Strictly Come Dancing week five results – live
Halloween-friendly hilarity
More spin-offs than the Marvel franchise
Anton gets the casting vote
Is Shaun doomed or could he rise to the occasion again?
Things getting spicy in the ballroom
Who won’t be invited to the Halloween party?
Thank you and a glittery goodnight
Readers’ verdicts are in
From contempo-waft to Winehouse
Hold my calls, it’s the Golden Glitterballs
This week’s leaderboard
Credits roll
Anton gets the casting vote
And voting is… wait for it…. open!
John and Katya’s quickstep
Tabby and Mark’s Couple’s Choice
Delta and Kai’s rumba
Cach and Maddie’s cha cha cha
Lacey and Vito’s tango
Dani and Nikita’s salsa
Shaun and Alexis’ jive
Bethany and Nancy’s Argentine tango
Will and Dianne’s cha cha cha
Graeme and Lauren’s tango
Lawrence and Jowita’s jive
Jaime and Carlos’ foxtrot
Our Strictly stars™
Only way is up for the judges
Frockwatch
And we’re off!
Pros work up a sweat tomorrow night
Tabby was a Raye of sunshine
On your dance cards tonight
Buckle up for Strictly bingo
Shaun still tipped for exit
Delta is back from the sick bay
Back to ballroom basics - but will we see first perfect 10?
Fang-baring sitcom The Reluctant Vampire wrapping up on BBC1 right now. Vampire hunters arrive in the village. Run! Hang on, you can fly. Don’t run, fly!
Straight after the results show, remember you can head to BBC iPlayer for Strictly: Lights Up, the newish bit of “bonus content” which sees Tyler West and Abi Clarke canvassing insta-reaction from the eliminated couple, judges and Elstree Studios guests.
The unlucky pair will also appear on Ellie Taylor’s banquette of badinage on tomorrow’s Strictly It Takes Two (6.30pm on BBC Two). Ten minutes until results showtime…
The judges continue to take it in turns to have the deciding dance-off vote. It was announced last night that the responsibility this week falls to Anton Du Beke. Judging by his erratic scoring last night, frankly anything could happen.
It’s 15 minutes until the glitterball starts spinning again…
Coming into this weekend, the former footballer was once more bookmakers’ favourite for the boot. Shaun Wright-Phillips duly finished bottom of the scoreboard. But he’s been in the dance-off before and raised his game enough to secure survival.
Will he need to repeat the feat? Twenty minutes until the clock strikes Strictly…
There’s a girl-powered musical guest tonight as Melanie C, aka Sporty Spice, joins the Strictly professionals for a fitness-based group dance. Zig-a-zig-ah indeed.
I wonder if she’d ever sign up for the series? Her bandmate Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton finished third in 2006, of course. I’d wager Ms Chisholm would also be rather good. It’s 25 minutes until we’re back in the ballroom…
One couple won’t get to raid the BBC’s phantasmagorical fancy dress box. But who will miss out on the horror-themed hoofing?
Good evening and welcome to the fourth elimination from Strictly Come Dancing 2026. I’m Michael, your online dance partner for tonight’s results show. I’d love you to watch along with me as the fourth celebrity is sent home, falling agonisingly short of next weekend’s Halloween spooktacular.
Last night saw the first 10s of the series as both Tabby Stoecker and the back-from-injury Delta Goodrem notched maximums, making them the top two on the leaderboard. Our 12 pro-celebrity pairs now await their fates. Last night’s scores will be combined with the public vote and the bottom two will compete in the dreaded dance-off.
Two misfiring jives propped up the scoreboard. Shaun Wright was left rock bottom of the standings, with Lawrence Robb just above. But will voting viewers agree? If not, the likes of Cach Mercer, Jaime Winstone and Bethany Antionia could come into the reckoning.
It’s results showtime at 7.10pm on BBC One. I’ll be liveblogging from 6.40pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reaction and affectionate mickey-taking. So close the curtains against Storm Boelo, snuggle up with a glass of something warming and I’ll see you on the sofa.
As ever, I’d love to hear from you too. You can tweet me @michaelhogan, contact me on Bluesky or Threads @michaelhogan100, email me michael.hogan.freelance@guardian.co.uk and the comments section below is back open for hoofing hubbub. I’ll take my tiny pair of ghost child’s shoes down there whenever I can to check your reactions and report them up top.
Pumpkin-spiced heartbreak beckons for one pairing. Nearly time to staaaaaart eliminating!
That concludes tonight’s red hot liveblogging action but we’ll be back tomorrow for the results show. It airs at 7.10pm on Sunday, featuring Melanie C and Babydoll. Please rejoin me then to wave off the departing couple. Any last dance-off predictions? I fear for the boys: Shaun, Lawrence and even Cach.
In the meantime, I’m @michaelhogan on Twitter and @michaelhogan100 elsewhere, so please do jive on over and say hello.
Thanks for watching along with me, my foxtrotting friends, and for all your cracking contributions. Hopefully see you back here tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy what remains of your Saturday night and as is traditional: keeeeeep dancing!
Finally, on Delta Goodrem, ButterflyBlu says: “Everyone loves Delta. She is head and shoulders above the others. Reminds me of Layton from a previous season who was so technically good.”
Lidoswimmer says: “As usual, I can’t tell if a rumba is technically good or not, so just have to go on whether it keeps my attention. Afraid that left me a bit cold, even with Kai in a mesh shirt.”
joanieloves says: “Anton’s scoring this week has gone mad. Rumba wasn’t bad but it’s never gonna be my favourite.”
ACSCD1 adds: “Premature evaluation from Anton!”
On Shaun Wright-Phillips, YodaknowsAll says: “I really like SWP, but that jive was pretty bad in the little bit of dancing that he did.”
G1adys says: “If I could vote, I’d vote for Shaun now. He’s not a great dancer but the judges need to prepare something positive to say in encouragement, otherwise they just come across as mean. Strictly is not about being mean.”
LoveAretha30 adds: “Oh dear, Shaun, I think he struggled with this jive. The energy wasn’t there at all and he was out of time, unfortunately. Well done, Motsi, for emphasising how this is a different world from football.”
On Lacey Turner, diamondcat says: “I love the tango and really enjoyed that from Lacey. The speed! No wonder, at the end, there was a moment where she looked as if she was thinking, ‘You know, it’s quite nice here on the floor. Do I have to get up?’”
TallulahBankhead says: “Lacey and Vito went at such speed, I ended up holding my breath. It seems to me there was a mix of fierce and fear in her expression, but the dancing looked good to me.”
whistledownthewind says: “That was really good from Lacey. She was quite timid in her early dances but under Vito’s expert tutoring and her obvious commitment, she’s come on in leaps and bounds. If she keeps it up, she’ll be a finalist.”
styletraveller adds: “Tango on some first-class amphetamines. Blimey, I’m knackered.”
On Bethany Antonia, davidargile says: “Are the judges harsh on Bethany on purpose? I feel they have gone in her a little. I feel sorry for her, she’s good.”
acanthe says: “I enjoyed that Argentine tango very much but admit I’m biased because I really love this partnership.”
YodaknowsAll says: “Take a bow, Bethany and Nancy, that AT was superb. I loved the intensity, unlike Craig.”
ACSCD1 adds: “From what I could see, that was a good AT. However the camerawork and lighting did not make it easy to see all the footwork.”
On Tabby Stoecker, VelvetinaB says: “Joyful! And Tabby has great core strength. All her movement is so sure!”
joanieloves says: “Tabby has become one of my favourites. She’s a joy to watch and has taken to every style of dance. Mark is also a great addition to the pros.”
fihema says: “If I switched on right now and didn’t know the couple, I’m not sure I’d be able to guess which of Tabby and Mark is the pro and which is the celeb.”
YodaknowsAll says: “I can honestly say that CC really moved me. Beautifully synchronised with such feeling. Dance of the night for me.”
Haigin88 adds: “Tabby’s natural warmth when talking and total application when performing will keep her in all the way.”
Shazza2704 says: “I have no idea who Cach Mercer is or what he does, but I didn’t like the way the feedback was delivered to him, especially Shirley and her creepy shoes. I thought he did well and I will be voting for him later.”
irreverentnurse says: “Cach has presence on the floor and all the moves, always looks good.”
Gardener_Maidhc says: “The judges are right. Cach is a great freestyle dancer but he doesn’t seem to do the actual dances and just comes out and does the same thing each week.”
acanthe adds: “Cach needs more snap in his legs for cha-cha but he’s so beautifully loose0limbed when he moves that it’s impossible. I still love to watch him dance.”
styletraveller says: “Jaime Winstone is graceful and fluid in that foxtrot.”
SparklingDormouse says: “Lovely, floaty foxtrot. Thoroughly enjoyed that. A lot of spinning from Jamie!”
fihema says: “I love the fact Carlos looks as if he’s genuinely enjoying this, which suggests trust in Jaime. Trust that she’ll bring her top game, and he has no need to worry. I *think* he was singing along, not giving instructions?”
emilyscatnaps adds: “‘The body parts are in the right position’ instantly makes me want to add ‘But not necessarily in the right order’.”
Strictlylounging says of Will Best’s jive: “I already hate this buggy prop idea. There’s no need for all the gimmicks. I must be grumpy today!”
shazza2704 says: “Those babies are the worst props in the history of SCD. Just such a weird distraction.”
Emilyscatnaps says: “From the outfits when they came out, I wasn’t expecting something QUITE so camp as this. Lol.
Vicc says: “If, and it’s a big if, I could get past the baby stuff, I really don’t think that dance deserved those scores. What were you thinking Craig? And the others. Over marked!”
diamondcat adds: “There seemed to be feet all over the place in that cha-cha. It was like watching someone doing a Scottish sword dance whilst wearing a blindfold.”
YodaknowsAll says: “I absolutely loved that tango from Graeme Hall. He had real drive across the floor and the performance was on target.”
neko99 says: “Lauren really gets the best out of Graeme. Her frock is fab too!”
Lidoswimmer says: “Not perfect but loved that tango. Although Graeme needs to stand up tall! It’s always great to see someone who doesn’t look like a dancer but turns out to be light on their feet with a physical ease. Thinking of Hamza too.”
Phoebe adds: “Wow! I was spellbound. Loved that from Graeme and he took control, leading Lauren very well. And Anton declares it the best ballroom dance of the series. Bravo.”
whistledownthewind says: “Hasn’t anyone told Lawrence Robb that any VT visitors need to be cute and under 5, or sparky and over 80? A spouse/partner impresses no-one on Strictly.”
Pengolina123 says: “I can’t help thinking Pam and Jowita might have performed a better jive, if there was an option you could get a family member to stand in for you.”
LoveAretha30 says: “A fun and fast jive, good choreography from Jowita. Unfortunately, Lawrence couldn’t get the kicks and flicks right, it was a bit loose. I have to agree with Craig.”
IvanTiger says: “Lawrence has wrong posture in this. Seems crouching, but maybe because his partner is too short for him? Not convinced.”
wtrukus adds: “I love Lawrence but it looked like he was trying to get something off his shoe”
Lidoswimmer says: I really like watching John Nellis. A complete beginner and doesn’t look like a dancer, yet moves across the floor with some welly and clearly loving the whole thing. A vote from me tonight.”
IvanTiger says: “John’s quickstep was good but needs frame-work. He’s nicely light on his feet for a big fella. Good stuff.”
dmr95 adds: “Nicest guy with best partner. No need for babies, nans, ghosts or my mute button. Take my 5 votes.”
ladyglencora says: “Sassy salsa from Dani Dyer. Slightly clunky in the lifts but fabulous trust between these two, great partnership.”
Vicc says: “Not sure I cared for that salsa. The lifts were clunky and, as someone else said, inelegant. Also too many lifts. They may look spectacular but they interrupt the flow of the movement, instead of being part of it.”
Lidoswimmer adds: “Nikita is really one of the best pros for showing off his partner. You can see the elements he’s put into the dance to let Dani be in the spotlight but at the right level of difficulty. And I love that he’s always game for a camp outfit.”
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