Pete Wicks was tipped to be one of the first to go, but the TOWIE star turned podcaster has continued to defy the odds and win over both the judges and the public on Strictly Come Dancing with both his skills and personality.
In fact, a former Strictly professional says she has done a complete U-turn on Pete after confessing she had judged him before his appearance on the show.
Original pro Erin Boag - who took part in the BBC One programme from 2004 to 2012 and was a finalist twice - admits she didn't hold out much hope for Pete because she had no idea who he was and was bemused by his appearance.
We fear Erin wasn't the only, he didn't gain the nickname Pirate Pete for no reason, he does have a certain 'devil may care' vibe about him.
But Erin now says she’s been very impressed by the 36-year-old TV personality and his partner Jowita Pryzstal.
When asked by Slingo who her surprise was, Erin went straight for the reality TV star.
'My surprise is Pete, he’s surprised me because he’s turned my opinion from one way to the other, which is a fantastic thing to be able to do.'
'I’m just taking myself as an example as someone who’s watched the show, he has gotten better along the way, and I now like him much more as a person,' she explained, 'I didn’t dislike him, but I didn’t get him. What is this tattooed, overtanned guy, long hair, didn’t watch TOWIE or anything he was on, didn’t get him. He has changed my opinion which is great.'
Although Erin, 49, is a big fan of Pete, she thinks that Chris McCausland will probably win as not only has the comedian had to face more challenges than the ether contestants due to him being blind, but he has also built up an amazing relationship with his partner Dianne Buswell and is an inspiration to everyone.
'Chris is going to be a hard one to beat, through the public vote. He’s not the best of dancers technically, but you have to give credit where credit is due. Would I have known he was blind? If I’d have shown that clip to my mother who lives in New Zealand and has no idea who he is, would she have known he was blind? I very much doubt it.'
'For him to do what he’s done as a fully abled person is difficult, but how he mentally keeps the whole routine in his head by feel, by trust, is another.'
There is no denying Chris has gained a strong fanbase during his time on Strictly not forgetting that he is nailing every dance without sight, we can barely do the Macarena and we have full vision.
'I loved his attitude, they showed a VT before, he feels like it’s his time to go and do the show, because he’d been asked several times before, and to live in the moment. He’s personally showing us how you can live in the moment even with a disability.'
Chris isn't the only person on this year's series with a disability as Love Island finalist Tasha Ghouri is also thriving, having received the first 40 of the season, the reality TV star is deaf and uses a cochlear implant to hear.
'He [Chris] doesn’t feel sorry for himself and cracked on, as he explained in the VT, and he said he thinks it is easier now that he’s fully blind than when he was going blind, and he had to move on,' Erin went on as she continued to praise the comedian, 'he’s not the best dancer on the show but he feels the most deserving in so many ways.'
'He did a Waltz a few weeks ago and it brought tears to my eyes. It was incredible. He’s got to keep doing what he’s doing, and somehow Dianne has to keep coming up with incredible routines and ideas. He is a definite hit to the final.'