Is BBC really pushing Tilly to the Strictly final so it can poach her dad?
As the tension mounts, so do conspiracy theories among the celebs and dancers. But...
STRICTLY contestants are convinced the show’s bosses have a hidden agenda to push their favourites into the final, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
According to rumours circulating on the show, BBC chiefs are keen for Tilly Ramsay to make it to the end of the run, because they want to poach her father, Scots celebrity chef Gordon, from ITV.
Some of the stars also claim producers are desperate for Strictly’s first ever all-male couple, John Waite and Johannes Radebe, to go all the way to the final. It is thought that TV presenter AJ Odudu, who is paired with the show’s new professional dancer, Kai Widdrington, is another favourite with the suits.
Sources say a number of contestants who are floundering in the series believe the BBC has an ‘agenda’ and would be happiest if Waite and Radebe were the eventual winners.
Strictly bosses were said to be crestfallen last year when the first same-sex couple, Nicola Adams and Katya Jones, had to leave the competition after just four weeks when Jones tested positive for Covid.
One source said: ‘There’s a feeling there’s some blatant favouritism going on here – that they are pushing Tilly to win, or at least get to the final, because they want to nick her dad. Then you have the issue of the all-male couple, which is just the dream of certain people involved with the show for John and Johannes to pick up the glitterball. And as for AJ, she is adored.’
Ms Odudu, who is enjoying a romance with her dance partner, has topped the judges’ leaderboard twice, including last week when she scored a near-perfect 39, but isn’t thought to be winning public votes. However, last night they came bottom when their Paso Doble scored just 28.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood said he was ‘a little disappointed’ by the many ‘pedestrian elements’. Last night, CBBC presenter Rhys Stephenson and professional partner Nancy Xu topped the leaderboard after receiving a perfect 40 points for their charleston. Former McFly singer Tom Fletcher is understood to be the viewers’ favourite, along with deaf EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, although last weekend she and her partner Giovanni Pernice came in sixth place.
One contestant even claimed that before they knew they were in the dance-off, bosses were treating them in a ‘funny’ and ‘different’ manner. The source added: ‘It was like the decision had already been made before a step had been made on the dancefloor.’
Last week, the mother of Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty accused producers of a ‘fix’ after her son was eliminated. Fans were also furious that BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker escaped the dance-off, believing he was saved because he is an employee of the Corporation.
The BBC declined to comment.