September 27th 2024.
On Sunday night's result show, there's a chance that Nick Knowles could become a part of the statistics. As we've seen so far, Strictly Come Dancing has been all about the glitz and glamour, with sequins, shimmies, and sassy comebacks. But this weekend, things are about to get serious as the first elimination looms ahead.
One celebrity's journey on this beloved BBC series will come to an abrupt end after a nail-biting dance-off. And unfortunately, Nick Knowles could be in danger of being the first to go, solely because of his profession. It's a tough spot to be in, as history has shown that the first to leave is never an easy position to be in.
In fact, over the past 21 series, there has been a common theme among the first to leave – they have all been presenters. From Quentin Willson to Gregg Wallace, Kaye Adams, and most recently Les Dennis, 38% of the first stars to go have all worked in the field of presenting. This makes it by far the most common occupation among the unfortunate first eliminees.
And this puts Nick, who is the host of DIY SOS, in a potentially vulnerable position. But he's not the only presenter in the mix – Sam Quek MBE, who is also a presenter, is known not only for her hosting skills but also for her incredible hockey career and Olympic gold medal.
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It's a position that nobody wants to be in – the first to leave. And when we take a closer look at the attributes of those who have left first in the past, it doesn't seem like Nick's partner Luba Mushtuk is helping his chances either. Out of the 15 professional dancers with partners on Strictly 2024, only three have ever been eliminated first – Nancy Xu, Neil Jones, and Luba.
Luba, who is 34, has had a partner three times before Nick, and unfortunately, she has left first every time. This includes her most recent pairing with rower James Cracknell, 52. This means that she has left first 33% of the time, which is the same as Nancy's statistics. Nancy was also eliminated first in the most recent series with her partner Les.
On the other hand, Neil, who is 42, has only had a partner twice – he left first with actress Nina Wadia, 55, but in the previous series, he made it all the way to fifth position with footballer Alex Scott, 39. Neil may be hoping that his current partner Toyah Willcox can help him improve his Strictly statistics. However, Toyah's currently at the bottom of the leaderboard after her first two performances, so she may be in danger of being eliminated.
When we look at the past trends, the odds are stacked against Nick. In terms of gender, 61% of the first to leave have been men, and a whopping 81% of the first eliminees have been over the age of 40. Unfortunately for Nick, this puts him in the same category as his co-stars Toyah, Chris McCausland, Wynne Evans, Paul Merson, and Sarah Hadland, who are all over 40.
Throughout the entire run of Strictly, only one person under the age of 30 has left first – tennis player Martina Hingis, who was 28 at the time. This is good news for Tasha Ghouri and Tom Dean, who are both in their 20s. The odds may be in their favor.
Take a look at the list of all the Strictly stars who have left the contest first. As you can see, it's a mix of celebrities from different series, with each one having their unique journey and story on the show.
It was initially uncertain whether Nick would even be able to perform on Saturday night after he injured his shoulder while changing a tire on his car. But he's been giving his fans regular updates, and it seems like he's been cleared by the doctors to continue in the competition. He'll be taking on his second routine this weekend.
During the launch episode, Nick and Luba jived to "We Built This City" by Starship and received a decent score, landing them in 12th place on the leaderboard. This weekend, they'll be tackling the American Smooth to "Parklife" by Blur.
After every celebrity has performed their second routine on Saturday, the judges' scores will be combined with the audience's votes to determine who will be in the dance-off. The judges – Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood, and Anton Du Beke – will then watch the two pairs in the dance-off and make the difficult decision of who leaves first. The couple with the most votes will have to say goodbye to the iconic dance floor.
Don't miss out on all the action – Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday at 6.15pm on BBC One and iPlayer. And if you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, get in touch with The Agency entertainment team via email, phone, or by visiting our Submit Stuff page. We'd love to hear from you.
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