We're six weeks into Strictly Come Dancing 2023 and have officially arrived at one of the show's biggest milestones – it's the Halloween Special!
Getting to this stage is a goal for many contestants on Strictly and our remaining couples have definitely fought hard to get to this stage. Unfortunately comedian Eddie Kadi wasn't joining them after he and his professional partner Karen Hauer lost last week's dance-off to Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima. Earlier this week actress Amanda Abbington and her partner Giovanni Pernice also withdrew from the competition due to health reasons, leaving us down to just 10 couples (rocking some absolutely incredible costumes!).
Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were on hand to make sure no-one had nightmares, whilst judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas provided charming (or sometimes cursed) comments about everything from petrifiying pasos to creepy cha-chas and terrifying tangos.
There were plenty of treats – honorable mentions to Nigel and Katya's chilling cha-cha and Krishnan and Lauren's vicious Viennese Waltz – but who delivered the most magical routines of the night? We've picked our top five spook-tacular performances below…
1: Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu – Paso Doble to ‘Black swan SWAN lake' by District 78
This was a very different take on a Paso Doble, blending elements of the classic ballet ‘Swan Lake' with the Paso steps, and I thought Angela did a great job. She really brought out the character of both dances and had great storytelling throughout, as well as wonderfully controlled movements, plenty of drive across the floor, sharp footwork and strong body shapes. I loved the drag midway through and the final spin provided a fantastically tense and dramatic ending! She's coming on leaps and bounds every week and it was a great way to kick off the show.
2: Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk – American Smooth to ‘Magic Moments' by Perry Como
Who knew Adam would turn out to be this year's Ballroom boy? I loved the playful and light quality of this routine, and he led Luba confidently around the floor with really strong posture in hold. The shaping in his arms and hands was really nice too and I thought he handled the lifts well, as well as having great synchronisation throughout (especially in the section where Luba was behind him). It was a sweet and charming performance and should see him safely through to next week.
3: Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin – Tango to ‘vampire' by Olivia Rodrigo
I loved this twist on a Tango from Layton and Nikita. It was packed full of drama and great acting throughout, and I loved the playfulness Layton brought to his character in the dance as well. The footwork was sharp and precise and he moved across the floor brilliantly, whether that was in hold with Nikita or on his own (the leap over the piano being a particular highlight!), before finishing off with an incredible backflip. In a night of great performances, this really stood out and showed why he's still a frontrunner for Strictly Come Dancing 2023.
4: Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington – Charleston to ‘Murder She Wrote' (TV Theme)
This was such a joyful take on the Charleston, with plenty of humour from Angela and a really nice quality to her footwork. She had good swivel and the right amount of looseness in her arms, and I loved her and Kai's interaction with the judges as well as how well she acted it. Plus she coped very well with the lifts and tricks, especially catching Kai – the real ‘wow' moment of the evening! I love how she's blossomed throughout Strictly Come Dancing 2023 and can't wait to see what she does next week.
5: Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola – Salsa to ‘Murder On The Dance Floor' by Sophie Ellis-Bextor
This was an absolutely brilliant Salsa from start to finish. Dressed as a disco zombie (only in Halloween week!), Ellie had incredible speed across the dancefloor and brought a cheeky confidence and sass to her character. Her synchronisation with Vito in the side-by-side sections was great, she had sharp footwork throughout and I thought she pulled off the tricks really well, particularly the neck drop and flip midway through. And that ending was utterly spectacular! She absolutely delivered once again and at this point seems completely nailed on for the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 final.
The leaderboard for the evening was:
Ellie and Vito – 38 (9, 10, 10, 9)
Layton and Nikita – 36 (9, 9, 9, 9)
Angela and Carlos – 33 (8, 8, 8, 9)
Angela and Kai – 33 (9, 8, 8, 8)
Adam and Luba – 32 (7, 9, 8, 8)
Bobby and Dianne – 30 (6, 9, 7, 8)
Nigel and Katya – 30 (8, 7, 7, 8)
Annabel and Johannes – 29 (7, 7, 7, 8)
Krishnan and Lauren – 27 (6, 7, 6, 8)
Zara and Graziano – 25 (6, 6, 6, 7)
It's going to be a fright night for someone later – who will not survive to dance another day? Find out in this evening's result show…
Strictly Come Dancing: The Results is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7.15 PM on Sunday 29th October.
