Bez admits he's failed as distractions stop him winning over Dancing On Ice judges
Bez pulled out all the stops on Sunday night's edition of Dancing On Ice - even flying in off the ice riding a giant bat during his skating tribute to the late singer Meat Loaf. Sadly for the Happy Mondays star, the judges and viewers weren't impressed
Bez 's impressive tribute to the late Meat Loaf wasn't enough to win over the Dancing On Ice judges on Sunday night.
The Happy Mondays memeber, 57, failed to get the five out of ten rating he so desperately wants from judge Oti Mabuse, 31, on the latest instalment of the ITV show.
Bez - real name Mark Berry - flew off the ice riding a giant bat on tonight's show, with the self-confessed "rubbish skater" dressing in leathers and a biker helmet.
The performance, which was part of the show's Musical Week, is taken from the Bat Out of Hell stage production and comes after Meat Loaf died last month aged 74.
Chatting with his professional partner Angela Egan, 35, earlier this week during rehearsals, Bez explained how he hoped it would be a fitting tribute to the late singer.
During Sunday night's live show, the production team threw all sorts in to distract viewers, it seemed, from Bez's skating - including extra skaters, fireballs and other effects.
At one point, the helmet-wearing contestant was lifted into the air with a pair of huge bat wings, but it wasn't enough to give him better scores.
Bez failed to score higher than a five from any judge - including guest Arlene Phillips - and received some brutal feedback.
The Manchester-born star admitted he has "failed" to improve on previous weeks and claimed the special additions to his most recent performances were "a distraction".
"I've been trying my hardest to get a good score of Oti, but it looks like I've failed," Bez admitted, after the Dancing On Ice gave him a four on Sunday night.
"But I had lots of distractions tonight," he added, after host Phillip Scofield pointed out all the fun features involved in his latest performance.
It wasn't just the judges who weren't too impressed with Bez's latest stint on the ice.
Viewers watching at home took to social media to suggest the Happy Mondays star was making excuses to compensate for his under-par performance.
"bez was right about the distractions. he does the same thing every week. think its time for him to go and did phil forget to ask Arlene what she thought or did i miss it! #dancingonice," one viewer mused on Twitter as the show aired.
"Without the distractions and other dancers it would just be Bez staggering around in the middle of the ice not moving ! #dancingonice," another tweeted, with a third adding: "Throwing all the distractions in the world at that routine didn't help. #dancingonice."
One angry fan tweeted a passionate rant - lambasting Bez for being responsible for lasting longer than 'better' dancers.
"If that idiot goes through this week and someone good goes....I'll go mad," they fumed on Twitter.
"Too many distractions to hide how s*** me is. Too much fannying around and not skating. WHY WASN'T ARLENE ALLOWED TO CRITIQUE? Is it because she would've told the truth how s*** he is? #dancingonice"
Not everyone was a critic, with some viewers enjoying Bez for the entertainment value he offers.
"I love that Bez had to wear a harness to go about 6ft in the air, yet they actually let him try to dance on ice," one fan added to the feedback.
"I do quite enjoy the frisson of fear I feel whenever I hear ‘Up next is Bez’ #DancingOnIce."
They weren't the only Bez supporter on Twitter, with others adding comments like: "YES Bez, what a truly unbelievable tribute to Meatloaf seriously.
"Obviously not the best skater ever unfortunately but still have to hand it to him literally never fails to totally impress does he? Absolutely love him."
* Dancing on Ice continues on ITV this Sunday from 6pm. You can catch-up on previous episodes through the ITV Hub.
