STRICTLY star JB Gill has made a huge comeback ahead of the final as the remaining celebrities prepare to battle it out for Glitterball trophy.
On Saturday JB, Chris McCausland, Sarah Hadland and Tasha Ghouri will take to the dance floor one final time in a bid to be crowned winner of the series.
Comedian Chris has been favourite to win for quite some time, with odds of 1/20, followed by Love Island‘s Tasha.
But now it appears that JLS legend JB could be finishing in second, just a week after being tipped for the chop in the semi-finals.
Betfred’s public relation officer Kayley Cornelius has said: “The Glitterball trophy feels within reach for comedian Chris McCausland. With odds of 1/20 to win this weekend, he stands as the bookmakers’ strongest favourite in the competition’s history, boasting a massive 95% chance of victory.
“Yet, while Chris’s win seems almost certain, the battle for second place is far less clear.
“Former JLS star JB Gill has staged a remarkable comeback. Once tipped for elimination last week, he’s now expected to take the runner-up spot, surging ahead in the betting markets at 1/16.
“This shift spells trouble for Sarah Hadland, who had held onto second place but has now tumbled to odds of 25/1.
“Even so, she’s still projected to secure a place in the Top 3.
“For Tasha Ghouri, it’s been a significant setback. Previously the favourite to win, her chances of even finishing in the Top 3 now look slim, with her odds drifting to 33/1.”
Singer JB has been a popular signing for the show.
He was originally paired with Amy Dowden, however at the start of November she quit the series after a medical emergency.
The professional dancer, who has Crohn’s Disease and has been battling cancer, had to drop out of the competition after a foot injury.
Though JB has impressed, former Strictly Come Dancing pro Brendan Cole said he’s “gobsmacked” that JB topped the leaderboard last week.
The dancer has accused the judges of overmarking the JLS star to get him to the final.
Giving his verdict on the result, Brendan told Sky Vegas: “The judges are judging everybody individually as if they are marking them against themselves rather than others – people are getting the same scores for what I saw as visually very different dances.
“If you compare Tasha [Ghouri] and JB [Gill’s] Salsas, Tasha performed a very good dance – there was an intro and an exit to a lift which were a little bit messy, and they marked her down for that.
“JB did a Salsa – which was slightly stompy, awkward in places – and he was praised through to the rafters, and he was given four 10’s. His Pasodoble was a good number, but it wasn’t an amazing Pasodoble.
“Tasha should have been at least – if not four marks ahead on the judges’ scorecard – eight marks ahead.
“She wasn’t and that changes things, because all of a sudden, she’s second on the leaderboard, rather than first, and then she’s in the dance-off. If she had been first – where she belonged – perhaps she wouldn’t have been in the dance-off and would have been going through to the final with a different mentality.
“I have no idea why they [the judges] think that JB is such an amazing dancer – I don’t see it. He’s definitely a great contestant and definitely deserves a final [spot], but he doesn’t deserve to be topping the leaderboard in that semi-final.”
“Likewise, with Chris [McCausland], he was getting nines – he is fantastic in terms of what he’s doing – and I’ve loved watching his time on the show, and he’s performed some brilliant numbers.
“However, we’re talking about going from the semi-final to a final of a big competition, where it really matters to people and who have put in the best part of four months’ work.
“If you’re going to mark numbers fairly, you need to mark it on their merits, not on your feeling over the contestant.
“The markings have to change as for my money Tasha should have been number one by far and Chris should have been bottom.
“If the judges took everything external out of it and judged one by one on their merits, i think it would be a very clear one to five. Tasha, Sarah [Hadland], JB, Pete [Wicks], and then Chris.”
Strictly first kicked off back in 2004, and over the years has crowned 21 winners.
Here is a full list of who has been lucky enough to win the famous Glitterball Trophy:
