Strictly Come Dancing Week 2 Tips: Back Les Dennis to be the first eliminated
We’ve had our first taste of Strictly action, but who fared well, and who’s fearing the wrath of Craig Revel Horwood?
Guy Evans runs through the latest in the betting ahead of the second weekend and provides his tip to be the first contestant eliminated.
All 15 couples made their debut last Saturday but none were eliminated – that all changes this week, as the contestants dance again to combine their score with the previous show.
Remember that the judges’ scores only act as a reference point for the voting public – the two couples with the lowest number of public votes will be the ones actually competing in the season’s first dance-off.
After that, it’s over to the judges to decide which of those two couples is eliminated from the show.
Strictly Come Dancing Week 2 Tips
Nigel Harman was Saturday night’s standout performer, turning in a convincing paso doble that scored 32 points – a huge score for week one.
Odds on Harman to win have shifted from 6/1 to 7/2; of course it’s still far too early to tell who will be crowned Strictly champion, but his performance gained eight points from judges across the board.
Amanda Abbington, Bobby Brazier, Layton Williams, and Ellie Leach are all tied in second place with 29 points, with Angela Rippon and Annabel Croft a point behind on 28.
Of these six celebrities, Ellie and Annabel have caused the most surprise among bookmakers, with the odds on them winning the show cut significantly: Ellie moves from 12/1 to 7/1, while Annabel moves from 16/1 to 10/1.
Despite turning in an outstanding samba, odds on Layton Williams to win have surprisingly lengthened from 9/2 to 12/1. These odds from BetVictor and Boylesports probably won’t climb any higher, so now might be a good moment to back the West End star.
At the other end of the leaderboard, Les Dennis’s tango managed a generous 16 points, including a two from Craig. He’s the biggest mover in terms of odds this week, moving from 50/1 to 150/1 to win. Nikita Kanda sits just above him with 18 points from her waltz, and climbs from 33/1 to 100/1.
You’d be brave to bet on anyone other than these two leaving Strictly on Sunday night’s results show, but you can never be sure who the public want to save. Les will certainly be picking up a few sympathy votes, but if he fails to escape the dance-off, it’s hard to see him progressing to week three.
William Hill have Les at a best-priced 3/1 to be the first contestant eliminated, but odds are actually shorter on Nikita to leave the show first – the same bookies have her at 7/4.
The opening two weekends of Strictly are unique: at no other point in the competition will contestants have scores from two weeks combined together.
This means that everything can change on Saturday night, particularly if celebrities are assigned dances more (or less) suited to their styles and personalities.
We’ll know more about which couples the public favour after Saturday’s show, so stay tuned for next week’s Strictly betting tips!
Subscribe now for the latest previews, exclusive tips supported by stats, and top offers sent directly to your inbox.