What about the Wordy Walz and Textual Tango of Our Judges Words ?

If you're as delulu as I am and cared to sift through all judges post-dance comments in Strictly Season 23, you'd find four distinct judging lingo-styles emerged over the twelve weeks - each as different as the samba, quickstep, cha-cha-cha and charleston.

Craig, Shirley, Motsi, and Anton each had their own consistent style, tempo and choice of language, and you could identify them all from the wording alone once you read enough comment blocks.

Craig used the most direct and compressed language. You saw short sentences with clear judgement words such as “lacked,” “missed,” and “lost.” When Thomas Skinner danced with Amy Dowden, Craig said, “You lost timing and your footwork looked heavy,” which gave a full evaluation in one line. With George Clarke and Alexis Warr, he said, “There was no rhythm and no control,” which removed any sense of their partial success. We noticed how he stacked negatives and rarely softened the tone. His comments focused on outcome rather than process, so we heard what failed without much explanation of how to fix it.

Shirley Ballas used longer, structured sentences and focused on technical detail. We saw her break movement into parts and name each element. With Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola, she said, “You kept your posture strong, but you need to place your feet more clearly through the turns,” which guided you step by step. With Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova, she said, “Your frame needs to stay consistent because you lose shape when you travel,” which linked cause and effect. Her language often included terms like “heel leads,” “top line,” and “frame,” so we understood her ballroom focus.

Motsi Mabuse leaned toward rhythm, feeling, and connection. Her sentences often included emotional verbs such as “felt,” “believed,” and “connected.” When Harry Aikines-Aryeetey danced with Karen Hauer, she said, “You brought energy and I felt your commitment,” which centred performance quality. With Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington, she said, “You lost the connection halfway through and I stopped believing the story,” which showed how she judged narrative flow. We saw how she still gave critique, yet framed it through audience response rather than strict technique.

Anton Du Beke sat between Shirley and Motsi in tone. He mixed technical notes with performance feedback in a conversational style. With Karen Carney and Carlos Gu, he said, “You gave elegance, but you need more drive through your standing leg,” which paired praise with a clear fix. When Ross King danced with Jowita Przystal, he said, “You showed good intent, but you need more control in your core,” which kept feedback balanced. His language often used phrases like “you need more” or “you gave us,” which created a steady rhythm in delivery.

Across all judges, we saw consistent use of second person address. Each comment spoke directly to the celebrity. We hear lines such as “You need to finish your lines,” “You improved your timing,” and “You lost balance in the spin.” When Amber Davies danced with Nikita Kuzmin, Shirley said, “You held your frame well,” while Craig added, “You rushed the transitions.” All these comments showed how the different judges described the same dance through their own linguistic lenses.

When you compared all four styles, we saw a clear separation. Craig delivered verdicts, Shirley delivered instruction, Motsi delivered reaction, and Anton blended both sides into a measured response.

Verbally and linguistically then - Craig's a  didactic-stompy-waltz, Shirley's a precisely-articulated foxtrot, Motsi a dictionary-passionate Argentine Tango and Anton a lithe-lexical Rhumba. Who knew ? 

Well... It's all in the words...