Strictly fans have identified a potential 'dark horse' in the competition, despite controversy over judge Craig Revel Horwood's scores. On Saturday night, the remaining seven contestants took to the stage in Blackpool for the show's annual visit to the Northern seaside town.
Impressive performance
Angela Scanlon received her highest scores so far for her Argentine Tango. However, Craig only gave her an eight, leading some fans to believe she could be the dark horse of the competition.
Layton Williams and Ellie Leach topped the leaderboard with a joint score of 39 by the end of the night. Angela Scanlon closely followed with 38 points, impressing the judges with her Argentine Tango. Although Angela has had ups and downs throughout the competition, she received 10s from three of the judges, except Craig.
Dark horse speculation
Many viewers now believe that Angela Scanlon could be the dark horse of the competition and potentially win the glitterball trophy with her professional partner Carlos Gu. Fans took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express their thoughts, with one user writing, "Angela S is the dark horse of this competition #Strictly." Another user added, "That may just be Angela and Carlos' best dance yet wowow that was brilliant #strictly." A third tweet read, "ANGELA JUST GOT HER FIRST 10S & THEIR HIGHEST SCORE OF THE SEASON !!!!! CONGRATS MY DEAR !!!! ANGELA IS THE DARK HORSE OF THIS SEASON !!!!!!".
Controversial scoring
However, some Strictly viewers were left furious with Craig's scoring, as he failed to give out any 10s during the Blackpool live show. One viewer expressed their disappointment, stating, "0 for Craig tonight, absolutely underscoring Angela and Carlos' Argentine tango. Shameful." Another added, "CRAIG. ANGELA AND CARLOS' ARGENTINE TANGO WAS NOT AN 8. BE SERIOUS." A third viewer agreed, writing, "Craig is INFURIATING! Angela and Carlos easily deserved a 40." Another frustrated fan commented, "Catching up with #Strictly. Just watched Angela and Carlos. Not for the first time I find myself saying WHAT THE F***, CRAIG! He talked absolute b*****ks re Layton's synchronicity too. GOOD GRIEF! Get an eye test, man!"
Strictly Come Dancing can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
