With the first Argentine Tango of the series, jaw-dropping transformations and enough wigs to make Dolly Parton’s collection look small, Strictly Come Dancing Halloween week (once again) truly delivered.
Saturday night’s episode saw a number of this year’s contestants impress on the dancefloor with three of them winning 10s for their routines. They included EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick – who is beginning to look like a serious contender for the Glitterball trophy – and Sarah Hadland, who spectacularly recovered from an early mishap to deliver a dramatic performance. The third was Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, who has consistently pulled off high-scoring routines.
But it’s a celebrity closer to the bottom of the leaderboard who has the most to celebrate.
Former Olympic athlete Sam Quek has been struggling to make her mark on the competition, and last week was left in tears after several errors during her Quickstep. “I’m just so disappointed because that could have been our moment,” she told host Claudia Winkleman in her post-dance interview.
What a difference seven days can make.
This week, Quek and her professional partner Nikita Kuzmin were given the honour of closing the show (as Strictly bosses decide the running order once they’ve had a glimpse at the dances, the schedule itself can hint at who will deliver the most memorable moment). The pair began their Jive to “Time Warp” as the dowdy Janet and Brad before both ripping off their outfits to reveal black lace, corsets, and suspenders.
Quek, who clearly has a blast with Kuzmin in training, finally looked like she was having fun on the dancefloor, too, beaming as she high-kicked her way through the energetic routine. The nerves of previous weeks were well and truly banished. She threw herself into the Jive and appeared completely at ease – which is no mean feat during such a fast-paced routine. Compared to her shaky Samba from week four, Quek seemed like a different person.
After positive feedback from the judges – with Motsi Mabuse describing the performance as the “cherry on the cake” for Halloween week – Quek landed a score of 31, her highest yet. The total puts Quek eight points behind first place (and eighth on the leaderboard) so she still has some way to go if she wants to be a serious contender. But for now, the Olympian should bask in the glory of her “Strictly moment”.