Strictly Come Dancing viewers are convinced they’ve ‘worked out’ who will be the first couple eliminated after spotting ‘clue’ on opening show

By William On Sep 24, 2023

Strictly Come Dancing viewers are convinced they have ‘figured out’ who will be the first couple to be eliminated.

The BBC1 dance show kicked off on Saturday evening as all 15 celebrities took to the floor with their very first routines.

No one is going home this week, with the scores carrying over to next weekend when someone will say goodbye to the competition on Sunday night.

Nigel Harman and Katya Jones topped the standings on Saturday night with 32 points, while Les Dennis and Nancy Xu finished bottom with just 16 points.

But despite finishing bottom, many on Twitter didn’t think it would be Les who would go home, but that it would be Nikita Kanda.

Having their say: Strictly Come Dancing viewers are convinced they’ve ‘figured out’ who will be the first couple to be eliminated

Predictions: Despite Les Dennis finishing bottom, many on Twitter didn’t think it would be Les who would go home, but instead it would be Nikita Kanda

The BBC Asian Network host scored just 18 with her professional partner Gorka Marquez after their Waltz to Run To You by Whitney Houston.

One fan said: ‘I HATE saying this after tonight but I predict Nikita will be the first to appear next week #Strictly.’

Another wrote: ‘My immediate prediction for week 1 is that Nikita will be the first to emerge from #Strictly.’

A third echoed: ‘The standard was incredible tonight. What a fantastic first show. I predict big things for Nigel, Angela and Ellie. I think the one at risk of going first will be Nikita (although I think she looks beautiful).”

It came as Amanda Abbington again dismissed reports of a feud with professional partner Giovanni Pernice as they took to the dancefloor for the show’s first live episode on Saturday.

The actress, 49, described the ballroom professional, 33, as “a little brother” in the pre-recorded VT and said she “loves him already” before admitting she hadn’t “picked things up as quickly as she wanted to.” during rehearsals.

The first live show saw all 15 couples begin their Strictly journey, performing for the first time with Nigel Harman and Katya Jones at the top of the leaderboard with 32 points and Les and his partner Nancy at the bottom with a disappointing 16.

Earlier on Saturday, Sherlock star Amanda shared a video on Instagram in which she dismissed rumors of clashes with Giovanni in a foul-mouthed rant.

Room for improvement: The BBC Asian Network host scored just 18 with her professional partner Gorka Marquez after their Waltz to Run To You by Whitney Houston

Scores: Nigel Harman and Katya Jones topped the leaderboard on Saturday night with 32 points, while Les Dennis and Nancy Xu (pictured) finished bottom with just 16 points

Comment: One fan said: ‘I HATE saying this after tonight but I predict Nikita will be out first next week #Strictly’

It follows that she was ‘affected’ by his ‘militant and aggressive’ training style, with tensions escalating between the pair.

But Amanda hit back, saying she was ‘ignoring the bulls***’ as she insisted all was well between her and Giovanni.

The duo then took to the floor as they performed an elegant Viennese waltz to Lewis Capaldi’s Pointless, which earned a respectable 29 points from the judges.

Shirley said: ‘Your fluidity, your sensitivity, your beautiful styling, you have beautiful chemistry, I loved it.’

Anton advised Amanda to relax a bit, saying: ‘It was all wonderful, emotionally wonderful. I want you to breathe. If there were thirty seconds left, I think you might have passed out.”

The actress was supported from the audience by fiancé Jonathan Goodwin and 17-year-old son Joe, whom she shares with ex-partner Martin Freeman.

Strictly speaking: week one rankings

Nigel Harman and Katya Jones – Paso Doble to Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana – 32 points out of 40

Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin – Samba to Touch by Little Mix – 29 points out of 40

Ellie Lelk and Vito Coppola – Jive to Can’t Tame Her by Zara Larsson – 29 points out of 40

Bobby Brazier and Diane Buswell – Foxtrot for All About You by McFly – 29 points out of 40

Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice – Viennese Waltz to Pointless by Lewis Capaldi – 29 points out of 40

Angela Rippon Kai Wrrington – Cha Cha to Get the Party Started by Shirley Bassey – 28 points out of 40

Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe – Cha Cha to Uptown Girl by Billy Joel – 28 points out of 40

Angela Scanlan and Carlos Gu – Tango to Prisoner by Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa – 23 points out of 40

Eddie Kadi and Karen – Quickstep to Two Hearts by Phil Collins – 22 points out of 40

Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley – Cha Cha to Boom Shack A Lack by Apache Indian – 22 points out of 40

Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystał – Quickstep to I’m On Top Of The World by Bobby Darin – 21 points out of 40

Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk – Cha Cha to Waffle House by Jonas Brothers – 19 points out of 40

Zara McDermott and Graziano Dr Fine – Cha Cha to Crush by Jennifer Page – 19 points out of 40

Nikita Kanda and Gorka Marquez – Waltz to Run To You by Whitney Houston – 18 points out of 40

Les Dennis and Nancy Xu – Tango to Don’t You Want Me by Human League – 16 points out of 40

Jonathan was paralyzed for life in a tragic accident in October 2021, following a stunt in which he tried to escape from a straitjacket while hanging upside down ten meters in the air.

Former EastEnders actor Nigel, 50, emerged as an early favorite to win the show was pronounced by the judge Shirley Ballas as ‘the one to beat’ after he performed an excellent Pasodoble with a dance partner Katya Jones.

The Casualty star danced to Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit and received rave reviews from all four judges, receiving a score of 32 out of 40.

Earlier in the episode, fans showered Amy Dowden with support after she was absent from the show as she is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment amid her battle with breast cancer.

Yet the Welsh dragon is still very much a part of the Strictly family, as fans saw her in the 2023 titles, which introduce all the couples at the start of each show, alongside the recognizable theme music.

And fans have now flocked to share their support with the star as they took to Twitter to send her their well wishes.

And Angela Rippon demonstrated her incredible flexibility as she stretched her leg over her head in her first performance.

The announcer, 78, who has made history as the show’s oldest ever contestant, took the floor with professional partner Kai Widdrington, 28, for a very energetic Cha Cha.

Later in the show, Zara McDermott looked nothing short of sensational as she took to the glitzy dance floor for the first time.

The Love Island star, 26, sent temperatures soaring in a sparkling white mini dress with sassy cutouts and showed off her stunning figure in all its glory.

Also looking to impress was Bobby Brazier, who gave an emotional performance as he entered the ballroom with partner Dianne Buswell.

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman led the evening as they headed to the ballroom in matching black and white outfits.

Exciting: during the first live show, all 15 couples started their Strictly journey and performed for the first time (photo is jury member Anton Du Beke)