We’ve made it to the halfway point of Strictly Come Dancing 2023 and the competition is still wide open.
Every routine counts now, and our nine remaining celebrities and their professional partners are all determined to keep themselves in the running for that glitterball trophy.
Unfortunately Zara McDermott won’t be amongst them after she and her professional partner Graziano Di Prima were eliminated in last week’s Halloween Special, losing the dance-off to Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk.
As always presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman took us through every step of the action, whilst judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas shared their views on the dances and how our contestants are progressing.
So who showed they’ve got what it takes and delivered a dazzling performance? It was definitely another week of strong performances – shoutout to Bobby and Dianne for their smouldering take on the Argentine Tango in particular – but here’s our top 5 routines from this week’s show…
1: Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin – Jive to ‘Shake Ur Body’ by SHY FX, T.Power and Di
It may not have been the most traditional Jive ever seen in the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom, but Layton delivered a cool, slinky high energy routine that was a great way to open the show. He coped well with the myriad of tricks thrown at him – particularly the neck drop and *that* backflip! – as well as having great synchronisation, sharp kicks and flicks (including pointed toes) and really strong arms throughout. I particularly loved his balletic solo spin towards the end and felt he handled the speed of the routine well, and it looked like he was having the absolute time of his life. He’s still very much in contention to win the whole thing and I’m excited to see what he’s going to do next week!
2: Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington – Waltz to ‘Fascination’ by Nat King Cole
It may not have been her strongest routine in Strictly Come Dancing so far, but what elevated this routine for me was the sheer emotion of it all. I loved the sweet, romantic quality in this dance and Angela had some lovely movement across the floor, as well as nice rise and fall and a few heel leads in there too. Her arm lines were great as always and we got those greatest hits move too like the leg extension and the drag, which are rapidly becoming trademarks of hers. She really is giving the younger contestants a run for their money and I’m hoping she did enough to make it through to next week.
3: Nigel Harman and Katya Jones – Tango to ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’ by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus
It’s official: Nigel is back! After a few wobbly weeks he and Katya had a return to form with this fierce, contemporary take on a Tango, with some real drama in the opening section and more passion than the Mills & Boon section in Waterstone’s. I thought he also had great drive across the floor, excellent control throughout and sharp, precise footwork, as well as great posture in hold – you can really tell he’s been working on that aspect of his performance. And that catch was an absolute standout moment! It’s great to see him back to where he was earlier in the competition and fingers crossed he can build on this in the coming weeks.
4: Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe – Couple’s Choice to ‘Wings’ by Birdy
Oh my heart. What an utterly beautiful performance from Annabel. Dedicated to her late husband, it was a warm, tender and soft routine, with almost balletic lifts throughout. She didn’t so much travel across the floor as float, and her ability to deliver gorgeous arm and leg extensions was absolutely at the forefront. I loved the grace and gentleness she brought to the dance and the emotion of it all was present in every single second – even down to Johannes’ facial expression at the end. It brought a tear to my eye and already feels like one of the iconic routines of Strictly Come Dancing 2023.
5: Ellie Leach and Vito Coppla – American Smooth to ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’ by Robbie Williams
Is there anything Ellie can’t do?! After getting the top score of the series so far last week, she and Vito did it again with their American Smooth that could have been lifted straight from a classic Hollywood movie. I loved the playful, cheeky quality she brought to the performance, with a really lovely lightness on her feet and a nice flow of movement across the floor. All the little details and flourishes worked brilliantly and her easy transitions in the lifts made them look effortless. She had nice synchronisation in the side-by-side sections with Vito too and her posture in hold was good. Overall it was yet another great routine from her and I think she’s looking increasingly likely to be crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2023.
The leaderboard for the evening was:
Ellie and Vito – 39 (9, 10, 10, 10)
Layton and Nikita – 36 (8, 10, 10, 8)
Annabel and Johannes – 35 (8, 9, 9, 9)
Nigel and Katya – 33 (7, 9, 9, 8)
Bobby and Dianne – 30 (6, 8, 8, 8)
Krishnan and Lauren – 29 (6, 8, 8, 7)
Angela and Kai – 28 (7, 8, 6, 7)
Angela and Carlos – 27 (6, 7, 7, 7)
Adam and Luba – 27 (6, 7, 7, 7)
Who will go through to next week – and who will be going home? Find out in tonight’s Results Show…
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 will return with this week’s Results Show tonight (Sunday 5th November) at 7.15 PM on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
