Dancing on Ice fans asked, “What is going on?” minutes into Sunday’s (March 9) final, when they issued the same complaint.
The 17th series of the hit skating competition ends tonight, as Springwatch’s Michaela Strachan, ex-footballer Anton Ferdinand, and ‘s Sam Aston compete for the coveted trophy.
Anton and his partner, Annette Dytrt, were up first, and they performed a showcase routine that was choreographed by head judges Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
They brought the disco vibes to the ITV studio, skating to Prince and The Revolution’s 1984 hit “Let’s Go Crazy” – with eight pro skaters joining them during the routine.
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Dancing on Ice weren’t impressed with the showcase routines (Image: ITV)
However, viewers were not impressed with the number of people that were on the ice, as they couldn’t see Anton and Annette.
Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their frustration, with one writing: “What is going on? Why is it crowded?”
“Too much is going on in this performance. Why do we need some many pros dancing with him?” another added, while a third said: “Thinking about it theres too much going on lol.”
A fourth fan echoed the sentiment: “Hate the backing dancers in the Showcase Skate – can’t we just see the couple skate without any distractions,” with another similarly sharing: “Had trouble finding Anton sometimes.”
Speaking about his performance, Anton said: “It has been [lifechanging]. When you retire from football, I retired six years ago, I lost a part of me. Thank you to Dancing on Ice and all the team behind that made me start to feel like myself again.”
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The 17th series of Dancing on Ice comes to an end tonight (March 9) (Image: ITV)
Despite the viewers’ disapproval, Anton and Annette earned a perfect score of 40 from the judges, who were incredibly impressed with how much the ex-footballer had improved over the course of the competition.
“I’m so proud of you, man. What’s always set you aside for me is your care, your commitment and the heart that you put in, not only into the performance, but into the process and into the week leading up to it,” said Ashley Banjo.
Jayne added: “That was such a great performance, and I loved the energy… We were throwing lots of things and you, but you went away and worked hard as always. That was great.”
Chris gave Anton a heartwarming hug after his performance, saying: “His progress from masterclass to final has just been amazing, and this week working with Anton and getting to know him has been my pleasure.”
Dancing on Ice airs on ITV1 and ITVX