Strictly Come Dancing could have a new ‘curse’ on their hands (Picture: PA)
One Strictly Come Dancing couple could be doomed before performing a single move due to a new ‘curse’.
A pattern has emerged that seems to indicate which pair will be in trouble, and some fans of the BBC series have picked up on it.
It’s been discovered that Saturday night’s running order can have a detrimental impact on one twosome. A whopping 75% of the duos who have taken to the Ballroom first have found themselves in the dreaded dance-off.
There was no elimination in the launch show, so it all began in week two. Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova opened the show with a Cha Cha to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind and Fire.
In a shocking turn of events, they were left fighting for their place in the competition during the Sunday results show, despite being nowhere near the bottom of the leaderboard.
After Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones were saved by the judges, Tom and Nadiya were the first people to leave Strictly.
Tom and Nadiya were the first couple to leave Strictly (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
In week four, Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu were first on the dance floor with a Cha Cha to Ain’t No Love by Sub Sub. They were comfortably in the middle of the rankings. However, they found themselves in the bottom two alongside Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk. They were rescued by Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke.
In the following episode, JB Gill and Amy Dowden were up top, and the ‘curse’ struck again. Their jive to Outkast’s Hey Ya got them a respectable 30 and they were in eighth position out of 12 couples, but that couldn’t save them. They faced Paul Merson and Karen Hauer, who were the last people to wave goodbye to Strictly.
For every rule, there is always an exception and in this case, it’s Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe. They performed first in week three and are sailing through the competition.
Shayne and Nancy couldn’t escape the ‘curse’ (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
The running order is not released before the episode, so it’s not known which of the 11 remaining couples has the unique challenge to overcome. However, the responsibility is usually shared, so it’s unlikely somebody who has previously gone first will do it again.
The couples yet to open the show are Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell, Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas, Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, Wynne Evans and Katya Jones, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin, Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał, and Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez.
JB and Amy are unlikely to open the show again (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)
Strictly Come Dancing Halloween special routines
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe: Cha Cha to Love Potion No. 9 by The Clovers
Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez: Tango to Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics
Sam Quek and Nikita Kuzmin: Jive to Time Warp by The Rocky Horror Picture Cast
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola: Argentine Tango to Ready Or Not by Fugees
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec: Samba to I Like To Move It Move It by Reel 2 Real
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell: Samba to Stayin Alive’ by The Bee Gees
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas: American Smooth to The Addams Family Theme by Vic Mizzy
JB Gill and Amy Dowden: Foxtrot to Dancing In The Moonlight by Toploader
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał: Viennese Waltz to That’s Life by Frank Sinatra
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu: Paso Doble to In The Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones: Salsa to Canned Heat by Jamiroquai
Getting to dance earliest is often seen as an honour as it sets the tone for the episode. However, the jinx could have emerged as viewers have forgotten the performance by the time the public vote opens at the end of the show.
If there’s any time to take on a ‘curse’ it’s Halloween week, which will also see the official end of a long-running record.
Every Halloween episode that featured Giovanni Pernice, saw him reach the very top of the leaderboard. However, he is no longer part of the series, so the competition is wide open.
Carlos Gu is Beetlejuice for the opening episode (Picture: BBC/Kieron McCarron)
Each couple will be performing a spooky routine on Saturday to obtain the top-of-class honour. The episode will also open with a Beetlejuice-themed routine by the professional dancers, to entertain viewers further.
According to the latest odds, Punam is most likely to experience a horror – having her time on Strictly come to an end. She is to 2-1 to leave according to Coral, Pete follows behind at 7-2 and Sam is 9-2.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 7.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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