Strictly Come Dancing: quarter-final results – as it happened

As always, thanks for watching along with me, my choreographic compadres. Our famous five now dance into the semi-final, tackling two full routines apiece in their bid to go all the way to the grand glitterball final.

It airs next Saturday at the earlier time of 6.30pm on BBC1. Meet you back here to raise our proverbial paddles. In the meantime, you know the drill: keeeeep dancing! Thank you, a glittery goodnight and have a great week.

A swift round-up of your Musicals Week musings. rosybeeme says: “Can someone explain the attraction of the lugubrious Pete to his fans? I’m not being mean but I just don’t get it. It’s a travesty that Montell’s out.”

EmmyHarb says: “Pete getting through again is getting even this blog fairly heated tonight. He obviously has a huge fanbase and a much broader appeal to the public than Montell.”

Shotsboy1991 says: “Just ridiculous that Pete Wick is still in this. Outraged for MoJo, so unfair.”

Somersetlass adds: “Such grace from Mojo – both physical and emotional. Good to see them smiling in their last dance. Ah well, not the result I wanted, but that’s Strictly.”

Viewers can now stay on BBC One for Antiques Roadshow from Cromford Mills in Derbyshire or flip to Channel 5 for Magical Christmas Windows: From Hamleys to Harrods.

At 9pm, choose from Wolf Hall: The Mirror & The Light on BBC One, I’m A Celebrity on ITV1 or The 1970s Supermarket at Christmas on Channel 5.

If you fancy a film to welcome in December, there’s A Quantum Of Solace (8pm on ITV4), Cape Fear (11pm on BBC2) or Spider-Man: Homecoming (11.45pm on BBC1). Past Peter Parker’s bedtime, surely?

Male celebrities finished bottom and joint second bottom of the leaderboard. Yet somehow we still ended up with an all-female dance-off. There were also grumbling from commenters last night that the male celebs got more crowd-pleasing songs and better slots in the running order last night.

The upshot is that we have three men and two women in our final five. Time to jettison Pete and balance the gender books? Just saying.

South African pro Johannes Radebe always appears to be a dream dance partner and he did another beautiful job with Montell Douglas – turning her from a powerhouse athlete into a real performer, nurturing her confidence and helping her bounce back from multiple dance-offs with a smile on her face. The pair’s farewell speeches were evidence of their close bond.

Strictly fans were spooked by tabloid stories last month that this would be Jojo’s last series. To our relief, Jojo denied this, saying: “I want to do this beautiful show for as long as they want me – and the body will allow.” Phew, frankly.

In his six years on Strictly, Johannes has reached the final with both John Whaite and Annabel Croft. He can consider himself unlucky not to have survived another week or two with Montell. The day when Jojo finally gets his hands on the glitterball trophy will be a happy day.

She scored the first maximum of the series last week. Saturday night’s Argentine tango notched another two 10s, leaving her joint second on the leaderboard. Yet when the public vote was combined with judges’ scores, Tasha Ghouri had plummeted into the bottom two for the first time.

Having outscored Montell Douglas by six points on Saturday, she was always likely to survive. However, it’s a sign that Tasha might not be the nailed-on finalist she’s always looked.

Sure, she’s the highest scorer in the contest by a distance, never scoring sub-30 and topping the leaderboard seven times. But ringer rumblings about her prior dance experience are only going to get louder. Tasha is very good but, in voting viewers’ minds, she might be too good.

Is Pete Wicks completely bulletproof? Are those pink pleather trousers made of Kevlar? There must be some explanation for how the TOWIE alumnus has still to appear in the dance-off, despite propping up the scoreboard in four weeks out of the last five.

Last night’s wobbly West Side Story waltz saw him cut adrift by six points, a huge margin at this stage of the series. Once again, though, voting viewers mobilised and lifted him clear of danger at the expense of far superior dancers. Montell Douglas averages seven points more per routine but Pete’s seen her off. At least he had the decency to look sheepish about it.

Mr P Twix clearly has a huge fan following but he’s really not much of a hoofer. In 11 weeks, his scores have only twice crept into the 30s. During Saturday’s live show, pro partner Jowita Przystal and some of the judges congratulated him for being able to dance at all. Surely a minimum requirement for a quarter-finalist.

Like previous scripted reality alumni Mark Wright and Jamie Laing, could Pete somehow squeak into the final? He’s at risk of becoming like John Sergeant with more Brylcreem and better cheekbones. Let’s hope sanity is restored in the semi-final.

It was fourth time unlucky for the unfortunate Montell Douglas. After prevailing over Sam Quek, Wynne Evans and Jamie Borthwick in the dance-off over the past month, high-scoring Tasha Ghouri proved too tough an opponent – even for a fighter like the Olympian and Gladiator.

Montell’s fate seemed sealed last night when she was given both the notoriously difficult, technically exposing rumba and the slot of death. Throw in a musical, The Colour Purple, with which fewer viewers are familiar, and she was already up against it. As the fourth highest scorer of the series, Montell deserved a place in the final on stats alone. The fact that she’s had to scrap for her place since halfway through the series feels unfair.

She should have lasted further into December but it’s been lovely to watch her progress over the past 11 weeks. A non-performer who initially lacked confidence, she blossomed under the tutelage of pro partner Johannes Radebe, forming the tight “Team Mojo”. Versatile Montell became both a fiery Latin señorita and a classy ballroom performer.

Her highlights were her Halloween cha-cha, her Whitney waltz, her Jojo-mirroing paso, last week’s joyous quickstep and, of course, that groundbreaking Afro-Caribbean Couple’s Choice, which notched a near-perfect 39 points – the joint highest score of the series at the time. Judge Anton du Beke advised her to “do it again in the final”. A shame she won’t get the chance.

A standing ovation and rightly so. As Team Mojo take a final twirl around the floor to Thank You For The Music by the mighty Abba, the credits roll and their castmates descend for consoling cuddles. Or perhaps in Pete Wicks’ case, profuse apologies.

Please stay with us for analysis, reaction and a round-up of your comments.

Her pro partner Johannes Radebe returns the compliment: “I am so proud of you because, honey, you are a non-dancer. But the one thing that you have done every single week is turn out beautiful dancing. So I want to say thank you for respecting our art form of ballroom and Latin. The way you handled it was like a true pro. You’re my winner.” What a diamond he is.

In her exit speech, an emotional Montell Douglas tells Tess: “Johannes has been amazing. Strictly has touched me in ways I never knew possible. I’m an Olympian and a Gladiator but I have honestly struggled with confidence my whole life. Being on the show, with the beautiful crew, judges and cast, has just been such an honour.

I have to say thank you to Johannes because I really have found a friend and a brother in this man. I mean it from the bottom of my heart, I hope he’s in my life forever, because we have something very special.” Beautifully said.

Yep, it’s unanimous. Twirly Shirley Trunchbull says she would have decided the same.

It’s official. The majority vote means that Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe become the 10th duo to depart the Strictly 2024 dancefloor.

Tasha and Aljaž, saying “a hard-fought dance-off but my position doesn’t shift”.