Social media star John Nellis and professional partner Katya Jones topped the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard after scoring 31 points for their foxtrot to Alex Warren’s "Ordinary" during the BBC One dance programme’s first live show of the series.
The judging panel praised the Northern Irish football content creator’s performance, with Anton Du Beke calling the routine "extraordinary" and Craig Revel Horwood describing the dance as "classy, elegant and graceful." Motsi Mabuse noted that she felt a little emotional watching the performance, calling it "the best dance of the night," while Shirley Ballas praised Nellis for being "elegant" and "sophisticated."
Australian singer Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington followed closely behind, securing 29 points for their samba to "Baiana" by Barbatuques. Du Beke called their routine the best samba of the evening, while Revel Horwood told the singer she was "one to watch. End of."
Opening Night and Presenting Trio
The live show kicked off with a routine by the Strictly professionals set to an orchestral version of "Joy" by Raye. The evening marked the first live show for the presenting trio, consisting of Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe. Willis and Widdicombe split presenting duties by the judges’ table, while Radebe welcomed the dancers on the balcony ahead of the score reveals.
Celebrity Performances and Scores
Several other notable contestants made their dancing debuts during the Saturday night broadcast:
- Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola: The EastEnders actress and her partner danced a cha-cha to Whitney Houston’s "How Will I Know," earning 27 points.
- Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu: The actress and her partner performed a quickstep to Celeste’s "Stop This Flame," scoring 26 points.
- Dani Dyer-Bowen and Nikita Kuzmin: The former Love Island winner completed her Strictly debut after pulling out of the show last year due to an injury. The pair scored 22 points for their samba to "Lush Life," watched from the crowd by her father, Rivals actor Danny Dyer, who stood to applaud their routine.
- Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita: The skeleton racer and her partner scored 22 points for a jive to Katseye’s "Animal."
- Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley: The dog trainer and his partner received 24 points for a cha-cha to "Hound Dog."
- Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu: The actress and her partner earned 21 points for a tango to Donna Summer’s "I Feel Love."
- Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby: The former Love Island star and his partner received 20 points for a quickstep to Bruno Mars’s "I Just Might."
- Lawrence Robb and Jowita Przystal: The Emmerdale actor and his partner scored 20 points for a paso doble to Harry Styles’s "Aperture."
- Will Best and Dianne Buswell: The TV presenter and his partner received 18 points for a samba to Robbie Williams’s "Rock DJ."
- Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden: The hairstylist and his partner scored 16 points for a tango to Alice Merton’s "No Roots."
Three-Way Tie at the Bottom
The episode concluded with a three-way tie for last place, as three couples finished the night with 15 points:
- Gavin and Stacey actress Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec, performing a cha-cha to Elton John and Kiki Dee’s "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart."
- Ex-footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Alexis Warr, performing a cha-cha to Paul Russell’s "Lil Boo Thang."
- Paralympian Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, performing a quickstep to Kay Starr’s "C’est Magnifique."
The opening live broadcast did not feature a public vote or an elimination. Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One on Saturday for movie week.
Keep reading