Strictly Come Dancing has been heating up and week eight (airing on Saturday, November 9) saw the celebrities fight for their spots in next week’s special epsiode, which will air from the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.
As Claudia Winkleman sent an endearing message to Amy Dowden after she was forced to withdraw from the competition, Pete Wicks stole hearts with a Couple’s Choice dance dedicated to his late grandma, Doreen, who passed away in 2022.
Chris McCausland opened up about saying no to the show “multiple times”, saying people with disabilities don’t often see themselves on the show.
JB Gill and Lauren Oakley, who is stepping in for Dowden, and Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, held their position at the top of the leaderboard for the second week running.
Meanwhile, Wicks made a dramatic comeback, having come dead last last week, scoring a paltry 22. He said he doubted that he “deserved” to be in the competition after Sam Quek and her pro partner Nikita Kuzman were eliminated following a judges’ decision.
However, he and partner Jowita Przystal scored 36, with the emotional dance to “The Best” by Nicotine Dolls, landing them near the top of this week’s scoreboard.
After a shaky week last week, Montell Douglas also made a strong comeback with her Paso Doble to “Lola’s Theme” by The Shapeshifters, which also landed her and partner Johannes Radebe joint third, with Wicks and Przystal.
Here’s the week eight leaderboard in full:
JB Gill and Lauren Oakley (Stepping in for Amy Dowden): 37
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec: 37
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe: 36
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał: 36
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell: 33
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola: 33
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones: 32
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu: 30
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas: 30