People want Will Young to win Strictly - but think Louise Redknapp will take title, according to survey
Louise Redknapp is the most likely to get the glitter ball trophy, says exclusive YouGov poll
It’s Pop Idol 2001 all over again: most people want Will Young to come out top of a TV popularity contest, according to a YouGov study exclusively revealed by RadioTimes.com. The singer is the contestant most people want to win Strictly Come Dancing, with 18% of the public polled saying they back him to go all the way.
He’s also the most popular contestant with women (21% of them want him to win, compared to 8% of men), and people over 24-years-old.
The next celebrities people most want to go all the way are TV judge Robert Rinder and former Eternal singer Louise Redknapp (both on 13%).
However, despite being beaten by Will in popularity, Redknapp is the contestant most people think will actually win (she got 23% of the vote, 3% more than Young), which makes her 2016’s answer to Gareth Gates.
But who’s favourite to leave the dance-floor first? Kiss FM DJ and former Xtra Factor host Melvin Odoom. Not only does the poll suggest he’s the least likely to win, but he’s also the celebrity that the least amount of people want to see crowned the 2016 Strictly champion. Sorry, Melvin.
And how did everyone else fair? Well…
Interestingly, despite Judge Rinder being the second favourite celebrity, most predict he’ll end up in a dance-off or two, with only 5% saying they think he’ll take the glitter ball trophy.
Plus, looks like Lesley Jones’ popularity doesn’t translate into expectation, as she finishes 6th place in the celebrity people most want to win, but 13th in who’s most likely to come out top.
And although Young is the most favourite for people aged 24 and above, only 4% of 18-24 year olds are rooting for Will to win. Instead, the most popular contestant among young people is actually former I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! NOW presenter Laura Whitmore, and they’re far more likely to favour Olympians Claudia Fragapane and Greg Rutherford compared to older contestants.
So, will people’s expectations change? We’ll have to wait until the first live show kicks off 9pm tonight on BBC1.
Join us every Friday for more exclusive Strictly polling from YouGov
