By scoring 40 for last night’s American Smooth to “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, Tasha becomes the seventh celebrity to achieve a perfect score for this dance style in Strictly history, and only the third to do so before a Final.

Interestingly, previous perfect routines have not always had perfect outcomes for the celebs who performed them.

1. Ali & Brian: 2009, Semi-Final

In 2009’s Semi-Final Ali Bastian was eliminated by public vote after dancing her 50-scoring American Smooth with Brian to Frank Sinatra’s ‘Come Dance With Me’ as viewers voted to save Chris Hollins who was bottom of the Leaderboard. She also performed an Argentine Tango which scored 42 points.

Graciously at the time Ali explained that it was good to leave on a “tremendous high”.

2. Ashley & Pasha: 2018, Semi-Final

Nine years later in 2018’s Semi-Final, Ashley & Pasha faced a dance-off against Lauren & AJ after a perfect performance to Dean Martin’s ‘Ain’t That A Kick in the Head’, and were unsurprisingly unanimously saved by the judges.

The four other faultless American Smooths were all danced in Finals, and it’s notable that of all the celebrities performing them only Ellie went on to win.

Which of these is your favourite?

3. Natalie & Artem: Final, 2013

Natalie & Artem first danced their American Smooth to ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ from Dreamgirls in Musicals Week and scored 36 first time out, improving their score by 4 points in the Final.

4. Alexandra & Gorka: Final, 2017

Alexandra scored 33 in Movie week for her routine performed to ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’ from My Fair Lady, and saw a 7-point uplift in her score in the Final.

5. HRVY & Janette: Final, 2018

HRVY is the only male celebrity to date to achieve a perfect score for this dance style and he also achieved it earlier in a Series than any other contestant, as in 2018 the Final was performed in Week 9 due to a contracted season during the pandemic.

It was first performed in Musicals Week (Week 7) to the song ‘One (Singular Sensation)’ from A Chorus Line and scored 29 points.

6. Ellie & Vito: Final, 2023

Ellie & Vito first performed their American Smooth in Week 7 of Series 21, dancing to the same track as Ashley & Pasha had done though this time it was Robbie Williams’ version of the Dean Martin song, and scoring 39 points.

Very deservedly in the Final, Craig dug out the 10 paddle, to the relief of all Ellie’s supporters as this was the single score of 40 Ellie & Vito were to achieve.

And last night’s triumphant routine from Tasha makes it a Magnificent Seven.

7. Tasha & Aljaž: Week 10, 2024

Do we think we’ll see this routine again in the Final?

Photo credits: BBC embeddable video thumbnails from YouTube