Strictly Come Dancing host Josh Widdicombe made a candid confession during the first results programme of the series, admitting he "hated" the moment a couple was sent home.
Fresh presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe returned to front the opening results show on Sunday (October 4). After Saturday's Movie Week spectacular, the judges' marks were combined with those from the previous week's first live performance, when no public voting took place. These were then merged with Saturday's (October 3) viewer votes to determine the two lowest-scoring partnerships, who would battle it out in the dance-off.
It was subsequently announced that Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden would go head-to-head with Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu in the elimination showdown. Chris and Amy stepped onto the floor first to deliver their Cha Cha to I'll Be Ready from Baywatch, before Jaime and Carlos showcased their Cha Cha to Oh, Pretty Woman from Pretty Woman, reports the Express.
Judges' decisions
Once both partnerships had performed, the judging panel delivered their decisions. Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke all opted to save Jaime and Carlos, resulting in Chris and Amy becoming the opening duo to depart the contest. Craig Revel Horwood subsequently disclosed that he was in agreement with his fellow panellists.
There was instant response from the studio in the debut instalment of Strictly: Lights Up, which is hosted by Abi Clarke and Tyler West. The fresh programme sees Abi and Tyler guide audiences directly into the ballroom to chat with the eliminated pair, their dance-off rivals - alongside the judges, presenters, fellow Strictly personalities, and studio visitors.
Hosts' reactions
During the first episode, Abi chatted with presenters Emma, Josh and Johannes, who shared their thoughts after fronting their first elimination programme. Abi turned to Josh and asked: "Josh, first results show for you. How does it feel to send someone home?"
Josh responded: "I hated that. It's awful. Can I say that?" Johannes then chimed in: "You can absolutely say that, because that's the part of the show that I do not miss." Josh then admitted the moment was "so emotionally intense", before Emma entered the discussion. She revealed: "I tell you what, that is not pleasant. That is the worst part of my week, isn't it?" Abi observed that Emma had to stand and announce who faced the dance-off, prompting the presenter to confess: "I know! They made me do it."
Johannes swiftly interjected: "You can't say that! I mean, you were the man for the job," while Josh quipped: "Do you know what, it's really tough up there talking to the saved couples."
Presenting shake-up
Emma continued: "You can see, I know I said it, you can see how much they all just don't want to be in that dance off. They are all loving what they're doing. And you're like, 'Can't we change the rules?'"
The results programme notably introduced another presenting shake-up, with Emma and Johannes handling the judges' analysis at the start of the episode. Emma then returned to the ballroom to announce the results, while Josh and Johannes spoke with the safe couples in the Clauditorium. Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
