TV Specials: Are the Favorites Home in Strictly and I’m a Celeb?
Author:
Roy Brindley
Strictly Come Dancing has reached the semi-final stages. EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis remains the red-hot favorite to be crowned the queen of the dancefloor. The deaf soap star has been the punters’ most popular contestant for weeks on end. Her price has shortened after every show, and she is now a prohibitive 1/6 shot.
Rose Ayling-Ellis and her Strictly Come Dancing dance partner Giovanni Pernice. ©GettyImages
Naturally, there is a big gap to the next celebrity in the betting. Blackburn TV presenter AJ Odudu is the current second-favorite despite being the lowest-scoring dancer last weekend. Saved by a dance-off there, she is 7/1. Baker John Whaite is next on the betting list at 9/1.
Children’s TV presenter Rhys Stephenson is the outsider of the quartet at 50/1. It is a surprisingly generous price given he finished joint-top of the leaderboard at the weekend and topped the scoreboard on week eight.
Nevertheless, the 28-year-old is rated an 8/15 chance to be the next contestant eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2021.
Strictly Come Dancing Outright Betting
| 1/6 | Rose Ayling-Ellis |
| 7/1 | AJ Odudu |
| 9/1 | John Whaite |
| 50/1 | Rhys Stephenson |
| *Prices supplied by the William Hill Sportsbook | |
David Ginola Now Odds-on to Be Crowned King of the Castle
Arlene Phillips became the first celebrity to be voted out of the I’m A Celebrity castle on Sunday. The 78-year-old – the show’s oldest ever contestant – completed 14 days in the camp but was the clear favorite to leave first.
David Ginola is now the strong I’m a Celebrity favorite. ©GettyImages
Kadeena Cox was the second contestant to depart. She returned home on Monday after receiving the fewest public votes. Nine contestants remain and they will be culled quickly as the final episode of the show airs this Sunday.
It is former football star David Ginola that bookmakers and punters expect to collect the prize. The French hunk has been a huge hit with fans. 14/1 when he was confirmed as a contestant, the 54-year-old became the odds-on favorite on Tuesday morning.
Introduced into the betting at 5/1 Simon Gregson – who has played Steve McDonald in Coronation Street for the past 32 years – had drifted out to 14/1 at one point. He is now back in favor with punters. The latest bookmaker quotes rate his chances between 4/1 and 7/1.
Early favorite Frankie Bridge may no longer top the betting list, but her price has barely fluctuated. The singer-songwriter and member of the girl group The Saturdays can still be backed at 4/1 with BetVictor and some other firms.
I’m a Celebrity Outright Betting
| 10/11 | David Ginola |
| 4/1 | Frankie Bridge |
| 7/1 | Simon Gregson |
| 5/1 | Danny Miller |
| 16/1 | Naughty Boy |
| 40/1 | Louise Minchin |
| 50/1 | Adam Woodyatt |
| 66/1 | Matty Lee |
| 66/1 | Snoochie Shy |
| *Best Prices offered by BetVictor, Unibet and William Hill. | |
Rachael Blackmore BBC World Sports Star of the Year?
There was much excitement amongst the horse racing community and bookmakers when the BBC announced their nominees for the World Sports Star of The Year award on Monday.
Minella Times carrying Rachel Blackmore to Grand National success and into the record books. ?GettyImages
Amongst those on the shortlist is Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore. The jockey famously became the first female winner of the Grand National in April. A month beforehand she had become the first woman to win Cheltenham’s Champion Hurdle.
Ladbrokes initially offered 5/2 about Blackmore. Despite a star-studded list of rivals that includes Jamaican sprinter Elaine Thompson-Herah, Formula 1’s Max Verstappen, tennis legend Novak Djokovic, NFL’s Tom Brady and boxer Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, the rider was quickly backed into 5/4. By Tuesday she was 1/3.
Public voting has already opened on this award. It will close at 1 pm on December 14th, with the winner announced during the live Sports Personality of the Year show on December 19th.
Meghan Markle Backed for White House Amid Rumors of a Presidential Bid
The outside chance of Meghan Markle launching a bid for the White House has been backed this week. The price about her becoming the next US President is now 100/1 but the Duchess of Sussex had been three times those odds a week ago.
Will Meghan Markle make a run at the U.S. Presidency? ©GettyImages
Royal biographer and investigative journalist Tom Bower, who is writing an unauthorized biography about the Duchess of Sussex, has stated his belief she will launch a political career.
Talking to Good Morning Britain he recently said: “She’s known across the world at the expense of the royal family and that’s the first step to a political career.”
The idea has been backed-up by Markle’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. He has also said he wouldn’t be surprised if she announced a bid for the Presidency.
There are shorter-priced celebrities in the US Presidential election betting market. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is 40/1 and talk-show host Candace Owens is 50/1. But Markle’s odds would surely tumble if she expressed a personal interest in leading her country.
