The UK's favorite entertainment program returned two weeks ago to thrill the nation for yet another year. That's right, Strictly Come Dancing is back on the BBC for another series of Foxtrots, Charlestons, Sambas, and Quicksteps, and viewers are already excited about this year's partnerships.
The first episode already featured some memorable routines, with the likes of Karen Carney, Amber Davies, ER legend Alex Kingston, and EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal all making an impression. The scores that each contestant earned for their Week 1 routines have been subsequently carried over into Week 2 as all of the couples all take to the dancefloor once again for another round of memorable routines. But who danced best this week, and which of the couples are in danger of facing the dreaded Dance-Off?
Let's dive into the glitz, glam, and glitterballs of this week's show, recapping who did well, what went down, and who is in danger. With that in mind, here are all the Strictly spoilers you need, including the results and scores from the Week 2 Saturday Night show.
La Voix and Aljaž Škorjanec
Dance: Jive
Song: "Objection (Tango)" by Shakira
Judges' Score: 19/40 (+24 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The judges' praised La Voix for opening the show with a show! All of them praised her comedic timing, as well as her partnership with Aljaž. The Tango-esque Jive was an unusual choice but they all felt that it worked for the drama, however Craig felt that the routine wasn't as successful as it could have been. The judges also pointed out that it lacked the bounce on the standing leg but praised La Voix's kicks and flicks.
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu
Dance: Tango
Song: "Training Season" by Dua Lipa
Judges' Score: 20/40 (+31 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The judges commended Karen and Carlos for their powerful performance, pointing out that Karen delivered the fierce performance needed for the Tango. However, Shirley said that she got too centred in the dance and needed to be more over to Carlos' right side. Anton agreed, telling her she would have more space if it wasn't as compact. All in all, a strong performance but with some constructive feedback that Karen really appreciated.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley
Dance: Cha Cha
Song: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Santa Esmeralda
Judges' score: 25/40 (+27 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The judges collectively praised Jimmy for managing to deliver another exceptional performance just two weeks in, capitalizing on the momentum of his Quickstep last week. Motsi loved that he really performed the dance and brought in that smile she loved to see from him, while Shirley and Anton loved the more Cuban flavor that he brought to the dance - saying it captured the flavor of Cha Cha even more than a more traditional Strictly version of the dance might have.
Lewis Cope and Katya Jones
Dance: Viennese Waltz
Song: "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims
Judges' Score: 27/40 (+28 from last week)
Judges' Comments: All four judges acknowledged that, although Lewis is extremely talented and destined to go far in the competition, he needs to refine his power. Shirley, in particular, pointed out that the style of dance should be respected and that this performance didn't match the more reserved, elegant energy needed for a Viennese Waltz. Craig said he felt that the power almost made some of the movements aggressive.
Alex Kingston and Johannes Radebe
Dance: Samba
Song: "La Bamba" by Connie Francis
Judges' Score: 31 / 40 (+21 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The best reaction from the judges of the night, Alex's Samba was praised all around. Motsi and Shirley said they were genuinely surprised by how good she was with such a difficult dance this early on, while Shirley commended them for delivering exactly what a Samba should be. Although Craig had some small pointers, he too praised the routine while Anton was also in awe of it. Alex is definitely one to watch.
Ellie Goldstein and Vito Coppola
Dance: Waltz
Song: "Your Song" by Elton John
Judges' Score: 23/40 (+17 from last week)
Judges' Comments: Ellie was considered one of the most improved of the week as the judges remarked how graceful her Waltz was. Motsi and Shirley were thrilled with how she listened to the feedback from last week about keeping her feet on the floor while all four of them commended her spins.
Tom Skinner and Amy Dowden
Dance: Salsa
Song: "Bonkers" by Dizzee Rascal
Judges' Score: 13/40 (+16 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The judges' didn't really know what to make of the routine because it was very, well as the song says, bonkers. All four of them applauded the lifts, but felt that the Salsa part of it needed a lot more fluidity.
Harry Aikines-Aryeetey and Karen Hauer
Dance: Quickstep
Song: "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" by the Blues Brothers
Judges' Score: 26/40 (+17 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The judges were happy to see that Harry's well-built frame has not taken away from how elegant he is in ballroom hold. Craig pointed out some gapping in the Quickstep runs while the other judges felt that he could let go more, but all in all, it was a good performance for him.
Ross King and Jowita Przystał
Dance: Waltz
Song: "Sunshine On Leith" by The Proclaimers
Judges' score: 15/40 (+10 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The judges all felt that Ross had made a huge improvement over last week's routine, with Shirley commending him for it. Motsi said she felt he got a little nervous as he put pressure on himself to succeed after last week while Craig was more critical of the whole Waltz. Nevertheless, Anton sided with the other judges in acknowledging Ross as the most improved of the week.
Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin
Dance: Samba
Song: "Bam Bam" by Camilla Cabello & Ed Sheeran
Judges' Score: 29/40 (+27 from last week)
Judges' Comments: Craig "loved, loved, loved that", while the other judges were full of praise too. It's clear that Amber is one of the strongest dancers in the competition, so the other judges used this as an opportunity to share some feedback on how she can iron out any kinks early on, specifically in relation to foot placement and transitions. But there was a lot of love for the rhythm in the upper half of her body and the way she performed the dance.
Vicky Pattison and Kai Widdrington
Dance: Foxtrot
Song: "Rein Me In" by Sam Fender & Olivia Dean
Judges' Score: 24/40 (+23 from last week)
Judges' Comments: All judges pointed out that Vicky's posture in hold needed correcting as she was too upright, which could create some gapping. However, all of them were extremely excited at the potential that they see in Vicky, with Shirley saying that she sees someone who could go all the way in her (to which Motsi agreed), and Shirley told Kai to challenge Vicky because she sees the potential - which understandably made Vicky quite emotional.
Stefan Dennis and Dianne Buswell
Dance: Cha Cha
Song: "Give It Up" by KC &The Sunshine Band
Judges' Score: 17/40 (+23 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The judges noticed that Stefan made some mistakes in the routine and the Neighbours legend acknowledged that, saying he was so nervous about this dance in particular. They were full of praise for his performance, saying that it was a shame that there was mistakes because he performed the dance well.
Chris Robshaw and Nadiya Bychkova
Dance: Veinnese Waltz
Song: "Die With A Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Judges' Score: 16/40 (+14 from last week)
Judges' Comments: Craig was not a fan of the routine, which he felt was stiff, while the other judges acknowledged Chris' improvement this week. Anton told him that he needs to dance to his height as he's not doing that at the moment, which makes the dance look a bit boxed in. Craig completely agreed with that. Shirely and Motsi praised Chris' improvement but still feel that he can go out there and perform even better.
George Clarke and Alexis Warr
Dance: Paso Doble
Song: "Game Of Survival" by Ruelle
Judges' Score: 30/40 (+24 from last week)
Judges Comments: Shirley said George was outstanding, praising his ability to captivate without going too far overboard. Anton was full of praise for the drama as well as his timing. Craig felt that he could have accentuated the Spanish line a little bit more while Motsi said to work on the fluidity. However, Motsi also agreed with Shirley that they could be looking at a potential frontrunner in George. He had arguably the best reaction of the night from the audience, too.
Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon
Dance: Charleston
Song: "Been Like This" by Meghan Trainor & T- Pain
Judges' Score: 30/40 (+17 from last week)
Judges' Comments: The consensus among the judges was "Who knew?!" as all of them were amazed by the improvement in Balvinder between Week 1 and Week 2. Craig did point out some small things to work on but he loved it, calling her swivels gorgeous while Shirley said she was absolutely outstanding, adding that she would be doubling her scores this week. And that's exactly what happened as she received two 8s and two 7s, giving her the biggest improvement in scores between the two weeks.
Strictly spoilers and results: Your Week 2 Leaderboard and all of the scores
The second week of Strictly Come Dancing was nothing short of pure entertainment, but if you are a fan of the show, you already knew that! For being one of the longest episodes of the series, it delivered on the non-stop fun, providing us with plenty of brilliant routines that we'll be talking about for the remainder of the series.
Alex Kingston delivered the highest-scoring dance of the night while George and Balvinder were close behind her. However, it was Amber Davies who topped the Leaderboard due to the combined scores between Weeks 1 and 2. So just how did the carried-over scores from Week 1 impact everyone's position on the Leaderboard?
Taking all of that into account, here are the results from the Strictly Week 2 show. the scores that each of the dances were given by the judges (along with the carried over scores from the previous week), and the Leaderboard that remained at the end of the episode:
- Amber and Nikita danced the Samba: 29 (+ 27 from last week) = 56
- Lewis and Katya danced the Viennese Waltz 27 (+28 from last week) = 55
- George and Alexis danced the Paso Doble - 30 (+24 from last week) = 54
- Jimmy and Lauren danced the Cha Cha - 25 (+27 from last week) = 52
- Alex and Johannes danced the Samba - 31 (+21 from last week) = 52
- Karen and Carlos danced the Tango - 20 (+31 from last week) = 51
- Vicky and Kai danced the Foxtrot - 24 (+23 from last week) = 47
- Balvinder and Julian danced the Charleston - 30 (+17 from last week) = 47
- Harry and Karen danced the Quickstep - 26 (+19 from last week) = 45
- La Voix and Aljaž danced the Jive - 19 (+24 from last week) = 43
- Ellie and Vito danced the Waltz - 23 (+17 from last week) = 40
- Stefan and Dianne danced the Cha Cha - 17 (+22 from last week) = 39
- Chris and Nadiya danced the Viennese Waltz - 16 (+14 from last week) = 30
- Tom and Amy danced the Salsa - 13 (+16 from last week) = 29
- Ross and Jowita danced the Waltz- 15 (+10 from last week) = 25
Who is in danger on Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Week 2?
This is going to be a good series! That's a certainty after two strong weeks that really highlighted how impressive the stars are this year. Of course, that makes predicting who will find themselves in the Dance-Off all the more difficult. However, the one element that evens that out is that the scores from Week 1 have been carried over from last week, meaning that there are less opportunities for ties - and that means the Leaderboard itself carries just as much weight as the public vote (if there were ties, the public vote would win out). There is just one tie, which makes it difficult for the couples at the bottom to escape the Dance-Off.
Taking all of that into account, the people at the bottom of the Leaderboard are in the most danger of ending up in the Dance-Off. Yes, it's an obvious thing to say, but with just that single tie on the Leaderboard, it's especially true on a week like this one, with so many couples and such a strict order. With that in mind, the likes of Amber, Lewis, George, Jimmy, Alex, Karen, Vicki, ans Balvinder are safe as houses.
As for who's in danger, the most likely candidates are Tom and Amy, Ross and Jowita, and Chris and Nadiya. Although Ross is directly at the bottom of the Leaderboard, we're going to make a bold prediction that he will avoid the Dance-Off (due to his popularity, his emotional performance this week, and his improvement), which will likely leave a Tom vs. Chris Dance-Off.
Who went home on Strictly Come Dancing 2025 in the series' first elimination?
After a very unique, very divisive Results Show, it was revealed that Tom and Amy, and Chris and Nadiya were the bottom two couples and would have to compete in the Dance-off. As part of the show's bizarre new format, a new judge now gets to make the casting vote each week and it was Mosti who would be kicking things off this week. However, she wasn't called upon to make the decision as there was no tie.
Tom and Amy reprised their Salsa while Chris and Nadiya danced their Viennese Waltz before the judges made the decision. In the end, all three judges decided to save Chris and Nadiya, sending Tom and Amy home. Motsi didn't need to make the tie-breaking vote but she did reveal that she would have voted the same to save Chris and Nadiya.
Tom and Amy's Strictly journey may have come to an end, but their emotional send-off made it clear that they will be friends for life as Amy thanked her dance partner for restoring her confidence in dancing.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One next Saturday at 6:05 pm BST for its Movie Week Special.