Strictly Come Dancing star Shaun Wright-Phillips is once again tipped to leave the competition. Bookies are naming him the favourite to be eliminated for a third consecutive week.
The former footballer and his professional partner Alexis Warr were initially expected to be the first couple sent home from the 2026 series.
However, Shaun defied those predictions by avoiding the bottom two, while hairdresser Chris Appleton and Amy Dowden became the first pair to leave instead.
Last weekend, Shaun found himself in the dance-off against Melanie Walters and Aljaz Skorjanec, but the judges chose to save him once again.
For Saturday’s Icons Week, Shaun and Alexis will take to the floor with a Couple’s Choice routine set to a medley of songs by James Brown.
Strictly Come Dancing star Shaun Wright-Phillips tipped for elimination again
Despite surviving last Sunday’s dance-off, Shaun remains the contestant bookies believe is most likely to leave this weekend.
According to Betway, he is priced at 5/6 to be eliminated.
However, Lewis Knowles pointed out that the former Manchester City and England player has repeatedly managed to beat the predictions, saying he “continues to defy his odds and dodge the exit.”
Cyclist Sarah Storey is currently the second favourite to leave, with odds of 15/8. She will perform a Tango to Shania Twain’s That Don’t Impress Me Much with her Australian dance partner Julian Caillon.
“If Shaun manages to survive yet again, she could find herself in trouble,” Lewis added.
Jaime Winstone is next in the betting at 15/2, having previously landed in the bottom two during the first elimination.
“There’s still a sizeable gap between her and the top two, so it would be a shock to see her go, but it’s not impossible,” Lewis mentioned.
Jaime and last year’s winner Carlos Gu will perform a Paso Doble to David Bowie’s Let’s Dance.
“Shaun has become one to watch, with his repeated escapes keeping everyone guessing. If he manages to pull it off again, Sarah could be the one who finds herself in the firing line next,” Lewis added.
How did Shaun perform on the Strictly leaderboard last weekend?
Shaun finished at the bottom of the leaderboard last weekend, placing 14th out of the 14 contestants after performing a Quickstep to I’m A Believer with Alexis in Week 3.
His routine earned him two threes from judges Craig Revel Horwood and Shirley Ballas. Motsi Mabuse awarded the pair a four, while Anton Du Beke gave them a five.
The scores left Shaun with a total of just 15 points.
Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6.15pm on BBC One on Saturday October 17, 2026.
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