Jason Gardiner blasts DOI voting procedure

Jason Gardiner has blasted the 'Dancing On Ice' voting procedure for doing a "disservice" to the competition.

The acid-tongued judge hit out after Vanilla Ice made a shock exit from the ITV1 show on Sunday (27.02.11), when less talented acts Johnson Beharry and Denise Welch were automatically put through on the public vote.

He said: "It's soul destroying. It does a real disservice to the competition. It really angers me that people like Denise and Johnson are getting through on sympathy votes or popularity when we're losing someone who really should not have left. It's a crying shame. He's so much better than those two.

"If viewers want a lacklustre, mediocre, less-than-average final, they should keep voting for Johnson and Denise."

Jason - who is joined on the judging panel by Emma Bunton and Robin Cousins - also admitted deciding between Vanilla and Laura Hamilton in Sunday's skate-off was "heartbreaking", as he thinks the children's TV presenter was only in the bottom two because she isn't as famous as the other contestants.

He added to The Sun newspaper: "This is where it gets heartbreaking for us. It's frustrating when we don't want either of them to go. If we lost Laura we'd end up with a clear front-runner, Sam Attwater.

"I don't want that - I want them neck and neck all the way to the final. It will be thrilling."