BBC Strictly fans 'work out' dance-off theme after JB Gill and Amy Dowden performance

Strictly Come Dancing fans have claimed to have spotted a 'curse' after JB Gill and Amy Dowden found themselves in the dreaded dance-off

Strictly Come Dancing enthusiasts believe they have worked out a recurring theme after JB Gill and Amy Dowden ended up in the feared dance-off. The JLS star and the Welsh professional dancer kicked off the latest live show on Saturday night (October 19) with their dynamic jive routine to Outkast's Hey Ya!

This was the first time the duo had opened the show, with week five of the BBC One dance contest seeing the remaining 12 couples once again vying for their place in the competition, and a spot in next weekend's much-loved Halloween special.

Following JB and Amy's performance, judge Motsi Mabuse commented that they were not "playing around" with their vibrant performance before all four judges awarded them a total of 30 points out of a possible 40. However, it wasn't enough and following the public vote, JB and Amy found themselves under the dreaded red light as they were left in the bottom two alongside former footballer Paul Merson and his pro dance partner Karen Hauer.

Both couples performed their routines again; Paul and his partner Karen danced their Samba to Car Wash by Rose Royce, while JB and his partner Amy reprised their Jive to Hey Ya! by Outkast, reports the Manchester Evening News.

The judges unanimously voted for JB and Amy, consequently eliminating Paul and Karen from the competition. Speaking to Tess Daly, Paul enthused about his experience on the show: "It's been really good. For anybody I talk to, I would say you've got to go on this show. It's amazing - everybody. There's a Tottenham fan over there called Lincoln and even he's nice! It's been amazing, honestly, amazing. I loved every minute of it, I've had a great teacher."

He also praised Karen, saying: "She's been amazing, absolutely amazing and I couldn't wish for a better coach. 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."

However, the surprise placement of JB and Amy in the dance-off caused a stir among Strictly fans, prompting a flurry of speculation on social media about the dangers of performing first on the live show. @misty123214 pointed out: "EVERYONE ALWAYS SAYS SECOND IS THE DANGER SPOT ITS NOT ITS FIRST."

@LeahXBarnes lamented: "First to dance on the live show curse has struck AGAIN ughh whyy I don't want my fave starting."

Meanwhile, @CeeceeNeill15 reinforced the sentiment with: "Going first seems to be the curse of strictly this year. It was Shayne last week and JB this week."

Twitter users have expressed their concerns over the perceived disadvantage of performing first on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. @CSRizzoli23 highlighted the phenomenon, commenting: "...Wow - the curse of going first strikes again! I did think it would when i commented on their scores. The password is Glitterball."

Inquiring about this issue, @Norfolkmumma asked: "Is going first a disadvantage? " @heleningrimsby1 chimed in: "2 weeks in a row the dancers who go out first are in the bottom 2. Sadly, with the show being 2 hours+ long in the early stages people simply forget who or what they've seen. A sign of the times."

Echoing the sentiment, @s_ffron7 shared: "Shayne danced first last week, he was in the bottom two. JB danced first this week, he was in the bottom two. So could be because people are forgetting their dances as there's still lots of contestants or like for me, they don't stand out."