Strictly Odds 2024: Toyah Willcox favourite to leave for the second week in a row

Week 2 of Strictly Come Dancing brought some dazzling performances and a few unexpected slips. Tasha Ghouri stole the spotlight with her elegant Viennese Waltz, earning the first nines of the season and topping the leaderboard with an impressive 35 points. Close behind was Sarah Hadland with a fierce Paso Doble, solidifying her spot as a strong contender for the Glitterball Trophy.

On the other hand, Paul Merson's salsa failed to impress, leaving him at the bottom of the board alongside Toyah Willcox, whose jive didn’t quite land with the judges. But last Sunday was when the Strictly competition started for real - with two contestants facing the first dreaded dance-off to decide their fate, following a public vote.

Three-time Olympic champion Tom Dean and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova faced pop icon Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones in the first dance-off of Strictly Come Dancing 2024. Both couples gave it their all in their final routines before the judges delivered their decisions, but despite her stiff performance, Toyah managed to edge out Tom thanks to her superior musical timing. 

As we head into week three of the competition, here’s your latest Strictly odds as we take a look at who could be next to follow in Tom Dean’s footsteps…

Toyah Willcox @ 11/10

After surviving Sunday evening’s dance-off at the expense of Tom Dean, the “It’s A Mystery” hitmaker goes into week two in a precarious position. For the second week in a row, Toyah remains the favourite to be next eliminated from the show, with her odds shortening from 11/4 to 11/10. 

The judge’s decision to keep her in the competition led to fan outrage, with some viewers speculating that the show was “fixed” in Willcox’s favour, but despite being bottom of the leaderboard, Paul Merson and his partner Karen actually scored the worst last week with 15 points. Although, it's clear that Toyah is still  far behind her peers in terms of skill, so she’ll need to make a major turnaround by next Sunday if she wants to stay competitive. We’ll have to wait and see if the musician can survive the second elimination.

Paul Merson @ 7/2

Saturday’s lowest scorer Paul will compete in Movie Week this weekend after being saved from elimination by the public. He may have defied the odds by not being the first eliminated from the show, his position in the competition is still shaky and priced at 7/2 to go this weekend. While he clearly has strong support from his fans and fellow football pundits at home, the real question is whether they can rally enough to save him for another week. The pressure remains on the former Arsenal forward, but his odds have drifted from 3/1 to 7/2 to be the next dancer eliminated. 

Nick Knowles @ 9/2

Nick Knowles’ performance last weekend was a real show of grit. Despite battling an injury that casted doubt over his future in the competition, he managed to improve his score from the previous week, as he and partner Luba scored a respectable 21. 

His determination and sympathy from fans at home kept him safe from the dance-off, but with such a talented cast this year, the standard is already high. Nick still finds himself in a precarious spot and heading into this weekend, he’ll need to bring his A-game to avoid falling behind​ and beating his 9/2 odds of leaving this Sunday.

Pete Wicks @ 10/1

Pete Wicks also finds himself in a tough spot heading into week three. Although he managed to avoid the dance-off this time, he’s still lingering at the bottom of the leaderboard and will need to step it up. However, his popularity with viewers could be a saving grace. With romance rumours circulating about him and pro-partner Jowita Pryzstal, fans are rooting for them to go far in the competition, which explains why he’s priced at 10/1 to go next weekend despite his low ranking.

You can find all the latest Strictly Odds over on Betfred.com and all our latest Specials Betting Tips on Betfred Insights.