Dancing On Ice kicked off a new series on Sunday evening and welcomed back a live studio audience for the 2022 show.
However, ITV bosses may have regretted the move as the crowd wasted no time in booing the judges after they awarded Happy Mondays star Bez a lowly 12.5.
In one of the most memorable debuts in the show's history, the father-of-two made his way onto the ice wearing a crash helmet - shaped like a melon.
Despite delighting viewers in the studio and at home, Bez's performance didn't score well with the panel, with Christopher Dean comparing him to former contestant Todd Carty.
Fans of the show will remember Todd's epic disappearance down the ice tunnel when he lost control of his skates.
However in the Olympian's defence, Christopher reminded Bez that Todd had provided "TV gold" and lasted a long time in the competition despite his unstable routines.
While the judges praised Bez for his bravery, pointing out that he was the first contestant in the show's history to wear a crash helmet, none of them managed to muster up more than 3.5 points for the star.
The audience was outraged with the scores, but so were viewers at home.
Many of them took to Twitter in defence of the loveable dancer.
One said: "The Dancing On Ice judges do not know genius and talent when they see it."
Another wrote: "I'm watching Dancing on Ice til Bez leaves."
While a third fumed: "My 8 year old is currently screaming at the Dancing on Ice judges for giving Bez a low score."
Admitting that his head wasn't the only thing that was protected revealing he was also wearing 'padding for his maracas', Bez's humour stole the show.
"Watching #Bez on #dancingonice has truly been the best thing to happen in 2022 so far," wrote one fan.
Another said: "Bez managed that whole routine on his own without falling over fair play to him he's got great entertainment factor. I'll vote for him."
Fans of the star can breathe a sigh of relief as it was revealed at the end of the show that Bez and skating partner Angela Egan made it through to the next round.
ITV entertainment reporter Ria Hebden meanwhile faces the first skate-off despite scoring higher than Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor.
Dancing On Ice continues on Sunday on ITV at 6.30
