Alex Scott and Saffron Barker are both at risk of being eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing this week.
Former footballer Scott and YouTube star Barker were both at the bottom of the leaderboard for their dances in Saturday night’s episode, the week before the quarter-finals.
Scott and her dance partner Neil Jones scored 26 points from the judges – including a four from Craig Revel Horwood – for their Argentine tango to Bishop Briggs’s version of Never Tear Us Apart from the film Fifty Shades Freed.
The first Argentine Tango series did NOT disappoint. Passion, strength and fire from @AlexScott and @Mr_NJones. 🔥 #Strictly pic.twitter.com/4OCewWltNT
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) November 23, 2019
The judges were largely complimentary about their routine, although Revel Horwood was more critical, telling the former footballer that she looked like she was “churning butter”.
Professional dancer Jones took the blame for any mistakes that were made during the dance, telling the panel: “It’s on me, I was leading her.”
The couple also faced a wardrobe malfunction when their outfits became attached after their dance, leaving Jones having to carry Scott over to the judges.
Host Tess Daly had to help the pair become unattached as she joked about a “microphone malfunction”, adding that it could also be a “sequin malfunction”.
The Argentine Tango. "No other dance connects people emotionally or physically" (take their microphones for instance!) pic.twitter.com/cSZunXJpJW
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) November 23, 2019
Barker and dancer AJ Pritchard received the same score of 26 for their samba to Walking On Sunshine by the Take Me To Rio Collective.
The lower score for Barker comes a week after she was in the dance-off against Michelle Visage, who was booted from the competition.
At the top end of the leaderboard were Kelvin Fletcher and Karim Zeroual, who both scored 38 points from the judges.
Soap star Fletcher and his partner Oti Mabuse impressed the judges with a street/commercial routine to Frank Wilson’s Do I Love You (Indeed I Do), a song that the actor said meant a lot to him.
Turn your heating off… @SaffronBarker and @Aj11Ace's Samba just brought summer back! ☀️ #Strictly pic.twitter.com/9JZSFRgAF5
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) November 23, 2019
Children’s TV presenter Zeroual’s emotional contemporary dance to With Confidence hit Drops Of Jupiter with partner Amy Dowden almost had the judges in tears, and they were full of praise.
However, Revel Horwood did warn him that his performance lacked “emotional content” to boos from the audience.
It was the second week in a row that Fletcher and Zeroual both came in joint first place.
They put everything but the kitchen sink into this routine! Thanks for bringing Northern Soul to the Ballroom @kelvin_fletcher and @OtiMabuse. pic.twitter.com/lhCXktxT8V
— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) November 23, 2019
Comedian Chris Ramsey and his partner Karen Hauer came in third place with 31 points after he performed his most serious dance yet – a paso doble to Run Boy Run by Woodkid.
EastEnders star Emma Barton tackled a quickstep to Sparkling Diamonds by Nicole Kidman from the film Moulin Rouge! with Anton du Beke, for which they scored 29 points, a drop of eight after their score of 37 last week.
Judge Bruno Tonioli opened the show by singing a rendition of Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You while the professional dancers performed a group routine.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Results will air at 7.15pm on Sunday on BBC One.