Strictly Come Dancing's Halloween week sees judges ditch much-loved tradition (Image: BBC)

Strictly Come Dancing's Halloween week sees judges ditch much-loved tradition

by · Daily Record

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Strictly Come Dancing aficionados expressed their disappointment as judges overlooked the tradition of using ghost-shaped paddles during Saturday evening's (October 26) scoring session.

During the sixth week of the dance contest, with Halloween looming, the ballroom adopted a chilling theme, and celebrities were eager to escape the fate of ex-Arsenal footballer Paul Merson, who was the latest to leave the show the week prior. Merson's departure followed those of Nick Knowles, Toyah Willcox, and Tom Dean, who all missed out on clinching the coveted Glitterball trophy.

This year's Halloween Week brought performances steeped in tributes to The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Beetlejuice, with each pair striving to impress with their latest dances and ensure progression to week seven.

However, in a break from past years, judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood, and Anton Du Beke did not use the whimsical ghost-shaped paddles typically reserved for the Halloween-themed episode, reports the Mirror.

Strictly judges during Halloween Week in previous years (Image: BBC)

Fans didn't miss a beat, quickly taking to social media to address what they considered an oversight, as one viewer lamented: "Where are the ghost paddles that the judges use in Halloween week #Strictly."

Another viewer expressed sadness, asking: "#strictly where are the ghost score paddles?" complemented by a despondent emoticon. Similarly, other fans echoed this sentiment, with queries like: "Where are the ghost-shaped scoring paddles? ! #strictly #StrictlyComeDancing."

Meanwhile, another addition to the online chorus queried: "Where are the ghost shaped scoring paddles? ! #strictly #StrictlyComeDancing."

Anton Du Beke holds up his 'regular' scoring paddle during Saturday's live show (Image: BBC)

There are currently 11 celebrity couples left all vying for the coveted Glitterball trophy. Bookmakers have pegged Dr Punam Krishan and her professional dance partner Gorka Marquez as the most likely to be shown the door from the show this week.

They garnered enough votes from viewers to dodge the dreaded dance-off last Sunday after finishing second bottom in the judges' leader board. Olympian Sam Quek and partner Nikita Kuzmin could join them in the dance-off after their odds of elimination were cut from 33/1 to 7/2.

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