Strictly returned for its 20th series on Saturday as it shrugged off the bullying scandal with fan favourites Amy Dowden and Alijaz Škorjanec making their return.
The BBC dancing show has been through a tough year after numerous previous contestants alleged abuse by professional dancers.
Fans were delighted as Amy returned to the dancefloor for a stunning Waltz with her partner, JLS star JB.
Meanwhile Alijaz performed an equally incredible routine with his partner Tasha Ghouri, as they stunned the judges with an upbeat Cha Cha.
Surprisingly, one star spotted in the audience was Zara McDermott – who was at the heart of the scandal when footage emerged of Graziano Di Prima ‘kicking her’ in rehearsals – as she turned up for the show to support her pal Pete Wicks.
Strictly returned for its 20th series on Saturday as it shrugged off the bullying scandal with Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk kicking off the show
Surprisingly, one star spotted in the audience was Zara McDermott – who was at the heart of the scandal when footage emerged of Graziano Di Prima ‘kicking her’ in rehearsals – as she turned up for the show to support her pal Pete Wicks
But for its first live show of the season, the sequins were back and the crowd were enthusiastic for Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk‘s builder-themed opener.
Nick stayed true to his roots for his Jive to We Built This City sporting a sparkly orange reflective vest – before ending it with a disco ball-esque builders hard hat.
‘You’re as delighted as I am that that came off the way it did, aren’t you?’ Anton said to Nick after the dance ended.
However Craig received boos as he called the performance ‘pigeon-toed, stiff and flat footed’.
For his debut performance, Nick received a three from Craig, and fives from Motsi, Shirley and Anton.
Nick was left red faced as the cast sang him Happy Birthday and presented him with a cake – before professional dancer Carlos smooshed the cake in his face.
The DIY SOS star shared his worries about performing live but insisted he hopes he does better than people expect.
‘That’s easy,’ Luba replied as she reassured her partner. Nick said: ‘Well then I’ll be very happy.’
Next up was hockey player Sam Quek with her partner Nikita Kuzmin as the pair took on the foxtrot.
Sam suffered a slight mishap as she lost her balance but while Craig called the performance ‘a bit lumpy’ he shared his excitement for what’s to come. The pair received three sixes and a five from Anton.
‘I think there’s a lot to look forward to,’ Craig added.
As ever, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were on hand to welcome, congratulate and console the latest batch of nervous dancers as they stepped onto the floor to not only impress the judges
Nick stayed to his roots for his Jive to We Built This City sporting a sparkly orange reflective vest – before ending it with a disco ball-esque builders hard hat
‘You’re as delighted as I am that that came off the way it did, aren’t you?’ Anton said to Nick after the dance ended
For his debut performance, Nick received a three from Craig, and fives from Motsi, Shirley and Anton
Nick was left red faced as the cast sang him Happy Birthday and presented him with a cake – before professional dancer Carlos smooshed the cake in his face
Next up was hockey player Sam Quek with her partner Nikita Kuzmin as the pair took on the foxtrot
Sam suffered a slight mishap as she lost her balance but while Craig called the performance ‘a bit lumpy’ he shared his excitement for what’s to come. The pair received three sixes and a five from Anton
Shane Ward and Nancy Xu were next to take to the floor with their Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder. The pair received a four from Craig, five from Shirley and sixes from Motsi and Anton.
‘Some lovely chemistry moments,’ Shirley said after their dance – following Shane’s admission that he and Nancy clicked straight away.
Stunning in blue and gold sequined gown, Toyah Wilcox and Neil Jones took the floor next with a Tango to Ray Of Light by Madonna.
Toyah received a huge applause from the audience but Craig claimed it lacked aggression for a tango.
‘Listen Craig this dance has never met Toyah,’ Motsi said leaping to Toyah’s defence. ‘Even Neil didn’t know what was happening.’ ‘Her feet were nowhere near the floor Motsi,’ Craig said, to which Shirley agreed – sparking boos.
Toyah’s first performance unfortunately got her the lowest score of the night so far as Craig and Shirley gave her twos, while Motsi and Anton were more generous with fours.
Dancing to song of the summer with her partner Aljaž Škorjanec, Tasha Ghouri – who was the first ever deaf contestant on Love Island – wowed with her high-energy Cha Cha.
Shane Ward and Nancy Xu were next to take to the floor with their Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder
The pair received a four from Craig, five from Shirley and sixes from Motsi and Anton
Stunning in blue and gold sequined gown, Toyah Wilcox and Neil Jones took the floor next with a Tango to Ray Of Light by Madonna
Toyah received a huge applause from the audience but Craig claimed it lacked aggression for a tango
Toyah’s first performance unfortunately got her the lowest score of the night so far as Craig and Shirley gave her twos, while Motsi and Anton were more generous with fours
‘What a way to introduce yourself, this was not demure this was all eyes on me,’ Motsi said as she praised her performance.
While Shirley was amazed by Tasha, as she said: ‘You’re on your way to have one of the most spectacular leg actions this show has ever seen, you’re onto a winner.’
Topping the leaderboard, Tasha received an incredible two eights and two sevens – giving her a whopping 30 points.
JLS star JB Gill and returning dancer Amy Dowden performed next with a Waltz to When I Need You by Leo Sayer.
The judges were wowed by the ballroom number, as they gushed over Amy being back on the dancefloor following her cancer battle.
‘Ohhhh don’t stop I loved it,’ Anton gushed.
JB overtook Tasha at the top of the leaderboard gaining 31 points – seven from Craig, eight from Motsi, eight from Shirley, and eight from Anton.
Pete Wicks, who is pals with last year’s contestant Zara, was next up with his partner Jowita Przystał as they danced a Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy.
Dancing to song of the summer with her partner Aljaž Škorjanec, Tasha Ghouri – who was the first ever deaf contestant on Love Island – wowed with her high-energy Cha Cha
‘What a way to introduce yourself, this was not demure this was all eyes on me,’ Motsi said as she praised her performance
While Shirley was amazed by Tasha, as she said: ‘You’re on your way to have one of the most spectacular leg actions this show has ever seen, you’re onto a winner
Topping the leaderboard, Tasha received an incredible two eights and two sevens – giving her a whopping 30 points
JLS star JB Gill and returning dancer Amy Dowden performed next with a Waltz to When I Need You by Leo Sayer
The judges were wowed by the ballroom number, as they gushed over Amy being back on the dancefloor following her cancer battle
JB overtook Tasha at the top of the leaderboard gaining 32 points – seven from Craig, eight from Motsi, eight from Shirley, and eight from Anton
‘Paso Pete I’m lost for words actually,’ Shirley began before slamming the dance as not classic Paso Doble. ‘It wasn’t my cup of tea darling.’
However while Craig and Anton agreed with Shirley, Motsi said she would be the odd one out as she admitted to being ‘captured’.
Gaining a disappointing 17 points, Pete was awarded two fives, a three and a four.
Miranda star Sarah Hadland was next to maker her Strictly debut as she took to the dancefloor with last year’s winner Vito Coppola.
The pair performed a bouncy Quickstep to 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton and the judges were completely wowed by her skills.
‘Just love this pairing,’ Shirley gushed, as fans online shared how impressed they were.
Sarah went on to match Tasha’s score of 30 – the highest week one Quickstep in Strictly history.
Pete Wicks, who is pals with last year’s contestant Zara, was next up with his partner Jowita Przystał as they danced a Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy
‘Paso Pete I’m lost for words actually,’ Shirley began before slamming the dance as not classic Paso Doble. ‘It wasn’t my cup of tea darling’
However while Craig and Anton agreed with Shirley, Motsi said she would be the odd one out as she admitted to being ‘captured’
Gaining a disappointing 17 points, Pete was awarded two fives, a three and a four
Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his partner Nadiya Bychkova were up next with a Tango to Golden by Harry Styles.
The judges said Tom was positioning himself too much as a swimmer, leaning forward.
However they shared that he showed great potential – as Anton admitted there was so much to love. ‘It is just the posture, so sort that out and everything else will fall into place.’
The duo received a solid score of 23 as they were award three sixes and a five.
Taking to the stage with a Cha Cha to Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue were TV doctor Punam Krishan and Gorka Marquez.
‘Your energy is off the charts,’ Shirley said. ‘This is another great partnership.’
All fifteen celebrities and their pro partners will take to the dancefloor for the first live show following last weekend’s dazzling launch, where the pairings were first revealed.
But while the launch show was pre-recorded, this week, there was no room for errors as every step, spin and sashay was closely scrutinised by judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke.
As ever, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were on hand to welcome, congratulate and console the latest batch of nervous dancers as they stepped onto the floor to not only impress the judges, but the viewers at home.
Viewers were in for a treat as the first live show kicked off, with a variety of dances including Cha Chas, Viennese Waltz’s, Sambas and even a Paso Doble lined up for their viewing pleasure.
It’s a big year for Strictly as it celebrates it’s 20th year, while pro dancer Amy Dowden made her much-awaited return to the show following her heartbreaking cancer battle.
However, the positive news has been tainted by a year of controversy as the BBC show was embroiled in a number of scandals.
It all began last October when actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly quit the show before claiming that her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her.
The Sherlock actress has made a series of accusations about Giovanni’s teaching methods and has described his behaviour as ‘unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean’. He strongly denies all of the claims.
Giovanni, 33, was suspended while a BBC probe is underway over allegations made by Amanda and two other former celebrity partners.
The show opened with a sizzling performance by the pros, including Jowita and Vito
All fifteen celebrities and their pro partners will take to the dancefloor for the first live show following last weekend’s dazzling launch, where the pairings were first revealed
But while the launch show was pre-recorded, this week, there was no room for errors as every step, spin and sashay was closely scrutinised by judges Shirley Ballas , Craig Revel Horwood , Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke
He has vehemently denied the claims.
With the report into his misconduct due any day now, Amanda has reportedly been left deeply disappointed with the BBC bosses over fears they’re ‘protecting’ the dancer amid the bullying probe.
There have been high-level meetings among BBC bosses as they navigate how to deliver their findings as they fear the looming possibility of legal action from either Amanda or Giovanni if either is disappointed by the outcome.
After Giovanni, the show was hit with a fresh wave of scandal when Graziano Di Prima was sacked in July for ‘kicking’ his partner Love Island star Zara McDermott.
Zara explained that she didn’t report the incidents at the time as she was ‘scared’ of backlash.
Instead it was junior production staff who came forward to share what they had witnessed as the investigation into pro dancer Giovanni was taking place.
Zara told her followers that while much of her time on Strictly ‘was everything I could have dreamt of’ inside the training room with Graziano there were ‘particular incidents which are incredibly distressing’.
However despite this, Zara and boyfriend Sam turned out for the live show and looked happier than ever as they posed for photos wearing matching T-shirts with TOWIE star Pete’s face printed on the front.
The couple also rocked coordinated blue denim jeans with a number of pictures of Pete and large black letters reading, ‘Vote Pete Wicks’ written down the leg.
Over the summer Strictly has struggled to stay out the headlines as more and more alumni of the show have come forward to share their stories.
After Giovanni, the show was hit with a fresh wave of scandal when Graziano Di Prima was sacked in July for ‘kicking’ his partner Love Island star Zara McDermott
Zara and Sam looked happier than ever as they posed for photos wearing matching T-shirts, jeans and baseball caps with TOWIE star Pete’s face printed on the front
But Zara has clearly put her past experience behind her to cheer on pal Pete Wicks – who she met through her boyfriend Sam Thompson
Steve Backshall complained to the BBC about his professional partner on Strictly Come Dancing Ola Jordan back in 2014 claiming she ‘bullied’ him.
Meanwhile Ola’s husband James was left furious when he hit back after unearthed footage emerged of him telling his partner Georgina Bouzova he would ‘drag her across the floor and scream at her’ if she forgot her moves.
The ballroom dancer and choreographer, 46, slammed the BBC after the clip began doing the rounds again following the recent Giovanni and Graziano scandals – saying most of the footage ‘was not related to Georgina at all’.
Professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova also met with BBC bosses to complain about the show in July.
Amid the tough year for the show, hosts Tess and Claudia failed to mention the scandals as they welcomed viewers to last week’s launch show.
