Strictly Come Dancing fans voiced their confusion at the beginning of Sunday night’s semi-final results show.
On the recent episode, contestants Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal, Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec, Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, and JB Gill and Lauren Oakley, were all on tenterhooks as they awaited the verdict on their future in the competition and their chance at reaching next week’s final.
Presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced that viewers would be treated to two extraordinary acts that evening with Becky Hill performing her dynamic single Indestructible and Raye belting out her captivating tune Genesis, Pt. III.
But confusion ensued among the audience when the programme went straight into Becky Hill’s act without any prior results announcements about which dancers had secured their places in the finals, reports the Mirror.
Viewers flooded social media to express their bewilderment, with tweets like: “Why is there a music performance first #Strictly”, and others echoed the sentiment questioning the scheduling choices with: “why tf is the music performance first #Strictly” and some showed their confusion: “why have we got a music performance before any of the announcements what #strictly”.
Later during the episode, the hit BBC One dancing series said goodbye to one duo, setting the stage for the eagerly awaited 2024 finale.
In a turn of events, Pete and his dance partner Jowita faced their first dance-off against Tasha and her partner Aljaz during the dreaded dance-off.
In the dance-off, both couples performed one of their routines again, with Tasha and Aljaz giving an encore of their Waltz to Aretha Franklin’s (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
In contrast, Pete and Jowita reprised their Argentine Tango set to The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony. Following the repeat performances, judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke all voted to save Tasha and Aljaz from elimination.
As a result of receiving three votes, it was the end of the road for Pete and Jowita who missed out on a place in next week’s grand final. Head judge Shirley Ballas revealed that she also would have chosen to save Tasha and Aljaz, aligning her opinion with those of her fellow judges.
Reflecting on his journey, Pete spoke poignantly: “It’s been beautiful!” Elaborating on his experience he added: “It’s been wild. I’ve been quite honest about the fact that I didn’t necessarily want to do this [Strictly] in the first place, but everyone else wanted me to do it, and I am so, so glad that I did it!”
He continued: “You don’t always have to be the best, but if you enjoy something then why shouldn’t you have a go at it? I’ve tried my best from day one, I said I was in for a penny, in for a pound and I’ve done it, it’s been beautiful.”
With the competition nearing its finale, Tasha and Aljaz join Chris and Dianne, Sarah and Vito, and JB and Lauren as the finalists of Strictly Come Dancing 2024.
The Strictly Come Dancing Grand Final returns live on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 14 December at 6pm.