Britain’s Got Talent 2019 viewers have accused dog act Dave and Finn of ‘fixing’ their semi-final performance following a series of apparent blunders.
Last night, policeman Dave Wardell and his heroic canine sidekick topped the public vote in the first live show, sending them straight to the final.
But not everyone was sold on their magic act – with observers pointing out three hitches from their latest routine.
First, each judge looked directly at Finn, trying to read his mind and identify a detail he was thinking of.
Things went pear-shaped when Dave turned to Amanda Holden and explained that Finn had caught “hundreds” of criminals throughout his career.
When prompted for the actual number, Amanda said ’52’ – far fewer than “hundreds”.
Further eyebrows raised when Dave invited Simon Cowell to provide a dog’s name.
He was dissatisfied when Simon answered ‘Squiddly’ and asked again for a shorter name, with the BGT boss saying ‘Squid’.
Despite these discrepancies, ’52’ and ‘Squid’ were then seen in a video clip supposedly shot “earlier today”.
Meanwhile, Dave instructed the judges to collectively “create a series of random letters that nobody, including Finn, could possibly know”.
They did this by flipping through six separate pads of paper, choosing letters including N, E, L, R and S.
However, once the judges had finished, Dave flipped all six pads again himself, claiming he was making the selection “completely random”.
He landed on T, R, U, E, F and U – which happened to be the same letters emblazoned on the jackets of six police puppies, who were rearranged to spell ‘future’.
The mishaps sparked accusations of ‘fixing’ on social media. “I thought they said he’d caught hundreds of criminals they Amanda chooses 52. Which is it then?” wondered one Twitter user.
“I was very suspicious when he asked Simon to shorten the name,” a different post read.
“The guy fixed the letters… how can he possibly go through,” another argued.
Some tweeters defended Dave and Finn, with one writing: “Of course it’s a ‘fix’. Just like all other magic/tricks it’s not real.”
Simon also supported the duo on spin-off Britain’s Got More Talent, when one caller asked whether their “story” or their magic had won them public support.
“I actually think both. Of all the auditions when I watched it back, that was the one I thought was the best,” he proclaimed.
Fellow illusionists The Haunting also seemingly suffered a slip-up on Monday’s episode.
Mysterious frontwoman Elizabeth was allegedly seen behind a wall ready to switch places with Agatha, the spectre leading Amanda back to her chair.
Britain’s Got Talent continues with its second live semi-final tonight at 7.30pm on ITV.
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