Strictly Come Dancing has had its fair share of shocking exits over the years and now the nation has voted for the ones that surprised them the most.
From Aston Merrygold to Peter Andre, John Sergeant and Catherine Tyldesley, here’s Betfair Casino‘s rundown of who needed to stay put – and who should’ve left the dancefloor a lot sooner than they did!
Strictly Come Dancing: Show’s most shocking exits
With just 5% of the vote, radio presenter Dev Griffin’s exit in 2019 made it to number 10 on the list. He was eliminated in week three of the competition – despite showing off some pretty nifty dance skills.
Coming in at number nine are married couple James and Ola Jordan. Serving as professional dancers on the show for many years, their departure from Strictly took fans by surprise. So much so that they received 8% of the votes.
James left after the 2013 series, amid claims that he’d been demoted to backing dancer and wouldn’t have a pro partner in 2014. Ola, meanwhile, followed suit two years later, reportedly after a row with producers over James’ controversial exit.
In eighth place is Catherine Tyldesley with 8% of votes. The public at the time strongly believed she shouldn’t been eliminated. Viewers were in favour of Mike Bushell being sent home, causing a backlash after her Halloween week elimination.
John Sergeant voluntarily leaving took people by surprise
Journalist John Sergeant also makes an appearance on the poll with 8% of the votes. In 2008, he voluntarily waved goodbye to the dancefloor and surprisingly left on his own accord during week 10.
After Arlene Phillips called him a “dancing pig in Cuban heels”, John danced his way through the weeks. He eventually threw in the towel and finished in seventh place.
Even Len Goodman said that John making it as far as he did “made a nonsense of the show”.
Speaking about his exit, he revealed: “There was a real danger I could win the show. Even for me that would be a joke too far.”
Meanwhile, after appearing as a professional dancer for the first 15 series, Brendan Cole’s departure made up 10% of the votes. The dancer himself was pretty shocked as well, following reports he was sacked.
What was the most shocking exit on Strictly Come Dancing?
After winning the show in 2007, Alesha Dixon was invited to become a judge the following year. Despite her taking home the glitterball trophy, 10% of voters were shocked to see her exit the dancefloor and then return with a seat on the panel.
With the same amount of votes, fans were not happy when Chizzy Akudolu was eliminated over Brian Conley in 2017. Especially when he scored 12 points less than her.
While Peter Andre might have been a popular contestant during the early stages of the 2015 series, he wasn’t able to go further in the competition. Coming in seventh place during the 13th series, Peter’s shock elimination made up 11% of the Betfair Casino votes.
In second place is Arlene Phillips’s exit from the panel in 2008 with 11% of the votes. After serving as an original judge since 2004, fans were surprised that she had been suddenly axed.
However, coming out on top is JLS star Aston Merrygold. Taking up 18% of the votes, his elimination is a clear standout. With a performing background and natural skills on the dancefloor, fans are still stunned that he left the 15th series so early on. He finished in 10th place and we still have no idea why!
Read more: The ‘whopping net worths’ of Strictly 2023 pros ahead of launch
Strictly Come Dancing will be back next Saturday (September 30) on BBC One from 6.20pm.
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