Strictly Come Dancing viewers have branded the fifth elimination of the series "ridiculous" after a dramatic three-couple dance-off on Saturday night's Halloween special. The twist saw the judges vote to eliminate one couple rather than save their preferred pair, a change from previous dance-offs.
The departure follows last week's exit of ex-England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and his professional partner Alexis Warr from the BBC ballroom show. While the results show airs on Sunday evenings, it is filmed the previous day after the live performance, and an audience member has allegedly revealed the spoiler on social media, though Express.co.uk has opted not to disclose their identity.
Halloween Special Brings Spooky Transformation
The competition for this year's Glitterball Trophy intensified on Saturday night (October 31) as the remaining 12 couples took to the ballroom once more. The venue underwent a spooky transformation for Halloween night, with couples delivering performances ranging from sultry salsas and spine-tingling Cha-chas to eerie waltzes, all set to iconic Halloween tracks and film themes from popular culture.
The celebrity contestants embraced the occasion with elaborate costumes of beloved spooky characters, from the Ghostbusters to Frankenstein and the Devil. The famous faces gave it their all on the dance floor, hoping to wow the judges and escape landing in the show's unprecedented three-way dance-off.
Fans Slam the New Format
Unlike previous dance-offs, this week the judges cast their votes to eliminate one couple from the show rather than to save their preferred pair, as has been the case in earlier rounds. This is one of several shake-ups BBC bosses are introducing in the revamped series, which is bound to ruffle a few feathers amongst viewers at home.
Those who waited for the spoiler to drop on social media were quick to slam the "ridiculous" new format. One user penned: "Ridiculous choice to send home someone in the three-way dance-off. I really liked them, and this seems unfair." Another agreed: "The other two will be in the dance-off next week, though", as a third chimed in with: "If there's three in a dance-off, it would have been better to get two eliminated."
Meanwhile, others were left baffled by the outcome, with many demanding a rescore. One user penned: "Really surprised! ! I thought they were hugely popular [sad emoji]." Another fumed: "They would not have been in the dance-off under the normal rules. Likely the twist was designed specifically for this purpose." A third echoed: "That three-way dance-off was the reason they were there, so people will deffo be angry about that."
Results Show Airing Tonight
Fans will have to stay tuned to see which couple will take to the dancefloor one last time during the results show tonight (November 1st) on BBC One or BBC iPlayer from 7.10pm.
