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Remember, remember, it\u2019s 8th November bingo<\/p>\n
Tick them off when you spot them! Take a drink for each! Wind up handcuffed to a confused policeman in Amsterdam! Here\u2019s tonight\u2019s 10-point spotter\u2019s checklist:<\/p>\n
The judges have no idea how to mark a Couple\u2019s Choice so make it up as they go along<\/p>\n
Craig Revel Horwood insists that a Charleston isn\u2019t quirky or swivelly enough<\/p>\n
Struggling celebrity plays the cute kid\/nanna card in their VT<\/p>\n
Shirley Ballas mentions footwork details and \u201cfundamentals\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis Cope unconvincingly denies that scoring a perfect 40 last week raised pressure or expectations<\/p>\n
Anton du Beke coos over a classic ballroom number and says it\u2019s the sort of routine he would\u2019ve loved to dance<\/p>\n
Vicky Pattison\u2019s post-dance interview involves mention of her nerves\/an animal reference<\/p>\n
Motsi Mabuse pretty much tells Craig to shut up and stop nitpicking<\/p>\n
The newly eliminated Vito Coppola becomes chief cheerleader on the balcony<\/p>\n
Dave Arch\u2019s band do well with a classic tune but make a right mess of a contemporary pop banger<\/p>\n
Share<\/a>Get well soon, Amy<\/p>\n News this week that beloved Strictly pro Amy Dowden will sit out the rest of the series after undergoing a second mastectomy. The 35-year-old from Caerphilly was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 after discovering a lump in her breast during her honeymoon.<\/p>\n She has reassured fans that the latest operation wasn\u2019t related to a new diagnosis and that she\u2019s \u201clooking forward to rejoining the Strictly family\u201d when her health has improved. We wish her well with her recovery.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 20 minutes until that ba-ba-da theme tune\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>A Nitro vs Suki dance-off?<\/p>\n Perhaps unsurprisingly, Balvinder Sopal and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey are the bookies\u2019 tips for the bottom two this week, followed – slightly more surprisingly – by Amber Davies.<\/p>\n Can this endangered trio defy the odds? It\u2019s 25 minutes until we get our first choreographic clues\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Whose half-term report will say \u201csee me\u201d?<\/p>\n Someone won\u2019t make it past the midway mark. Good evening and welcome to the seventh live weekend of Strictly Come Dancing 2025. I\u2019m Michael, your virtual dance partner for tonight\u2019s mercifully non-themed live show. You are warmly invited to watch along with me as our nine remaining couples reach the halfway point of the contest.<\/p>\n Last week\u2019s Halloween Spooktacular saw some spookily high scoring. Lewis Cope got the first perfect 40 of the series for his stunning Couple\u2019s Choice and Karen Carney also scored two 10s for her Peaky Blinders-themed Argentine tango. Down the bottom Balvinder Sopal was consigned to her third dance-off but Ellie Goldstein was sadly eliminated.<\/p>\n Tonight the nine surviving pro-celebrity pairings take to the floor again, bidding to get past the midway point and enter Strictly\u2019s home stretch. Yes, it\u2019s all downhill from here until Christmas.<\/p>\n It\u2019s showtime at 6.25pm on BBC<\/a> One. I\u2019ll be liveblogging from 5.55pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reaction and ooh-aah verbal fireworks. So light a sparkler on the hob, get your teeth stuck in a toffee apple and I\u2019ll see you on the sofa.<\/p>\n As ever, I\u2019d love to hear from you too. You can tweet me @michaelhogan, contact me on Bluesky or Threads @michaelhogan100, email me michael.hogan.freelance@guardian.co.uk<\/a> and the comments section below is open for choreographic conversation. I\u2019ll samba-bounce down there whenever I can to see what you\u2019re all saying and quote your sage words up top. So please don\u2019t be shy about sharing your thoughts.<\/p>\n It\u2019s week seven and we\u2019re going to hoofing heaven. Nearly time to staaaart halfway dancing!<\/p>\n