The glitter-dusted ballroom of Strictly Come Dancing erupted into chaos last night—not from a botched paso doble or a wobbly foxtrot, but from a razor-sharp quip that sliced straight through the sequins and straight to the heart of fan fury. Drag icon and fan-favorite La Voix has ignited a full-blown Twitterstorm (or should we say X-plosion?) after what many are calling a “savage shade-throw” at her fellow contestants’ suspiciously polished dance pedigrees. As the BBC’s beloved sparkle-fest hit its second live show on October 4, the drama unfolding off the dancefloor has everyone asking: Is La Voix the queen of comebacks… or the villain of the velvet?
Picture this: The iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom, alive with the thrum of anticipation under the watchful eyes of head judge Shirley Ballas, cheeky Anton Du Beke, fiery Motsi Mabuse, and the ever-exacting Craig Revel Horwood. Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, resplendent in their signature glamour, guided a fresh wave of celebrities onto the floor for their shot at glory. With the first elimination looming this Sunday, the stakes were sky-high—and so, apparently, was La Voix’s wit.
Kicking off the night with electric energy, La Voix and her pro partner Aljaž Škorjanec tore up the floor in a high-octane jive that had the crowd roaring. But it was what came next that turned the cheers into gasps. Chatting post-performance with Claudia, La Voix turned her spotlight on last week’s standout stars, gushing about their “incredible” routines before dropping the bomb: “One’s an athlete, one was doing tap in Billy Elliot, all I’ve done is JD Sports once a week, and the only tap I know is in Screwfix—it’s terrible, Claudia!”
Oof. For the uninitiated, that “athlete” jab points straight at Lioness star Amber Davies, whose athletic prowess has been fueling whispers of an unfair edge, while the Billy Elliot nod? That’s a not-so-subtle swipe at Lewis Bulland, whose childhood tap-dancing days in the West End smash have fans side-eyeing his “celebrity newbie” status. What started as a self-deprecating zinger quickly morphed into perceived pettiness, and the internet? It did not hold back.
X lit up like a disco ball on fire. One viewer fumed: “Not sure I like the little dig at other contestants there, especially as a performer on stage—hmm.” Another went nuclear: “La Voix throwing clear shade at Amber and Lewis, referencing their previous dance experience. That’s not going to go down well.” And then there was the passionate defense of the underdogs: “La Voix saying that she did a great jive last week because she’s an athlete. No La Voix. She did it well because she’s got Lioness grit and determination!”
But hold the phone—not everyone’s buying the backlash. A vocal defender chimed in: “Yes, La Voix calling out the hypocrisy of having trained dancers on the show!” It’s a divide that’s ripped the Strictly fandom in two: Team Shade (outraged at the snark) versus Team Truth (cheering the unfiltered realness). As hashtags like #LaVoixShade and #StrictlyDrama trend worldwide, the question on every sequin-loving lip is: Will this feud fracture the fairy-tale facade of the show, or fuel its fiery magic?
La Voix, of course, is no stranger to stirring the pot with her trademark tongue-lashings. The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK alum has been a breakout star since week one, her quick-fire one-liners landing like perfectly timed cha-cha drops. And last night? She saved her sauciest shot for the hosts. As Tess, slaying in a bold red suit that screamed “red-carpet royalty,” quipped post-performance, “One thing’s for sure, you still know how to put on a show,” La Voix fired back without missing a beat: “Thank you, and you clearly used to work at Butlins.” She paused for effect, then added with a wink, “It catches on the red, it catches on.”
The crowd lost it—and so did the feeds. “La Voix coming for Tess each week is so funny. She needs to make the final for this alone,” one superfan swooned. In a sea of scripted sweetness, La Voix’s unapologetic edge is the secret sauce keeping viewers hooked, even as it brews controversy.
As the dust settles (or rather, the confetti), one thing’s crystal clear: Strictly Come Dancing isn’t just about fancy footwork anymore—it’s a battlefield of banter, biases, and bold-faced truths. Will La Voix waltz through the week unscathed, or has she tangoed into trouble? Tune in Sunday for the eliminations… and the endless X-scrolling that follows. Because in the world of Strictly, the real dance-off? It’s happening online.