If anyone embodies the spirit of Strictly Come Dancing, it’s Pete Wicks.
When it was first announced that the former Towie star had joined the cast of the BBC series, some were convinced that he didn’t want to be there at all.
They took one look at his serious demeanour and drew the conclusion that the 36-year-old had signed up reluctantly, and that he wouldn’t give it his all… how mistaken they were.
The journey that Pete’s been on for the past 12 weeks – the way he’s thrown himself out of his comfort zone and evolved not only as a dancer, but as a person – is proof that he deserves a spot in the final.
The fan-favourite contestant has ditched his inhibitions and imbued the routines that he performs alongside his partner Jowita Przystał with blood, sweat and tears, even if he hasn’t once topped the leaderboard.
But really, that doesn’t matter. Because Strictly isn’t just about who delivers the most technically-proficient routines, and who earns the highest scores from the judges.
It’s also about celebrating the love of dance, and spreading joy to audiences at home. Which is exactly what Pete and Jowita have achieved week after week, thanks to their brilliant connection and passionate work ethic.
I can’t lie – I’m a sucker for an underdog, especially one who proves naysayers wrong.
Having witnessed the trolling that Pete has endured during his time on Strictly – including death threats – it horrifies me that some people feel so strongly that he should have already been sent home that they would lower themselves to such horrific levels of abusive vitriol.
It should go without saying that nothing can ever justify such abhorrent behaviour.
First thing’s first – there are two ways that the couples are able to remain in the running for the Glitterball Trophy: the judges’ scores and the votes from the public, which are combined to determine which of them will wind up in the dreaded dance-off.
Despite placing at the bottom of the leaderboard on several occasions, Pete and Jowita haven’t been in the bottom two once. This therefore means that there are masses of people voting for them to stay on the series.
So on a technical front, the pair have well and truly merited staying on the show, but that’s not the main reason why a place in the final has Pete’s name written all over it.
From the very beginning of the competition, the former ‘bad boy’ of Towie has been extremely self-deprecating about his dancing abilities.
He vowed to bring ‘bad dancing’ to the dancefloor and questioned ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ before the first week of the show. Since then, he’s written on social media several times that he has no idea how he’s reached this stage of the show and has acknowledged that he isn’t the best dancer on the programme.
Just a few days ago, he wrote on Instagram: ‘The belief you guys have had in me has been incredible and at times I’m not sure I’ve deserved it.’
Pete, I speak for all of your fans to stress that you absolutely do.
In a recent Instagram comment on Pete’s post, Jowita wrote: ‘You’ve started from 0 and you improve each week and that’s what Strictly is about.
‘You’re working really hard, each week you give it all! You deserve to be here. I believed in you since day one! And people believe in you too! I’m so glad they can see what I can see… thank you everyone for all your support.’
We couldn’t agree more!
From their Halloween Joker routine, to that George of the Jungle moment, the pair have been a part of some of this year’s most memorable highlights. Their Couple’s Choice routine was also particularly special, as it gave Pete the opportunity to pay tribute to his Nan in a way that left viewers in tears.
But it’s been Pete’s humility, his earnest desire to improve his ballroom dancing skills and his beautiful vulnerability – the most open he’s ever been in almost 10 years of showbiz – that has allowed fans to connect with him like never before.
That is what makes Strictly one of the most beloved shows on TV – upholding values that Pete has carried from the start right up to the semi-final, and hopefully the grand finale too.
There’s no denying that Pete and Jowita face stiff competition in the semi-final, going up against Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell, Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola, and JB Gill and Lauren Oakley.
But with two dances to perform – a ‘sexy’ Argentine Tango and a ‘cute’ Foxtrot, as described by Pete on Instagram – we have full faith that he can pull more surprises out of the bag to reach the final hurdle before the winner is announced.
The fan-favourite once said that ‘never in a million years’ did he think he would have taken part in Strictly.
Boy are we glad that he decided to take such a huge leap of faith.
Strictly Come Dancing returns on Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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