Juan Betancourt Cuban model and actor wins El Desafío television program in Spain

May 22, 2022

"We have to melt the set," the contestant assured, and in light of the result it seems he succeeded

The model of Cuban origin, Juan Betancourt, won the second edition of the program El Desafío on the Spanish channel Antena 3, and he did it by melting the audience with a very sexy dance choreography.

After months of facing the most extreme challenges and putting his body to the test, Betancourt triumphed in a very close final in which he obtained only one point more than second place.

The Cuban defeated singer Omar Montes, former bullfighter Jesulín de Ubrique, and presenter Raquel Sánchez Silva.

"Thank you very much to everyone. I had a great time. I didn't expect it at all. I'm very happy. I've lived incredible things and I've done things I never would have imagined doing well in my life. I tell everyone it has been the best experience I've ever lived," said Betancourt very emotionally and unable to hold back tears.

The model had a hard time at the beginning of the program and was unable to compete for two weeks due to an injury.

However, he was able to overcome the challenges and ended up being declared the winner of the program, which had actress Kira Miró as the winner in its first edition.

The model donated the 30,000 euros prize to "Apanate," a small NGO that works with the children's sector.

"It's going to be the golden finale," the model assured before the challenge he faced in the grand final.

The 31-year-old Cuban model and actor reached the final after facing seven challenges and overcoming an injury that forced him to step away from the program. He was replaced by his friend Javier Hernández, who did his best to accumulate points for his partner.

Juan Betancourt was one of the four finalists of the second season of El Desafío. The 31-year-old Cuban model and actor reached the final with 160 points and as third in the ranking.

He did so after a rushed passage through the program. The also influencer was injured after the first episode and had to be absent for fifteen days. He was replaced by his friend, canoeist Javier Hernández, who did his best to accumulate points for his partner.

His passage through Roberto Leal's program will be remembered for great moments. One of those moments took place in the second semifinal, in which he proclaimed himself the winner after performing a spectacular aerial choreography. Not to mention, of course, his passionate kiss with Lorena Castell.

His apnea test is also worth remembering. The Cuban managed to stay underwater for 3 minutes and 40 seconds, which left him in second place in the overall ranking. Only Omar Montes surpassed him.

"I came here to fight," he said in the first episode of El Desafío, a format of which he fell in love during the previous season.

"It's a format that has caught my attention a lot since the first edition when a friend of mine, Jorge Brazález, participated. I love sports, challenges… Besides, I come from Cuba. I left my country at 18 years old and since then I've had to face many things, but this is going to be one of the biggest challenges of my life. I come with a lot of hope," he said in his presentation.

Juan Betancourt was born on September 22, 1990 in Havana (Cuba), the city where he lived until he turned 18 years old. Once he reached adulthood, the actor came to Spain and six years later, in 2014, he obtained Spanish nationality.

It was on the Barcelona runways where Juan began his career in the modeling world, which has led him to work with fashion designers and international brands Giorgio Armani, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. In addition, he has posed for magazines such as Forbes Magazine, Vanity Fair, Vogue Spain, and Men's Health, of which he has been on the cover three times.

In 2016, Betancourt filmed the movie Las leyes de la termodinámica by producer Mateo Gil, alongside actresses such as Berta Vázquez and Vicky Luengo. Later, he participated in the short film Desalia, directed by Ernesto Sevilla, as well as in the promotional video My Summerland for Women'secret, alongside Amaia Salamanca.

He also appears in two episodes of the second season of Toy Boy, the Atresmedia series that just arrived on Netflix.

Juan Betancourt became news last summer when his relationship with Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa became known. The couple, in the spotlight of the media, proclaimed their love publicly on a trip to New York.

"More than yesterday, but less than tomorrow," said the comment on the photos that Betancourt shared on Instagram.

Discreet in front of the cameras, the couple has since shared their love on social media where, curiously, their relationship began. Tennis player Badosa explained this in an interview with the program Corazón.

"I'm never stopped in one place, I don't go to events, I don't go out. Fortunately social networks exist, I received a message from him. It's not that I use social media much, but at that moment, I suppose it's fate or coincidence, I suppose I was more attentive and from there we started talking and getting to know each other," Badosa explained about their beginnings.

Badosa's statements were surprising since, like Betancourt, she has always been very protective of her private life.

About the model and actor we know that before Badosa he had two known relationships. He was in a relationship with Rocío Crusset, the model daughter of Mariló Montero. Their romance began in the summer of 2016, although at first both denied it. Several encounters and some romantic images published in a magazine ended up confirming that there was something more than a beautiful friendship between them. Nevertheless, in May 2018, they ended their relationship, with the Cuban being the one who made the decision.

Some time later, Betancourt met actress Andrea Duro through actor José Lamuño.

"Thank you for making this year one of the most special of my life," wrote the one from Fuenlabrada on the couple's first anniversary. A year later, when they had been together for two years, both took separate paths, bringing an end to a story marked by their complicity.