Strictly Come Dancing’s Maisie Smith topped the leaderboard during Saturday night’s semi-final with a perfect score of 30 points.
The latest installment of the BBC show saw the competition step up a gear as the remaining five couples were tasked with learning not one but two dances in a bid to make next week’s grand final.
And EastEnders star Maisie, 19, got off to a brilliant start as she and pro partner Gorka Marquez, 30, wowed with the Couple’s Choice hip-hop routine to Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It by Will Smith.
Success: Strictly Come Dancing’s Maisie Smith topped the leaderboard during Saturday night’s semi-final with a perfect score of 30 points
The actress gave it her all on the dance floor as she and Gorka pulled off a perfectly choreographed routine full of fancy footwork, tricks and plenty of attitude.
The dance left the newly-returned socially-distanced audience on their feet, with judges Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse particularly excited.
Head judge Shirley hailed Maisie as the ‘Queen of Pop’, gushing that it was ‘flawless’, ‘spectacular’ and will ‘go down in history as one of the best ones I’ve seen.’
While Motsi said: ‘You did a great job, that was out of this world!’, while Craig Revel Horwood simply said: ‘I’ve been waiting all series for that, thank you!’
Wow: EastEnders star Maisie, 19, got off to a brilliant start as she and pro partner Gorka Marquez, 30, wowed with the Couple’s Choice hip-hop routine to Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It by Will Smith
And the judges were true to their word as they all gave Maisie and Gorka 10 points, giving them a total of 30.
Speaking after the scores, Maise said it was ‘incredible’, adding she was ‘so happy’.
While Gorka added: ‘It’s been a difficult week, she’s been so busy, this means so much to us.’
Meanwhile, the pair’s second dance, the Viennese Waltz to the song A Thousand Years by Christina Perri was just as impressive, with the two getting just shy of the the percent 30 with 29 points.
Awesome: The actress gave it her all on the dance floor as she and Gorka pulled off a perfectly choreographed routine full of fancy footwork, tricks and plenty of attitude
Craig excitedly said of the routine: ‘That whole dance, absolutely stunning.’
While Shirley said: ‘You covered all the things I like to see in this dance’, adding that it was a ‘huge performance’ and ‘one of the most beautiful Viennese Waltzes I’ve seen.’
While Motsi gushed that she was so ‘excited’, she felt ‘like a little girl’.
‘Queen of Pop’: Head judge Shirley hailed Maisie as the ‘Queen of Pop’, gushing that it was ‘flawless’, ‘spectacular’ and will ‘go down in history as one of the best ones I’ve seen’
Great score: And the judges were true to their word as they all gave Maisie and Gorka 10 points, giving them a total of 30
She then left the pair stunned as she declared: ‘If it was up to me, that was certainly the dance that would put you in the final!’
JJ Chalmers became the sixth celebrity to depart the dance floor in Strictly Come Dancing 2020 during Sunday’s results show.
The TV presenter, 33, who is set to remove shrapnel from his inflamed leg next year, faced Made In Chelsea’s Jamie in the dance-off after landing at the bottom of the leaderboard with 20 and 24 points out of 40, respectively.
Despite missing out on reaching the semi-finals, the Invictus Games star praised his professional partner Amy Dowden for ‘not letting him down’ amid her Crohn’s disease.
Enchanting: Meanwhile, the pair’s second dance, the Viennese Waltz to the song A Thousand Years by Christina Perri was just as impressive, with the two getting just shy of the the percent 30 with 29 points
High praise: Craig excitedly said of the routine: ‘That whole dance, absolutely stunning’
Loved it: ‘If it was up to me, that was certainly the dance that would put you in the final!’
JJ and the Welsh choreographer, 30, performed their Charleston to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang again in a bid to stay in the competition, while TV star Jamie, 32, and Karen Hauer, 38, showcased their Jive to Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Judge Craig Revel Horwood chose to save the Candy Kittens entrepunuer as he explained: ‘Well I think both couples danced to the best of their abilities and both couples upped their game considerably.
‘But for me the best couple on the night that I would like to go through to semi finals – Jamie and Karen.’
Fellow panellist Motsi Mabuse, meanwhile, voted for JJ after observing a ‘little hiccup’ with Jamie’s routine.
Head Judge Shirley Ballas, who had the overall say, shared her verdict: ‘Both couples lifted their game, I adored both performances very very much, and both couples made small mistakes, both couples.
‘But on a more powerful and through difficulty of choreography and through sheer determination, I’m going to save Jamie.’
He’s out! JJ Chalmers became the sixth celebrity to depart the dance floor in Strictly Come Dancing 2020 during Sunday’s results show (pictured with pro partner Amy Dowden)