Strictly Come Dancing‘s contestants pulled out all the stops in the latest show, with tears, 10s and even a “perfect” from Craig Revel Horwood.
Saturday night’s instalment of the BBC ballroom contest (November 8) saw the remaining couples perform to an array of tracks from pop superstars like Aretha Franklin and Taylor Swift, serving up their best moves as Blackpool Week looms closer.
It was a wobbly night for Alex Kingston, who had some tears after a nervy showing. But others, such as Vicky Pattison, had their best night yet with nines and 10s.
Here are the highlights of the show.
Vicky Pattison earns three 10s for ‘dance of the night’
Vicky Pattison performed ‘the dance of the night’. (BBC screengrab)
Vicky Pattison screamed in disbelief as she was handed three 10s for her dramatic Tango to The Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift.
The reality star and her pro partner Kai Widdringon wowed the panel with their performance, with even the usually sharp-tongued Revel Horwood admitting it was “perfect” (apart from what he thought was an odd left hand position).
Anton Du Beke said it was “absolutely marvellous”, exclaiming: “Your line is the best line I’ve ever seen.” He confessed that he was a “bit stunned” at how good it was, as Pattison and Widdrington celebrated.
Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse both felt it was “the best dance of the night”, handing out 10s as Pattison shrieked with excitement. Du Beke also flashed his top paddle, but Revel Horwood only dished out a nine.
It meant the duo had 39 out of 40 marks, which placed them at the top of the leaderboard.
Balvinder Sopal brings Bollywood to the ballroom
Balvinder Sopal did a Bollywood-style dance. (BBC screengrab)
Balvinder Sopal bounced back from a string of dance-offs to bring a taste of Bollywood to the ballroom.
The actor and her professional partner Julian Caillon have found themselves in the bottom two on three occasions so far, but they will be hoping things are different this week after their Couple’s Choice to Sapphire by Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh.
It went down a storm with the judges, earning the pair an impressive 34 out of 40.
“I thought it was a joy,” said Mabuse, while Ballas said it was Sopal’s “best dance so far”. “You were in your comfort zone – you were in your world,” the judge said.
“That was brilliant, it was so lovely to let loose and just dance,” Sopal said after the performance.
Alex Kingston gets group hug as she breaks down in tears
Alex Kingston got a group hug. (BBC screengrab)
Former ER star Alex Kingston got a group hug in the Clauditorium after she broke down in tears over her performance.
The actor, who is paired with pro Johannes Radebe, had admitted she was having a tough time perfecting her Paso Doble and the judges picked up on some nerves during her routine.
Mabuse told Kingston it was “the first time I’ve felt insecurity from you” but noted that she moved “like a queen”, and Ballas also mentioned that she “stumbled on a few steps”.
Kingston kept her cool as she listened to the judges’ opinions, but became tearful as she told host Claudia Winkleman afterwards: “I am numerically dyslexic so I can’t count and that’s quite difficult.”
“Everyone, get in,” said Winkleman, and Kingston was surrounded by the other contestants and pros for a group hug.
La Voix finally praises Tess Daly’s outfit
Tess Daly’s outfit got the thumbs up from La Voix. (BBC screengrab)
La Voix has made a habit of jokingly mocking presenter Tess Daly over the clothes she wears on the show, doing it in a light-hearted way and pretending she doesn’t mean to be critical.
But on Saturday’s show Daly finally seemed to earn the seal of approval from the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star. Daly was wearing a long black dress with a sparkly top, and it caught La Voix’s eye as she finished her Foxtrot with her pro partner Aljaz Skorjanec.
Looking over at Daly as she walked over to the judges, La Voix told her: “It’s so nice to see you dressed up for a change.”
“Oh thank you!” exclaimed the TV star. “She approves – finally!”
The leaderboard
Vicky Pattison is at the top of the leaderboard. (BBC screengrab)
La Voix got the lowest score this week. (BBC screengrab)
At the end of the night, Pattison was at the top of the leaderboard after her dance, but Amber Davies was hot on her heels with 38 after an impressive performance that saw her and pro Nikita Kuzmin pull off some dramatic lifts and spins.
Lewis Cope followed up on last week’s 40 with a respectable 35, which was matched by Karen Carney.
At the other end of the leaderboard, La Voix was at the bottom with 29 after her Foxtrot.
So who will go this week? And will Sopal face another dance-off?
As Strictly wrapped, hosts Winkleman and Daly announced that this week Mabuse would have the deciding vote during the results show.
Strictly Come Dancing’s results show airs at 7.10pm on BBC One on Sunday November 9.