It's been a big week for Strictly Come Dancing. The shocker of the year came when it was revealed that beloved presenting duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman would be leaving the show after 15 years of hosting together (and two decades with the program in general). But, as they like to say in show business: The Show Must Go On.
And on it went, as Tess and Claudia revealed the judges, the couples, and the icons that they would all be playing in Week 5's Icons Week, which was a night that was full of glitz, glam, and sparkle. Of course, there were some controversies - including a disconnect between the judges, who disagreed on some routines. And fans felt that some routines didn't benefit from the chosen icon - which was the same criticism as last year's edition of Icons Week.
So, when all was said and done, who was left standing atop the Leaderboard at the end of the night? Let's find out, as we break down all the Strictly spoilers you need to know from Icons Week, including the results and scores.
Strictly spoilers and results: Week 5 Leaderboard
Well Saturday was the place to be as it's where all of the icons were. Perhaps there was no performance as iconic as Lewis and Katya's Quickstep to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", which opened the show and saw the duo achieve the highest scores of the night. While two other couples scored just one mark less, and another just two marks less, Lewis set the standard high for the evening (although based on individual scoring, Anton felt that Amber and Alex delivered stronger performances).
Vicky and Kai took us back to Cheryl Cole's iconic 2009 X Factor performance of "Fight For This Love" with their Couples Choice while Amber and Nikita brought Ariana to the dancefloor with their party-centric Cha Cha! Balvinder and Julian delivered a fun Quickstep to Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em" while La Voix and Aljaž rebounded after last week's missteps with a show-closing Salsa. And the standard of dancing for the evening was so high that there was just seven marks between the top-scoring couple and the bottom-scoring couple.
With that, let's head to the stage as we take you through the scores that each of the dances were given by the judges during Icons Week, and the Leaderboard that remained at the end of the episode
- Lewis and Katya danced the Foxtrot - 9, 9, 8, 8 = 34
- Vicky and Kai danced the Couple's Choice - 8, 8, 8, 9 = 33
- Amber and Nikita danced the Cha Cha - 8, 8, 8, 9 = 33
- Alex and Johannes danced the Foxtrot - 7, 8, 8, 9 = 32
- Harry and Karen danced the Argentine Tango - 6, 9, 7, 8 = 30
- Jimmy and Lauren danced the American Smooth - 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30
- Karen and Carlos danced the Rumba - 7, 7, 7, 7 = 28
- Ellie and Vito danced the Salsa -6, 8, 7, 7 = 28
- Balvinder and Julian danced the Quickstep - 7, 7, 7, 7 = 28
- La Voix and Aljaž danced the Salsa - 6, 7, 7, 8 = 28
- George and Alexis danced the Jive - 6, 7, 6, 8 = 27
Who is in danger on Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Week 5?
Now, this is going to be the most interesting night of the whole series. There are some surprises on that Leaderboard - such as how low George is despite a good dance or how high the likes of Harry and Jimmy are in spite of mixed feedback from the judges. But all of that merely sets the stage for the most compelling argument of them all: The multiple ties on the Leaderboard.
We've talked before about how important ties are as they can decrease the amount of points between the couple at the top and the one at the bottom, and that is certainly the case here. Not only are there three ties on the Leaderboard, we have four couples tied on 28. That means that George - at the bottom of the Leaderboard - has six points instead of the one he normally would have in that position. It also means that there are just five points between both ends of the Leaderboard instead of the typical 10 that there should be at this stage of the competition.
With that in mind, the Dance-Off will likely consist of a showdown between one of the couples in the four-way tie of 28, and one of those in the two-way tie of 30. Because even though the judges have them tied, the public vote will be the tiebreaker - meaning that in a two-way tie, one couple will outdo the other. The same goes for a four-way tie. Whoever comes out of those worse will be at a disadvantage.
Dance-Off Results and who left the competition
Well, we were certainly right about the ties creating a shock Dance-Off. As the public vote carried more weight this week, all of the fan favorites at the bottom were able to escape the danger zone, putting some of the couples higher up in danger instead. As a result, Jimmy and Lauren - who were fourth on the Leaderboard - ended up in the Dance-Off alongside Amber and Nikita - who were joint-second on the Leaderboard. Needless to say, audiences were shocked.
Dance-Off: Amber and Nikita vs. Jimmy and Lauren
Amber and Nikita reprised their Ariana Grande-inspired Cha Cha, which scored 33 on Saturday night. The judges had praised the pair for their powerful, packed routine full of content while just pointing out that Amber needed to perfect the straight leg movement required for the Cha Cha.
Meanwhile, Jimmy and Lauren reprised their Prince-inspired American Smooth, which had scored 30 on Saturday night and earned praise from the judges for the commitment to the character and Jimmy's incredible lifts. Craig had pointed out that he did feel hesitant - as if he was dancing underneath himself instead of more outwardly.
When Amber and Jimmy danced their routines again in the Dance-Off, the judges unanimously saved Amber and Nikita - citing stronger technique as their reason for doing so. Although Anton had the casting vote, he didn't need to use it as Craig, Motsi, and Shirley agreed on the decision, but he would have also voted to save Amber.
Eliminated: Jimmy and Lauren
Needless to say, it's been a delight watching Jimmy improve as a dancer. His Quickstep in Week 1 really surprised people, and it showcased how much potential he truly had. He certainly realized that potential throughout his five weeks in the competition. We'll miss watching Jimmy and Lauren perform each and every week.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One next Saturday at 6:35 pm BST.