Strictly Come Dancing 2021, semi-final results: Rhys Stephenson misses out on the grand final

No one ever wants to leave Strictly, but it’s particularly gutting to be eliminated in the semi-final, just one week shy of the season’s big finish. This year, it’s Rhys Stephenson who fills that unhappy role after losing out in a very close dance-off to John Whaite on Sunday night. However the judges, and many viewers, wished we could have stuck to the planned four-person final and kept all of our quality quartet.

Stephenson speeds to the exit

His Tigger-ish energy was both a blessing and a curse throughout his time on Strictly. Stephenson came bounding into the competition with bags of potential but struggled to channel that into the ballroom dances. He was much happier in the freestyle numbers and when dancing out of hold, as in his Spider-Man Couple’s Choice and bubbly Charleston.

Recently, though, he’d started to contain his energy and work more with partner Nancy Xu. Their Argentine tango was all the more powerful for being so focussed. And, in Saturday night’s semi-final, Stephenson did himself proud with a fierce ballroom tango and shimmy-tastic samba – the latter even more explosive in the dance-off. In a less competitive season, he would surely have earned a place in the final with that.

Stephenson told presenter Tess Daly that he’d learnt so much from being on the show and, after watching his best bits, added “It’s good to cry, it’s good to feel. Strictly makes you feel things.” Quite right: it’s been a cathartic watch for us all this year. He also thanked Xu, who in return said that her first year as a competing pro had been absolutely epic.

The judges were unanimous

Though it was a tough call to make after both Stephenson and Whaite acquitted themselves brilliantly in the dance-off, repeating their samba and jive respectively, our panel eventually managed it. Craig Revel Horwood said this was his hardest decision in all the years he’d done the show and that it was one of the most amazing dance-offs he’d witnessed; both couples deserved to go through. But he chose Whaite for his cleaner finishes.

Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke agreed that both deserved to stay, but also saved Whaite. Shirley Ballas’s vote wasn’t needed after the majority decision but she confirmed that, although it was very close, she too would have picked Whaite. However, that’s the last time this season that our judges get to choose. Next week, their scores will be for guidance only (although if it’s another slew of 10s, I’m not sure how helpful that will prove) and there’s no dance-off, so it all comes down to viewer votes.

We now know our three finalists

And though it’s basically the trio we all thought it would be from around the midpoint of the season, it’s no less exciting for that. We rarely have a final composed of the best dancers on Strictly, but we do this year – plus they are the three most exciting performers and the three best partnerships of the season.

That latter really is key. Johannes Radebe has been with Whaite on every step of his “J word” (journey), learning to express himself without fear of judgement as well as developing into a dancer of almost professional-level precision and skill. Kai Widdrington brought out the best in AJ Odudu, as a dancer and an actress – and their simmering chemistry doesn’t hurt either.

But perhaps most moving of all has been the equal exchange of Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, who really have learnt from one another. Pernice has transformed his way of teaching to suit Ayling-Ellis and she brought out the Italian lothario’s sweeter side, while Ayling-Ellis has demonstrated that there are no limits to what we can achieve with the right support. This is Pernice's fourth final: is it his year to win?

We almost had a four-person finish

Although the right couples are definitely in the final, this season was originally designed to end with four celebrities – it went down to three after Robert Webb dropped out for medical reasons. But, given how well Stephenson performed this week, and the judges’ evident frustration in having to eliminate him, it does raise the question of whether the producers could have found another way to structure the season.

After all, we had several shows where couples needed a bye week because of positive Covid tests or other health issues. Why not just have no elimination in that week and carry over the scores instead, as we did for the first show of the competition? That would have allowed us to still have four celebrities in the final.

On the other hand, the level of our top three is so extraordinary that perhaps they deserve to have more of the spotlight – and it’s definitely less frantic when there’s three couples instead of four in that busy last show. This definitely ensures we finish a turbulent but tremendous season on a high.

Our pros hit the books

It was back to the embarrassing retro hip-hop for our ballroom professionals, for reasons passing understanding. The results show’s opening group routine was set in a library which was invaded by dancing scamps, and set to a painfully literal medley: from It’s Oh So Quiet to This Is How We Do It and Boom! Shake the Room. It was, as ever with these theme numbers, just OK – probably more fun to learn than to watch.

Clearly I’m screaming into the void here, but I really hope we get at least one waltz or cha cha cha from this highly trained bunch next week. Strictly has certainly diversified its dance offering over the years but is still, at heart, a ballroom show – or at least one celebrating partnership. It’s a shame to lose that aspect in the pro routines instead of using them to demonstrate ballroom at its absolute best.

We were due a musical turn from singer Mabel on the results show, too. But, as she explained on her Twitter, she was unable to perform after being exposed to Covid. She added: “Important to be responsible and stay home whilst I wait for my results!”

What can we expect in the final?

If this season of Strictly follows past years, we’ll get three dances from each of our finalists: one chosen by the judges for them to improve upon, one chosen by the couples as a favourite to repeat, and the all-important, no-holds-barred showdance. That latter really is key – you can win the whole thing just with a great showdance, as Tom Chambers did in Season 6, or throw away your lead, like Colin Jackson did with Dollgate back in Season 3.

We’ve already seen some mightily impressive lifts and tricks from all three of our 2021 finalists, like Ayling-Ellis’s dive into Pernice’s arms in their American smooth, or Whaite and Rabebe’s ambitious, trick-filled Couple’s Choice in the semi-final. But we’ve seen mishaps, too: both Whaite and Odudu had nightmares with their big salsa lifts.

And what styles might they decide on? Whaite and Ayling-Ellis went contemporary for their Couple’s Choice while Odudu chose funky jazz. But you can also incorporate your best styles and moves from the season – so might Ayling-Ellis and Odudu play to their ballroom strengths, and Whaite go for paso doble or Argentine tango drama? Pernice has teased that their number will feature a very big prop...

Anyhow, it should be a fab-u-lous final. So join us again here next Saturday at 7pm to find out who lifts that glitterball trophy!