Yahoo News 'The Strictly winner will not be decided by dancing skills alone'
Despite earning the highest scores throughout the competition, Layton seems unlikely to win
If you’re as big a fan of Strictly Come Dancing bingo as I am, you will no doubt be getting ready to cross “It’s the closest final we’ve ever had” off your card on Saturday night.
Someone says it every year. And every year I roll my eyes like Craig Revel Horwood does whenever Tess Daly tries to involve him in one of her comedy bits. I’ll be rolling them even harder when that line drops tomorrow night. Let's be honest: it will be a miracle if anyone other than Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola waltzes away with The Famous Glitterball Trophy™.
That’s not to say former Coronation Street star Ellie wouldn’t deserve it. She has been fabulous since the very first week, and her partnership with Vito is the kind of chemistry-fuelled, smile-a-minute fun ride that Strictly fans love. There has even been talk of a possible romance, which has only added even more sparkle to their story. The problem is, Ellie and Vito are clearly not the best dancers in this year’s final: Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin are.
That’s not just my opinion either. If you look at the total scores so far, the judges clearly think so too. Layton and Nikita have been averaging one point more per dance than Ellie and Vito. Even Shirley Ballas has started calling Layton “dance royalty.”
Layton and Nikita are the only couple to have notched a 40 this year. In fact, they’ve done it twice so far. No mean feat, considering Craig has been more miserly than ever this season.
In what could turn out to be a very awkward state of affairs for the BBC, Layton and Nikita could actually score maximum points in the final and still lose. They might even be pipped to the runner’s-up spot by Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell. I know it wouldn’t be the first time the best dancer has failed to win. Would it be fair though? Of course not.
Sadly, that’s the damage that the dreaded “Previous Dance Experience” label can do to a contestant’s chances of winning. For some Strictly viewers — and voters — it’s the biggest crime a contestant can commit. Bigger even than being part of a same-sex dance partnership.
You can try explaining that Layton’s professional dancing in the West End is a completely different discipline to most of the ballroom dancing on Strictly. I mean, if I told you that I’d changed the odd plug in my time would you let me rewire your entire house?
With his breathtaking performances, Layton has lit up Strictly like no one else in the show’s twenty years. He even did a backflip, in high heels, live on national television.
That particular piece of athleticism has to be in the running for TV Moment Of The Year, but the thing that finally convinced me that everyone should overlook Layton’s previous dance experience was hearing former Strictly pro James Jordan coming out in his defence. “Layton’s at a massive advantage,” wrote James. “But you've still got to admire the fact it was, in my opinion, the best dance that's ever been on Strictly.”
Come on, Layton must be doing something really special if James Jordan is publicly admitting that the best dance in Strictly history did not feature James Jordan. Of course, at the end of the day we all know Strictly is a popularity contest.
So if you’ve already taken a look at Ellie and whispered “You’re my favourite” then no amount of stiletto gymnastics or stunning choreography will change your mind. However, there is a way that everyone can still be a winner.
The BBC just needs to do the sensible thing once the dust has settled: Offer Layton a job as one of the pro dancers next year.
The Strictly Come Dancing 2023 final airs at 7pm on Saturday, 16 December.
