Meet Hamza Yassin: Strictly Come Dancing 2022 contestant
Viewers will recognise Hamza from the BBC's Animal Park and Countryfile.
Hamza Yassin has managed to make it all the way to the Strictly Come Dancing final.
This weekend, the wildlife presenter and his professional dance partner Jowita Pryzstal will take to the ballroom as they perform three dances in the hopes of lifting the Glitterball trophy and being crowned the Strictly Come Dancing 2022 winner.
Since the beginning of season 20, Hamza has been the standout star, with fans calling for Hamza to win Strictly after the judges dubbed his Cha Cha Cha the "best they've ever seen" on the show.
In Week 10, fans were left in shock as Hamza was dealt a gasp-worthy jibe from Strictly's Anton Du Beke.
While Shirley Ballas heaped praise on his Argentine Tango, Anton wasn't a fan, saying: "This was a dance of two halves for me. The top half was intense. It was calm; it was strong; it was leading; it was powerful. The bottom half looked like you played centre-forward for Bradford City."
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And it didn't go down well with viewers, as they flocked to Twitter to defend the popular contestant.
This weekend, Hamza will have to rely on the scores from the judging panel, made up of Motsi Mabuse, Anton, Craig Revel Horwood and head judge Shirley - but, the public will have the ultimate decision on wins when they vote.
So, could Hamza follow in the footsteps of last year's champ Rose Ayling-Ellis?
Read on for everything you need to know about Hamza.
And if you want to know what Strictly Come Dancing songs and dances he'll be doing this weekend, see here.
Who is Hamza Yassin?
Job: Wildlife cameraman and presenter
Instagram: @hamzayassin90
Twitter: @hamzayassin3
Viewers will recognise Hamza as one of the hosts of BBC’s Animal Park and a guest presenter on BBC’s Countryfile, where he shares his knowledge about wildlife with viewers.
Younger viewers will recognise him from CBeebies live-action show Let’s Go for a Walk where he appeared as Ranger Hamza.
When he was younger, Hamza, who was born in Sudan, moved to Scotland, where he was able to follow his dream of filming Scottish wildlife and becoming a wildlife cameraman.
Hamza's Strictly journey
Scoreboard:
Week One: Foxtrot (8+9+9+8) = 34
Week Two: Jive (4+7+6+7) = 24
Week Three: Rumba (5+7+6+7) = 25
Week Four: Salsa (9+10+10+10) = 39
Week Five: Quickstep (8+9+9+9) = 35
Week Six: Tango (8+9+8+8) = 33
Week Seven: Cha Cha Cha (8+10+10+10) = 38
Week Eight: Couple's Choice (8+10+10+10) = 38
Week Nine: American Smooth (9+9+10+10) = 38
Week 10: Argentine Tango (8+10+10+9) = 37
Week 11: Samba (9+9+9+9) = 36
Week 12: Charleston (9+10+10+10) + Waltz (9+10+9+9) = 39+37 = 76
Hamza Yassin may have proven to be one to watch in the first week of the competition with his Jive, but he then slipped further down the leaderboard in the second episode.
The Countryfile star ended up in 10th place after his Jurassic Park-themed Rumba, but turned things around in seriously dramatic fashion in Week 4, with a lift-packed Salsa that saw him and Jowita dropping just one point to receive a score of 39.
He maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard the following week (albeit tying with Helen Skelton this time) after earning 35 points for a sparkling Quickstep which paid tribute to the BBC's nature programming.
Meanwhile, Week 6 saw him in joint fourth position with a score of 33 for his Tango. The routine was commended by the judges as strong and impressive, but a tiny mistake meant he was docked some points.
Week 7 saw him bag another three 10s when all but Craig Revel Horwood lifted the paddle for his impressive Cha Cha Cha.
It was exactly the same in Week 8, as Hamza and Jowita's jaw-dropping Couple's Choice routine to catchy hit Jerusalema – Remix by Master KG featuring Burna Boy and Nomcebo Zikode sent the studio audience into overdrive.
The joyful routine – which celebrated Africa and Afrobeat and earned them 38 – even brought judge Motsi to tears as she said she never thought she'd see anything like it on the show.
Blackpool week in Week 9 was also another big hit for Hamza. His American Smooth scored 38 and saw him in third position on the leaderboard.
Hamza went on to bump himself up a place to come second on the scoreboard in Week 10, as he wowed the judges and was awarded 37 points for his Argentine Tango to Libertango by Bond.
Week 11 meanwhile saw Hamza drop a point, scoring 36 and coming fourth on the leaderboard for his Samba to They Live In You from The Lion King.
However, he was back on form in the semi-finals, taking the top spot with 76 points.
What has Hamza Yassin said about joining Strictly 2022?
Speaking about taking to the dance floor, Hamza Yassin said: “I am absolutely over the moon to be joining Strictly 2022. Never in a million years did I think I’d be on such a cool show."
He continued: "I’ve been watching it for years and I can’t believe I’ll actually be there dancing live in front of the British public. My dance skills are currently at the level of ‘1970s disco vibe’ but I’m ready to work hard and will be shaking it every time I get the chance – shake it ‘til you make it!”
The Strictly Come Dancing final is on Saturday 17th December at 7:05pm on BBC One.
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