The Semi-Final of Strictly Come Dancing
We’ve reached the semi-final of Strictly Come Dancing! This means that there are just two more weeks of the UK’s favorite reality TV competition this year, and two more weeks (plus a Christmas Special) with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as our hosts. Despite the BBC One program undergoing a period of change, it has still managed to deliver one of the most memorable series in recent memory.
Throughout the series, audiences have witnessed some unexpected eliminations. Predicted finalists Vicky Pattison, Alex Kingston, and Lewis Cope were eliminated earlier than expected. Lewis, who made it to the Quarter Finals, was a surprise elimination last week. The shock of his departure still lingers as the four remaining couples prepare for the semi-finals.
With that in mind, who brought the dancefloor alive with their footwork at this crucial stage of the competition? Let’s take a look at the recap and provide you with all the results you need to know.
Week 12 Leaderboard: Strictly Spoilers and Results
What an incredible semi-final that was! The couples performed two dances in what can only be described as an evening of great dancing. We saw Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin finally get the chance to deliver their Couples Choice, Balvinder Sopal and Jullian Caillon stun with a beautiful Waltz, Karen Carney and Carlos Gu thrill with a party dance of a Salsa, and George Clarke and Alexis Warr offer up an entertaining Inbetweeners-esque Charleston!
But how did each couple fare with their two dances? Here are the scores each couple received from the judges, along with the leaderboard we were left with at the end of the semi-final:
- Karen and Carlos danced the Waltz / Salsa – 39 + 38 = 78
- Amber and Nikita danced the Tango / Couples Choice – 37 + 40 = 77
- George and Karen danced the Samba / Charleston – 35 + 37 = 72
- Balvinder and Julian danced the Salsa / Waltz – 35 + 35 = 70
Who Is in Danger on Strictly Come Dancing 2025?
After last week’s shocking Dance-Off and subsequent elimination, the answer to the question of who is in danger is clear: everyone! All four couples performed exceptionally well on the Saturday evening show, which makes it difficult to believe that two of them will end up in the Dance-Off, with one being eliminated.
The ties on the leaderboard last weekend played a significant role in Amber and Lewis falling into the Dance-Off (as the public vote carries more weight, breaking the ties), but the two dances in the semi-final create fewer chances of that happening. This week, there are no ties.
Karen and Carlos’ position at the top of the leaderboard likely makes them safe, as they are already popular with the public. There was some controversy over their clearly flawed Waltz receiving 10s, but that won’t detract from the strength of their vote. Amber was undoubtedly the strongest dancer of the night, but she isn’t at the top of the leaderboard, making her vulnerable, especially since she has appeared in the Dance-Off before.
The same could be said for Balvinder, who is at the bottom of the leaderboard despite not being the weakest dancer of the night. George is very popular with the public and is more vulnerable than usual with his placement at third on the leaderboard. However, given how strong his vote is, he could still be safe.
Taking all of that into account, the Dance-Off could go any way. But we likely won’t be seeing Karen and Carlos in the Dance-Off.