Shaun Wright-Phillips was eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing after facing the dance-off for a second time, losing to actor Jaime Winstone and pro partner Carlos Gu. Three judges voted to send him home, while head judge Shirley Ballas supported him, prompting fan accusations of bias.
Dance-Off Defeat
The former footballer and his partner Alexis Warr performed their Jive to Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande's hit Faith again in the dance-off. Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke, and Craig Revel Horwood voted to eliminate the couple, but Shirley Ballas voted to keep them in the competition.
It was the second time Wright-Phillips had landed in the bottom two, having previously faced the dance-off on October 10.
Emotional Reaction Analysed
Body language expert Inbaal Honigman, speaking on behalf of Covers.com, analysed his reaction to the exit, describing a range of emotions. "[Shaun] goes through the whole rainbow of emotions, between waiting for the results, processing, and then accepting them. From an emotionally low start, he cheers himself up quickly when he remembers what matters," she said.
"While waiting to learn his fate, [he] lowers his eyes. Gazing downwards at his shoes, he appears to be sad. The former footballer's lower lip stiffens with disappointment when he realises this is the end, and his hands gather protectively in front of his body. He's initially not taking it well [and] may feel like he's letting people down. He's certainly displeased about the idea of losing," she observed.
Honigman noted that Wright-Phillips recovered quickly, saying: "However, by the time Emma tilts her head in empathy, consoling him, [he] has made a speedy recovery." She added that he appeared happy and excited when hugging his co-stars goodbye, concluding: "His teeth-baring grin reveals that, in fact, he's mentally counting all the dances he's not going to have to learn now, and all the glitter that he's not going to have to wear, and all of a sudden, the sports commentator is delighted to be leaving."
Leaderboard Standings
The couple had been bottom of the leaderboard in 12th place following the Saturday night show with just 17 points. Jaime and Carlos had been joint 8th with 25 points after their Foxtrot to Olivia Dean's track Man I Need.
The leaderboard was topped by Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita with a score of 37 for their Couple's Choice to Stupid Song by Olivia Rodrigo. Along with Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington, they secured the first 10s of the series from the judges. Delta and Kai scored 34 for their Rumba to It's All Coming Back To Me Now by Celine Dion, following a week off due to her rib injury.
