Decoding Strictly Come Dancing’s ‘Vulnerable Four’: Why the ‘Terrified’ Stars Shouldn’t Worry

Strictly Come Dancing’s new ‘bottom four’ format has sparked fresh fear among this year’s contestants.

Insiders have told The Daily Mail the celebrities and their pro dance partners are now ‘absolutely terrified’ of being stranded in the final four positions during Sunday night’s results show, as it prolongs the possibility of being booted out of the series.

However, show sources have revealed the tweaked format unnecessarily gives two couples extra anxiety over leaving the competition, because the final four is not decided via viewers voting.

Indeed, two pairs of contestants are picked at random to feature in the bottom four alongside the two couples who have racked up the least votes which, according to sources, is a tool to add more drama to the results show.

In last weekend’s show, Ellie Goldstein and Balvinder Sopal faced the dance-off after finding themselves in the final four alongside Amber Davies and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.  

However, the latter two celebrities may have finished much higher in the public vote, yet were dragged into elimination fear hell. 

An insider said: ‘The bottom four keeps every couple on their toes and it simply prolongs the agony for some.

‘It’s well known behind the scenes that the stars really aren’t fans of it as they simply dread being left till the end.

‘And in some cases it’s totally unnecessary as their votes place them high up in the standings, but they’re unaware of that, so it’s anxiety-inducing fear they don’t need.’

Sunday’s show was especially tough for Amber, who had already been in the bottom two the previous week, surviving the dance-off against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink despite finishing second on the leaderboard.

The former Love Island star knows she faces an uphill battle to win over viewers because of her dance background, having previously starred in West End shows.

And being left in the final four only added to her fears of a premature exit from the competition.

On Saturday night, Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, who’s paired with Katya Jones, topped the Strictly leaderboard after earning the first perfect score of the series. 

Meanwhile, Gladiator star Harry and his professional partner Karen Clifton finished at the bottom with a modest 26 points.  

The Daily Mail has contacted a Strictly spokesperson for comment. 

Ellie and Aljaž Škorjanec were the couple eliminated from the competition after the judges chose to save EastEnders actress Balvinder.

After leaving the competition, Ellie spoke about what she loved most about appearing on the series, but admitted how ‘scary’ the results episode can be.  

Speaking on It Takes Two, she said: ‘So, I love being with him, the man Vito. So, in Strictly I’ve enjoyed being with Vito, remember I have the best partner in the world.

‘So, I loved dancing on the live show, in the results show, is scary, the results is so scary. I loved my tan, being in Elstree…’

Latecomer Amber found the dance-off particularly challenging after stepping in to replace Dani Dyer at the last minute. 

She and partner Nikita Kuzmin had delivered strong performances and impressed the judges, but still had to dance to secure their place in the competition. 

Sources close to Amber told the Daily Mail at the time that she was taking the dance-off in her stride, using it as motivation for future routines. 

A pal said: ‘Everyone thought Amber would be panicked and worried about being in the dance-off, but that’s not the case.

‘She was not surprised to be there at all. With Strictly, it’s an entertainment show, it’s anyone’s game. She actually had a feeling on Saturday that it would be her time in the bottom two.

‘But she’s going into this week feeling positive. There’s no concern or panic from her at all, and she’s still really enjoying her Strictly experience.

‘For Amber, it has never been about winning the show, she’s working hard, she’s humbled, and she feels particularly grateful for all the support she is receiving from the theatre community.’