The former Pop Idol winner, Will Young, has been installed as the 7/2 favourite to win the 14th edition of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing as they hope to avoid a repeat of the allegations of a rigged result during last year’s final.
In my gambling prime, I was well known for losing thousands of pounds on football matches, horse racing and every obscure American sport you can think of. What I am less known for are my winning bets in Reality TV contests.
I was a star.
If I could stop the tears pouring out of my eyes long enough to find the right odds, I was guaranteed to make money on the likes of the X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, and the X-Factor winnings in particular made sure Santa didn’t have to bother getting his arse burned climbing down my chimney.
In 2007, against all the odds, Leon Jackson defeated Rhydian Roberts to become the fourth winner of the X-Factor winning me a small fortune. 12 million people watched the show, and there was an Ofcom investigation after people complained that they were unable to vote for Roberts. It had nothing to do with me Guv I promise.
The following year I did it again, winning, even more, money laying the singer Andrew Johnston and pounding everything I had on the street dancer George Sampson, in the final of Britain’s Got Talent.
And then, I got divorced.
I lost all of my worldly possessions, including my TV, and never replaced it.
My Reality TV betting career was over.
Or is it?
Will Young Emerges as The Early Favourite to Win Strictly Come Dancing
I have to admit, I have never watched Strictly Come Dancing, partly due to my decision to quit masturbating, but I do hear that it’s another betting goldmine.
Oddsshark.com has sorted through the runners, and the riders of the 14th series of the BBC One dancing Reality TV show and Will Young has emerged as the early favourite with most bookmakers offering odds of 7/2. Young shot to fame by winning the first-ever universal Pop Idol contest in 2002, so he has a bit of form in the Reality TV industry.
I don’t think I would do very well in this one, though.
My lack of a TV these past eight years have caused me a royal headache – Will Young, Louise Redknapp, Lesley Joseph, and Ed Balls apart I don’t know anyone else in the lineup. As Jim Royle would say, “Celebrities my arse.” But if I was going to pick a winner – and I would encourage everyone to do the same – I would go for the 100/1 shot Ed Balls for no other reason than I am childish and love saying his name.
Ed Balls.
Try it; it’s fun.
2015 Strictly Come Dancing Controversy
The producers will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s controversy after the public went Twitter crazy in support of the runner-up Kellie Bright. Jay McGuiness took the title in an upset that William Hill called the biggest betting turnaround in the show’s history, and professional dancer, Ola Jordan, quit after saying the judges voted to keep the producers happy.
Betting on Reality TV shows isn’t as attractive as your traditional sports markets, but it does offer bookmakers a rare opportunity to attract the eyeballs of the female audience outside of their bingo marketing.
Female viewers for Strictly Come Dancing top the 63% mark, whereas 62% of the X-Factor audience is also made up of the ladies.
Do you fancy a flutter?
Here are the latest odds (dancer name first, if like me, you haven’t a clue who the celebrity is):
Karen Hauer/Will Young 7/2
AJ Pritchard/Claudia Fragapane 9/2
Jo Clifton/Ore Oduba 6/1
Kevin Clifton/Louise Redknapp 6/1
Oti Mabuse/Danny Mac 10/1
Giovanni Pernice/Laura Whitmore 10/1
Oksana Dmytrenko/Robert Rinder 14/1
Pasha Kovalev/Naga Munchetty 14/1
Natalie Lowe/Greg Rutherford 16/1
Gorka Marquez/Tameka Empson 25/1
Aljaz Skorjanec/Daisy Lowe 33/1
Janette Manrara/Melvin Odoom 33/1
Brendan Cole/Anastacia Newkirk 33/1
Anton Du Beke/Lesley Joseph 80/1
Katya Jones/Ed Balls 100/1
