Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola have a lot in common with 75% of former Strictly Come Dancing champions, therefore they may be holding the glitterball trophy on Saturday night.
Three out of every four winning couples in the previous 20 series have never had to face the dreaded dance-off. Those of you who have been watching the show on Sunday nights will know that Ellie, 22, and Vito, 31, have never been in the spotlight.
They are the only final couple who have never had to repeat a routine in order to advance to the next round of the competition. Instead, the combination of their judges’ scores and popular votes has ensured that they have never had to put on their dance shoes again for round two.
Whereas their fellow finalists Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin had to compete in a dance battle to stay in the competition in week 10, Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell had to fight for their position twice, once in week 9 and again in the recent semi-finals.
The winning couples in the last six series have all been part of the illusive no dance-off to winners storyline.
Joe McFadden and Katya Jones, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton, Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice, and Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przysta have all contributed to the streak, which Ellie and Vito want to maintain.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, so Layton, 29, Nikita, 26, Bobby, 20, and Dianne, 34, should not despair.
Instead, they can take inspiration from Abbey Clancy and Alja Korjanec, as well as Ore Odube and Joanne Clifton, who each came back from a dance-off to win the grand prize.
Strictly Come Dancing winners
SERIES 1 – Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole. Dance-off
SERIES 2 – Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett. No dance-off
SERIES 3 – Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova. No dance-off
SERIES 4 – Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy. No dance-off
SERIES 5 – Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler. Dance-off
SERIES 6 – Tom Chambers and Camilla Dallerup. No dance-off
SERIES 7 – Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan. No dance-off
SERIES 8 – Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev. No dance-off
SERIES 9 – Harry Judd and Aliona Vilani. No dance-off
SERIES 10 – Louis Smith and Flavia. No dance-off
SERIES 11 – Abbey Clancy and Aljaž Škorjanec. Dance-off
SERIES 12 – Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev. Dance-off
SERIES 13 – Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani. No dance-off
SERIES 14 – Ore Odube and Joanne Clifton. Dance-off
SERIES 15 – Joe McFadden and Katya Jones. No dance-off
SERIES 16 – Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton. No dance-off
SERIES 17 – Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse. No dance-off
SERIES 18 – Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse. No dance-off
SERIES 19 – Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice. No dance-off
SERIES 20 – Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał. No dance-off
Betting group Coral have shared that Ellie is at odds of 1-10 for success on Saturday, which makes her the shortest priced Strictly Come Dancing finalist in history.
Layton Williams is the 8-1 second favourite with the firm, while Bobby Brazier can be backed at 12-1.
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One thing is certain: the surviving couples will have their work cut out for them, since they will each perform three dances at the grand finale.
All of the partners get to show off their abilities in a display dance with no restrictions. Ellie and Vito will make a Jenifer Lopez megamix, Layton and Nikita will deliver the vibes with Ne-Yo’s Friend Like Me, and Bobby and Dianne will pay tribute to La La Land.
They’ve also chosen their favourite routine, as well as one that the judges would want to watch again.
In addition to the nine unique performances, fans will be treated to a group routine in which the whole cast returns to the dance floor for the last time.
Amanda Abbington, who withdrew from the competition after four performances due to ‘personal reasons,’ will not return.
‘Amanda decided to withdraw from the competition, therefore she will not be returning for the final,’ a BBC spokesperson said.
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs Saturday at 7pm on BBC One
