Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left unimpressed by what they called an 'evil' dance-off decision as Dame Sarah Storey became the third celebrity to leave the competition.
It was Icons Week in the ballroom on Saturday night (October 17), with the stars channelling the likes of Sir Elton John, Adele and Frank Sinatra in themed dances paying tribute to their favourite artists.
Only 12 of the 13 remaining couples took to the floor after it was announced that Delta Goodrem was injured and had received a bye to next week, when it is hoped the singer and her professional partner Kai Widdrington will dance again.
Dance-Off Decides Third Elimination
Presenters Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe offered their well-wishes to the Australian singer at the start of the show. "Delta, my darling, we know you will be watching at home tonight. I just want to say we are all sending you so much love," Johannes said.
Paralympic champion Dame Sarah Storey and actress Bethany Antonia were left fighting for their place after landing in the dreaded dance-off. Sarah and her pro Julian Caillon had placed bottom of the leaderboard, scoring 21 for their tango to That Don't Impress Me Much by Shania Twain. Bethany and her partner Nancy Xu placed third from the bottom after scoring 27 for their cha cha to Respect by Aretha Franklin.
Judges' Verdict and Fan Reaction
Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke opted to save Bethany, meaning head judge Shirley Ballas did not need to use her deciding vote. Dame Sarah – Great Britain's most successful Paralympian with 30 medals, including 19 golds at eight games – was sent home.
Reacting to the news, fans were shocked to see Bethany have to dance again. @RealityAbby said: "I'm shocked that Bethany was in the dance off. But I'm gutted for Sarah." @EveSukiEE wrote: "The person who is eliminated I kinda called which is sad but who they were versus was evil…"
@storey_carolyn commented: "Shocking that Bethany is in the bottom 2 when SWP is still in there. The right person went home out of those in the bottom two... #Strictly #StrictlySpoiler #StrictlyComeDancing." @raggedydocs added: "I'm going to need people to lock tf in here we can't have this happen again."
Spin-Off and Next Week's Show
Sarah and Julian's immediate reaction from the dance floor will feature in the new spin-off, Strictly: Lights Up, hosted by Abi Clarke and Tyler West, available on BBC iPlayer from the moment the results show credits roll. They will then join Ellie Taylor on Strictly - It Takes Two on Monday (October 19) at 6:30pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Sunday night's results show also saw the Professional Dancers transform into different eras of Madonna in a showstopping routine. There was a special tribute to Dolly Parton as singer Belles sang Jolene, accompanied by a performance from Amy Dowden and Kai Widdrington.
Strictly Come Dancing returns at 6.30pm next Saturday on BBC One.
