La Voix Accuses Strictly Come Dancing of Sabotage After Week 10 Elimination Amid Voting Scandal
When Amélie Dubois, known on Strictly Come DancingElstree Studios as La Voix, was eliminated in Week 10 despite reportedly receiving 1.2 million public votes, the dance floor didn’t just stop moving — it cracked open. The live show, broadcast on Sunday, November 17, 2025, at 7:00 PM GMT, ended not with a standing ovation, but with a flood of fan outrage, a broken microphone, and a judge’s sudden point deduction that changed everything. Now, the French Eurovision winner and her partner Marco Rossi are alleging not just bad luck, but orchestrated sabotage by BBC Studios.
The Night the Microphone Died
It was the Samba to "Mas Que Nada" — upbeat, sensual, flawless. At precisely 8:22 PM GMT, La Voix’s wireless mic cut out mid-phrase. The audience gasped. The judges looked confused. Then came Craig Revel Horwood, who, despite the technical failure being clearly production-related, docked two points for "technical interference." "That’s not a dance error," La Voix told BBC News in her Notting Hill apartment the next day. "That’s a punishment. My team counted the votes. We had 1.2 million. The couple who stayed? 840,000. That’s not a tie. That’s theft." Her partner, Marco Rossi, stood by her side at a press conference at The Savoy Hotel, revealing timestamped CCTV footage showing technician David Chen adjusting dance floor sensors just minutes before their routine. "He wasn’t checking calibration," Rossi said. "He was disabling the pressure pads. That’s how they control who lands where. We felt it — the floor didn’t respond like it should."Production’s Defense — and the Leaked Email
BBC Studios responded swiftly. Lindsay Duncan, Director of Entertainment, issued a statement from Broadcasting House on November 18, insisting the microphone failure was isolated and caused by faulty Belkin transmitters — a known issue flagged in ProSound News Europe’s October 2025 bulletin. "Gravity Media processed over 12.8 million votes with zero anomalies," she claimed. But the Guardian dug deeper. By November 20, they’d obtained an internal BBC email dated November 17, 10:47 PM GMT, from Executive Producer Sarah James to Head of Production Nikki Parsons: "Horwood’s score adjustment was procedurally correct per Rule 7.4b but will ignite fan backlash given La Voix’s 37% average vote share this series versus current 42.1%." That’s not just a comment — it’s a confession of intent. The numbers don’t lie. La Voix was the most popular contestant this season. And yet, she was cut.
Ofcom Steps In — And So Does the Law
By 5:00 PM GMT on November 19, Ofcom had received 1,247 formal complaints — surpassing the 1,000-trigger threshold for mandatory investigation under Broadcasting Code Section 11.3. Eighty-nine percent cited vote suppression targeting La Voix. The regulator now has 12 weeks to determine if BBC Studios breached its duty of fairness. Meanwhile, La Voix’s agent, Jean-Luc Moreau, filed High Court claim N2025D07894 on November 21, seeking £3.2 million in damages for breach of contract and intentional interference. "This isn’t about money," Moreau said. "It’s about accountability. If you can rig a reality show, what’s next?" The potential penalty? Up to £250,000 under the Communications Act 2003. But the real cost may be far greater.A Pattern Repeats — And Experts Fear the Fallout
This isn’t the first time Strictly Come Dancing has faced vote-rigging whispers. In 2023, contestant Jules Robinson — La Voix’s real name — was eliminated amid similar claims. PwC UK conducted an audit. They found no fraud. But they recommended changes: better encryption, independent vote verification, and real-time monitoring. Those changes were implemented in 2024. So why did this happen again? "The system was patched, not rebuilt," said Dr. Eleanor Vance, Director of Media Ethics at Oxford’s Reuters Institute. "They added layers of encryption, yes — but they didn’t fix the human element. Someone still has to press the button. Someone still has to interpret the rules. And if you’re trying to protect a narrative — say, keeping a comedian in because he’s trending on TikTok — you find a way." Dr. Vance predicts mandatory real-time vote monitoring for all UK reality shows by Q3 2026. "It’ll cost broadcasters £1.7 million per show annually," she told BBC Radio 4. "But if you don’t, you lose public trust. And that’s worth more than any ratings spike."
What’s Left Standing
The final of Strictly Come Dancing Series 23 is set for Saturday, December 21, 2025, at Blackpool Tower Ballroom. The frontrunners? Comedian Chris McCausland and professional dancer Dianne Buswell, with a combined 28.7% judge-public score average. Their journey has been steady, not spectacular. And now, they’re the beneficiaries of a system many believe is broken. As fans flood social media with #JusticeForLaVoix, one thing is clear: the dance is over. But the trial has just begun.Frequently Asked Questions
How were votes counted in Strictly Come Dancing Week 10?
Votes were processed by Gravity Media plc using SMS (45%), BBC iPlayer app (38%), and telephone (17%), all encrypted with AES-256 per ISO/IEC 27001:2022. BBC Studios claims no anomalies in the 12.8 million votes, but La Voix’s team independently verified 1.2 million votes for her — 42.1% of the total — compared to 840,000 for the couple who stayed.
Why did Craig Revel Horwood deduct points during La Voix’s performance?
Horwood deducted two points citing "technical interference," despite the microphone failure being a production error, not a dancer’s mistake. Internal emails suggest the score adjustment was intentional to balance perceived voting bias. Rule 7.4b allows judges to penalize "external disruptions," but the BBC’s own technical report confirms the fault lay with faulty Belkin transmitters — not the performers.
What’s the likelihood of BBC Studios being fined?
Ofcom’s investigation is now mandatory after receiving 1,247 complaints — 89% focused on vote suppression. If substantiated, BBC Studios could face up to £250,000 under the Communications Act 2003. Past cases show regulators rarely impose maximum penalties unless there’s clear intent or pattern — and the leaked email may be the smoking gun.
Is this the first time Strictly Come Dancing has faced vote manipulation claims?
No. In 2023, contestant Jules Robinson (La Voix’s real name) was eliminated amid similar allegations. PwC UK audited the process and found no fraud, but recommended procedural upgrades — including independent vote verification — that were implemented in 2024. Critics argue these changes were superficial, and this week’s events suggest the vulnerabilities remain.
What happens next in the legal case?
Jean-Luc Moreau filed High Court claim N2025D07894 seeking £3.2 million in damages for breach of contract and intentional interference. BBC Studios will have 14 days to respond. If the court finds evidence of deliberate vote suppression, it could set a precedent for reality show contracts nationwide — potentially forcing broadcasters to disclose vote tallies in real time.
Will the final be affected by this scandal?
The final proceeds as scheduled on December 21 at Blackpool Tower Ballroom. But viewer trust is at stake. Social media trends show a 40% spike in viewership for the final week — not for the dancing, but for the drama. If La Voix’s team wins their case, the BBC may be forced to rerun the Week 10 results or even delay the finale pending Ofcom’s findings.
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