Strictly Come Dancing’s first-ever triple dance-off ended with Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb and professional partner Jowita Przystał leaving the competition after Halloween Week. The result arrived on a day when #Strictly was among the UK’s prominent television-related conversations on X, giving the unusual elimination format an extra burst of attention online.
Lawrence Robb leaves Strictly after Halloween Week
Lawrence and Jowita found themselves in the bottom three alongside Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu, and Jaime Winstone and Carlos Gu. Unlike the programme’s usual two-couple dance-off, all three pairs had to perform again before the judges decided which one should leave.
Lawrence and Jowita reprised their Tango to Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. Bethany and Nancy returned with their Jive to I’m In Love With a Monster by Fifth Harmony, while Jaime and Carlos performed their Salsa to Filthy/Gorgeous by Scissor Sisters.
The decision went against Lawrence and Jowita. Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood all voted to eliminate the pair, giving them the majority required for the result. Motsi Mabuse said she would also have made the same choice if her vote had been needed.
Why the triple dance-off mattered
The Halloween result was particularly notable because Strictly changed its familiar dance-off format for one week. Instead of two couples returning to the floor, three couples with the lowest combined judges’ scores and public-vote totals were placed in danger.
That twist meant the Saturday leaderboard alone could not predict who would face elimination. Lawrence and Jowita had scored 26 points for their Tango, placing ninth out of the 11 remaining couples. Tabby Stoecker and Mark Karmalita, and Graeme Hall and Lauren Oakley, had both scored 25, yet neither ended up in the dance-off after the public vote was combined with the judges’ marks.
The outcome underlined how important the viewer vote remains. A contestant can finish above other couples on the judges’ leaderboard and still land in the danger zone once public support is included.
A big weekend for soap stars on Strictly
The result also created a striking contrast between two familiar soap faces. While Emmerdale’s Lawrence Robb left the ballroom, EastEnders star Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola finished at the top of Saturday’s leaderboard with 36 points for their Charleston.
John Nellis and Katya Jones were close behind on 35, while Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby and Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington each scored 33. Lawrence’s 26 therefore left him close to the lower end of a tightly packed Halloween leaderboard.
For soap viewers, Lawrence’s departure is especially significant because his run on Strictly had linked one of ITV’s biggest continuing dramas with one of the BBC’s most discussed entertainment programmes. His partnership with Jowita had produced a series of routines across the opening weeks before Halloween brought their competition to an end.
What happens next on Strictly?
The competition now moves forward with ten couples. Strictly is expected to return to its normal two-couple dance-off format after the one-off Halloween twist, with the remaining celebrities and professionals heading into the next stage of the series.
The next main show is scheduled for Saturday, 7 November on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. With the competition approaching its halfway point, the gap between strong leaderboard scores and reliable public support is becoming increasingly important.
Lawrence and Jowita may be out, but the circumstances of their exit are likely to keep the conversation going. A historic three-way dance-off, a unanimous judging decision and the survival of couples who had scored lower on Saturday gave Strictly viewers plenty to debate after one of the season’s most unusual results shows.