Strictly Come Dancing viewers voiced the same complaint after Sunday's Halloween special introduced a new twist: a three-way dance-off. For the first time, three couples faced elimination instead of two, with Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu, Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, and Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał all competing to stay in the competition. Ultimately, Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystał were eliminated.
Fans react to the shakeup
As the episode concluded, fans took to X to express their frustration with the format change, which many described as "pointless." One viewer wrote: "Three-way dance-off seems pointless and just putting more couples through it. Please let's not do it next week."
Another echoed the sentiment, declaring: "The most pointless elimination format! Not sure what the point in a three-way dance-off was?!" A third commented: "Genuinely, what was the point in having 3 couples in the dance-off if only 1 went home? I assumed it would have been a double elimination."
Questions over the format
A fourth viewer added: "I really don't see the point of a three-way dance-off, and even worse when it's only a one-off. Why is it needed when the judges eliminate anyway and there's no double elimination?"
The criticism centred on the fact that only one couple was sent home, despite three being placed in the dance-off. The twist was introduced as a historic change for the Halloween special, but fans questioned its necessity given the judges' usual elimination process.
