Strictly Come Dancing confirms first-ever triple dance-off

Former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and his professional partner Alexis Warr became the fourth couple to leave Strictly Come Dancing on October 25, 2026, after losing a dance-off to actor Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu.

The elimination arrived on the heels of a bruising live broadcast on October 24, where Wright-Phillips and Warr’s Jive to Stevie Wonder featuring Ariana Grande’s Faith stalled at 17 points.

Jive Stumbles and the Deciding Vote

Craig Revel Horwood dismissed the routine as a disaster, darling, while Anton Du Beke zeroed in on timing errors. Motsi Mabuse offered a softer note, commending the former footballer for pouring maximum effort into every week of the competition.

When the bottom two was tallied, Winstone and Gu stepped forward to defend their spot with a Foxtrot to Olivia Dean’s Man I Need. Judges Revel Horwood and Mabuse voted to save Winstone and Gu. Shirley Ballas diverged, voting to save Wright-Phillips and Warr, leaving Du Beke with the casting vote that sealed the departure.

High Notes on the Leaderboard

While the bottom of the table faced turmoil, the top delivered landmark scores. Winter Olympic champion Tabby Stoecker and partner Mark Karmalita seized the highest score of the series so far with 37 points for their couple’s choice dance.

Meanwhile, Australian singer Delta Goodrem returned from a rib injury alongside Kai Widdrington. Their Rumba to Celine Dion’s It’s All Coming Back To Me Now hauled in 34 points and notched the first 10 of the series.

Unprecedented Triple Dance-Off Ahead

Eleven couples now remain to face a twist. The BBC confirmed that the upcoming Halloween special will stage a series-first triple dance-off.

The three pairs with the lowest combined scores from the judges and the public vote will perform their routines again. From that trio, the panel will eliminate one couple.

Halloween Broadcast Details

Following the Halloween episode, the BBC confirmed the competition will revert to its standard two-couple dance-off format for the rest of the series. The Halloween special is scheduled to air at 6:30 pm on Saturday October 31 on BBC One, with the results show airing on Sunday at 7.10pm.

The open question remains which three of the remaining 11 celebrity pairs will fall into the triple dance-off on October 31, and how the judging panel will handle eliminating a single couple from a three-way bottom tier.