Strictly Come Dancing Sparks Outrage as Hasselbaink Eliminated After Controversial Dance-Off Decision
October 26, 2025
Bookies' favorite George Clarke was bottom-ranked but was not in the bottom two, which included Amber and Jimmy, fueling controversy over the results.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Lauren Oakley were eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing after a dance-off with Amber Davies and Nikita Kuzmin, despite their efforts and high scores.
Amber Davies, a consistent high scorer, was saved after a unanimous judges' decision, with all judges voting to keep her in the competition.
In the dance-off, Hasselbaink performed the American Smooth to Prince's 'Purple Rain,' while Davies performed a Cha Cha to Ariana Grande's 'Break Free'; the judges voted to save Davies and Kuzmin, with Anton Du Beke casting the deciding vote.
Controversy surrounded Amber's participation due to her last-minute addition and her West End experience, which some contestants felt gave her an unfair advantage.
Social media users expressed frustration over the selection of the bottom two and questioned the fairness of the elimination.
The upcoming episodes will feature a Halloween special on November 1st, with the results show scheduled for November 2, and will include performances and the departure of long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
Despite their elimination, Hasselbaink and Oakley are scheduled to appear on 'Strictly: It Takes Two,' and the remaining contestants will continue competing in Halloween Week.
Jimmy Hasselbaink expressed his enjoyment of performing and his desire to improve, highlighting his highest score of the competition achieved the night before.
Lewis Cope topped the leaderboard with 34 points during Icons Week, while George Clarke and others scored lower, with some contestants at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Fans reacted with outrage, believing the voting was unfair, with many arguing that Hasselbaink deserved to stay due to his progress and popularity, criticizing the decision as a 'joke' and 'the wrong bottom two'.
Hasselbaink praised his dance partner Lauren Oakley for his progress and their fun partnership, while Oakley called him an amazing student and a diamond.
Summary based on 15 sources
Get a daily email with more Entertainment stories
Sources

The Mirror • Oct 26, 2025
Strictly axes show favourite after tears and tense dance-off
Metro • Oct 26, 2025
Strictly star is eliminated in ‘most shocking bottom two in history of show’
HELLO! • Oct 26, 2025
Strictly Come Dancing's shock dance-off result sees fourth contestant leave the show