BBC Strictly Come Dancing's 'clear favourite' named as two stars 'in trouble'

A 'clear favourite' has emerged in the race for the Glitterball trophy while two stars find themselves 'in trouble' in Strictly Come Dancing. The competition is contuining to heat up with the finishing line edging closer into sight.

It was another spectacular evening in the ballroom last Saturday night (November 9) with tears being shed and joy being felt by the nine remaining couples in the BBC One dance contest as they attempted to make it through to the show's Blackpool special.

Opening the show this weekend was Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and her dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec, who quickstepped to Fantasy by Mariah Carey.

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The pair "offered everything we needed to see in a quick step", according to Shirley Ballas, and they were awarded 37 points out of a possible 40. Joining them at top of the leaderboard was JLS star JB Gill and his new professional dance partner Lauren Oakley following their samba that "stunned" the judges.

Commenting on their dance to Mas Que Nada by Sergio Mendes, judge Anton Du Beke said: "I am stunned, stunned. Last week. You did your couple’s choice and I said: ‘Please can you bring this moving forward? Just bring it and stick it on another dance.’ Man alive, did you bring it!"

There were also tears all round as in tribute to his late grandmother, reality TV star and podcast host Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystal performed a couple’s choice dance to The Best by Nicotine Dolls, a song he hadn't listened to since his nan's funeral in 2022, which received 36 out of a possible 40 points.

Also on the show, opera singer Wynne Evans was praised for improving his footwork after he took to the dancefloor to perform an American smooth to Grace Kelly by Mika. Wynne and his dance partner Katya Jones were awarded 32 points and surprised with a video from singer Mika, who wished the couple well.

Meanwhile, Chris McCausland was one of the talks of the evening having been praised for performing a dance featuring a "poignant" blackout moment, imitating his own experience with blindness. The comedian, 47, and his dance partner Dianne Buswell closed the latest live show, the first in two weeks without a theme, with their couple’s choice to Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) by John Lennon.

But it's now been revealed that Tasha has remained as the clear favourite to win this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, while Pete and Montell Douglas could be next to leave. A supercomputer from FruitySlots.com has factored in the latest scores to determine who has the highest probability of winning, with Tasha and partner Aljaž coming out on top with 23.9%.

While EastEnders star Jamie previously appeared as a close contender, actress Sarah Hadland now sits in second position with a 14.3% probability of winning. JB and Lauren follow close on Sarah’s heels with a win percentage of 13.2%.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Pete Wicks could be next to leave this weekend. Despite being a fan favourite, the reality star is currently only tipped with a win percentage of 6.1%, following his emotional tribute routine on Saturday night. According to the calculations, Montell Douglas is also low down the rankings with 9.5%.