I think no matter how well Layton dances he will risk the DO as there just seems to be so much unwarranted vitriol out there for him that people will tactically vote against him
Yeah the media has long peddled the same old line about Layton being professionally trained to basically make him sound like a cheat. And yet he hasn't been the strongest dancer every week, which effectively disproves that accusation, but it persists anyway.
Like it or not, Strictly always has a range of dance ability. There will always be some who have no dance experience who will likely go early on (but may stay if they improve a lot) and those who have already had some experience. It makes sense because imagine the show where they were all terrible or all brilliant from the start.
And even though every media outlet knows it's been that way since the show started, they always pick at least one contestant to point the finger at regarding 'unfair' experience each year. Not sure how some don't see through it.