Will Best’s strictly will run has reached week eight with a warning attached: Judi James says his open-mouthed ballroom face could cost him votes. The criticism lands while he is juggling Strictly Come Dancing, presenting work and a new baby boy.
Judi James on Will Best
James said: "Will badly needs to correct one body language trait that is spoiling his chances of a win. Instead of flaunting what could be his matinee idol good looks that would add an extra Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire spin to his waltzes and some sizzle to his tangos, he tends to dance with his mouth gaping wide open in a 'Guppy' gesture." Her view is blunt: the habit is not just visible, it is voteable.
She added: "It's distracting and it will be losing him votes. Dianne needs to get him rehearsing with a pencil chomped between his teeth to get him looking more chiselled cheekbones and less surprised guppy." For a contestant in week eight, that matters because the public vote can turn a neat routine into a survival test.
Week eight pressure
Best, 41, is competing with Dianne Buswell, and James says his energy is still a plus even when his face works against him. She described him as "eager, chatty and he throws everything into his dances," and added that he comes back with "hyper energy and commitment levels that show total commitment to the competition."
That is the twist in this story. James is warning that his expression could cost him support, but viewers last week praised the Quickstep he and Buswell performed to This Love by Maroon 5. One viewer said, "This was a hard dance which Will danced brilliantly," while another wrote, "This was brilliant guys amazing. Well done Dianne and Will. You should be so proud of yourself Will."
Saturday night, November 14
The competition has already thinned out: Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu became the sixth couple to go after a dance off against Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby. That leaves Best in a smaller field as the remaining couples prepare to dance on Saturday night, November 14.
James’s advice gives the practical read on what comes next. If Best can keep the performance energy and lose the "Guppy" face, he has a cleaner route to votes; if he cannot, the criticism becomes part of the narrative every time he steps onto the floor. Strictly Will now has a very specific test: whether the audience remembers the Quickstep, or the mouth.
