Dan Walker defied the odds last week and continues his run on the show. Like we predicted last week Tilly was dragged down to earth, scoring even below Dan. This sealed her place in the dance off. We expected Dan to get more public votes than Tilly and Rhys. Dan escaped the dance off thanks to not coming dead last on the scoreboard with the public pushing him through.

It looks like producers may not be so adamant on dragging down Dan after all and feel comfortable continuing his story. Dan returns with a ballroom dance this week which could set him up to exceed his series high of 31 points. Although it is likely he will score in the bottom 2 we cannot underestimate Dan’s public vote capability.

Rhys has been given an Argentinian tango. Though this seems like a good dance on paper they are following on from John & Johannes’s spectacular AT pimp-slotted performance from last week. They set the bar high and could draw comparisons. It is also important to point out that Nancy does not have a history of performing the AT so we could see her struggle. We also have to stress how poorly Rhys has been performing in the public vote, almost every week he has escape the dance off has been thanks to the judge’s points.

This series has seen a trend for dancer to score low a week after they have topped the leaderboard. We saw this with Tilly’s elimination just a week after scoring a perfect 40. This might spell trouble for John who takes on the salsa. AJ interestingly will also take on the salsa, possibly leading to the judges drawing on comparisons. John is also due an early running order slot, so there is a chance he could delve into the dance off.

AJ & Rose look like they have their semi final spots booked already. Rose had a bit of a dip last week but still performed strongly with social media stats. This week she goes back to the ballroom where she is much more suited. We could see Rose returning to the top of the leaderboard as we get closer to the final and the show realises she is the inevitable winner.

This looks set to be another close week with Dan, Rhys and John battling for the last 2 spots in the semi. Dan does have the capability to outpoll both but again much depends on their position on the scoreboard. If we’ve learnt one thing this series it is to not underestimate Dan.

Recommended Bets:

Back Rhys Stephenson for Next Elimination @ 2.5 (Betfair Sportsbook)