Strictly Come Dancing 2021 live: All the action from Week Three as it happened

By Grace Henry

Published: Saturday, 09 October 2021 at 12:00 am

Just like that and it’s time for another live show of Strictly Come Dancing!

Last week saw Nina Wadia become the first contestant to leave Strictly 2021, and this week will see the 14 remaining contestants in the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 line-up take to the dance floor for Week Three!

They’ll be hoping to impress the Strictly Come Dancing judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke, who has replaced Bruno Tonioli on the 19th series, and top the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard.

It’s not always easy scoring high, as we’ve seen over the years, with Craig in particular known for being quite harsh when it comes to his judging.

RadioTimes.com columnist and former Strictly pro Ian Waite recently revealed he often disagrees with Craig Revel Horwood’s “low” Strictly scores.

Speaking of Greg Wise’s performance in Week Three, which Craig gave a three, Waite said: “I felt that the showmanship could have been amped up a little bit more as far as the performance was concerned, but I really loved it and I think maybe Craig was a bit harsh with the three.”

As we get ready for Week Three to kick off, join us for our third live blog!

20:55pm

And that’s a wrap f0r our live blog for another week! Thanks for joining me for all the excitement from this week’s show – I’m still not over John and Johannes’ performance!  Don’t miss the results show tomorrow on BBC One at 7:05pm where the second eliminated contestant will be revealed…

I’m off to cool down from all those hot performances and super high scores. What a night!

What a moment for John and Johannes! 39 from the Judges, the highest score of #Strictly 2021! pic.twitter.com/jHeCXC560x

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) October 9, 2021

20:49pm

And the scores are in… nine, 10, 10, 10! An almost perfect score for John and Johannes, putting John right at the top of the Strictly leaderboard for Week Three.

20:47pm

Last dance of the night and it’s John Whaite and Johannes Radebe, and what a way to end the show, with Motsi promising a 10 from before the scores are due in.

20:41pm

And the scores are in… nine, ten, nine, and nine, giving Rhys an impressive 37 points, and Motsi’s first ever 10 in Week Three.

20:39pm

We should probably start calling Rhys the Strictly superhero for that super performance. Shirley called him “infectious” and

said she’d never seen anyone jump that high, asking: “Do you have springs in your shoes?” Anton said Rhys would be his children’s “favourite”, while Craig said his performance was at a “professional standard.” Yes, Rhys!

20:37pm

It’s time for Rhys Stephenson and his partner Nancy Xu, who are performing the Couple’s Choice to Spiderman Main Theme by P. Webster and J. Harris from Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse, and Rhys is back with the moves!

"Rhys
Rhys Stephenson
BBC

20:33pm

And the scores are in… five, seven, six, six, making 24, and Katie’s highest score of the series. Well done, Katie!

20:29pm

So, what did the judges think? Motsi thinks she did “great”, saying she was “personally entertained”, however, she needed more concentration of Katie working through her feet. Shirley loved it and thought it had “jazzy” moments, but agreed with Motsi’s comments about her footwork. Anton thinks Katie came out as if she wasn’t in the dance off last week, which means. Craig thinks it needed more “grace” and “finesse” but agreed the actress had made an improvement on the week before.

20:27pm

Katie McGlynn and Gorka Marquez are up! After being in the dance-off last week, these two have a lot to prove with their American Smooth to Cruella De Vil by Mel Leven (Dr John version) from Cruella.

20:23pm

The judges have lots of tips for Adam, who Shirley thinks has a great line through his body due to his swimming background, but Craig would like him to learn some more moves to remove the awkwardness. Anton could feel the energy, however.

So, what did Adam score?

The results are in, and it’s a four, five, five and six for Adam, giving him 20 points on the leaderboard.

20:19pm

Adam Peaty and Katya Jones are up with a Rumba to I See You by Leona Lewis from Avatar, and it looks like all that blue didn’t go to waste with the two putting on a very passionate display.

20:16pm

And the scores are in, and it’s eights across the board, giving Tom 32 points – 11 more than his Week One score, and putting Tom in current second place on the board. What a comeback!

20:13pm

Anton loved Tom’s energy when they were side by side, but thinks he needs to improve during hold positions. Craig thinks it was a little “flat footed” to begin with, but that Tom improved along the way. Motsi missed the duo after they had to take a week off due to coronavirus, and she says it was because they make a good team and Tom is really good at leading. And Shirley doesn’t agree with Craig at all, as she praises Tom on his leading skills. Sounds like good comments all the way round.

20:12pm

Tom Fletcher is back with a bang. The musician and his professional dance partner take to the floor with a super energetic jive from the film Back to The Future.

"Tom
Tom Fletcher
BBC

20:09pm

Time for the scores, and it’s seven, eight, eight, and eight for Ugo, making 31, and giving him his highest score of the series.

20:06pm

Shirley and Anton are impressed, and would you believe it, so is Craig, although he thinks Ugo could brush up on his musicality! Motsi wants her wig back, though! Lol.

20:04pm

Ugo Monye and Oti Mabuse take to the floor with a Couple’s Choice to You’re Welcome by Dwayne Johnson from Moana, and it’s splendid. It’s clear Ugo is improving as he masters the lift, and the energy is on 100.

19:57pm

Rose’s performance moved the Strictly judges, with Tess commenting that there wasn’t a “dry eye in sight.”

And the scores are in… nine, nine, nine, and nine, putting Rose in the current first place on the leaderboard with 36 points.

"Rose
Rose Ayling-Ellis strictly performance
BBC

19:53pm

Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice are up, and Rose is playing Rose from the movie titanic, as the pair dance the Foxtrot to Rose’s Theme by James Horner from the movie Titanic.

19:50pm

It’s mixed reviews from the judges. While Craig and Anton spotted some mistakes, and Motsi thought Tilly looked “nervous”, Shirley loved it and thought her flip ball changes were fab!

So, did she manage to top her score from last week?

It’s a six, seven, seven and seven for Tilly, giving her 27. Not quite 34 from last week, but she’s knocked Greg out of the third place spot.

19:47pm

And they off they go! Tilly sure can move. Yes, girl!

19:46pm

It’s time for Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin to take to the floor. These two have a lot to prove after receiving the joint top score on the leaderboard last week. This week, they’re dancing the Jive to Nicest Kids In Town by James Marsden from Hairspray.

19:43pm

And the scores are in… six, six, seven, and seven. That’s 26 for Greg, and his highest score of the series so far. Way to go, Greg!

19:40pm

Anton’s not too sure about Greg’s leg movement, but “from the waist up” he’s all for it, and Motsi and Craig loved the storytelling, but is it enough to top the leaderboard?

We can’t agree more with this Tweet:

We’re sure Greg and Karen’s Paso will get ALOT more than 007 from the Judges… #Strictly @karen_hauer pic.twitter.com/upoSmZRmmi

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) October 9, 2021

 

19:38pm

Greg Wise and Karen Hauer are up next with their James Bond themed Paso Doble, and we’re tots here for it. Could Wise be the next Bond? We wouldn’t say no!

19:33pm

While Shirley notices a few mistakes, she thinks Robert picked it right back up, but Anton and Craig thinks there were quite a few mistakes.

So for the scores: six, six, seven, six, which makes 25 and puts Robert in the third place spot on the leaderboard so far.

19:31pm

It’s time for Robert Webb and Diane Buswell, and they’re dressed as Kermit The Frog and Miss Piggy for a Quickstep to the Muppet Show theme song, and it’s quite the show! Webb is very fast on his feet.

19:28pm

On to the scores: eight, nine, nine and nine – three nines! AJ tops the leaderboard with her highest score of 35.

19:25pm

“I can’t believe you’ve never danced before!” Craig says, as he tells AJ he wishes she would have started dancing from when she was a child as he thinks she could have been a “pro!” Coming from Craig, this is HUGE! New career on the cards, AJ?

19:22pm

AJ looks fab in a beautiful cocktail dress, and they’re off with some amazing lifts! Shirley and Motsi are on their feet. Talk about movie magic!

We have nothing, nothing, nothing…. to say but WOW, AJ and Kai ???? #Strictly@AJOdudu @Kaiwidd pic.twitter.com/k6FKZkJRJy

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) October 9, 2021

19:21pm

It’s time for Queen AJ and Kai Widdrington, who are doing the American Smooth to I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston from The Bodyguard.

19:20pm

The scores are in and it’s sevens across the board, making 28, and pushing Sara to the top of the leaderboard.

19:18pm

Shirley and Anton admit they were nervous after Shirley’s Week One performance, but they were pleasantly surprised. Go, Sara!

19:17pm

Sara’s acting class certainly paid off! And shock: Craig loves it!

19:13pm

It’s time for Sara Davies and Aljaz Skorjanec. Last week, Sara doubled her score and rose to the top of the leaderboard with her ballroom performance. She’s back to Latin this week. Ian Waite recently gave a warning to Sara Davies after she topped the leaderboard.

“If you’re doing Ballroom one week and Latin the next, and if they are weaker in one style – let’s say they’re much stronger in the Ballroom and they’re weaker in the Latin like Sara,  you can have ups and downs all the way through.’

So, how did she do?

19:11pm

The scores are in… three, five, seven, six. 21 isn’t too bad!

19:10pm

After those comments, Tess almost forgot head judge Shirley as she tried to rush Dan off the stage. But it’s good news from Shirley who admits she wasn’t “at all disappointed” in Dan’s performance as we all make mistakes. That’s the spirit!

19:07pm

Sadly, Dan didn’t get Anton’s royal, seal of approval after going wrong on the dance floor. And Craig isn’t happy either. “It wasn’t great, sorry!” he says.

Motsi has some words of encouragement, however, telling Dan to “get up, and go and fix the crown!”

19:06pm

Next up is Dan Walker and Nadiya Bychkova dancing the Foxtrot from the movie Sleeping Beauty. Dan scored an impressive 26 points last week, so he’ll be hoping to maintain his spot on the leaderboard this week with his fairytale performance

19:04pm

House keeping duties! If you want to keep Judi or any of the other contestants in the competition, here’s all the Strictly Come Dancing vote information you need.

19:03pm

And the scores are in: four, seven, seven, six, making 24. Down on last week’s score of 25, but not bad. Keep it up, Judi!

19:01pm

Omg! Sean Paul is on our screens. After seeing Judi’s performance last week to his hit Get Busy, he just had to leave a message. More of this please!

6:57pm

Judi sure knows how to bring the heat when it comes to her performances, and tonight is no different. Shirley thinks it’s “fantastic” as she praises Judi for showing off her “femininity.”

Anton thinks Judi could have a career in musical theatre. Craig wasn’t impressed, however, saying there wasn’t enough Charleston content.

Fanography, braceography and hatography… a fierce and fabulous Charleston from Judi and Graziano! #Strictly @1judilove @GrazianoDiPrima pic.twitter.com/C3IQEZkNjl

— BBC Strictly ✨ (@bbcstrictly) October 9, 2021

6:55pm

First up is Judi Love and Graziano Di Prima, who wowed last week with some twerk-tastic moves. This week, they’re doing a Charleston from the movie Chicago. So, will they be able to top their score from Week Two where they scored 25?

6:53pm

Clad in their Movie Night costumes, the celebs are looking fab! Tom Fletcher is back after having to take the week out due to Covid-19.

6:52pm

The judges have taken their seats, and Shirley Ballas is looking gorge in a beautiful red number!

6:50pm

The Strictly Come Dancing professionals open the show with a beautiful same-sex group dance with Johannes Radebe and Kai Widdrington taking centre stage. Absolutely divine!

6:45pm

I hope you’ve got your popcorn, because it’s time!

6:30pm

We’re back with another Live Blog! Join us as we’ll bring you all the drama, scores and reaction right from the ballroom. Tonight is Movie Night, and it’s looking like it’s going to be a picture perfect evening.

Here’s this week’s Strictly Come Dancing songs and dances:

  • John Whaite and Johannes Radebe – Paso Doble to He’s a Pirate by Klaus Badelt from Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Robert Webb and Diane Buswell – Quickstep to The Muppet Show Theme by The Muppets from The Muppet Show
  • AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington – American Smooth to I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston from The Bodyguard
  • Rhys Stephenson and Nancy Xu – Couple’s Choice to Spiderman Main Theme by P. Webster and J. Harris from Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse
  • Sara Davies and Aljaz Skorjanec – Samba to Best Years Of Our Lives by Modern Romance from Shrek
  • Katie McGlynn and Gorka Marquez – American Smooth to Cruella De Vil by Mel Leven (Dr John version) from Cruella
  • Dan Walker and Nadiya Bychkova – Foxtrot to Once Upon A Dream by Seth MacFarlane from Sleeping Beauty
  • Tilly Ramsay and Nikita Kuzmin – Jive to Nicest Kids In Town by James Marsden from Hairspray
  • Greg Wise and Karen Hauer – Paso Doble to The James Bond Theme by Monty Norman from James Bond
  • Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice – Foxtrot to Rose’s Theme by James Horner from Titanic
  • Adam Peaty and Katya Jones – Rumba to I See You by Leona Lewis from Avatar
  • Judi Love and Graziano Di Prima – Charleston to When You’re Good To Mama by Queen Latifah and Taye Diggs from Chicago
  • Ugo Monye and Oti Mabuse – Couple’s Choice to You’re Welcome by Dwayne Johnson from Moana
  • Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden – Jive to Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry from Back To The Future

Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday on BBC One. The results show airs Sunday at 7:05pm. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.