Strictly Come Dancing is hotting up, as week 8 saw contestants battling to ensure their places — with just one couple, Danny John-Jules and Amy Dowden, scoring under 30 points.

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Take a look at the most memorable moments from Saturday's live show:

1. Graeme and Oti's had everyone at home lunging

Oti and Graeme (Strictly, BBC)

Graeme Swann and Oti Mabuse performed a Salsa with a twist, taking inspiration from 80's workout videos — and the crowd and the judges loved it.

"I strangely loved that… Very good body isolations… I have to say you gave your all. Fingers crossed you get to Blackpool because I wanna see more than that," judge Darcey Bussell said.

"I think it’s my retinas that have burnt, I’ve never seen so much day glow," Bruno Tonioli joked.

"That has to be one of the oddest salsas I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching… Very complex routine and I think you handled it really really well," Craig Revel-Horwood concluded.

2. Danny John-Jules' mum wasn't too impressed...

Danny John-Jules (Strictly, BBC)

Although Danny John-Jules' Samba was deemed "spikey" and "stiff" by the judges, a camera shot of his mum sat in the audience definitely didn't disappoint.

Just before the judges revealed their scores, Tess Daly asked Danny about his mum, who was there in the studio. Cue one VERY overwhelmed Ms John-Jules...

"Love how Danny’s mum looks COMPLETELY unimpressed," one fan pointed out on Twitter.

3. Kate Silverton wowed as a... cake decoration?

Kate Silverton (Strictly, BBC)

Kate Silverton and her dance partner Aljaž Škorjanec, dressed as a bride and a groom standing on top of a wedding cake, wowed the judges with the Quickstep, scoring 30 overall.

"I bet Meghan and Harry didn’t do that at their wedding! What’s going on, you’ve regained your confidence of movement… Welcome back Kate," Bruno enthused.

"Well first of all you look beautfiul, like a real princess… You didn’t miss a beat at all… Overall what a huge improvement from last week, Kate," Shirley Ballas said.

4. Ashley Roberts' moving tribute had the judges in tears

Ashley Roberts (Strictly, BBC)

Ashley Roberts dedicated her Contemporary Dance routine to her late father, and the judges and viewers couldn't keep the tears back.

Giving the couple a standing ovation and looking visibly moved, Shirley said: "Well I think today you spoke to everybody in the country who’s lost somebody… It was purely danced from a beautiful place."

"Hauntingly beautiful tribute danced to perfection. It was flawless my darling," Bruno added.

The couple also topped the leaderboard, with a score of 39.

5. Villanelle was in the Strictly audience

Killing Eve's Jodie Comer (aka the fashionable assassin Villanelle) made an appearance in the Strictly studio audience, and fans were LOVING it.

Read more about Jodie Comer's Strictly audience debut here

6. Lauren's "inspiring" Viennese Waltz

Lauren and AJ (Strictly, BBC)

Lauren Steadman and her partner AJ Pritchard seriously impressed with their challenging Viennese Waltz, scoring 31 in total.

Several of the judges remarked on how well Steadman had coped with the more difficult moves despite her disability.

"You are getting lovelier and lovelier, better and better, and what’s really inspiring me is that you are learning to love to dance," Bruno said, hugging the pair.

"[You are] proving to young girls and boys that they can do everything," Shirley said.

7. Joe Sugg's shimmy causes waves

Joe Sugg (Strictly, BBC)

YouTuber Joe Sugg impressed with his Samba — despite his over-the-top shimmy...

"Well it made me smile, that’s for sure," Craig said. "That shimmy you did darling could start a tsunami."

"Instadorable Samba! Another hit in my book," Bruno concluded.

Joe later admitted the Claudia Winkleman that the Samba wasn't his forte. "“I knew Monday morning this was not my one, but I’ve got the best teacher," he said.

Bless.

8. Stacey Dooley out-Audreyed Audrey Hepburn

Stacey Dooley (Strictly, BBC)

Fan favourite Stacey Dooley shone in a Waltz with partner Kevin Clifton to Moon River, made famous by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

"Audrey Hepburn would have loved it yourself… It’s lovely to see how much effort you put in to get your footwork right," Bruno said.

"keviclifton and StaceyDooley waltzing to Moonriver is already my favourite thing. Stacey’s gone from Minion to Doctor to Ginger to Audrey. Iconic," one fan Tweeted.

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Strictly Come Dancing continues tomorrow at 7.50pm on BBC1

Authors

Flora CarrDrama Writer, RadioTimes.com
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