It's Icons Week on Strictly Come Dancing, which means that some larger-than-life, over-the-top, and outrageous performances were destined to arrive on our screens. And, oh boy, did they ever! After last week's Dance-Off saw Melanie and Aljaž eliminated from the competition, the remaining couples took to the dancefloor in a bid to impress the judges and the voting public, relying on their chosen icons to make it happen.
It's also worth noting that Delta Goodrem and Kai Widdrington had to pull out of the competition this weekend due to the former sustaining a rib injury (getting a one-week bye through to next weekend), so the Leaderboard looked a little different compared to how it usually has as Delta has remained in the Top 2 since the competition began.
With another theme week to contend with so early in the competition, how did our couples fare? Let's dive into our recap of the Week 4 events and figure all of that out!
Strictly spoilers and results: Week 4 Leaderboard
Well Icons Week went larger than ever before with some really memorable routines that are sure to go down in Strictly history. After Delta and Kai earned the first 9 of the series last weekend, we had some more this weekend, with Cach and Maddie, and Jaime and Carlos earning two 9s each as they scored the overall highest scores of the night - and, by extenson, the highest scores of the series so far.
Cach and Maddie earned a standing ovation from Motsi and Shirley for their ballroom-focused Foxtrot that showed us what a formidable ballroom dancer Cach actually is. Meanwhile, Jaime and Carlos' exquisite David Bowie-themed Paso Doble was described as a piece of art by Motsi, with all four judges praising it as Shirley and Motsi also delivered a standing ovation. It's clear that Jaime has become a real contender after that fiery, powerful, and stunning performance.
Elsewhere, Tabby and Mark delivered again with a strong Raye-inspired Samba, Will and Dianne closed the show on a high with an Elton John-themed Jive, Lacey and Vito brought the emotion with a powerful Adele-inspired American Smooth, and Lawrence and Jowita had their moment with an epic Salsa that brought the house down.
So, who stood really tall after Icons Week? Here are the scores that each of the Week 4 dances were given by the judges, and the Leaderboard we were left with at the end of the Icons-themed episode:
- Jaime and Carlos danced the Paso Doble - 8, 9, 8, 9 = 34
- Cach and Maddie danced the Foxtrot - 8, 9, 8, 9 = 34
- Will and Dianne danced the Jive - 7, 8, 8, 8 = 31
- Lawrence and Jowita danced the Salsa - 7, 8, 7, 8 = 30
- Tabby and Mark danced the Samba - 8, 7, 7, 7 = 29
- John and Katya danced the Paso Doble - 6, 7, 8, 8 = 29
- Lacey and Vito danced the American Smooth - 7, 7, 7, 8 = 29
- Shaun and Alexis danced their Couple's Choice - 7, 7, 7, 7 = 28
- Graeme and Lauren danced the Salsa - 7, 7, 7, 7 = 28
- Bethany and Nancy danced the Cha Cha - 6, 7, 7, 7= 27
- Dani and Nikita danced the Rumba - 6, 6, 6, 7 = 25
- Sarah and Julian danced the Tango - 5, 5, 5, 6 = 21
Who is in danger on Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Week 4?
Strictly's Icons Week Special did not hold back. With such a high standard of dancing, a lot of the performances ended up scoring similarly, which has resulted in far too many ties on the Leaderboard. What does that mean? In short: Chaos, and lots of it.
The couples at the bottom of the Leaderboard now have far more points than they would have had on a Leaderboard without ties, bringing them much closer in points to the couples near the top. That places those in the middle in more jeopardy than they really should be at this early stage of the competition.
Right now, the couples in most danger are the bottom three: Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon, Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin, and Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu. While they are in vulnerable positions on the Leaderboard, they also had somewhat more reserved routines when compared to some of the other much campier, high energy performances of the night. At least one of those three is probably a lock for the Dance-Off, with a higher chance of it being between two of them.
However, we mentioned the ties on the Leaderboard, and we can't rule that out from being a factor here. While Shaun's performance resonated with the judges and the audience in attendance, he's still not that far up the Leaderboard when you factor in the points system, so as he has been in the Bottom Two before, it is possible that he could end up returning to it. It's unlikely since his Couples Choice was such a crowd-pleaser, but again, anything is possible right now.
Who went home on Strictly's Icons Week?
Despite the ties on the Leaderboard, there was something of a more standard result this week as two couples on the lower end of the Leaderboard did end up in the Dance-Off. As the Results Show kicked off with a truly spectacular tribute to Madonna's legendary career, there was a bit of a delay for the results (and a welcome one, too, because it's great seeing the Results Show open with a performance again!). But when those red lights came on, the intensity returned.
After every couple was called out as Safe, that left us with a final four of Lacey and Vito, Tabby and Mark, Bethany and Nancy, and Dame Sarah Story and Julian; two of which were safe and two of which were in danger. Ultimately, the reddest lights fell on the latter two couples.
Dance-Off: Bethany and Nancy vs. Sarah and Julian
Shirley and Craig offered up words of wisdom to both couples, who found themselves in the Dance-Off for the first time ever, before they headed off to get ready for their dances. Sarah and Julian reprised their Shania Twain-themed Tango to "That Don't Impress Me Much" while Bethany and Nancy took back on their Cha Cha to Aretha Franklin's "Respect".
All three judges who had the opportunity to vote praised both contestants for performing stronger in the Dance-Off. Anton said they were matched technically but Bethany and Nancy had a stronger performance, so he was going to save them. Craig also praised both but highlighted Bethany and Nancy's dance as having the edge. And Motsi thought that it was also a great Dance-Off but that Bethany and Nancy were technically stronger.
Eliminated: Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon
The four judges offered Sarah and Julian a well-deserved standing ovation as the pair spoke about how grateful they were to have danced together, with Sarah thanking Julian for his friendship and teaching. Julian praised Sarah's commitment to each dance, saying that he hopes she believes in herself because she's so good. And, with that, they head back to the dancefloor for their last dance on the Strictly dancefloor.
What a journey these two have had together! Revisit Sarah and Julian's epic Mary Poppins-inspired Charleston from Movies Week:
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