Lawrence Robb, the fifth celebrity eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2026, has said he "feels like we won" despite being voted out in a controversial dance-off twist. Fans, however, have claimed the result was a "fix".
The Scottish Emmerdale star, partnered with Jowita Przystał, faced a new triple dance-off on Sunday night's show (November 1). After scoring 26 for his Halloween tango to the Ghostbusters theme tune, Robb was up against actress Jaime Winstone and House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia. Judges voted unanimously to eliminate him.
Bittersweet exit
Speaking on It Takes Two on Monday evening (November 2), Robb admitted he felt he was on "borrowed time" after low scores the week before. He described his exit as "bittersweet".
"I was saying this to Jowita. Despite getting voted out, it was bittersweet. It kind of, in a weird way, felt like we won," he said. "And what I mean by that is obviously we didn't win because you know we got voted out, but everybody swarms on and you get ten minutes of love and hugs and joy. How could that be much different from other than lifting the glitterball, everyone comes and gives you a cuddle and it felt in a roundabout way that we did win something."
Fans claim fix
Many viewers had already expressed online that Robb had been "stitched up" to leave, with some claiming the routine was undermarked and that the routine and song selection did not match. After the show, fans shared disappointment, with some claiming the new dance-off system was a fix.
One Facebook user wrote: "I knew Shirley would go for Lawrence, she's had it in for him from the start. She certainly has her favourites." Another fan claimed: "So they had to change the dance-off format to get rid of Lawrence." A third shared: "A fix me thinks. Just saying. Would like to know each contestant's voting numbers." Another person agreed, stating: "Definitely fixed."
Someone else theorised: "Sorry, I actually liked Jaime and Carlos last night but tonight she stomped her way through that routine. It was as though she was counting the steps. Lawrence danced far better but Shirely had already instructed them how to vote tonight, it was always going to be Lawrence. Gutted!"
Triple dance-off confusion
Other fans were confused about the format of the triple dance-off. One person wrote: "I thought having three in the dance-off meant two would be going. Otherwise what was the point." Another viewer replied: "So did I. What a waste of time having three - fix!" A third person said: "I see no reason for a three way dance-off other than to fill airtime."
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday, November 7, at 6:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
