This week’s Strictly marks the first ever Cha Cha Cha Challenge with the remaining six couples having to perform the dance at the same time.
The bonus dance means the contestants have the opportunity to score extra points from the judges.
To mark the first ever Cha Cha Cha Challenge we have compiled five of the best ever routines of the dance performed in Strictly history.
1. Lisa Snowdon and Brendan Cole
The cha cha cha is a tough dance to score full marks in but that didn’t stop Lisa and Brendan in series six. Their dance to Amy Winehouse’s track Tears Dry On Their Own was awarded 10 points apiece and helped her top the judges’ leaderboard in the series final. However, Lisa ended up finishing third after losing out to Rachel Stevens and Tom Chambers in the public vote.
2. Alesha Dixon and Matthew Cutler
In series five, Alesha and Matthew offered this powerful routine to Beyonce’s Crazy In Love which scored them 39 points – an unprecedented total halfway through the competition. The dance marked Alesha’s highest ever total joint with a waltz in the final and, as we all know, she went on to be a judge in the competition for three series between 2009 and 2011.
3. Natalie Gumede and Artem Chigvintsev
The Coronation Street actress and Artem re-created their week one cha cha cha for the series 11 final to Rasputin by Boney M. Dubbed a “marvellous combination” by Len Goodman, the dance scored 39 points. However, it wasn’t enough to win Natalie the title as model Abbey Clancy swept to victory.
4. Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev
Series 12 saw another clean sweep for a cha cha cha as Caroline and Pasha wowed the judges with their flirty performance to Can You Feel It? by the Jackson Five. A perfect cha cha cha must be a good omen as, like Alesha, Caroline went on to take the trophy.
5. Ed Balls and Katya Jones
Okay, we might be playing a bit loose with the words “best ever” here but Ed and Katya’s performance in week six of this year’s series was nothing if not remarkable. Dressed as a mad scientist, the ex-Labour MP was awarded 26 points with Katya to Hansel Martinez’s version of Love Potion No. 9.
Full of pelvic thrusts and crotch-grabbing, the dance wooed the judges with Bruno Tonioli deeming it “toxic, addictive and horribly fabulous”.
