Page 55 of Take the Lead
‘Well, I can tell you,’ Kimberley says, when the audience has simmered down, ‘that it’s been a closely fought battle between the two remaining couples, and there is a tiny margin separating them.’
She pauses to let the tension build even further.
‘In second place, with a fantastic score of 9.8 for their chirpy salsa, giving them a grand total of 19.5 … it’s Kate Wareing and Aleksis Lapsa.
Commiserations, guys. I’m so sorry it wasn’t your night tonight.
But you were both amazing and we really hope you’ve enjoyed your time on Fire on the Dance Floor .
Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together and show your appreciation for this year’s runners-up, Kate and Aleksis. ’
Aleksis kisses me on the top of my head then holds my hand up in the air as the clapping fills the studio.
It’s hard to describe what’s going through my head in that moment, but seeing the crowd giving us a standing ovation goes a long way to making up for the frustration that Merle has come out on top yet again.
‘And that means, of course, that we have our first ever Fire on the Dance Floor champions!’ Kimberley says, and another round of whoops commences.
‘After bagging an incredible 9.9 for their racy bachata, giving them a whopping score of 19.6 – ladies and gentlemen, I give you the show’s winners, Emilia and Merle! ’
A row of indoor fireworks explodes across the back of the stage and gold confetti tumbles down from the ceiling as Merle bows to the audience and Emilia looks genuinely shocked.
I force myself to clap, even though it pains me to do so.
It’s galling having to cheer for Merle, but I don’t want to look like a bad sport.
‘They captivated us right from the start and were simply a cut above tonight with two incredible performances,’ Kimberley beams. ‘Deserved champions, I think you’ll all agree. Congratulations, guys. You must be delighted. Emilia, tell me what this win means to you.’
Before she has a chance to speak, Merle jumps in with, ‘We’ve loved every minute, haven’t we? What a month it’s been. And to know I’ll get the opportunity to do it all again when the show is back next year – I can’t wait.’
‘Thanks Merle,’ Kimberley says. ‘And Emilia, you’ve just won yourself a whopping twenty-five thousand pounds! Do you have any idea what you might do with it?’
‘I haven’t even allowed myself to think about it until now. I wasn’t expecting this at all. But I’m so grateful to the show for everything it’s given me – the whole experience, the new skills I’ve learnt, the laughs and now this.’
She places one hand over her heart and smiles radiantly.
‘And a new boyfriend of course,’ Kimberley adds with a wink.
‘Oh no, we’ve broken up,’ Emilia corrects her, and it’s Merle’s turn to look shocked. ‘As of now,’ Emilia clarifies. ‘It turns out he isn’t the person I thought he was, so now the show is over, so are we.’
Kimberley is momentarily thrown by the awkward silence and thunderous look on Merle’s face that follows, but she quickly recovers.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. So, er, moving quickly on, why don’t we hear from our other couples now? Kate, Aleksis, how are you feeling now you’ve had a moment to breathe after tonight’s result?’
‘I’m not sure it’s all sunk in yet,’ I admit – not just the result, but Emilia’s knockout blow to Merle too. ‘I can’t quite believe it’s all over.’
It briefly crosses my mind that Sofiya will be disappointed we didn’t win, but the devastation I anticipated for myself hasn’t come. We gave it our best shot and we were good. I can’t be too downhearted about that. And Merle getting his comeuppance is an excellent consolation prize.
‘I’m just sorry I let her down at the end,’ Aleksis says, shaking his head.
I look up at him in surprise. ‘You didn’t let me down. This has been one of the best experiences of my life and I’m so happy I got to share it with you.’
‘You two are still a couple then?’ Kimberley checks with a nervous laugh.
‘Absolutely,’ I confirm.
‘Thank goodness. And Tammy, Elijah, quickly over to you – we hope you’ve enjoyed your time with us too?’
‘It’s been brilliant,’ Tammy replies, wearing a gigantic smile. ‘And if anyone at home is thinking about giving it a go, I’d thoroughly recommend it.’
‘You took the words right out of my mouth.’ Kimberley says.
‘Because if any of you watching here or at home think you’ve got what it takes to impress our judges and our live studio audience, all you have to do is fill out our online application form and submit a short video to tell us why you think you should be joining us on the dance floor next year.
And it could be you up on this stage ready to walk away with twenty-five thousand pounds!
‘And that’s just about all we have time for tonight,’ she concludes.
‘Don’t forget you can watch all your favourite dances again on our website, and remember to look out for the announcements about the next series.
Once again, I’d like to thank all our contestants and our professional dancers for taking part, and huge congratulations to Emilia and Merle, our Fire on the Dance Floor champions! ’