Strictly Come Dancing Odds: Karen Carney Steps Closer To Glitterball Goal
She is used to winning silverware, and Karen Carney could soon be lifting Strictly Come Dancing's Glitterball Trophy aloft if her latest market move on betting sites is anything to go by.
The former England women's footballer has been edging closer to the top of the market in recent weeks, and punters have been piling in following her performance during Blackpool Week.
There was some bad news at the beginning of Saturday's show when co-hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly confirmed La Voix had been forced to pull out of the competition due to a foot injury.
The drag queen had already been ruled out of Blackpool Week, but her chances of winning the Glitterball are now over.
However, there was one positive for Strictly's celebs - La Voix's enforced exit meant there was no departure last Sunday night.
Carney's Impressive Performance
The stars were given the good news at the top of the show, meaning they had a free hit and could just aim for the top of the leaderboard, rather than worry about finishing at the bottom and being part of the dreaded dance-off.
It clearly worked wonders, with five of the six remaining competitors scoring 35 points or more.
Carney was one of those who thoroughly impressed, scoring 39 points out of 40 for her paso doble to O Fortuna.
The only piece of misfortune was that judge Craig Revel Horwood didn't hand Karen 10 points, while the other three panellists did.
But Craig praised her performance, telling Carney: "That's how you score a goal."
Judge Motsi Mabuse admitted she would have given Karen a score even higher than 10 if she had been allowed.
Carney's exploits certainly didn't go unnoticed by punters either.
At the beginning of last week, her price had dropped from 9/1 to 5/1 for Strictly victory, but her odds have now crashed to a best price of 15/8 with Bet365.
The ex-England star is as short as 6/4 on some entertainment betting sites, and she is now a huge rival to market leader George Clarke.
Clarke Odds-On Again
Content creator Clarke has been Strictly's frontrunner for weeks now, but he hadn't been putting in the performances to match.
However, he did last Saturday night, scoring 39 points for his salsa.
Clarke ensured Strictly ended Blackpool Week with a bang, and afterwards judge Anton Du Beke said: "I don't know if I've experienced a better Blackpool than this."
Following his exploits, George is back into odds-on to win this year's Strictly, at 10/11 with William Hill.
While Karen and George impressed with 39 points apiece, they couldn't quite achieve perfection.
However, Lewis Cope scored his second 40-point haul of the series for his Charleston to a version of Arctic Monkeys' I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.
Judge Motsi said Lewis and pro dance partner Katya Jones' energy was "insane" during the routine, and he remains the only competitor to hit a perfect score in season 23.
While he impressed the judges, the former Emmerdale star still cannot fully win over the public.
Incredibly, Cope has drifted from 3/1 to a best price of 11/2 with Betfred to win this year's Strictly.
While Lewis' price has increased, he is still very much in what now appears to be a three-horse race for the Glitterball Trophy.
So Long Sopal?
EastEnders actress Balvinder Sopal was given yet another stay of execution last weekend, when it was revealed nobody would be going home during Blackpool Week.
She was heavy favourite to depart next, and she is now into 2/9 to be going home on Sunday night after finishing bottom of the leaderboard last time out.
Bal is as short as 1/7 with some betting apps to leave this Sunday.
Sopal has faced four dance-offs so far this series, and while she has won each, it is surely only a matter of time before she exits the dancefloor.
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 Odds: Next Elimination:
Alex Kingston had threatened to be an outside contender for this year's series at times, and it looked like either she or Karen would make a move at some point.
Sadly for Kingston, Carney has taken her chance, and the Doctor Who star now looks highly unlikely to be this year's Strictly queen.
Alex is a 50/1 long shot to triumph, but she is just 13/2 second favourite to depart next, just in front of 8/1 chance Amber Davies.
The former Love Island star has drifted from 30/1 to 50/1 to win series 23, despite her impressive performances.
Who do you think is next for the chop on Strictly Come Dancing? And who looks a likely winner? Let us know by posting your comments below or vote in our poll above!
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