Strictly Come Dancing's Top 8 hit the floor this weekend in the hopes of edging one step closer to the Glitterball Trophy; and with the competition arguably more wide-open than it has been for quite a while, it seems that every single routine matters more than ever before.
Frankie Bridge and Kevin Clifton, the bookies' favourites by the smallest of hairlines, will be performing a Viennese Waltz this weekend, as Dave Arch's orchestra play Tom Jones' ‘;What's New Pussycat?'. Jake Wood and Janette Manrara, meanwhile, will be delivering a Samba to… wait for it… the ‘;Macarena'. Yup.
Also on the bill, a Tango to OneRepublic's epic ‘;Love Runs Out' from Mark Wright and Karen Hauer; and a Waltz from Sunetra Sarker and Brendan Cole to Paolo Nutini's ‘;Last Request'. Will that help them dodge the Dance-Off after last weekend's near-miss?
(Photo: BBC)
Elsewhere, Blackpool's joint leaderboard winners Pixie Lott and Trent Whiddon will perform a Charleston to ‘;Sparkling Diamonds' from Nicole Kidman, while their fellow 38-pointers from last weekend, Simon Webbe and Kristina Rhianoff, will show off a Samba to ‘;Let's Hear It For The Boy' by Deniece Williams.
Finally, Steve Backshall and Ola Jordan are working on a Jive to ‘;Little Bitty Pretty One' by Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, while Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev are hoping to continue their comeback with an American Smooth to the Robbie Williams version of ‘;Mack The Knife'.
(Photo: BBC)
While Sunetra is the bookies' tip to go, the remaining dancers are all looking pretty strong. Earlier this week we analysed each couple's vital statistics so far in the contest, struggling to reach a conclusion of who looks like the most viable frontrunner. Read it here.
As for the professionals' routine, exciting news has come in that Robin Windsor will be gracing the floor for the first time this series, after having to bow out over the summer due to a back injury. He was replaced by Trent in the competition, but will grace the stage for an ensemble number at some point over the weekend. "I'm thrilled to be back with the Strictly family this weekend dancing in the professional number," he told Radio Times. "It's been a long wait but it'll be worth it!"
