Dancing with the Stars: Complete list of winners

Dancing with the Stars season one premiered on ABC on June 1, 2005. The reality show returned with season 33 on September 17, 2024. It featured a varied lineup of 13 celebrities and their professional dance partners, each competing for the coveted Mirrorball Trophy.

The show pairs celebrities with professional dancers, and they compete against the other duos for the judges' scores and the viewers' votes. The combined total of the two decides which couple will get eliminated.

32 seasons in, a diverse range of celebrities have walked away with the winner's title. Dancing with the Stars has featured many, from renowned Olympic athletes to some popular The Bachelor and The Bachelorette faces. Here is a complete list of winners through the years.

Dancing with the Stars winners from 2005 to 2023

1) Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo (season 1, 2005)

General Hospital star Kelly Monaco became the first-ever Dancing with the Stars champion alongside her professional dance partner, Alec Mazo. Despite an underwhelming start with low scores, the "awkward mover" reworked herself and upgraded her dance skills through the season until she clinched the winner's title.

"All my life I've been the underdog...I've never won anything in my life and this is great, it's great!" Kelly said.

2) Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke (season 2, 2006)

Drew won season 2 of Dancing with the Stars alongside pro partner Cheryl Burke. He perfected various dance styles on the show like tango, Paso Doble, and freestyle, which earned him perfect scores from the judges.

At the finale, the dancing duo earned perfect scores for both their performances. Drew is currently based in Cincinnati, where he lives with his choreographer wife, Lea, and their two children.

3) Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke (season 3, 2006)

An NFL professional football player, Emmitt Smith mostly played for the Dallas Cowboys. He won season 3 of Dancing with the Stars alongside partner Drew Burke.

His transformation from an athlete, a running back for 15 seasons, to a seasoned dancer impressed the judges and the viewers. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba said Emmitt was an "everyday man who became a dancer" right before their eyes.

4) Apolo Anton Ohno and Julianne Hough (season 4, 2007)

A Winter Olympics short-track speed skater, Apolo was renowned for winning eight Olympic medals. He challenged himself with the role of a dancer and emerged victorious at the end of season 4 of Dancing with the Stars. The star, along with Joey Fatone, set the record for perfect scores in a season.

5) Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough (season 5, 2007)

Helio, popular for winning the Indianapolis 500 four times, won season 5 of Dancing with the Stars. The auto-racing driver wowed the judges with his quickstep performance in week 8. The duo donned pale yellow costumes for their performance and danced to Hey Pachuco from The Mask.

6) Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas (season 6, 2008)

Kristi at the 2022 ESPYs - Arrivals (Image via Getty)

Kristi Yamaguchi is a 1992 Olympic gold medalist figure skater and a two-time World champion. After topping the leaderboard for eight consecutive weeks, Kristi became the second female winner after Kelly from season 1. After clinching the Mirrorball trophy, she dedicated her victory to all the women, encouraging them to be strong.

7) Brooke Burke and Derek Hough (season 7, 2008)

Brooke at The 2023 Zodiac Ball (Image via Getty)

Brooke, a television personality, entrepreneur, fitness guru, and author, won the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars. After her victory, she revisited the show but as a host.

Out of all her memorable performances, the one that impressed the judges the most was her jazzy foxtrot routine, which earned her perfect scores. Despite being the choreographer, Derek admitted dancing with Brooke felt like working with a professional.

8) Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas (season 8, 2009)

Shawn at the 2016 KPMG Women's PGA Championship (Image via Getty)

Shawn won the eighth season of the competition alongside professional partner Mark Ballas. She is an artistic gymnast with one Olympic gold and three silver medals under her belt. In one of the closest finales in DWTS history, Shawn beat Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke with her freestyle routine by less than 1%.

9) Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson (season 9, 2009)

Donny, a popular household name, won season 9 of Dancing with the Stars. He had a rocky start but reworked himself, changing the consensus about him and his skills. The dance forms that Donny mastered, wowing the judges and the viewers, were the Argentine Tango, jumping jitterbug, and freestyle. Carrie complimented the cast member, calling him "artistry in motion." He clinched the trophy at 52, becoming its oldest recipient.

10) Nicole Scherzinger and Derek Hough (season 10, 2010)

Derek Hough and Nicole Scherzinger (Image via Getty)

The lead singer of Pussycat Dolls, Nicole, achieved her highest scores with the Paso Doble, Argentine Tango, and Jive. After winning season 10, Nicole confessed she had participated in the show in honor of her mother, an ardent fan of Dancing with the Stars.

11) Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough (season 11, 2010)

After winning the eleventh season, Jennifer published her memoir Out of the Corner, where she credited the show for saving her life. She had an accident on set and injured her neck.

It needed immediate surgery and during the checkups, the medics found a thyroid mass. She claimed that if the accident had not occurred, she would not have known about her illness. Jennifer also rekindled her love for dance after participating in the show.

12) Hines Ward and Kym Johnson (season 12, 2011)

An NFL professional, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, was an active player when he won the show. Carrie called him "the MVP" of the season after Hines achieved perfect scores for his samba performance. Hines said he would do a DWTS routine at the end zone each time he scored a touchdown.

13) J. R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff (season 13, 2011)

Martizen is an Iraq war veteran and an actor, who won season 13 of Dancing with the Stars. He outperformed competitors Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian by a small margin at the finale, winning the Mirrorball trophy. He then thanked America for believing in him and his skills.

14) Donald Driver and Petra Murgatroyd (season 14, 2012)

Donald, a renowned Super Bowl personality, played for the Green Bay Packers as their wide receiver. He earned perfect tens at the finale, impressing the judges with his Cha Cha Cha.

Judge Bruno Toniolo complimented him for having the 'strategy of a champion." With a sultry finale performance, Donal won the fourteenth season of the dance competition show.

15) Melissa Rycroft and Tony Dovolani (season 15, 2012)

Melissa won season 15's Mirrorball trophy after delivering an impressive samba performance to Rascal Flatts' Life is a Highway. Judge Len Goodman commended the duo, saying they had been his "greatest pleasure to watch."

16) Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough (season 16, 2013)

Two of Kellie's notable performances which earned her perfect scores from the judges included a freestyle to Beneath Your Beautiful and a jive routine to Keep-a-Knockin'. The singer-songwriter credited her victory to her grandfather, who encouraged her to participate in the show.

17) Amber Riley and Derek Hough (season 17, 2013)

Amber earned five perfect scores during the season. One of those came for her Quickstep and Samba fusion to (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher in the season finale. The Glee star won season 17 of Dancing with the Stars and left an inspiring message to the women watching her.

"I want to let women of all sizes out there know that you can do whatever you put your mind to! Doesn't matter what size, what color you are - you can do whatever, whatever, whatever you put your mind to," she said.

18) Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (season 18, 2014)

The Olympic ice dancer won season 18 of Dancing with the Stars with a perfect score alongside partner, Maksim. Season 18 marked the debut of "The Switch Up," which allowed viewers to vote and change the pairings. As a result, each celebrity had to work with a new choreographer for one week.

19) Alfonso Ribeiro and Witney Carson (season 19, 2014)

After a wait of ten years, Alfonso won the Mirrorball in season 19 of the show. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star presented a jive routine at the finals, wowing judges and at-home viewers. Len Goodman said Alfonso danced as effortlessly as Frank Sinatra sang.

20) Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy (season 20, 2015)

Despite suffering the pain of a rib injury, Rumer won season 20 of Dancing with the Stars. The victory was special for Val because it was his first win despite making it to the finals on numerous seasons. Later, Rumer put her dance skills to great use as she stepped into the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway.

21) Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough (season 21, 2015)

One of Bindi's most memorable performances was a tribute to her late father, Steve Irwin who passed away nine years prior. She paired her act with The Police's Every Breath You Take to honor her father.

Before she was declared the winner, co-host Erin Andrews complimented Bindi for being the "shining light" of the season. She also commended her for her "determination for perfection on the dance floor and in life."

22) Nyle DiMarco and Peta Murgatroyd (season 22, 2016)

Season 22 winner of America's Next Top Model, Nyle, became the first deaf contestant to win Dancing with the Stars. He presented a unique fusion of cha cha cha and tango at the finale, wowing everyone. Along with praises, the judges gave him a perfect score, making him the season's champion.

23) Laurie Hernandez and Valentin Chmerkovskiy (season 23, 2016)

At the finale, the Olympic gymnast danced a sultry Argentine tango and foxtrot to Son Lux's We Are The Ones. At 16 years old, Laurie became the Dancing with the Stars' youngest winner and the first Latina to win the Mirrorball trophy.

24) Rashad Jennings and Emma Slater (season 24, 2017)

Rashad, one of the NFL's renowned running backs, revealed he had never won anything upon reaching the show's finale. As a result, he confessed he worked hard in the rehearsals. Due to his efforts, he won season 24 of Dancing with the Stars alongside partner Emma Slater.

25) Jordan Fisher and Lindsay Arnold (season 25, 2017)

Jordan's victory marked the first win for Lindsay Arnold who had been with the show for 10 seasons. Len Goodman claimed Jordan was the "most complete male celebrity ever on Dancing with the Stars." Season 25's winner went on to star as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Broadway show Hamilton.

26) Adam Rippon and Jenna Johnson (season 26, 2018)

The Olympic figure skater's final jazz dance to Anything You Can Do earned him season 26's Mirrorball trophy. Although challenging to step out of his comfort zone and dance, he wanted to win the competition "mostly for Jenna." Adam thanked Jenna for being a "good" mentor to him.

27) Bobby Bones and Sharna Burgess (season 27, 2018)

Babby Bones, a radio personality, claimed he was "clueless" when he started his journey on Dancing with the Stars. He confessed that three months later, he was "still clueless" but had the greatest time with the cast. He donned a white satin tailcoat tux for his final performance, earning him the winner's title.

28) Hannah Brown and Alan Bersten (season 28, 2019)

Hannah was the first Bachelorette to win the Mirrorball on Dancing with the Stars. She danced freestyle to Alicia Keys' Girl on Fire and Swen Stefani's Hollaback Girl, earning her a perfect 30 from the judges.

29) Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev (season 29, 2020)

Kaitlyn and Artem presented a tango routine to Britney Spears' Toxic. Her noteworthy performance earned her perfect scores from the judges. The judges gave the duo another 30, after watching them freestyle to Sparkling Diamonds from Moulin Rouge. Consequently, the pair won season 29 of Dancing with the Stars.

30) Iman Shumpert and Daniella Karagach (season 30, 2021)

Iman was the first NBA professional to make it to the finale. As a 6'5" athlete, his height and lack of dance experience, troubled Iman to form a chemistry with his mentor.

However, after weeks of practice, they finally clicked. By week six, they achieved their first perfect score from the judges. They continued to dominate the competition from there, resulting in their victory at the finale.

31) Charlie D'Amelio and Mark Ballas (season 31, 2022)

TikTok star Charlie topped the leaderboard throughout season 31 of Dancing with the Stars. Charlie started dancing at the age of three and competed professionally for over a decade. Due to her solid foundation, she aced the competition and emerged victorious with the Mirrorball trophy.

32) Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy (season 32, 2023)

Marvel star Xochitl was among the youngest contenders on the show. Despite that, she dominated all season, ultimately bringing her mentor his third victory. They were the sole pair awarded for both their dances in the semifinals.

Dancing with the Stars season 33 airs every Tuesday at 8 pm ET only on ABC.

Edited by Raina Saha