Jake is a Football and Entertainment betting expert, with a Man City season ticket and a deep knowledge of reality TV betting angles
- JLS star JB Gill is now the betting favourite to win this year's Strictly Come Dancing
- Paul Merson is the 7/4 favourite to be the first eliminated on the show this year
- Week 1's dances have been leaked ahead of the first live show of the season on Saturday
JLS star JB Gill is now the betting favourite to win this year's Strictly Come Dancing
2024's series of Strictly Come Dancing kicked off on Saturday evening with the celebrities being partnered up with their professional dancers and UK Betting Sites instantly chopped and changed the market following the release of the couples.
Popular professional dancer Amy Dowden returns to the show following her battle with cancer after being told there was "no sign of the disease" in February and she will be partnered with JLS singer JB Gill.
Bookies and fans instantly think that this couple has a big chance of winning with the betting odds slashing Gill's odds from 10/1 into 7/2 favourite without evening performing a dance together.
William Hill's latest market has Gill ahead of Tasha Ghouri and Shayne Ward in the odds list with those two joint second favourites at 11/2 in the betting odds.
| Strictly Come Dancing 2024 Winner | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| JB Gill | 7/2 | 22.2% |
| Shayne Ward | 11/2 | 15.4% |
| Tasha Ghouri | 11/2 | 15.4% |
| Montell Douglas | 13/2 | 13.3% |
| Jamie Borthwick | 7/1 | 12.5% |
| Sam Quek | 8/1 | 11.1% |
| Pete Wicks | 10/1 | 9.1% |
| Sarah Hadland | 14/1 | 6.7% |
| Chris McCausland | 16/1 | 5.9% |
| Toyah Wilcox | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Tom Dean | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Wynne Evans | 25/1 | 3.8% |
| Punam Krishan | 40/1 | 2.4% |
| Paul Merson | 66/1 | 1.5% |
| Nick Knowles | 66/1 | 1.5% |
What the expert says...
Jake Ashton - Entertainment Betting Expert - OLBG.com
Paul Merson is the 7/4 favourite to be the first eliminated on the show this year
Former Arsenal footballer Paul Merson is the bookies favourite to be the first celebrity eliminated from this year's Strictly following the big group dance performance on Saturday night's show.
Merson has admitted himself that he's only danced three times in his life and he comes into the competition with zero experience which may mean he'll find it tough with partner Karen Hauer.
The Magic Man, as he was known in his playing days, will be looking for a touch of magic to get his feet working to the ballroom rhythm ahead of his opening American Smooth this Saturday night.
| Strictly Come Dancing 2024 First Eliminated | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Merson | 7/4 | 36.4% |
| Nick Knowles | 5/2 | 28.6% |
| Punam Krishan | 5/1 | 16.7% |
| Wynne Evans | 7/1 | 12.5% |
| Toyah Wilcox | 9/1 | 10.0% |
| Pete Wicks | 12/1 | 7.7% |
Place Your Best Bet on Strictly Come Dancing 2025: Contestants and Betting Insights
Week 1's dances have been leaked ahead of the first live show of the season on Saturday
Week 1 will see the celebrities dance with their partners for the first time, but we won't see any of them eliminated on the opening live show as there is no Sunday night Strictly.
Earlier this week the Evening Standard leaked the full list of dances for Week 1 of Strictly with some of those confirmed on the launch show on Saturday evening.
Paul Merson was confirmed to be dancing to Vindaloo as well as Pete Wicks who was told he would be doing a Paso Doble to The Prodigy.
The full list of dances are:
- Montell and Johannes - Foxtrot to Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby by Dinah Washington
- Punam and Gorka - Cha Cha to Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue
- Sam and Nikita - Foxtrot to Where Did Our Love Go by The Supremes
- Sarah and Vito - Quickstep to 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
- Tasha and Aljaz - Cha Cha to Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter
- Toyah and Neil - Tango to Ray Of Light by Madonna
- Chris and Dianne - Cha Cha to Twist and Shout by The Beatles
- Jamie and Michelle - Viennese Waltz to Beautiful Things by Benson Boone
- JB and Amy - Waltz to When I Need You by Leo Sayer
- Nick and Luba - Jive to We Built This City by Starship
- Paul and Karen - American Smooth to Vindaloo by Fat Les
- Pete and Jowita - Paso Doble to Breathe by The Prodigy
- Shayne and Nancy - Samba to Do I Do by Stevie Wonder
- Tom and Nadiya - Tango to Golden by Harry Styles
- Wynne and Katya - Samba to Help Yourself by Tom Jones
