Strictly Come Dancing Odds: Favourite McCausland Set To Make Market History

Strictly Come Dancing's 22nd series got under way off the back of some professional dancer controversy - but it looks set to end with history being made for the right reasons.

Before the 20th anniversary season of the Latin and ballroom show started, BBC director general Tim Davie had to apologise to anyone who had had an experience on Strictly that "hadn't been wholly positive".

However, there have been plenty of positives to take from series 22 - and one of them sits at the top of the market on betting sites. 

Chris McCausland Champion Elect

Comedian Chris McCausland made history before he had faced his first dance, after becoming the first-ever blind contestant to sign up for the show.

Fast forward three months and he looks set to make history again by going off as the programme's shortest-priced favourite ever to win the Glitterball Trophy.

Chris is 1/12 on betting apps, from 1/10 in midweek.

* We are giving FIVE lucky people the chance to win £1,000 just before Christmas. Why not enter our free competition below.

And it wouldn't be a surprise if his best price was lower than 1/12 hours before Saturday night's finale.

Last year's winner Ellie Leach was also 1/12 to win her finale, which she did, and some bookmakers quoted just 1/18 on the Coronation Street star.

In 2022, Hamza Yassin was a best price of 8/15 to clinch the Glitterball Trophy, and he duly obliged. In 2021 Rose Ayling-Ellis was just 1/12 favourite with BetVictor en route for Strictly victory.

Who Will Win Strictly Come Dancing 2024 Odds

Another odds-on favourite, Kelvin Fletcher, won in 2019.

The former Emmerdale actor was 2/5, the same price Stacey Dooley was before she triumphed in 2018, while Joe McFadden clinched victory as the 4/5 favourite in 2017.

But Chris wasn't initially considered a likely Strictly winner.

Ahead of the first episode, the funnyman was a 14/1 outsider to win the Glitterball Trophy - but that price didn't hang around for too long.

However, the star himself wasn't too confident.

He said: "If anybody out there is thinking - how the hell is he going to do that? - then rest assured that I am thinking exactly the same thing. 

"I don't dance, I haven't danced, I can't dance, I can't see the dancing I will have to do. What can possibly go wrong? OK, don't answer that!"

JB Heads Chasing Pack

While the bookmakers get it right most of the time, odds-on favourites can be beaten.

If that is to be the case on Saturday night, when the four remaining celebrity contestants will perform three dances apiece, then JB Gill looks the most likely to upset the odds.

He is 20/1 second favourite with Star Sports for Strictly victory.

The JLS singer went into the first live episode as the early 7/2 favourite to win the Glitterball Trophy, but he won't end the competition with the same professional partner.

JB was initially partnered up with Amy Dowden, who returned to Strictly in September after taking last year out to battle breast cancer.

But she was forced to quit the series early due to a foot injury.

Lauren Oakley took over for the remainder of the series, and she and JB have topped the leaderboard in five of the last six weeks.

Despite their incredible performances, it looks to be a near-impossible task to topple Chris.

Tasha's Outside Chance

Elsewhere, Sarah Hadland and Tasha Ghouri will be waiting in the wings if Chris and JB don't clear up.

Actress Sarah was second favourite for weeks, but she is now 33/1 to clinch the Glitterball Trophy, while Tasha is a 40/1 chance.

It comes after Sarah was a double-figure price before the first dance took place, and former Love Island star Tasha was 9/2 second favourite.

While it looks unlikely that she'll triumph on Saturday night, Tasha - who has a cochlear implant to help her hear sounds - feels she has "already won".

She said: "I’ve already won by doing the most amazing magical dances with [pro partner] Aljaz [Skorjanec]. That’s what matters to me.

"Winning Strictly isn’t on my priority list. Winning for me is knowing that I’ve represented so many people and helped them with their confidence."

* Attention football fans, want to win the cost of your season ticket back? Enter our free competition below. A winner chosen every month this season.

Chris even recently admitted that if Strictly is truly a "dancing competition" then Tasha should be victorious.

In his column for the Daily Telegraph newspaper, he wrote: "People seem to think that this is a dancing competition.

"If it really was then there is no point, because, undoubtedly, Tasha [Ghouri] is the best dancer on the show, but me and Pete [Wicks] have tried to bring a little bit of comic relief to the competition as well."

He's brought comic relief and incredible dancing, and, quite frankly, if Chris doesn't clinch the Glitterball on Saturday night it will go down as the biggest reality TV upset of all time.