The meaning behind Strictly Come Dancing’s ‘vulnerable four’ – and why the ‘terrified’ stars shouldn’t panic

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The new format on Strictly Come Dancing, where the bottom four couples face elimination, is making this year’s contestants more anxious.

Sources close to the show have revealed that the celebrities and their professional dance partners are extremely worried about ending up in the bottom four on Sunday’s results show. This is because finishing in those positions just delays the inevitable – and potentially means they’ll be eliminated from the competition.

Recent reports from the show indicate the new format is causing unnecessary stress for two couples. Because the final four contestants aren’t chosen by viewer votes, these couples are worried about being eliminated.

Two couples are randomly selected to join the bottom two couples with the fewest votes. Sources say this is done to create more suspense during the results show.

Ellie Goldstein and Balvinder Sopal competed in a dance-off last weekend after making it to the final four on the show, along with Amber Davies and Harry Aikines-Aryeetey.

Despite likely receiving a lot of public support, those two celebrities still found themselves in danger of being eliminated.

According to a source, consistently being in the bottom four creates intense pressure for the couples and just extends the difficult experience for those involved.

Those involved generally dislike the situation, as the performers really don’t want to be scheduled last.

Sometimes, people worry about voting because they think their single vote won’t matter, even though their votes actually have a significant impact and already put them in a strong position. This needless anxiety is completely unfounded.

Amber had a particularly difficult time on Sunday’s show. She’d already faced elimination the week before, narrowly avoiding being sent home after winning the dance-off against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, even though she’d scored second place on the judges’ leaderboard.

The former Love Island contestant is aware she might have a hard time gaining viewers’ support due to her experience as a performer in West End musicals.

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

Lewis Cope, an actor from Emmerdale, and his partner Katya Jones received the first perfect score of this season of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night, putting them at the top of the leaderboard.

Harry, known for his role in Gladiator, and his dance partner Karen Clifton received the lowest score of the night with 26 points.

The Daily Mail has contacted a Strictly spokesperson for comment. 

Ellie and Aljaž Škorjanec were voted off the show after the judges decided to keep EastEnders star Balvinder in the competition.

Ellie shared her favorite parts of being on the show after her elimination, but also described how nerve-wracking the results episodes were.

She shared that she loves spending time with Vito, and really enjoyed having him as her partner on Strictly. She believes he’s the best partner anyone could ask for.

I really enjoyed performing on the live show, but the results show was nerve-wracking – it was so scary waiting to hear the results! I also loved having a tan and being part of the experience in Elstree.

Amber had a tough time in the dance-off, especially since she only found out she was competing at the very last moment when she stepped in for Dani Dyer.

Despite consistently impressing the judges with their performances, she and her partner, Nikita Kuzmin, still needed to perform well to stay in the competition.

People close to Amber told the Daily Mail that she wasn’t letting the dance-off get her down, and was actually using it to push herself to improve in future performances.

A friend mentioned that people expected Amber to be really stressed about the dance-off, but she actually seemed calm and unfazed.

She wasn’t at all shocked to find herself in that position. As it’s an entertainment show, anything can happen on Strictly. In fact, she’d predicted on Saturday that she might end up in the dance-off.

Honestly, I can just feel how good she’s doing! She’s heading into this week with such a positive vibe, and it’s amazing. There’s absolutely no stress or worry from her side – she’s genuinely loving every minute of Strictly, and it shows! I’m so thrilled for her; she’s just glowing!

Winning isn’t Amber’s main goal; she’s focused on working hard and remains humble. She’s especially thankful for the incredible support from people in the theatre world.

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2025-11-05 04:19