Strictly Come Dancing has eliminated its ninth celebrity contestant from the 2024 series.
BBC One’s popular dance competition continued on Saturday (23 November) night, which saw the remaining seven couples take to the dance floor for a main routine, followed by a special Samba-thon dance competition.
The highest-scoring regular dance of the night was performed by Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, who delivered a show-stopping American Smooth to Lewis Capald’s “Someone You Loved”, scoring the first full marks of the series.
They came second in the Samba-thon, though, while JB Gill and Lauren Oakley won. The pair scored seven Samba-thon points, which, added on to the 39 points they won for their energetic Charleston to “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby” by Firehouse Five Plus Two, put them at joint top of the leaderboard.
Propping up the table were Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał, who danced a Tango Phil Collins and Phil Bailey’s 1984 song “Easy Lover”. They were awarded a not-so-impressive score of 29, and were unsuccessful during the Samba challenge – they were the third couple to get sent off the dance floor by judges.
During Sunday night’s results show, it was EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick and his partner Michelle Tsiakkas, along with Gladiators athlete Montell Douglas and her partner Johannes Radebe who were voted into the dreaded dance-off.
Both couples performed their routines again; Borthwick performed the Foxtrot to “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. Douglas danced a Quickstep to “Get Happy” by Ella Fitzgerald.
Ultimately, the judges voted unanimously to save Douglas and Radebe, meaning that Borthwick was booted from the competition.
Borthwick’s elimination comes after judges told him on Saturday night that his Foxtrot was a “bit slow and monotone”.
Motsi Mabuse said: “It had an old school vibe but maybe that can look a little bit slow and monotone.”
Shirley Ballas told Borthwick he was “one of the front runners” among the male contestants in the competition, but echoed Mabuse’s comments.
“I liked it but I agree with Motsi, it seemed a bit monotone, all on one level. But keep working on it, we all believe in you.”
When asked by host Tess Daly about his time on the show, Borthwick said: “Strictly is magic. That is all I can say. Strictly is magic. Not just everyone who you see in front of the camera, these four here [the judges], but everyone who works on this show.”
He said he could “ramble all day” about his partner Tsiakkas, adding that she’s been the “most amazing teacher”.
“She’s a new pro and she’s absolutely been the most amazing teacher,” he said. “We have laughed like you wouldn’t believe. I have nothing but the utmost respect for everyone on the show, so thank you.”
Tsiakkas praised Borthwick for being an “amazing dancer”, telling him that he improved so much week by week.
“He’s worked so hard to get to where he is. It’s my first year with a partner and I’ve realised that it’s so much more than just the dancing and the technique, it’s the bonds and the friendships that you make,” she said. “I waited two years for a partner and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Borthwick joined the 2024 competition after taking home the festive trophy on Strictly’s 2023 Christmas Special edition, alongside pro dancer Nancy Xu.
The remaining Strictly 2024 contestants include Douglas, Sarah Hadland, Pete Wicks, Chris McCausland, JB Gill and Ghouri.
