Strictly Come Dancing 2021: Week 12 semi-final, live – the girls top a high-scoring leaderboard

Well, the two-dance semi-final usually sees the standard drop as the celebrities struggle with twice the workload, but not this year. AJ Odudu and Rose Ayling-Ellis are joint leaders after they both scored a perfect 40 on Saturday night, the former with her quickstep and the latter with her Argentine tango, plus a 39 for their second dance.

John Whaite and Rhys Stephenson impressed too, with Whaite producing an emotional Couple’s Choice number and bold jive, and Stephenson a intense tango and surprisingly strong samba. Both scored yet more 10s, resulting in a close leaderboard.

What a shame that we can’t have a four-person final this year; this quartet really are worthy of it. But only three will make it through – and, as it stands, Stephenson is the one trailing slightly in the standings, with Whaite just ahead. Join us to find out who falls agonisingly short on the results show at 7:20pm on Sunday night on BBC One.

AJ Odudu delivers a perfect quickstep and smoking rumba

Odudu came into the semi-final still chasing that elusive 40 – could a feather-light, old-school Fred ‘n’ Ginger quickstep to Sing, Sing, Sing do the trick? You bet! The judges were in ballroom heaven, with Anton Du Beke saying it was shame the annual Blackpool trip was off this year as their dance was worth of that Tower Ballroom floor. Craig Revel Horwood, who finally dusted off his 10 paddle, crowed “O-M-G, darling, that was incredible.” Motsi Mabuse praised Odudu’s delivery of a difficult dance, while an emotional Shirley Ballas called it pure Strictly magic. Fab-u-lous!

It was a big change of pace for the second dance: a slow, sensual rumba. These two certainly don’t lack for chemistry (on and off the floor), and they hardly needed the Strictly smoke machine – they were steaming up the ballroom all on their own. Du Beke loved the sophistication and elegance, Revel Horwood the lovely straight legs, and Mabuse noted the hard work Odudu had put in to improve her Latin. Ballas, Queen of Latin, bowed down to Odudu and enthused about the “sensuality of the female zones”. Steady, Shirley. A 9 from Revel Horwood and three 10s.

Rose Ayling-Ellis waltzes with joy and tangos with passion

Ayling-Ellis and partner Giovanni Pernice have become the ideal ballroom partnership: they really do move as one. This simple and simply beautiful waltz to Ellie Goulding was another gorgeous example of that. Mabuse loved their connection, Ballas praised the actress for bringing so much joy to the show, and Du Beke actually teared up. Party-pooper Revel Horwood picked up on one tiny foot fault, but said it was one of the most amazing waltzes he’d seen. A well-earned 39.

The Argentine tango wasn’t a sure thing, though: it’s a long way from Ayling-Ellis’s personality, and her connection with Pernice is firmly platonic. But that made this phenomenal performance all the more thrilling. It was incredibly sexy, a hormone-driven duet with every movement a silent exchange of passion, and some astonishing leg action. Mabuse called it the dance of the series, Ballas congratulated Pernice for his work with Ayling-Ellis, and Revel Horwood said it belonged in the final. Quite right. 10s all round.

John Whaite learns to let go in his Couple’s Choice and jive

Whaite was the last of the semi-finalists to share his Couple’s Choice – and, dancing contemporary to Adele’s Hometown Glory, it was a seriously emotional one, with striking moments like Whaite’s laboured walk while holding his partner on his back. In his VT, he spoke about being bullied at school for being gay and admitted he’d been apprehensive about dancing with another man on Strictly.

But this heartfelt routine won over the panel, and no doubt everyone watching at home too. Revel Horwood felt he really led it, while Mabuse said he let himself go, Ballas thought he shared his soul, and Du Beke said it showed Whaite the man, not just the dancer. One 9 and three 10s.

Though a very different style, Whaite continued that sense of liberated performance in his super-slick jive, in which he brilliantly matched Johannes Radebe – though occasionally needed more retraction in his kicks, as Revel Horwood noted. Mabuse said she knew Whaite had it in him, Ballas praised him for not playing it safe, and Du Beke loved the synchronicity. The only downer was the strange song choice: Coldplay’s dreary Higher Power just did not scream jive. Still, another 39 for Whaite.

Rhys Stephenson tangos to Queen and surprises with his samba

The CBBC boy impressed with his Argentine tango last week, scoring three 10s, and hoped to continue the good work with a ballroom tango to Queen’s One Vision – one of his favourite songs. Stephenson definitely had intensity and attack, but the rocking out led to him rushing the timing rather than finishing his moves crisply, particularly in his opening solo. However, the judges were largely positive. Ballas loved the solo, while Du Beke felt he struggled out of hold but improved in hold. Revel Horwood enjoyed the drama and Mabuse said he covered the floor well. 9s all round for a strong 36.

Stephenson also fared surprisingly well with the tricky, multi-rhythmic samba. Dressed in leopard print, he and partner Nancy Xu turned in a fierce performance, though by no means perfect: his footwork was variable and his weight was held too high. Ballas praised his rhythmic hips and Du Beke the effort, though one section was clunky. Revel Horwood wanted a smoother bounce, otherwise he smashed it, and Mabuse thought he fought for it. A generous two 9s and two 10s.

Are the judges overmarking?

Yes, this was a seriously impressive semi-final and most of those high scores were arguably deserved. Even so, we saw 10s awarded for all but one of the eight routines – and even that dance got four 9s. None of the 1 through 8 paddles made an appearance. That makes it harder for viewers at home to differentiate between the couples, and slightly takes the sheen off the truly remarkable dances.

Mabuse told Ayling-Ellis that she wished she had something more to give her than a 10, like a 10 with a star or a crown on it. Frankly if the enthusiastic judge and the rest of the panel had saved their 10s throughout the season, there would be no problem with making a 10 feel special at this crucial stage.

Moira Stuart is doing a Christmas salsa

Yes, you heard that right: the legendary broadcaster is going to be shaking her hips to Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. Even by Strictly standards, that’s a surreal choice. Also braving the show’s Christmas special, which goes out on BBC One on Christmas Day, is presenter Adrian Chiles, who will be dancing a no-doubt stately American smooth to White Christmas, while pop star Anne-Marie tackles a cha cha cha to Feliz Navidad.

We’ve also got First Dates’ Fred Sirieix quickstepping to Merry Christmas Everyone, and Jay Blades of The Repair Shop giving us a lovely-jubbly jive to Hooky Street from Only Fools and Horses. Mais oui, mais oui… But the real seasonal treat is Mel Giedroyc dancing a Couple’s Choice to Ice Ice Baby. Talk about Christmas telly heaven. We’ve also seen contestants graduate from this festive special to the main show in the past, so it’s well worth assessing their ballroom – and entertainment – prowess.