Strictly Come Dancing enthusiasts were left in shock when JLS sensation JB Gill was announced as part of the bottom two on Sunday evening. Despite their theories, they reckon they’ve sussed out the real reason why.
The 37-year-old vocalist found himself in the tense dance-off during Sunday night’s results episode after performing a jive to Hey Ya! alongside dance partner Amy Dowden.
Although he secured a solid 30 points positioning them mid-table, they still faced off against sports star Paul Merson.
Fellow competitors were clearly taken aback, with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin’s jaw notably dropping at the news. Following host Tess Daly’s disclosure that they were at risk, JB addressed his followers, stating: “It’s disappointing but it is what it is.”
Chief judge Shirley Ballas also expressed her surprise, admitting she was quite moved and complimenting JB, saying: “I feel quite emotional for you…you are a very,very good dancer. All you have to do is repeat what you did on Saturday.”
The outcome left audiences perplexed, prompting a flurry of tweets as one person exclaimed: “No way!”
A second repeated added: “What!!!! JB no way!!!”. Another revealed they had gasped, while yet another tweeted: “NO WAY JB SHOULD BE IN THE DANCE OFF.”
However, fans think they’ve pinpointed the reason behind JB and Amy’s dance duel predicament. The theory is that the duo suffered from the dreaded ‘curse’ of being the opening act on Saturday’s live show, reports Birmingham Live.
One viewer wrote: “JB bitten by the curse of going first. #strictly.”
Another commented: “The “first on” curse strikes yet again.”
Someone else wrote: “The curse of the first strikes again. That was by far his worst routine though.”
Despite facing the possibility of elimination in the dance-off, JB was eventually saved by the judges, leading to Paul and Karen Hauers departure. With this outcome, 56 year old Paul became the fourth celebrity to leave the show.
When asked by host Tess Daly about his Strictly experience, Paul said: “It’s been really good. For anybody I talk to, I would say you’ve got to go on this show.”
Praising the show and everyone involved, he said: “It’s amazing – everybody,” then humorously added, referring to a member of the production team, “There’s a Tottenham fan over there called Lincoln and even he’s nice!”
Although he threw in a light-hearted dig, Paul had nothing but praise for his dance partner. He continued: “It’s been amazing, honestly, amazing.”
“I loved every minute of it, I’ve had a great teacher. She’s been amazing, absolutely amazing and I couldn’t wish for a better coach.”
Reflecting on his achievement, Paul concluded: “I’ve loved every minute of it. I can dance now – I’ve won because I can dance, I couldn’t dance before and I can half dance now. It’s a bonus, absolute bonus.”
Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday on BBC One from 6:25pm