be an issue if Kevin was a dancer on the show. We now have the same issue with Motsi and Oti IMO.

Creepy sycophant Dan Wootton said on Lorraine last week that Oti had screen tested for the job and had failed and it was now "likely" that Anton would get the nod. I'm guessing this might have been when Motsi screen tested and he got half the story. Would the Beeb put two sisters up against each other for the job and would two siblings really go for the same job ( Miliband brothers excepted when the wrong one was chosen). Plus why move Oti from pro ranks to be a judge, you could have theoretically done it with any of the pros, there are much older pros than Oti who aren't such good dancers.

I don't find Oti particularly loud, she has a little high voice if anything IMO and I've always thought she has a lovely personality.

Motsi ticks all my boxes for being an ideal judge - proven dance background, previous judging experience and younger than the other judges to bring the average age down a bit again.

I just sadly see it being a no win situation having to judge her sibling as I would if it had been Karen judging Kevin, Janette judging Aljaz even if it was someone judging their own pro partner say Erin judging Anton.

I can see why the producers have done this. It has got the maximum amount of attention any judge would have done.

If it had been Bonnie Langford that would’ve caused minimal fuss. Anton would caused a bit of fuss but by no means as much. Wasn’t Piers Morgan complaining in advance that it might be another woman? Now we’ve got the twist of it being a woman with a sister on the show.

The producers have shown in recent years that they only care about column inches and nothing about ‘on-screen talent’s’ well-being. (See Ashley, Amy, Danny and Faye last year (Luckily for Faye she had a brilliant family around her; the others did in private Im sure, but Faye’s husband managed to put the dogs off the scent sharpish)).

This is perfect for them, Motsi and Oti can be thrown to the dogs if necessary to create more headlines. A ‘source’ is all that’s necessary to create a headline. Very sneaky, but well done, producers.

Does anyone follow Dancing with the Stars enough to know whether there have been any issues with Julianne Hough judging brother Derek? I watched bits online when he was dancing with Bindi Irwin, but dont follow in detail.

What a tiny world the pro dancing one seems to be.

I agree it is a fairly closed shop - Two married couples on the show, other previous ones, sisters and brothers as dancers. AJ's brother who is/was on Love Island is also a dancer. But a lot of the couples were signed up as a joint package and you cannot really split up a pro couple to get one on the show and not the other.

Shirley's son by her husband who Kristina Rihanoff ran off with was a pro on the US version too.

Kevin and Joanne's parents were Champion Dancers too so it really is following in the family footsteps.

Again it's Oti who I feel has been put in an awkward position through no fault of her own, I really hope she doesn't get any backlash as she doesn't deserve it.

Hang on there.
Kristina ran off with Shirley's husband?
This didn’t seem to impinge on the show at all then? Lovely people dancers, very accepting.