ITV Dancing on Ice 'fix' row erupts as fans rage 'favouritism strikes again' over series frontrunners

ITV Dancing on Ice 'fix' row erupts as fans rage 'favouritism strikes again' over series frontrunners

WATCH NOW: Miles Nazaire and Vanessa Bauer perform on Dancing on Ice

ITV
Alex Davies

By Alex Davies


Published: 22/01/2024

- 15:02

Fans aren't best pleased after the first elimination of the series

Dancing on Ice fans have taken to the web to share their thoughts on the current crop of contestants now that all 12 celebrities have skated for the judges.

Sadly for boxer Ricky Hatton, the boxer was the first star booted off the show after he lost out to Lou Sanders in the skate-off.


At the other end of the leaderboard, it's Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards and Adele Roberts who topped the table with scores of 27.5 apiece - even though the latter's partner Mark Hanretty slipped on the ice.

They were closely followed by Ryan Thomas with 26.5, then Miles Nazaire with 26, and Amber Davies with 25.

While Davies' Week One result sparked a favouritism row following the judges' scoring, the second week has seen fans take their frustrations one step further.

Following Week Two, several irked viewers have claimed pro skater Vanessa Bauer is being put at an advantage over her fellow professionals after being partnered with Made in Chelsea hunk Nazaire.

Miles Nazaire and Vanessa Bauer

Miles Nazaire and Vanessa Bauer impressed with their debut routine

ITV/SHUTTERSTOCK

Nazaire's ability on the ice and the fact he's already one of the frontrunners to win the entire series has sparked much of the fury.

Bauer's record on the show since she started includes a win with Jake Quickenden, as well as runner-up finishes with Wes Nelson, Perri Kiely, Brendan Cole and Joey Essex.

In fact, the only time Bauer hasn't reached the final is with Emmerdale's Joe Warren Plant and that was only because they had to withdraw on Covid grounds.

A spot in the final appears to await Bauer again with William Hill, Coral, BetVictor and Unibet struggling to separate Nazaire from Thomas in the odds with the latter edging just in front at 5/2 while Nazaire is priced at 3/1.

Eddie Edwards and Milez Nazaire

Eddie Edwards and Milez Nazaire both emerged near the top of the leaderboard

ITV

After seeing Nazaire's debut performance, Dancing on Ice viewers soon took to X, formerly Twitter, to express their annoyance that Bauer has been paired with another strong skating celebrity.

One viewer fumed: "Oh what a surprise!! Vanessa has been partnered with someone that can skate, and has a lot of skating ability and confidence. Will there ever be a series where she’s partnered with someone who actually struggles?! Favouritism strikes again! #DancingOnIce."

A second similarly hit out: "#DancingOnIce Vanessa always gets given the young good looking ones that can already skate. I don’t why they keep setting her up for the final as there are other professional skaters on there that are just as good."

Meanwhile, a third weighed in: "What does Vanessa have on these producers???? Why is she ALWAYS paired with someone who is 1) good looking 2) has potential? Doesn’t seem fair on the others pros that all have to have their fair share #dancingonice."

WATCH NOW: Adele Roberts left in tears after first Dancing on Ice performance 

The irked verdicts kept on coming as a fourth argued: "Same old #DancingOnIce pairing Vanessa with the young guy that likely doesn’t have many commitments so can therefore be at the rink more. They should’ve paired her with one of the more mature males."

And a fifth said: "Surprise surprise Vanessa Bauer gets another young celebrity on #DancingOnIce #DOI can she not get the older or less abled guy for a change. She should have got Ricky Hatton or Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards instead of another ringer and likely finalist."

"Why does Vanessa get partnered with the strongest skater every single year?! #dancingonice," another questioned while a further shared: "Swear it’s written in Vanessa’s contract about the type of Celeb she gets paired with #dancingonice."

However, there was still some support for Bauer and Nazaire following their debut, including one fan who praised: "Well done, vanessa and Miles #DancingOnIce."

And another added: "Miles. Really good 1st performance.. confident.. deserved the 6.5’s. #DancingOnIce." (sic)

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