Karim and Amy amaze Strictly judges and receive first 40 of the series
The couple performed an incredible jive to a song from the musical Hairspray
Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden have earned the first perfect score of this series of Strictly Come Dancing, sending them straight to the top of this week's leaderboard.
The CBBC presenter took to the stage with his partner and aced a routine to "You Can't Stop The Beat" from the Broadway musical Hairspray.
The incredible result is particularly notable for Karim and Amy, as they found themselves in the dance off last week against Saffron Barker and AJ Pritchard.
Karim utilised all of his theatre school talents for the performance, taking note of some tips from stage legend and former Hairspray star Michael Ball in rehearsals.
Judges Motsi, Bruno and Shirley gave the dance a standing ovation, while Craig stayed characteristically stern and seated, prompting fears he might lash out with some of his trademark harsh criticism.
However, when Tess passed to him for his verdict, he dramatically stood up and gave the dance his own personal standing ovation before gushing over it with the rest of the judging panel.
Bruno went so far as to say it was the best Jive that the series has ever seen.
Karim and Amy received tens across the board, marking not only the first 40 of the year but also Craig's first 10 of the series.
Motsi was thrilled with his generosity, giving him a peck on the cheek as he revealed his score.
The performance places Karim firmly at the top of this week's Strictly leaderboard, with Kelvin and Emma close behind at 39 points each, while Chris and Alex are trailing a little with 28 and 27 respectively.
The votes for this week's episode will be revealed tomorrow night on Strictly Come Dancing: The Results at 7:20pm on BBC One.
Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
