Strictly Come Dancing has confirmed a major change to its next dance-off, with the show introducing a triple dance-off for the first time in its 22-year history. The change will take place during the Halloween special, giving judges more control over who stays in the competition.
First Triple Dance-Off in Show History
For the first time, the three couples with the lowest combined judges' scores and public votes will dance again before the judges decide which couple to eliminate. After this episode, the show will return to the traditional two-couple dance-off for the rest of the series.
The announcement was made during Sunday's results show, which also saw former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and his professional partner Alexis Warr become the fourth couple to leave the competition. They lost in the dance-off to actress Jaime Winstone and her partner Carlos Gu.
Week Five Highlights and Scores
Week five saw the first 10s of the 2026 series, with Delta Goodrem securing the top mark from Anton Du Beke following her return from injury. The Australian singer, who had a bye after a rib fracture, scored 34 for her rumba to Celine Dion's 'It's All Coming Back To Me Now' with professional partner Kai Widdrington.
Winter Olympic champion Tabby Stoecker then scored two 10s for her couple's choice dance to 'Stupid Song' by Olivia Rodrigo, finishing with a total of 37, the highest score of the series so far. Her performance with Mark Karmalita was dedicated to her late father, and judge Shirley Ballas praised her as a "beautiful dancer" and called the performance "absolutely exquisite".
Bottom Two and Results Show
Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu finished in the bottom two after the public vote despite scoring 25 for their jive to 'Faith' by Stevie Wonder featuring Ariana Grande. They survived the dance-off against Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr.
The results show also featured a fitness-inspired group dance with Spice Girls star Melanie C joining the professional dancers, as well as the UK television debut of Jamie Miller's 'Babydoll' featuring Antonio Cipriano, which is currently number one in the UK charts.
