Strictly Come Dancing Semi-Final Prediction and Betting Tips: Who will make the Final?

It's not long until we find out who wins this year's Strictly Come Dancing, but first, the remaining five contestants must battle it out in this weekend's semi-finals.

Guy Evans recaps an underwhelming quarter-final, analyses the latest odds, and provides his tip to fall short just before the final.

Strictly Come Dancing Quarter-Final Elimination Recap

There’s no doubt this was an anti-climactic Strictly Come Dancing quarter-final, as Nigel Harman was forced to withdraw from the show having suffered an injury in practice. 

He was unable to take to the floor, which meant no couple was officially eliminated. All four of the remaining couples went through to this week’s semi-final, where their scores from Saturday night will roll over. 

The story of Saturday night was Layton and Nikita’s perfect score for their paso doble. Craig is a reluctant awarder of tens but there was simply no way he could refuse – it was his first ten of the series, which meant it was also the series’ first 40.

Strictly Come Dancing Winner Odds

Odds on Layton to win have now lowered slightly to a best price of 14/1 from Betfred.

Ellie Leach produced another good performance, scoring 36 for her quickstep with Vito. She remains the outright favourite to win, with a best price now of 1/5 coming from BoyleSports, Betfred and William Hill.

With scores of 34 and 33 respectively, Bobby Brazier and Annabel Croft are now very much outliers in terms of quality, but that isn’t exactly how the bookies see it. 

At 9/2, odds on Annabel to win are at their lowest point of the series. Two weeks ago her odds were at 100/1, so it’s a remarkable turnaround for the former tennis pro. 

Having started as the series’ frontrunner, odds on Bobby to win stay at 20/1 – the highest of the four remaining celebs.

Next Elimination Odds

Looking ahead to the semi-final, our celebrities will be dancing two routines on Saturday night for the first time. It’s a huge step-up from what they’re currently used to: double the content, double the technique, and double the performance level. 

There’s no doubt in my mind that Layton will turn in two outstanding routines. He’s dancing a Charleston and rumba, two completely different styles, but he’s used to performing multiple numbers in West End shows. 

Ellie is dancing a cha cha cha and a couple’s choice routine – two styles that will suit her down to the ground. I’m expecting mammoth scores from these two. 

Bobby has the quickstep and the paso doble to negotiate. These are two tricky dances, but I also think they’ll match his qualities; he’s young, energetic, and knows how to embody the spirit of a dance. 

My concern is with Annabel. She has a Viennese waltz, which she’ll perform well, and a salsa, which is very much outside her comfort zone. Annabel is my tip for elimination this week, with 11/8 on offer from BoyleSports, bet365, Bet Victor, and Betfred.

With last week’s scores taken into account, there are 120 points to play for on the judges’ leaderboard. It should be a scorcher – come back next week for my semi-final roundup.