Strictly Come Dancing fans said that they ‘feel sick’ after ‘working out the judges plan to eliminate a couple’ and raged ‘it’s an absolute joke!’.

Fans theorised that the judges were trying to get Tash Ghouri and JB in the bottom two after making them perform in the ‘death slots’.

The first and second dances of a Strictly show are called ‘death slots’ because viewers believe you are less likely to perform well due to multiple factors, such as pressure, being furher from viewers’ memories at the time voting open and the crowd not being warmed up yet.

Tasha Ghouri, 26, and her pro dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec, 34, opened Saturday night’s semi-final with a sizzling salsa to Something New by Girls Aloud.

Head judge, Shirely Ballas, called it a ‘beautiful performance’ and they received a near perfect score of 35, with the panel suggesting their transitions and lifts needed polishing.

Later, their Waltz to Aretha Franklin’s A Natural Woman landed them a perfect score of 40.

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Tasha Ghouri, 26, and her pro dance partner Aljaz Skorjanec, 34, opened Saturday night’s semi-final with a sizzling salsa to Something New by Girls Aloud

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JLS alumni JB, 38, and his pro partner Lauren Oakly, 33, were second to perform and also earned 40 points for their Salsa to Red Alert by Basement Jaxx

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Despite their achievements, die-hard fans began theorising that Tasha and JB being in the opening and second ‘death slots’ meant the judges were trying to kick them off in favour of Pete Wicks and Chris McCausland

JLS alumni JB, 38, and his pro partner Lauren Oakly, 33, were second to perform and also earned 40 points for their Salsa to Red Alert by Basement Jaxx.

Despite their achievements, die-hard fans began theorising that Tasha and JB being in the opening and second ‘death slots’ meant the judges were trying to kick them off in favour of Pete Wicks and Chris McCausland.

On X, one wrote: ‘They’re fully leaving Pete and Chris till the end…. they’re trying so hard to get a Tasha and JB bottom two I feel sick.’

‘Judges blatant goal for tonight is to put JB and Tasha in the death slots and intentionally score Tasha lower so they can get her gone. Hate this show,’ a second said.

Another posted: ‘Reading that Tasha is in the death slot… F**K THIS SHOW man. Why are they doing everything to protect Pete?

‘JB and Tasha in the death slots is… wow I see what you’re doing #strictly.’

A fourth wrote: ‘Another week another celeb stuck in the death slot that isn’t Pete.’

However, the two couples who earned the fewest votes, combined with the judges scores, and ended up in the dance off were Tasha and Aljaz, and Pete and Jowita.

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On X, one wrote: ‘They’re fully leaving Pete and Chris till the end…. they’re trying so hard to get a Tasha and JB bottom two I feel sick’

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However, the two couples who earned the fewest votes, combined with the judges scores, and ended up in the dance off were Tasha and Aljaz and Pete and Jowita

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Ultimately, the judges decided to save Tasha and Aljaz with fan favourites Pete and Jowita leaving the competition just one week before the final.

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The remaining four couples will take to the dancefloor next week for the competition’s Grand Final

Ultimately, the judges decided to save Tasha and Aljaz with fan favourites Pete and Jowita leaving the competition just one week before the final.

Pete and Jowita finished at the bottom of the leaderboard after their Foxtrot to Beyond The Sea by Bobby Darin, divided the judges and earned them a total of 32 points.

Shirely Ballas gave them a nine and called Pete ‘Mr Strictly Come Dancing’, while Craig Revel Horwood gave them a seven and described the dance as ‘robotic’.

The duo was awarded just 33 points for their Tango to Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve which Revel Horwood said ‘lacked any Argentine tango technique whatsoever’.

The remaining four couples – Chris and Dianne, JB and Lauren, Sarah and Vito, and Tasha and Aljaz – will take to the dancefloor next week for the Grand Final, each performing three dances.