Yahoo News Strictly Come Dancing 2023 leaderboard: All the scores so far as favourites to win emerge
Which Strictly dance partnerships are consistently scoring high, and which are languishing near the bottom overall?
As Strictly Come Dancing prepares to head to Blackpool, the competition really begins to heat up with the best dancers building up steam as the final appears in the distance.
News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy was the latest star to be left behind, being eliminated after facing the dreaded dance off, and he admitted that it was the right time to leave saying that he was being left behind by dancers such as Layton Williams and Ellie Leach who have emerged as favourites to win the competition.
We've been tracking the cumulative results week by week to highlight the couples vying for top spot and those in danger of going home...
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 - who's topping the leaderboard so far?
Who are favourites to win Strictly Come Dancing 2023?
Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin - 280 points total
West End star Layton Williams and partner Nikita Kuzman are currently top of the cumulative leaderboard having picked up a whopping 280 points out of a possible 320 so fair.
However the loudest cries of Strictly fix have been directed at Williams this year, as critics have complained about his extensive previous dance experience.
But that doesn't make his partnership with Nikita Kuzmin any less magical to watch, and as head judge Shirley Ballas keeps pointing out, ballroom is a very different skill to other types of dancing.
Read more: Strictly 2023 odds: Who's most likely to win?
Williams has been held to a much higher standard than his co-stars, leading to relatively low scores some weeks.
He might have been second to get a perfect 10 this series, but Williams made Strictly history in week four with the earliest ever 10 in a Cha Cha. They followed that up with the earliest 39 of the series in 12 years the following week, putting them well ahead of the competition. They bagged another 39 in week eight, with only Craig Revel Horwood finding fault with their Argentinian tango for being 'too aggressive'.
However, the duo are now facing serious competition from the second-place partnership.
Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola - 270 points total
Gaining on Layton and Nikita is ex-Corrie star Ellie Leach and her partner Vito Coppola.
Leach brings a youthful energy and enthusiasm to every routine, with her highest score so far coming in week seven with a near-perfect 39.
However, week four was a low point for her as she finished mid-table with her Salsa, pushing her down the overall leaderboard. Week five saw them storming back with a massive 37 point dance.
As Shirley says, Ellie's dancing skills are growing week by week, making her one of the favourites to win.
Rumours of a blossoming romance between the pair — which they deny — speaks volumes about the passion and intensity they bring to their performances.
Strictly pairs to watch
Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell - 244 points total
Model and EastEnders star Bobby Brazier is new to dancing and even admitted to never having watched Strictly before, but he's fast become a favourite with viewers.
Judges praised Brazier's snake hips in his movie week Romeo + Juliet Samba, while he's been comfortably sitting near the 30 points mark for most of his routines - but can he and Dianne Buswell push ahead in the scores, or will they be left behind as other couples improve?
A mid-table 32 in week eight left them vulnerable to the public vote in week eight where they were left behind by a resurgent Angela Scanlon and Nigel Harman.
The hit and miss couples on Strictly 2023
Nigel Harman and Katya Jones - 243 points total
Actor Nigel Harman and his partner Katya Jones have seen more movement up and down the overall leaderboard than pretty much any other couple but seem to have found form as the weeks progressed.
Harman started off strong, finishing in the top spot in week one with his Paso Doble, but languished in mid-table in week two and was near the bottom end of the leaderboard in week three for his Jive.
The pair have struggled with consistency, but bounced back in week seven and week eight, landing third on the leaderboard with an emotional dance with Katya.
Angela Scanlon and Carlos Gu - 236 points total
The cast's other Angela has been up and down the leaderboard like Nigel Harman, too.
TV presenter Scanlon, who has a past history in Irish dance, topped the leaderboard in week three with a near-perfect Charleston, but struggled in week four with a low-scoring Viennese Waltz.
Week five saw them land mid-table again with a 28 score, but they placed top four in Halloween week.
After landing at the bottom of the table in week seven, the couple found new form with a stunning waltz in week eight putting them back into the top four, sending them through to Blackpool.
Which couples are in the danger zone on Strictly 2023?
Angela Rippon and Kai Widdrington - 243 points total
Proving that age has no bearing on Strictly success, the show's oldest ever contestant Angela Rippon has formed an electric partnership with Kai Widdrington.
Her debut performance saw her pull out the standing splits and she's been comfortably in the top half of scorers, putting in a strong performance with her week four Rumba to Conchita Wurst's Rise Like A Phoenix.
However, the couple faced the dance off in weeks seven and eight, narrowly escaping an early exit when Adam Thomas, then Krishnan were voted out by the judges.
How much longer can they continue?
Annabel Croft and Johannes Radebe - 193 points total
Tennis ace Annabel Croft brings joy and elegance to the ballroom along with her partner, pro cast favourite Johannes Radebe.
Croft's highest score was for a Breakfast At Tiffany's inspired Waltz in week three, but she hit her low point in week two with a Quickstep. They landed second from bottom in week five, and were only saved from the dance off by the public vote.
They bounced back in week seven with an emotional dance in tribute to Annabel's late partner, finishing in the third place on the leaderboard.
Strictly 2023 cumulative leaderboard so far
Layton Williams - 280
Ellie Leach - 270
Bobby Brazier - 244
Angela Rippon - 243
Nigel Harman - 243
Angela Scanlon - 236
Annabel Croft - 224
Which couples have left Strictly 2023?
Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Lauren Oakley - 211 points total
Newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy might not have been expected to have much chance against seasoned performers like Layton Williams, but he attacked training each week with enthusiasm and cheerfulness.
He and partner Lauren Oakley, who is in the main cast for the first time, found their high point in movie week with a Cabaret-inspired Charleston, a 10-point improvement on the week before. A 30 in week five kept them firmly in the mix.
Their time ran out in week eight.
Adam Thomas and Luba Mushtuk - 191 points total
Waterloo Road actor Adam Thomas and his partner Luba Mushtuk exited the show after week seven when they place joined bottom, and faced a dance off with Angela Rippon and Kai.
The pair had been pretty firmly in the middle of the table most weeks, but shot up to third place in week four with a huge 32 points for their Waltz. They bounced back into the top five in week five with a fun partner's choice dance to a boyband medley.
However, in week six they landed in the dance off after failing to win over viewers with their Halloween dance.
Zara McDermott and Graziano Di Prima - 148 points total
Things were looking tricky for Love Island and Made In Chelsea star Zara McDermott, who made no secret of being completely new to dancing.
She and partner Graziano Di Prima had a tough time in movie week when they were in the dance off against Nikita Kanda, but came back fighting with their highest score of 28 in week four for their Viennese Waltz.
However, they still landed at the bottom end of the leaderboard, putting them in the danger zone for elimination. They won the dance off with Eddie Kadi and Karen Hauer in week five, but were eliminated in Halloween week after a dance off with Adam and Luba.
Amanda Abbington and Giovanni Pernice - 122 points total (left after week 5)
Actor Amanda Abbington emerged as a surprise contender for the Glitterball Trophy, but unfortunately had to withdraw from the show early.
Her partner Giovanni Pernice is known for bringing out the best in his partners, who have included winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and finalist Faye Tozer.
Abbington impressed with her highest score for her Salsa, but has also did well in the Rumba and for the first three weeks, was consistently second on the leaderboard. They sat out of week five before exiting the show completely.
Eddie Kadi and Karen Hauer - 123 points total
The surprise first 10 of the series went to comedian Eddie Kadi and his partner Karen Hauer in just week three, for their couple's choice routine themed on Men In Black.
However, they found themselves in the week four dance off with their American Smooth, a pretty big fall just one week on from scoring a 10.
They left in week five after a dance off with Zara and Graziano.
Jody Cundy and Jowita Przystal - 76 points total
Paralympian Jody Cundy fought back against an infection in his leg to stay in the competition in week three, but lost out to Kadi and Hauer in the week four dance off.
He and Jowita Przystal, who won in 2022 with Hamza Yassin, achieved their highest score back in week one with 21 points for a Quickstep.
Nikita Kanda and Gorka Marquez - 57 points total
BBC Asian Network star Nikita Kanda was one of the celebrities with no dance experience at the start of Strictly, and made steady progress with Gorka Marquez.
They were voted out in week three, despite their Clueless-themed Jive being their best score yet with 21 points, losing the dance off to McDermott and Di Prima.
Les Dennis and Nancy Xu - 31 points total
Shirley Ballas might have told Les Dennis that he would have got a 10 for entertainment but unfortunately his dancing skills were not up to scratch.
Dennis and his partner Nancy Xu were bottom of the table in weeks one and two, and even descending from the ceiling on a gold glittery anchor at the start of his Samba was not enough to save him in the dance off against Kanda and Marquez.
