From comedian Jason Wood (2004) to swimmer Tom Dean (2024), one poor lumpy-footed celebrity has to be the first out. Is there anything in the stats that can give us some clues for this weekend? Well, first up, despite men being more likely to win the whole competition (13 wins to nine), the chaps are also more likely to be voted off in the first week. Over the 22 series, men have been the first to be eliminated on 14 occasions.
TV presenters tend to fare pretty badly too – no other profession has more first eliminations than their seven, with thespians coming in second with six. And being young helps – the average age of the first celebrity eliminated is 50, with only five celebs under 40 being given the elbow first. So, an older man who presents TV? It’s looking pretty bleak for bottom-of-the-leaderboard Ross King (aged 63).
As for the dances, the one most likely to get you an early exit is the cha-cha-cha (nine times), followed by the waltz and tango (both seven). And which two dances has poor Ross opened with? A cha-cha-cha and a waltz. If he survives to Week Three, he deserves a glitterball medal.
