Strictly Come Dancing LIVE: Tonight’s dances for Musicals Week as battle for Glitterball trophy ramps up
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Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens this Saturday evening, at 7:05 pm for week 11 of the competition, with only six contestants and their partners remaining.
Last week, EastEnders actor, Jamie Borthwick and his dance partner became the latest celebrity to be eliminated, after judges voted to save Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe, after they again found themselves in the dance off.
This came amid controversy as The Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks managed to survive the public vote, despite receiving the lowest score from the judges. The 36-year-old TV personality has since claimed that he has received death threats for surviving in the competition this long.
This week’s theme is “Musicals” with the couples performing routines inspired by some of the other best-loved musicals from across the decades, including Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Wicked and The Color Purple.
The professionals, meanwhile, will open the show with a number from Little Shop of Horrors.
The remaining contestants are Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Montell Douglas, Pete Wicks, Sarah Hadland and Tasha Ghouri.
Another celebrity will leave the competition on Sunday (1 December) night’s results show, which airs on BBC One at 7.20pm.
Follow up the updates below.
Tasha Ghouri’s next Strictly dance has ‘very girl pop band’ vibe
Tasha Ghouri has said how much she loves musicals before this week’s performances on Strictly Come Dancing, describing her song as from a production with a “very girl pop band” vibe.
The Love Island star, 26, who is partnered with Slovenian dancer Aljaz Skorjanec on the BBC One show, is to perform the Argentine tango to Ex-Wives from the musical Six on Saturday evening.
Skorjanec, 34, who returned as a professional this year following a two-year hiatus, said the musical retelling the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives, has a “cool, powerful message behind it”.
Skorjanec told the PA news agency: “I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a musical fan, but we actually went to see a musical that we’re gonna be dancing – Six, and (I) loved it.
“I absolutely loved it. It’s probably like one of my favourite musicals I’ve seen now.
“It’s so good, and I’m really glad that we’re doing it. It’s such a cool, powerful message behind it.
“And I love how it’s done. I love how current it is, how in it is, how vibey it is.”
Ghouri said: “It’s very girl pop band.
“I love musicals. I love the vocals that come with it.”
Chris McCausland predicted to miss out on final despite popularity
Blind comedian, Chris McCausland has been one of the standout contestants on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, stunning audiences and the judges with his routines, despite his disability.
Although he’s widely considered a frontrunner for this season’s crown, The Express reports that a supercomputer from FruitySlots.com believes that McCausland’s future on the show could be in jeopardy.
The computer, which calculates the highest probability that each couple has of winning, believes that Tasha and Aljaž have the best chance with a whopping 36.9 per cent. Second is Sarah Hadland with 18.4 per cent, with JB Gill closely behind her with 17 per cent.
Unfortunately for McCausland, he has just a 10.2 per cent chance of winning according to the computer. Pete Wicks has the lowest probability, with just 4.4 per cent.
Strictly’s Pete Wicks says he’s received death threats for staying in dance competition
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Pete Wicks has revealed he has received death threats for staying in the dance competition.
The TOWIE star, who has received backlash for making it to the quarter-finals of the show despite finishing last on the judge’s leaderboard, opened up about the threats he received on his Staying Relevant podcast on 23 November.
The reality star discussed his time on the dance show with his professional partner Jowita Przystal, who was standing in for his co-host Sam Thompson, who is currently in Australia.
Pete said: “Since Strictly, there have been some real crackers.
“Someone actually wished death upon me on the dance floor the other day.”
Strictly’s Pete Wicks says he’s received death threats for staying in show
Strictly Come Dancing contestant Pete Wicks has revealed he has received death threats for staying in the dance competition. The TOWIE star, who has received backlash for making it to the quarter-finals of the show despite finishing last on the judge’s leaderboard, opened up about the threats he received on his Staying Relevant podcast on 23 November. The reality star discussed his time on the dance show with his professional partner Jowita Przystal, who was standing in for his co-host Sam Thompson, who is currently in Australia. Pete said: “Since Strictly, there have been some real crackers. “Someone actually wished death upon me on the dance floor the other day.”
There have been numerous phenomenal dances this series, but nobody has been more consistent than the former Love Islander, writes Rachel McGrath.
Chris McCausland opens up about ‘shame’ and admits other couples are ‘better’
Comparing the experience of gradually losing his eyesight to being a “frog in boiling water”, the star opened up about his initial disbelief at his diagnosis, refusing to use aids such as a cane.
“There’s a lot of denial and resistance to it, especially when you’re in your late teens and your early 20s,” he told The Guardian.
“You’re always thinking you can do the things you could do yesterday and you’re always pretending you can see when you can’t.”
Sharing the shame he felt, he explained: “When you’re 20, 21, you’re embarrassed, you think everybody is staring at you. There’s a lot of shame.” Admitting that he felt other couples are “better than us”, McCausland said that he and partner Dianne Buswell’s strategy is instead to connect.” All we can do is connect with people,” he said. “That’s been our goal, me and Dianne, to connect with people, entertain and do the best that we can.”
Craig Revel Horwood ditches ‘catty’ judging style over fears of being cancelled
The judge, who worked on every series of the show, looked back on being “really harsh 20 years ago”.
“I have changed my style of judging,” he told Radio Times. “When I look back, I think, ‘Ooh, that’s cutting.’ It would now be classed as bullying, and then I’d be cancelled.”
Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard scores from week 10 of the competition
In case you missed last week’s show, or just can’t recall how each contestant was scored by the judges, here is a handy rundown of every score.
The songs and dances that the remaining celebrities and their partners will be performing in “Musicals Week” have been confirmed for tonight’s show.
They are as follows:
- Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell – Quickstep to “You’re The Top” from Anything Goes
- JB Gill and Lauren Oakley – Viennese Waltz to “Let’s Go Fly A Kite” from Mary Poppins
- Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe – Rumba to “I’m Here” from The Color Purple
- Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał – Waltz to “Somewhere” from West Side Story
- Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola – Charleston to “Popular” from Wicked
- Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec – Argentine Tango to “Ex-Wives” from SIX
Strictly viewers slam ‘absolute joke’ elimination: ‘How did that man get through?’
Strictly fans have argued that The Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks should have ended up in the dance-off over Montell Douglas or Jamie Borthwick.
“Ain’t no way Jamie deserved to be in the bottom this week, he was absolutely brilliant,” one viewer said. “Sometimes the British public get it SO wrong and this is one of those times.”
”What?! Pete is safe and Montell and Jamie in the dance-off. Absolute joke!” another fan said.
”Gonna need Pete fans to put the phone down cause WHY is Montell in the dance-off twice in a row and that man gets through???” one fan raged.
