Exclusive – Strictly Come Dancing's Ian Waite reveals which contestants should have made the final
Who were his contestants of choice?
There have been many couples that have come and gone from Strictly Come Dancing, with the shocks coming right up to the semi-final when Ranvir Singh was voted off despite going against Jamie Laing, who was in the dance-off for the third time.
Alongside Jamie, the remaining members of the Strictly Come Dancing line-up who will be going for gold in the final are Bill Bailey, HRVY and Maisie Smith.
Former Strictly professional Ian Waite, who competed in seven series of the hit BBC competition, is just as hooked as the rest of us and has given his thoughts on the series so far in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, including revealing who he thinks should have made it to this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing final.
"To me, Max [George] was a potential finalist," Ian said of The Wanted star who was third to leave the competition. "I know that he wasn't maybe improving as quickly as some of the others but I think he could have been in the final.
"I was slightly surprised that he went but I wasn't surprised that Maisie beat him in the dance-off because his dance just wasn't as powerful."
"And I think we had that with Ranvir and Jamie this weekend. It's just his dance was so much more exuberant and fun to watch and energetic and powerful, and I think that if you go into the dance-off with a simple dance then, yeah, it's difficult to compare."
He also singled out Caroline Quentin, saying her elimination was "just the luck of the draw as, for me, she was another potential finalist".
Whoever does end up winning, we only have a few days before we find out, with the couples taking to the dance floor for the last time this weekend.
Additional reporting by Grace Henry.
The Strictly Come Dancing final airs Saturday at 6pm on BBC One. Tickets to Ian's Ballroom Boys tour are available now, alongside dance lessons from the man himself. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide.
