Strictly Come Dancing star Tom Dean was the first to be eliminated from the BBC dancing series – which left fans furious after he faced the dance-off against Toyah Willcox.
Last night, Dean and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova performed the Cha Cha to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire, and were given a score of 20, which was added to their previous score of 23 from the week before.
After all 15 celebrities performed last night, it was down to the public to vote for who they wanted to save and send through to week three – leaving Dean and Willcox to battle it out of their space one last time.
Once they had performed their routine again, the judges made their choices as to who they wanted to save, with Craig Revel Horwood going first and choosing to save Willcox and her partner Neil Jones.
Motsi Mabuse chose to save Willcox and Jones, whilst Anton Du Beke chose to save Dean and Bychkova, leaving head judge Shirley Ballas to have the deciding vote and save Willcox and Jones.
When asked by Daly about his time on the show, Dean said: “I’ve had the best time the last few weeks and getting to work with Nadiya has been incredible. I wish I could have gone further and done more dances.
Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova and Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones competed in the dance off
BBC
“I’ve had the most fun and I wish we could keep going longer and longer. We’ll still go out for loads of brunches I’m sure.”
Bychkova added: “To get to know him, he’s not just a three-time Olympic champion he’s a true gentleman and he taught me how to work really hard and how to put everything in.
“And you know what? On this programme, sometimes to win, you don’t need to win, and that’s how I feel this year.”
Viewers of the show were left outraged at the outcome and took to their X accounts where they claimed the results had been fixed, as one annoyed viewer penned: “Already started ‘fixing’ the show then. Tom was far from the worst dancer. #StrictlyComeDancing.”
The couple were devastated to be going home
BBC
“TOM DOES NOT DESERVE THIS #StrictlyComeDancing,” another penned before a third added: “Are the mental? Do they need help judging because what the f**k was that decision?”
Someone else penned: “Gutted for Tom. He really didn’t deserve to be first voted off. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing”
“Nah, saving Toyah is completely wrong, not because she’s annoying but because she can’t dance,” a fifth fumed.
A sixth quipped: “Unfortunately Toyah will never improve to be a dancer, Tom would have done much better moving forward. Wrong decision.”
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Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova thanked one another for their time on the show
BBC
However, not all viewers disagreed with the results, as one viewer noted: “I’m afraid I couldn’t overlook the many, many mistakes in Tom’s Cha Cha Cha that made the whole dance look awkward.
“Toyah, on the other hand, danced with a sense of ease, and for me, she won this Dance Off easily. I’d vote to save Toyah and Neil. #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly.” (sic)
The remaining 14 couples will take to the dancefloor next week in a spectacular Movie Week Special, with Dean and Bychkova joining It Takes Two host Fleur East tomorrow night.