With just under a fortnight to go before the famous Glitterball Trophy is lifted, the remaining couples in Strictly Come Dancing are eager to keep their journey going. But now, as the semi-final looms this weekend, they'll have even more to practice.
The 23rd season of the long-running BBC series is nearing its end as the competition has been whittled down to just four celebrities, and they will have to impress the public as well as the judging panel with two routines.
First up are Balvinder Sopal and Julian Caillon, who will perform a Waltz to 'At This Moment' by Michael Bublé. Their second routine is a Salsa to the music of Gloria Estefan, namely a mash-up of 'Rhythm is Gonna Get You' and 'Get on Your Feet'.
Karen Carney and Carlos Gu, meanwhile, will also dance a Salsa to Vicki Sue Robinson's 'Turn the Beat Around', while their second will be a Waltz to 'One Moment in Time' by Whitney Houston.
George Clarke and Alexis Warr begin with a Charleston to 'We No Speak Americano' by Yolanda Be Cool, with their second routine being the famously difficult Samba to 'Volare' by Gipsy Kings.
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Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin, who survived last week's dance-off, will perform a Couple's Choice to Raye's cover of 'Fly Me to the Moon'. Like Balvinder and Julian, they will also perform to Michael Bublé, this time a Tango to 'Higher'.
While anticipation is high for the semi-final, there was some criticism by fans on social media after Balvinder and Karen were given the same dances, with several bemoaning the lack of variety in the show.
"Karen and Balvinder having the same dances when it was completely avoidable is certainly… interesting," wrote one fan on Instagram, with another adding: "Giving Kaz and Bal the exact same dances which was very avoidable is awful work."
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The developments come just a few days after the shock exit of Lewis Cope and Katya Jones, with the pair losing out to Amber and Nikita in Sunday's dance-off as the season's best performing couples in terms of scoring went head-to-head.
"It's been incredible and a memory that I'll have for the rest of my life, and [to Katya] I think it's all down to you," said Lewis following his exit. "You've literally given me absolutely everything I could wish for as a friend [and] a teacher."
Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturdays on BBC One, while spin-off Strictly: It Takes Two airs on weeknights on BBC Two. Both shows are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
