Amanda Holden issued a warning to the crowd ahead of her critique of the first act of the night on Britain's Got Talent: The Semi-Finals
During the live semi-final of Britain's Got Talent, judge Amanda Holden faced a torrent of disapproval from the audience after giving her candid verdict on the act.
As she prepared to comment on the first performance, she prefaced her critique with the forewarning, "I'm not going to be very popular".
The Wirral and Manchester-based dance partners Harry and Lewis, who had been dancing together since their youth, kicked off the line-up.
While fellow judges Bruno Tonioli and Alesha Dixon complimented the young duo, Amanda's straightforward appraisal noticeably dampened the mood in the room.
Displaying her trademark candor, Amanda began with, "I'm not going to be very popular," and then said, "Thank God for the production because I was quite disappointed with that."
She did acknowledge their dedication, commenting "I can see that you have worked hard and that the choreography you had worked hard on," yet her attempt to soften the blow was lost amidst a chorus of boos from the spectators.
Continuing despite the negative reception, she said, "But I don't think it was enough, I just don't feel like that was a step up from your first audition, so I am really sorry," eliciting further discontent from the watching crowd.
The audience, not shy in expressing their disagreement, booed so vociferously that it was challenging to hear her remarks.
In contrast, Simon Cowell leapt to Harry and Lewis's defense, commending them for elevating their routine from the initial audition, while he did raise questions about whether they were aiming to clinch the top prize, as noted by Wales Online.
"Personally, I did feel like this was better than your first audition," Simon told the performers, acknowledging their evident skill. "You make what looks hard, easy."
Simon then touched on their audience connection: "I think you are skewed towards a younger audience, I mean it, but do you really want to win this?".
Reflecting on their dedication, Simon observed: "You don't say much, and I think sometimes you need to tell the audience how much it means to you."
Responding to Simon's remarks, Harry said: "We have been dancing all of our lives as a career, and like everyone else with their jobs, we went through a whole pandemic with it, managed to keep going, dancing, teaching, competing, kept the passion for it."
He concluded confidently: "In answer to your question, Simon, of course we want to win it."
