Tom Daley's 'Splash!' Sucks: 7 Reasons Why ITV's Celeb Diving Show Is A Belly Flop

7 Reasons Splash! Sucks

You can forgive ITV for launching the supremely awkward diving show Splash! last year, the nation was still heady with Olympic enthusiasm and no one had quite seen enough of the loveable Bronze medal champ Tom Daley (in his trunks).

However, is there any excuse for bringing it back for a second series? Primetime TV works for a number of reasons but a show cannot survive on audiences marvelling at how truly rubbish it is alone.

On Saturday 4.9 million people tuned in to see former 'EastEnders' actor Ricky Groves, the little one from dance troupe Diversity, 'The Really Wild Show' presenter Michaela Strachan, Hollyoaks' ditzy character Gemma Merna and TOWIE's Gemma Collins dive in, which is a dip from the 5.6 million viewers that watched in 2013.

Will the viewing figures keep spiralling downwards? Or is there so little else to enjoy in January that we'll keep tuning in to Splash!?

Here are seven reasons why Splash! still sucks:

1. The striptease-style removal of the celebs' robes before they reveal their swimwear. All that awkward dancing and shimmying is just too cringey to take.

The dreadful dancing

2. The one person who should be stripping off to reveal his athletic prowess isn't. Tom Daley actually dived into the Luton-based pool in trousers and a suit jacket, while wearing colour block knitwear for the rest of show. Where were those trademark tiny trunks?

3. Great Britain's diving coach Andy Banks has even taken to doing 'TOWIE' impressions to inject some humour into the show. Sadly, it didn't work.

Tom Daley in his knitwear

4. There are just too many presenters. You've got Gabby Logan and Vernon Kay looking embarrassed to be associated with the poolside debacle, then three judges on top of Tom giving his tips. Not even throwing that amount of commentators at 'Splash!' can save it from being a complete belly flop.

5. 'Splash!' is actually lacking any action. We tune in to see people dive and end up watching only seven jumps, lasting roughly three seconds each. Is there really any need for 90 minutes of primetime TV airtime to be wasted on what could essentially be a half hour show?

Oooh look, it's someone swimming

6. It's not just too long, it's also too complicated. Just announce who's not made the cut and get on with it. We don't need a "dive-off", it's like trying to make 'fetch' happen.

7. No matter how much they try to build excitement with sparkly props and adrenaline-fuelled pop music, seeing someone dive three metres is essentially still just as thrilling as seeing someone cross a road.

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