Here’s all the latest on the Strictly Come Dancing pro challenges past and present!
Over the past ten years, Strictly spin-off show Strictly: It’s Takes Two has been testing the show’s professional dancers with a series of dance challenges.
Strictly Come Dancing pro challenge 2024 winner
This year, the show’s professional dancers aimed to break a world record by performing the highest number of Cha Cha Cha time steps in 30 seconds. Any incomplete steps, errors, or inconsistencies were excluded from the final count.
Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood, introduced the challenge, which was officially monitored by a Guinness World Records adjudicator.
The 2024 Pro Challenge winner was Kai Widdrington, who set a new world record with an impressive 15 Cha Cha Cha time steps.
See the final leaderboard below…
- Kai Widdrington – 15
- Neil Jones – 14
- Nadiya Bychkova – 14
- Nikita Kuzmin – 12
- Lauren Oakley – 10
- Carlos Gu – 9
- Dianne Buswell – 8
- Aljaž Skorjanec – 8
- Nancy Xu – 4
- Gorka Marquez – 4
- Kaya Jones – 3
- Vito Coppola – 2
- Jowita Przystal – 0
- Michelle Tsiakkas – 0
- Luba Mushtuk – 0
Recap the results of past Strictly pro challenges below…
- 2023 – Quickstep Pendulums
- 2022 – Charleston Kick Steps
- 2021 – ‘Pat-a-cake steps’
- 2020 – Viennese Waltz fleckerls
- 2019 – Botafogo dance steps
- 2018 – Toe heel swivel steps
- 2017 – Charleston swivel steps
- Earlier challenges
Quickstep Pendulums (2023)
In 2023, the pros attempted to set a brand new world record for most quickstep pendulums performed in 30 seconds. Strictly judge and ‘King of Ballroom’ Anton Du Beke set the challenge, overseen by a Guinness World Records adjudicator.
The winner of the pro challenge 2023 was Lauren Oakley. She set a new world record with 15 quickstep pendulums.
- Lauren Oakley – 15
- Nancy Xu – 14
- Carlos Gu – 14
- Nadiya Bychkova – 14
- Neil Jones – 14
- Michelle Tsiakkas – 13
- Graziano Di Prima – 12
- Jowita Przystal – 12
- Johannes Radebe – 12
- Kaya Jones – 11
- Luba Mushtuk – 11
- Karen Hauer – 10
- Vito Coppola – 10
- Gorka Marquez – 9
- Dianne Buswell – 0
Charleston Kick Steps (2022)
It was Amy Dowden who was crowned winner of 2022’s challenge, performing as many Back Charleston Kick Steps performed in 30 seconds
This year’s challenge was set by Charleston expert Jenny Thomas and was hosted by Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood.
- Amy Dowden – 19
- Dianne Buswell – 18
- Lauren Oakley – 18
- Jowita Przystal – 18
- Luba Mushtuk – 17
- Carlos Gu – 17
- Johannes Radebe – 15
- Michelle Tsiakkas – 13
- Gorka Marquez – 13
- Vita Copppola – 13
- Graziano Di Prima – 12
- Katya Jones – 7
- Nancy Xu – 6
- Nikita Kuzmin – 6
- Karen Hauer – 0
- Cameron Lombard – 0
- Neil Jones – 0
- Nadiya Bychkova – 0
‘Pat-a-cake steps’ (2021)
It was Nadiya who was crowned winner of 2021’s challenge, performing as many ‘pat-a-cake steps’ in 30 seconds.
Nadiya is now the Guinness World Record holder for most pat-a-cake steps in 30 seconds, managing 38 pat-a-cake steps within the time. Her second win!
- Nadiya Bychkova – 38
- Dianne Buswell – 37
- Katya Jones – 35
- Amy Dowden – 34
- Jowita Przystal – 34
- Oti Mabuse – 34
- Neil Jones – 32
- Kai Widdrington – 31
- Luba Mushtuk – 30
- Graziano Di Prima – 29
- Cameron Lombard – 27
- Johannes Radebe – 27
- Nikita Kuzmin – 26
- Gorka Marquez – 12
Viennese Waltz fleckerls (2020)
In 2020 fifteen of the professional dancers attempted to set a world record for the most complete fleckerls performed in thirty seconds. The fleckerl is a fast moving spin that is performed during a Viennese Waltz.
Once all pros had completed the challenge, Nadiya Bychkova was on top with a record-breaking 25 fleckerls in 30 seconds.
- Nadiya Bychkova – 25
- Neil Jones – 24
- Karen Hauer – 23
- Dianne Buswell – 23
- Giovanni Pernice – 22
- Johannes Radebe – 21
- Amy Dowden – 21
- Nancy Xu – 21
- Anton Du Beke – 19
- Aljaž Skorjanec – 18
- Oti Mabuse – 18
- Janette Manrara – 18
- Graziano Di Prima – 18
- Luba Mushtuk – 15
- Gorka Marquez – 13
Botafogo dance steps (2019)
The 2019 pro challenge saw the Strictly Come Dancing professionals challenged with completing the most Botafogo dance steps in 30 seconds. This was a repeat of the first ever professionals challenge from 2011. Artem Chigvintsev led the record with 79 botafogos
At the top of the leaderboard come the end of the new challenge was Graziano Di Prima with 90 confirmed Botafogo steps, setting a new Official Guinness World Record.
- Graziano Di Prima – 90
- Giovanni Pernice – 80
- Kevin Clifton – 73
- Amy Dowden – 71
- Nancy Xu – 70
- Luba Mushtuk – 70
- Dianne Buswell – 64
- AJ Pritchard – 63
- Johannes Radebe – 49
- Neil Jones – 44
- Gorka Marquez – 38
- Katya Jones – 36
- Nadiya Bychkova – 20
- Anton du Beke – 6
Toe heel swivel steps (2018)
For 2018, the Strictly Come Dancing pro challenge was a test of both technique and endurance as the dancers were tasked with completing the most toe heel swivel steps in 30 seconds.
Oti Mabuse was crowned the winner, achieving a word record with 48 steps.
- Oti Mabuse – 48
- Luba Mushtuk – 40
- Amy Dowden – 40
- Katya Jones – 39
- Graziano Di Prima – 39
- Kevin Clifton – 38
- Giovanni Pernice – 36
- Gorka Marquez – 36
- Nadiya Bychkova – 36
- Johannes Radebe – 33
- Aljaž Skorjanec – 33
- Dianne Buswell – 32
- AJ Pritchard – 29
- Anton Du Beke – 28
- Neil Jones – 26
- Janette Manrara 12
Charleston swivel steps (2017)
In 2017, Giovanni won the Strictly pro challenge 24 confirmed swivel steps, setting a new Official Guinness World Record.
He beat Karen Clifton and Janette Manrara to claim victory, with the ladies achieving 21 confirmed steps each.
- Giovanni Pernice – 24
- Karen Clifton – 21
- Janette Manrara – 21
- Katya Jones – 19
- Dianne Buswell – 18
- AJ Prichard – 17
- Kevin Clifton – 16
- Gorka Marquez – 14
- Aljaž Skorjanec – 13
- Amy Dowden – 13
- Pasha Kovalev – 13
- Anton Du Beke – 12
- Chloe Hewitt – 11
- Neil Jones – 11
- Brendan Cole 7
Earlier challenges
The latest run of Strictly pro challenges started in 2016 where Giovanni set a record for completing the most jive flicks and kicks in 30 seconds.
In 2014, Karen Clifton and Aljaž Škorjanec completed the Most New Yorkers in 30 seconds by a team of two with 39. In 2013, Kevin set a record for most ‘drunken sailor’ steps in 30 seconds.
2012’s second pro challenge was won by Flavia Cacace with 76 jive kick ball changes. The first ever challenge in 2011 was won by Artem Chigvintsev with 79 botafogos.
Strictly – It Takes Two continues every weeknight at 6:30pm on BBC Two with hosts Janette Manrara and Fleur East.
Strictly Come Dancing itself continues Saturday and Sunday nights on BBC One and iPlayer.
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