A new Strictly Come Dancing record was broken tonight, as Rhys Stephenson and partner Nancy Xu became the first couple to earn a top score for a Charleston this early in the competition.
Rhys was overwhelmed as Craig Revel Horwood, who is notoriously difficult to impress, branded the performance “Amazing”, and he and Nancy were thrilled when the scores revealed a unanimous four 10s.
It’s not the first time this series that the contestants have made history, as Rose and Giovanni previously earned the earliest ever score of 40 in Strictly history during Halloween week.
Following this triumph, John and Johannes earned three 10s, earning a place below Rhys and Nancy on the leaderboard.
Motsi Mabusi said that it was the “Charleston of the season!” while Shirley Ballas was so impressed with the performance, she admitted: “I want to dance with you!” before complimenting Nancy on her choreopgraphy.
“You absolutely smashed the place up!” Anton added, before Craig gushed “Ah-maze-ing!”
This perfect score automatically put Rhys at the top of the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard. Viewers will get a chance to vote for their favourite couple, and the results will be revealed on Sunday night’s show.
The two Strictly Come Dancing couples with the lowest votes will end up in the dance off, after which the Strictly Come Dancing judges will have to decide who they want to keep in the competition.
With a perfect 40, we expect Rhys to keep his spot and sail through to the show’s coveted Musicals Weeks, but this is Strictly, and anything can happen…
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday on BBC One. The results show airs Sunday at 7:15pm. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.