A stilted Marc Lottering, co-host on SABC3's dance reality show Strictly Come Dancing comes across as extremely ill-prepared and even got the show's name wrong on Wednesday night in the second episode, calling it "Strictly Come Back Dancing" before apologising.
Marc Lottering who keeps reading with his head down a lot from his cue cards, and even then struggles to read fluently and correctly, comes across as unprepared, unprofessional, anxious, and at times out of his depth on the dance floor format show where graceful movement and flow is supposed to be the hallmark of the programme.
Strictly Come Dancing co-presenter Pabi Moloi is left time and again as the "I will laugh it away for both of us" foil as Marc Lottering has trouble keeping eye contact with the camera and the viewer, and constantly reads almost everything off his cue cards - and even then not doing a good job of it.
Marc Lottering even called the current 6th season of Strictly Come Dancing "Strictly Come Back Dancing" on Wednesday night while he was reading it all (along with big and inappropriate hand gestures) in his biggest gaffe of Wednesday's live show.
"But before all of that ladies and gentlemen," read Marc Lottering, "please put your hands together and welcome to the Strictly Come Back Dancing"... when Pabi Moloi quickly and appropriately jumped in and corrected him.
"I'm so excited!" squealed Marc Lottering. "Let me try that again."
TV presenters get the gig over so-called normal people because they supposedly have on-air rapport and exude a warm personal connection with viewers.
They're able to juggle multiple voices in their ear pieces, put in the hard work and homework preparing beforehand late at night, and because they are able to carry on and make technical snafu's behind-the-scenes almost invisible by continuing a conversation as if nothing has gone wrong.
Marc Lottering on Wednesday night on Strictly Come Dancing on SABC3 was cringeworthy, his presentation style inept, and will seriously need to put more work hours and preparation time into his latest presentation gig.
If you present a show, present it and don't read it. Don't ham up with humour to such a large degree where it ends up coming across as a panacea for not having prepared or not knowing the structure and segments and what and who will be happening next, off by heart.
Less wildly erratic and large arm and hand movements will keep the attention where it belong: on the contestants and the dancing. This isn't a one-man stand-up comedy routine but an ensemble reality dance show.
Everybody on television - especially live television - is allowed a mistake or two. But too many ongoing inappropriate mistakes on-air after a while end up becoming a tell-tale sign of unpreparedness.
As a dance reality show, viewers tune in to Strictly Come Dancing to watch the celebrity contestants maybe miss a step or a turn. The presenters steering this two hour tele-extravaganza week after week, however should never miss a beat when it comes to eloquence, poise and precision.
And at the moment it feels as if Marc Lottering is missing too many of those have-to-get-it-right steps.
