* Artem winning the Botafogo challenge, and world record; not only was he the fastest of the professionals he was also one of the most accurate.
* Michael Vaughan in Halloween week of the 2012 series. In the first three weeks his highlight had been a mediocre waltz in week 1, which he had then followed with the lowest-scoring jive ''ever'' and a cha-cha-cha that landed him in the dance-off, where he was saved by just one vote. Expectations were low as he started his quickstep... which earned a standing ovation from the audience, a round of applause from Craig and a score of 31, putting him joint second on the leaderboard.
* [[FanNickname St Jill of Halfpenny's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj1cX6QU9sQ holy Jive]], blessed be its name. It seems low-key by modern standards, but it was the first dance to score a perfect 40 on the show and completely blew away the rest of the competition. It's often regarded by long-term fans as Strictly's GrowingTheBeard moment, showing just how good the dancing could get and turning the show from a novelty charity event into a TV institution.
* On Series 14, Danny Mac & Oti Mabuse had already proven to be quite the frontrunning team ever since the first week of competition, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CABJfSW6MXE their Samba to "Magalenha"]] on Week 10 was such a showstopper it ended up being the first Samba in Strictly history to earn a perfect 40 from the judges. Even more amazing was the fact that they were the first couple to perform that night.
* Debbie [=McGee=]'s tango to ''I Gotta Feeling'' that gets a ten from ''each'' of the judges and a ''bow'' at her feet from Craig (who has ''never, ever, ever'' done anything like it before. Ever.) When Craig Revel-Horwood ''bows at your feet'', you know you have ''made it''.
* Darcy '''''terrifies Craig so much that he changes his score.''''' After giving Jeremy Vine a two in the Christmas Special of 2017, Darcy launches to her feet in absolute fury and '''''shrieks so loudly that Craig is so taken aback that he has to change his score.'''''
* The 2018 series, as a whole, turned out to be a big one for AJ, whose partnership with Lauren Steadman did quite a lot to change the general public's perception of him as a pro. Many viewers who up until that point saw him as childlike, spastic and self-centered were pleasantly surprised at the mature way he handled Lauren and her disability and allowed her to blossom. This was made particularly evident following her Viennese Waltz in Week 8.
* ''Strictly'' going ahead in 2020 despite the COVID-19 Pandemic. They certainly gave everything they could to ensure every one of the dancers were safe at these times, albeit having to have less couples than normal and having to lose one place on the judging panel.
** Despite them having to pull out, that series gave us the show's first same-sex pairing that year, namely Nicola Adams being paired with Katya.
** [[TwoWordsAddedEmphasis Two words]]: Creator/BillBailey, who ultimately won the series. He's also the oldest competitor to win.
** Oti deserves a mention for winning the show with her celebrity partner ''two years in a row''.
* The 2021 series had John Whaite paired with Johannes as the show's first all-male pairing and second same-sex pairing overall. They ultimately became the runner-up for that series.
* Also in the 2021 series, Rose Ayling-Ellis and her pro partner Giovanni Pernice, managed to score a perfect 40 with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQXLfy7giuw their Tango in week 6 (Halloween Week)]], the earliest in the show's history. What makes it extra awesome? Rose is '''deaf''' and can't hear the music.
** Not only that, but she made it to the final and won.
* The 2022 series upped the ante on the two previous series regarding same-sex partners - there was not just one same-sex pairing, but '''two''' - namely involving Jayde Adams and Richie Anderson.
** Speaking of same-sex pairings, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrat9qskTYU Carlos and Nikita's steamy duet to Adam Lambert's cover of 'Mad About The Boy']] during the Week 3 results show.
* Hamza Yassin and Jowita's win during the 2022 series makes it not only Jowita's first win on the show, but it also took place during her first year as a pro paired with a partner (she first appeared in the 2021 series but was one of the pros that did not receive a partner at the time). What makes it doubly awesome is that she's the first female pro on the show to win during her first series as well.
** Special mention also goes to pros Carlos Gu and Vito Coppola, who were first-time pros in this series but made it all the way to final with their celebrity partners, Molly Rainford and Fleur East respectively.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK3xwd9yLTo Zara Larsson's performance]] during the Week 7 results show of Series 21 was one of the few routines where the guest performer danced alongside the pros involved (Nancy and Karen).
* While Layton Williams and Nikita were doing well in Series 21, they still landed in the dance off after a weaker routine, and narrowly avoided elimination. The following week, they made a comeback with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTEoUFtTp8k their Paso Doble for Musicals Week]], which got them the first 40 of the series.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSuKkFnwEhU Layton and Nikita's Charleston]]. Not only did it earn them another 40, but it got Craig to stand up when giving his comments on it, something he hadn't done since Debbie [=McGee=]'s Tango.
** The two became the second same-sex couple to reach the final, with it also being the furthest Nikita's ever made it in the competition.
* Vito gets into the final for the second year in a row, and his second year on the show overall. Not only that, but he won with his celebrity partner Ellie Leach, who became the youngest winner (and youngest female winner overall) at just 22 years old. Vito is also one of the few pros to have won both ''Strictly'' and an international version of the show, as he had previously won Italy's version of ''Dancing With The Stars'' in his first and only year.
* Lauren winning the 2023 Pro Challenge (setting a record for the most Quickstep pendulums in 30 seconds), completeing 15 steps with ''no disqualifications'', unlike the other participants who all had at least one disqualification, and those who completed more steps than her ended up with lower scores.