Missing In Action

Nov 22, 2024 by Rob

Yesterday’s big, breaking news is that Chris will miss next year’s Strictly live tour and this does introduce an element of doubt to the outcome of this year’s series.

It has mattered greatly to the show previously for the winner of Strictly to take part in the tour. If TPTB decide they want to get Chris beaten then the deadly deed is very likely to be carried out in this year’s semi-final.

Even if Chris tops the pv, clever leaderboard ordering could result in a dance-off appearance and shock exit from the competition. This would be the show cutting off its nose to spite its face but stranger things have happened on reality TV.

Blackpool Week turned into a damp squib despite Chris and Dianne’s excellent opening routine and first 10s of the series. The evening ended with a surprise second pimp for Jamie but the awful staging and lukewarm comments of the judges for his jive told us this was far from a display of favouritism.

Chris has now shortened to 1.25 and has paso to a piece of music that is very paso-friendly, with Dianne’s parents expected to be in the Elstree studio to add to the feel-good sentiment surrounding the pairing.

Sarah enjoyed an undeserved joint-top scoring 39 for a sub-par CC routine, a score that would have looked more justified for her harshly scored AS (33) the previous week.

Week 9 (Blackpool Week) judges’ leaderboard:

Sarah and Vito – Couple’s Choice – (3) – 9, 10, 10, 10 = 39
Tasha and Aljaz – Paso Doble – (7) – 9, 10, 10, 10 = 39
Chris and Dianne – American Smooth – (1) – 8, 9, 10, 10 = 37
Montell and Johannes – Salsa – (2) – 8, 9, 9, 9 = 35 – bottom 2
JB and Lauren – Quickstep – (6) – 8, 9, 9, 9 = 35
Jamie and Michelle – Jive – (8) – 8, 8, 8, 9 = 33
Wynne and Katya – Charleston – (4) – 7, 8, 8, 8 = 31 – eliminated
Pete and Jowita – CCC – (5) – 4, 7, 8, 8 = 27

She now has the difficult rumba which might offer a window for the judges to be punitive and place the second most popular contestant mid-table or below.

The judges have the handy mechanism of the samba-thon to manipulate the leaderboard further and with Chris likely to be scored last or second last for this, he, too, will likely be placed low down, with a view to intentionally making it harder for the last placer to escape the dance-off.

And all the signs point to that last placer being Pete, as was the case in Blackpool. Tango is never straight forward and Easy Lover feels like a wishy washy song choice unconducive to anything outstanding. And if Pete is placed last in the samba-thon his solid series-long public support will very likely wane.

Jamie has foxtrot and he’ll need to be precise with his footwork not to find himself in the bottom three on the leaderboard. There is a sense Jamie is on the verge of a first dance-off appearance after three misfiring weeks in a row, and he is also due to open the show. Only him and Sarah are yet to have opening duties, with Pete and JB still awaiting a first pimp slot.

While a Pete pimp looks doubtful, a JB Charleston does have the look of one and a potential first 40 of the series if Craig ordains to dust off his 10 paddle.

Tasha’s AS looks the other potential 40 candidate while we should probably anticipate a generous score incoming for Montell’s QS, and a sly shifting up the leaderboard of her via the samba-thon, to try and push her clear of what would otherwise be a third dance-off appearance.

TPTB may well see an even male/female, 3-3 split as the ideal scenario heading into Musicals Week (the quarter-final) and it’s hard not to come back to Pete looking a worthy favourite for 9th elimination, with Jamie the one worth considering for a cover bet. But with Jamie the only remaining contestant yet to perform a Couple’s Choice a stay of execution might be on the cards for him.

The first three reveals for next year’s live tour are Sarah, Montell and Shayne. The latter is the biggest surprise given his poor treatment on the show.

All eyes should be peeled for next week’s likely reveal of the remaining four contestants signed up for the tour. Confirmation of Chris’s name missing from that list could see some market uncertainty creep in.

Please do let us know who got your vote(s) when the week 10 exit poll opens at the end of tomorrow night’s show.

Strictly 2024 Exit Poll – Week 10

Week 10 dances and songs:

Montell and Johannes Quickstep to Get Happy by Ella Fitzgerald
Sarah and Vito Rumba to Chains by Tina Arena
Tasha and Aljaz American Smooth to Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi
Chris and Dianne Paso Doble to El Gato Montes by Manuel Panella
Jamie and Michelle Foxtrot to Stand By Me by Ben E. King
JB and Lauren Charleston to Yes Sir! That’s My Baby by Firehouse Five Plus Two
Pete and Jowita Tango to Easy Lover by Philip Bailey, Phil Collins