STRICTLY fans think they've worked out why Tom Dean was booted off the show by judges last night.
The BBC ballroom show has been plunged into a fix row afer Olympic swimmer Tom, 24, and his partner Nadiya Bychkova, 35, were eliminated from the competition
Head judge Shirley Ballas had opted to save Toyah Willcox in the dance-off – sparking outrage among fans who have raised their theories in a Reddit chatroom.
Some have claimed it was to even out the cast's gender imbalance while others think it's because he prematurely announced his participation over the summer.
One wrote: "My only thought for getting rid of Tom is because of the male/female weighting and a concern that it’ll become too male heavy too quickly."
Someone else said: "My only thought for getting rid of Tom is because of the male/female weighting and a concern that it’ll become too male heavy too quickly."
A third pointed out: There's already a gender discrepancy and they're probably concerned about losing the female cast. You can guarantee that either Punam or Sam, or both, will be in the bottom next week.
Elsewhere, another penned: "Are producers mad he revealed he was on the show before the announcement?" with a fifth agreeing: "The thought did cross my mind..."
Breaking her silence, Nadiya wrote: “I really appreciate all the messages but I’m not ready to talk about what happened tonight just yet.”
Her former partner on the show Dan Walker was also furious at the decision and shared his own post.
He wrote: “What just happened on Strictly feels a bit messed up.
“@tomdean00’s departure will go down as one of THE early shocks. Lovely bloke who really could have become a great dancer. He looked like he was loving every second of it and @nadiyabychkova looked like she loved teaching him.
“I’m not an expert - and I’m happy for someone to explain - but how he lost that dance off is completely beyond my comprehension. Genuinely thought they could have gone a long way.”
Tom shared both posts, before commenting on the journey himself.
Former It Takes Two presenter Zoe Ball seemed to be on the same page and told Nadiya: “Love you Lady. gutted for you and Tom.”
While Gorka Marquez told Tom: “Gutted for you man but should be product.”
Katya Jones commented: “So gutted for you and Nadiya.”
Following the public vote, the gold-medallist swimmer faced singer and actress Toyah, 66, in the dance-off.
Donning sparkly and fringed outfits, Tom performed his energetic cha cha to Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire once again.
He kicked off the live show on Saturday with the routine, receiving a score of 20 from the judges and bringing his total to 43 after picking up 23 points last week for his tango to Harry Styles's song Golden.
Meanwhile, Toyah and professional partner Neil Jones reprised their lively jive to Nutbush City Limits by Ike & Tina Turner.
They picked up 18 points for their effort but they still remained at the bottom of the leaderboard with a total of 30 after they placed at the bottom last week with a score of 12.
After both couples danced a second time, the judges delivered their verdicts, with Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse both choosing to save Toyah while Anton Du Beke opted to save Tom.
Head judge Shirley had the deciding vote and chose to save Toyah.
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