It was another eventful Saturday night on Strictly Come Dancing, with a surprise turnaround at the top of the leaderboard, a last-minute partner change and a few disagreements between the judges and professional dancers. With the competition heading to Blackpool next week, the nine remaining couples took to the ballroom on Saturday 14 November, hoping to secure their place in the show’s famous Tower Ballroom.

Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby ended the evening at the top with an impressive 39 points, just one week after narrowly surviving the dance-off. Elsewhere, Delta Goodrem was forced to perform with a different professional partner after Kai Widdrington fell ill, while Craig Revel Horwood had some strong words for Dani Dyer and Lacey Turner’s routines.

Cach Mercer Tops the Strictly Leaderboard With 39 Points

After finding himself in last week’s dance-off against Bethany Antonia, Cach Mercer made quite the comeback on Saturday night. The former Love Island winner and his professional partner Maddie Ingoldsby performed a Charleston to “Blame It on the Boogie” by The Jacksons, earning three 10s from the judges.

Motsi Mabuse described the performance as “the dance of the season”, while Shirley Ballas also gave the couple a standing ovation. Craig Revel Horwood awarded them a nine, leaving Cach and Maddie just one point away from a perfect score.

Delta Goodrem finished second with 35 points for her Argentine Tango to “Missing” by Everything But The Girl, despite having to change partners at short notice. Kai Widdrington was unable to perform due to illness, with Aljaž Škorjanec stepping in to dance alongside the Australian singer.

The change was announced on Friday’s Strictly: It Takes Two, with the BBC sending its best wishes to Kai. Aljaž, who previously partnered Melanie Walters before their elimination in week three, returned to the ballroom for the performance, with the judges praising how well the pair danced together despite having little time to rehearse.

Meanwhile, Jaime Winstone returned to the competition after missing last week’s show through injury. Reunited with Carlos Gu, she performed a Charleston to “I Can’t Do It Alone” from Chicago, earning 33 points and finishing third on the leaderboard.

Craig Revel Horwood Clashes With Vito Coppola and Nikita Kuzmin

There was also some tension during the judges’ feedback, beginning with Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin’s Paso Doble to “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Lorde. Craig criticised the choreography for including four lifts, which are not permitted in a traditional Paso Doble.

He told Nikita the routine was “littered with illegal lifts”, adding: “You’re taking the mick with four massive lifts in that. One foot should remain on the floor at all times.”

The other judges were more complimentary about Dani’s performance, although Motsi also pointed out some technical mistakes. The couple received 30 points, a drop from the 36 that put them at the top of last week’s leaderboard.

Later in the evening, Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola faced criticism following their Foxtrot to “Have You Met Miss Jones?” by Robbie Williams. Anton Du Beke praised the performance but questioned whether it contained enough Foxtrot content, suggesting the choreography looked closer to an American Smooth. Craig agreed, telling the couple: “It wasn’t a Foxtrot, so I don’t know how we’re meant to judge it.”

Vito defended his choreography, explaining that the rules allowed part of the routine to be danced outside the traditional Foxtrot hold. “The rule says that 70% should be Foxtrot, so the 30% is open. So, literally, I didn’t break the rules,” he responded.

The professional dancer also reassured Lacey that she had nothing to worry about, taking responsibility for the choreography and telling his celebrity partner how proud he was of her performance. Despite the disagreement, the couple finished with 27 points, leaving them joint bottom of the leaderboard.

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Week 8 Leaderboard

Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby: 39
Delta Goodrem and Aljaž Škorjanec: 35
Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu: 33
John Nellis and Katya Jones: 31
Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin: 30
Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita: 30
Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley: 27
Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola: 27
Will Best and Dianne Buswell: 27

With Graeme, Lacey and Will all tied at the bottom, the public vote could make a big difference to Sunday’s results. The judges’ scores will be combined with the votes to determine which two couples must compete in the dance-off for the final place in next week’s Blackpool special.

The results show airs tonight, Sunday 15 November, at 7.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with Blackpool Week taking place on Saturday 21 November.

For CultureCues, what a turnaround for Cach and Maddie! After being in the dance-off last week, seeing them go straight to the top with 39 points was quite something. We were also really impressed with Delta and Aljaž, especially with Aljaž stepping in at the last minute and having just a few hours to learn the routine. To pull off an Argentine Tango and score 35 points with so little preparation was amazing, and we hope Kai is feeling better soon. With three couples tied at the bottom, Sunday’s results could be a close one, and with Blackpool just around the corner, there’s a lot at stake.

Strictly Come Dancing continues tonight, Sunday 15 November 2026, at 7.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.