Strictly Come Dancing star suffers blow as new favourite named
Bookmakers have slashed the odds on comedian Chris McCausland lifting the Glitterball trophy following his cha cha cha with partner Dianne Buswell. But Bath Olympic swimmer Tom Dean has been dealt a blow and his chances of winning have taken a dip.
Saturday night’s show was the first time viewers had the chance to see the celebrities on the dance floor with their professional partners, with Chris’s performance shaking up the betting markets. Before the weekend, Chris - who is Strictly’s first-ever blind contestant, was only ranked 9th favourite out of the 15 contestants to win the series, with odds of 16 to 1 - which meant he was given just a six per cent chance of winning.
He was placed way behind the pre-show favourites JLS singer JB Gill and Love Island star Tasha Ghouri. But after performing on the dancefloor to the Beatles’ Twist and Shout, bookmakers have drastically cut the odds on him winning.
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Chris is now quoted at odds of 7/2 - equivalent to a 22 per cent chance of winning - making him one of the most likely winners, according to odds from a range of UK bookmakers compiled by Oddschecker. Some outlets even have Chris just out in front as the new favourite.
Olympic swimmer Tom, who trains in Bath, had been quoted at 33/1 to win the show before the first week of dances. But now the bookies have him at 50/1, suggesting people were not impressed by his dancing skills
JLS singer JB Gill and his professional partner Amy Dowden justified their pre-show billing by topping the judges’ leaderboard on Saturday night with an amazing 31 points as Amy returned to the dancefloor after completing treatment for cancer. There were also impressive performances from Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and her partner Aljaž Škorjanec, who scored 30 points and were joint second on the opening night leaderboard.But they may have been upstaged by comedian Chris McCausland, who caused a frenzy with fans and had Shirley Ballas close to tears. .
An emotional Shirley gushed: “When I saw the street lights at the beginning, I really didn’t know what to expect. You had lifts – just to take her between your legs, you have to time that, it’s hard enough as it is! You had great skills when it came to listening to your partner.”
Chris was given a score of 23 by the judges. There was no audience vote this weekend with the first elimination taking place next Sunday. JB and Tasha are now joint second favourites at 4/1, followed by olympians Montell Douglas and Sam Quek (both 10/1). Another winner on Saturday night was actress Sarah Hadland, who has had her odds of winning shortened to 12/1 after her first performance.
Opening night didn’t go as well for singer Toyah Wilcox and her professional partner Neil Jones. They landed at the bottom of the leaderboard with just 12 points and their odds of getting their hands on the Glitterball have plummeted to 80/1. TV handyman Nick Knowles and ex-footballer and pundit Paul Merson were already bottom of the pack with the bookies and their odds have slipped even further after unconvincing opening performances.
All 15 celebrities performed for the first time on Saturday during a packed two-and-a-half hour live show. Strictly’s dynamic hosts, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, were joined by judges Craig Revel-Horwood, Anton Du Beke, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse as they ran the rule over the dancers.
But now the competition really begins, with the 15 celebs having to put the work in to win over the audience votes. The first elimination takes place next week. The show will span over 14 weeks, with one celebrity being shown the door each week, leading up to a live final on December 14.