Courtney Act ‘robbed’ of victory on Australia’s Dancing with the Stars
Courtney Act with dance partner Joshua Keefe on Dancing with the Stars
Fans of drag queen Courtney Act are expressing their anger, after she failed to win Australia’s Dancing with the Stars.
The Bi Life host made history by appearing on the Australian version of Dancing with the Stars, paired with male dancer Joshua Keefe.
The pair dominated the competition with show-stopping routines, receiving the highest score on nine of the 10 weeks.
However, in a twist that left fans fuming, a public vote saw the crown instead given to actor Samuel Johnson despite his lower overall scores.
Courtney Act ‘deserved to win,’ says Dancing with the Stars winner
Accepting the trophy, Johnson said: “Courtney was the better dancer. I want to acknowledge Courtney!”
Speaking to TV Week, the actor added: “I’d be an idiot to pretend she wasn’t the far superior dancer week in, week out.
“She absolutely deserves this trophy more than anyone else. In my mind, she got everything right.
“I just wanted to be a good wingman for Courtney. I’m as surprised as anybody.”
Courtney Act with dance partner Joshua Keefe on Dancing with the Stars
(Network 10)
Courtney Act fans took to Twitter to complain that the drag star had been “robbed.”
One wrote: “@CourtneyAct You were robbed! You were fantastic and the deserved winner. I am so disheartened by the whole process, I was left gobsmacked ”
Another added: “Courtney Act was majorly robbed, she literally was on top of the leaderboard.”
Fans are giving money to Courtney Act’s chosen charity
Some fans vowed to donate to Black Rainbow, a charity supporting LGBT+ indigenous Australians that would have received the $50,000 prize money if Courtney Act won.
The drag star, real name Shane Janek, struck a diplomatic tone on Twitter.
She tweeted: “Ladies, Gentlemen, and people of all Genders! We didn’t win the Mirror Ball, but I feel like we won by being able to share so many dances and stories over the last 10 weeks, and sharing it with @JoshuaKeefe has been a true honour!
“Thank you everyone who voted and watched. I hope you love this drag extravaganza brought to the ballroom floor for our final dance (can you tell @DancingOn10 said I could do whatever I wanted?)
“I have so many people to thank which I will get to tomorrow, but for now I want to say congratulations to Sam on his win. From day one at the promo shoot to winning it was amazing to watch.”
The star has previously competed on Australian Idol, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Celebrity Big Brother UK, and Eurovision: Australia Decides.
Act took the Celebrity Big Brother trophy in 2018.
