Shayne is actually a much better dancer than I was expecting (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
If you’re old enough to remember Shayne Ward on The X Factor, you’ll recall the hold he had on millions of us back in 2005.
It helped that he wouldn’t look out of place in a Dolce & Gabbana advert and had an impeccable falsetto when male popstars hitting those high notes was all the rage.
Listen to Daniel Bedingfield and Justin Timberlake for reference.
But is that alone enough to win one of the biggest public votes of the 00s? No, the public have to love you for you, too. Shayne looked like a model and sounded like pop prince but ultimately he was a humble lad from Manchester you could easily find in any town centre centre folding clothes or pulling pints.
He was a confident performer, sure, but he wasn’t cocky. There’s a fine line between the two and for some reason 20 years later, now he’s appearing on The X Factor’s rival series Strictly Come Dancing, viewers think that line has been crossed.
But has it?
Considering he was famed for his ballads as a popstar, Shayne is actually a much better dancer than I was expecting. Not to diminish his underrated up-tempo bops like No You Hang Up, but when I think of Shayne Ward I don’t think of dancer.
Shayne looked like a model and sounded like pop prince (Credits: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)
To my surprise, he’s actually pretty decent and has so far proven to be a dab-hand at all the styles of the ballroom.
His American Smooth last weekend felt effortless, and his chemistry with professional partner Nancy Xu has never felt stronger.
The week before his Cha-cha was fun, even if it was a little bit clunky. The judges loved it and he was sitting pretty comfortably at fifth on the leaderboard going into the public vote.
He should have been a safe bet to sail through to week five but against all odds he found himself in the bottom two with Nick Knowles, eventually saved by the judges.
It was the confirmation Shayne didn’t need: The public have hung up.
He’s since been spared the dance-off for one weekend, but is tipped by bookies to end up there again tonight for Halloween Week.
Shayne is in it to win it (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
It’s unclear why Strictly viewers aren’t gelling with Shayne, but glancing on social media, the overwhelming response is he’s ‘arrogant’ because he said at the beginning of the contest he’s ‘in it to win it’.
Granted, the competitive nature of Strictly Come Dancing has been increasingly scrutinised since the sacking of Graziano Di Prima and probe into Giovanni Pernice’s teaching style in training.
On one side, people have said Strictly is just a bit of fun while others are adamant it is still a dance contest, which as we’ve seen time and time again can also really boost someone’s career.
But can’t it be both?
Of course, Shayne is in it to win it – and quite rightly, he’s not the only one. Every single one of them is willingly pushing themselves to breaking point because they all want to survive another week and ultimately lift the Glitterball trophy.
I’m absolutely baffled that he’s not a safe bet each week (Credits: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
There’s a reason no one has rejected the Glitterball trophy – everyone wants to take it home. Why wouldn’t you? At least Shayne was honest about it.
I can’t say I’m picking up the phone voting for Shayne to win. It’s going to take a lot for me to vote for anyone other than Montell (Chris, you don’t need my vote), but I’m absolutely baffled that he’s not a safe bet each week, and has been accused of being overly confident.
After his American Smooth last Saturday, Shirley Ballas had some welcome advice for Shayne.
She said: ‘What I want you to search for now, just a little deeper, is your authentic self.
‘Who are you really? You don’t need to put a show on for anybody except yourself. You are that good.’
She’s right, too. Part of the reason the public isn’t engaging with Shayne is because they’re struggling to see the real him. But is that cockiness?
If anything, to me, he looks nervous and a little overwhelmed no doubt triggered by exaggerated and unwarranted backlash to one of the first comments he made on the show.
Unlike other contestants, with exception of fell X Factor alumni JB Gill of JLS fame, Shayne has ridden this rodeo before. He’s given himself up to the security of the public vote each week and experienced the extraordinary level of attention that comes with it.
No wonder JB was also in the bottom despite being one of the best dancers of the series. If both contestants are struggling to let viewers in, it’s not because they’re arrogant – far from it.
It’s likely because they’ve been in this position before, under much more intense circumstances when The X Factor was in its prime, and dipping their toes back into that environment must be intimidating beyond anything I could comprehend.
Will Shayne win Strictly? No, and he shouldn’t.
He’s up against much better dancers and characters but he shouldn’t be tortured with false accusations of being too competitive.
He’s as likeable and genuine now as he was when he won The X Factor 20 years ago and I really hope he’s still on Strictly for weeks to come.
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