Strictly viewers demand rule change after ‘cruel’ shock elimination vote before Blackpool

A seventh celebrity has been eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing and will heartbreakingly miss out on next week’s Blackpool special.

This week’s show brought us more tearful moments than usual, with JB Gill taking to the dance floor without Amy Dowden as she’s been forced to withdraw, Chris McCausland making history with an emotional performance, and Pete Wicks breaking down in tears with a dance in tribute to his late nan.

The end of the night saw JB in the top spot with 37 points, alongside Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri and partner Alijaz Skorjanec, while Pete tied with Montell Douglas and partner Johannes Radebe in second place, with 36 points.

At the bottom of the board stood EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, who won the Christmas special last year, and singer Shayne Ward.

On Sunday’s results programme, it was former X Factor winner Shayne and his dance partner Nancy Xu who were sent home after a dance-off against opera singer Wynne Evans and his professional dance partner Katya Jones.

This has seen fans fuming, as they demanded a change to the rules of the show after the two couples tied by getting two votes each from the judges.

Shayne and Nancy had performed their rumba to Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper while Wynne and Katya danced the American smooth to Grace Kelly by Mika.

Judges Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse wanted to save Shayne and Nancy, but in a surprising twist, Anton Du Beke voted to keep Wynne and Katya in the show following their drama of a few weeks’ ago.

Head judge Shirley Ballas then had the final say during the results show and ultimately eliminated Shayne and Nancy from the competition, much to the fury of fans.

Shirley called the decision difficult and said she didn’t want to send either couple home because ‘you’ve both had a great run this series’.

However, ‘based on this dance alone, you both had a few little hiccups, but one of you displayed a much more powerful and joyous routine’ she argued, before confirming her decision.

Katya and Wynne were both visibly shocked by the sudden reversal of fortune, gasping and holding hands to their mouths, while fans at home took to social media to complain.

‘Shayne was robbed, he was so obviously the better dancer, I don’t understand Shirley and Anton’s reasoning. It makes it all a bit of a farce,’ complained Pat Knight on X.

‘Absolute travesty for Shane to go, for as much as I like Wynne!’ added Neil Woodward. ‘Come on Strictly, people will stop watching if this carries on!!!!! There was no comparison!!!’

‘@shayneTward I’m so sorry for you and Nancy. You absolutely did not deserve to go home. I’m disgusted,’ seethed Lynne McHugh on the social media platform, while Michelle shared that she was ‘gutted’ Shayne was out of Strictly as he was ‘better than Wynne 100%’.

@sianyontheradio agreed, posting: ‘I’m Welsh and I bloody love Wynne … BUT what the foof Anton & Shirley. @shayneTward was clearly the better dancer. That was cruel!!!’

‘Ban the rhumba unless you’re going to make all the male celebs do it on the same night,’ complained Soph B, while others questioned Shirley’s reasoning.

‘VERY unfair to save a couple for having a more ‘joyous’ routine – when the other were doing a rumba!’ pointed out Grace O’Sullivan.

Others also questioned the rule that Head Judge Shirley has the casting vote in a tie-break, rather than it going back to the public’s decision.

‘If the dance-off ends up in 2 votes for each couple it should then go back to the public vote to decide who goes. Shirley should not have the final say!!; argued Jason Harrison, while Angela P chimed in: ‘I’ve been watching Strictly for years, I’ve never understood the judges’ decisions. How can it be a tie-break if the head judge hasn’t voted? They should all vote then if there’s a tie-break it goes to public vote.’

Not all were up in arms with the decision though, especially after such a close week where there were only 7 marks between the couples at the top of the leader board and the bottom.

‘To be fair, the public haven’t voted for Shane. Each week he’s struggled. Was quite a pragmatic decision by Shirley perhaps,’ suggested @gwinniejones after the singer and actor appeared in his third dance-off on Sunday night with Nancy.

Reflecting on the experience, 40-year-old Shayne shared: ‘I just want to say, you guys up there (the other contestants) are a dream.

‘Every single day, coming in here and seeing you guys, you helped me so much.

‘I want to say thank you to the audience as well, for always being amazing for us all. This has been, honestly, one of the best things I’ve ever done.

‘I’m proud that I made it to eight weeks as a novice dancer.

‘A massive thank you goes to this incredible human right next to me, who has put so much fire in me and made me believe that I can actually achieve more if I let myself go.

‘I’m sorry it didn’t work out to the end, but I’m super proud that I got to meet you and dance with you, so thank you.’

Nancy added: ‘I’m beyond proud of this dance partnership. Shayne from week one until this point, every second you put your feet on the dancefloor you improved yourself.

‘You’re a deep thinker, you always doubt yourself, you never believed yourself, but I never, ever questioned you.

‘When I watch you, I feel proud because I’ve turned someone who has never, ever danced in their life into an amazing dancer.

‘You should believe in yourself. I adored this partnership.’

Strictly on Saturday was full of tears after Chris’ momentous blackout dance, with his and partner Dianne Buswell’s couple’s choice routine to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Chris, 47, bravely opened up in his VT, reflecting on his childhood and telling viewers how he came to lose his sight.

‘I came into this thinking, “This could be a bit of a disaster,” but here we are,’ he said of his Strictly journey, revealing he’d previously turned the opportunity down because he was ‘scared’.

As they took to the dancefloor, they made history on Strictly with a poignant blackout moment, which mimicked Chris’s own experience as a blind person.

At the end of the dance, Chris placed his hands over Dianne’s eyes as the room faded to black, the lights coming up moments later to show the comic spinning around with her on his shoulders, pyrotechnics flaring in the background.

Craig branded it ‘spectacular’ while Shirley told them: ‘You don’t miss a beat. You have no fear. You come out every week with your heart on your sleeve, and you give us 100%.’

Elsewhere, after Saturday’s programme, dancer Amy also shared how ‘gutted’ she was to have missed out and watch from home, after it was announced last week that she’d be unable to compete due to a foot injury.

The Welsh pro, 34, who had to miss last year’s season after being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy and chemotherapy, sent a message of support to her dance partner, saying: ‘So proud! Told you from day one samba was going to be incredible and it was! Well done! Proud!’

‘I know what you got coming and those 10s are going to be coming! Well done!’, she added.

‘Gutted I can’t be there dancing with you but you and loz were fabulous! 💖💛⭐️💝🌟’

The results programme also included a song by Ball & Boe, comprised of Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, and a performance in honour of Remembrance Sunday by the professional dancers to The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice.

The remaining eight couples will take to the dance floor next Saturday for a special evening at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.