It's hard to believe we're almost approaching the halfway mark of Strictly Come Dancing 2025. The beloved BBC competition series has been thrilling audiences with its 23rd series since September and now we're set to enjoy one of the most beloved weeks of the whole competition. Yep, it's time for Halloween Week!
The 10 remaining Strictly couples will be taking on some ghoulish classics as one of the staple theme weeks of the series returns for another year. After Icons Week showed up in a different week than we were expecting last week, some fans worried that we wouldn't get Halloween Week this year. But thankfully, that's not the case, as the frightful routines have returned for another year in tonight's episode.
With that in mind, who put a spell on us - and the judges - with their feisty footwork? Who danced the night away while howling at the moon? And who rose to the occasion? Let's find out!
Strictly spoilers and results: Week 6 Leaderboard
Strictly's Halloween Special was all about redemption from Icons Week. Fans weren't particularly fussed about Icons Week last year and this year's edition didn't give them any reason to feel different, especially when it left a number of fan favorites in jeopardy at the bottom of the Leaderboard. That - and the insane amount of ties on the Leaderboard - resulted in two top-scoring couples ending up in the Dance-Off.
So who bounced back from the questionable night on Halloween Week? Well, this one certainly had some thrills as Amber and Nikita danced a feisty Viennese Waltz, Vicky and Kai took on a bewitching American Smooth, and Ellie and Vito danced a killer Tango to Lady Gaga's 2025 banger "Abracadabra".
On that note, let's dive into the Halloween Week scores that each of the dances were given by the judges, and the Leaderboard that remained at the end of the episode.
- Lewis and Katya danced the Couples Choice - 10, 10, 10, 10 = 40
- Karen and Carlos danced the Argentine Tango - 9, 10, 9, 10 = 38
- Amber and Nikita danced the Viennese Waltz - 9, 9, 8, 9 = 35
- Alex and Johannes danced the Salsa - 8, 9, 9, 9 =35
- La Voix and Aljaž danced the Paso Doble - 8, 9, 9, 9 = 35
- Vicky and Kai danced the American Smooth - 7, 8, 8, 8 = 31
- George and Alexis danced the Cha Cha - 6, 7, 8, 8 = 29
- Balvinder and Julian danced the Rumba - 7, 7, 7, 7 = 28
- Ellie and Vito danced the Tango - 6, 7, 7, 7 = 27
- Harry and Karen danced the American Smooth - 6, 7, 6, 7 = 26
Who is in danger on Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Week 6?
What a Halloween Special that was. Yes, in spite of Halloween being last night, Strictly delivered a thrillingly good time that made us all feel like it was still happening tonight. And boy did we get plenty of tricks and treats along the way. That has resulted in a three-way tie in the top end of the Leaderboard which, as we know, can cause havoc with the Dance-Off results.
Last week, multiple ties left Amber and Nikita in danger as they faced the Dance-Off against Jimmy and Lauren. Both couples had scored highly and yet fell into the Dance-Off due to the amount of ties on the Leaderboard (which allows for less points separating the couples at the top and the bottom of the Leaderboard). Tonight, we have a three way tie, which Amber is involved in, and that could place her in jeopardy again despite being third on the Leaderboard.
This also allows lower scoring couples like Harry and Karen, Ellie and Vito, and Balvinder and Julian the chance to escape as they now have two more points than they would have had if there weren't any ties (without ties, they would have had 1, 2, and 3 points respectively, but now they have 3, 4, and 5). This means the public vote has less heavy-lifting to do and could carry them to safety easier. On the other hand, if a higher-scoring couple isn't polling well with the public this week, there is a chance that the ties could allow them to fall into the Dance-Off.
With that in mind, we are in for a very interesting Dance-Off this week. We're predicting that at least one of Ellie and Vito, or Harry and Karen, could find themselves there, with a chance that a high-scorer like Amber and Nikita could fall back in there again.
Who went home on Strictly's Halloween Special?
The Strictly Results Show saw Ellie and Vito land in the Dance-Off alongside Balvinder and Julian. It was the first time for the former couple while it was the third time for the latter, which understandably made for a very interesting Dance-Off – as did the fact that there was just one point between both routines.
Dance-Off: Ellie and Vito vs. Balvinder and Julian
Ellie and Vito took to the Dancefloor to perform their Tango to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” once again. Anton praised Ellie's improvement over their Saturday night performance, saying that she delivered more fight, performance, and commitment in terms of getting into the right frame position. Shirley praised the pair for their performance, as well as their overall journey throughout the series.
Meanwhile, Balvinder and Julian reprised their Rumba to “Stay” from Shakespear’s Sister. Anton praised Balvinder for improving upon Saturday night's performance, specifically when it came to the leg action required for the Rumba, saving her as a result of this. Motsi said that musicality is one of the main things she looks for in terms of dancing and that Balvinder was the one who showed that in the Dance-Off, also opting to save her. Craig also saved Balvinder for having the superior dance technique in the Dance-Off.
Head Judge Shirley had the casting vote, but she didn’t need to vote as Craig, Motsi, and Anton unanimously chose to save Balvinder and Julian, sending Ellie and Vito home. She also agreed that she would have saved Balvinder but took some time to praise Ellie and Vito's journey.
Eliminated: Ellie and Vito
To say that Ellie Goldstein has been a joy to watch perform over the course of the series would be an understatement. She has delivered so many memorable routines over the course of her six weeks in the competition – we’ll never forget her epic Barbie-inspired Samba on Movies Week. We'll miss watching "Team Chaos" perform. It's been a true joy!
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One next Saturday at 6:25 pm GMT.