Dancing with the Stars is a competition reality series that pairs professional dancers with celebrities as they compete for the Mirrorball. In each episode, the couples must perform rehearsed dances and are subjected to weekly scoring and the possibility of elimination.
The show premiered in 2005 and was broadcast on ABC, though it also airs on Disney+. Reaching its 32nd season, Dancing with the Stars has been a resounding success among TV competition shows. Some seasons have been better rated and have had better numbers than others over the years. Below, you’ll find a list of the best ones so far.
15 Season 16
This season featured 12 couples. Among the celebrities, some of the most notable were Zendaya, Sean Lowe, Jacoby Jones, and Alexandra Raisman. Some of the professional dancers were Mark Ballas, Lindsay Arnold, and Kym Johnson. The season aired from March 18 to May 21, 2013, and consisted of 20 episodes. The celebrity winner was Kellie Pickler, who’s a country music singer with her partner, the professional dancer Derek Hough.
14 Season 14
This season premiered on March 19 and ended on May 22, 2012. It consisted of 19 episodes and 12 couples participated. A new feature of this season was the introduction of ballroom battles, where professional dancers trained amateur couples to compete against each other.
Celebrity guests included William Levy, Maria Menounos, and Katherine Jenkins. Cheryl Burke, Chelsie Hightower, and Mark Ballas were among the professional dancers. NFL wide receiver Donald Driver and his dance partner Peta Murgatroyd were the winners of the season.
13 Season 8
This season of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 9 and ended on May 19, 2009. It consisted of 21 episodes, and of 13 couples. It followed much of the format of previous seasons, introducing the genres of Lindy Hop and Argentine tango into the competition.
The celebrity competitors included Gilles Marini, Ty Murray, and Chuck Wicks. The professional dancers included Cheryl Burke and Tony Dovolani. Shawn Johnson, an Olympic gymnast, and Mark Ballas were the winners of the season.
12 Season 13
This season began on September 19 and ended on November 22, 2011, and consisted of 20 episodes. There were 12 couples competition for the Mirrorball. Something that stood out in this edition was the participation of Chaz Bono. As a transgender person, he caused great controversy among conservative viewers, although he received great support from the LGBTQ+ community and the organizers of the program.
Among some of the celebrities of this season were Rob Kardashian, Hope Solo, and David Arquette. As for the dancers, Lacey Schwimmer, Derek Hough, and Kym Johnson were part of the pairings. J.R. Martinez, an actor, and Karina Smirnoff were the champions of the edition.
11 Season 2
This season had 15 episodes. It featured 10 couples, and celebrities such as Lisa Rinna, Stacy Keibler, George Hamilton, and Tatum O'Neal. As for the professional dancers, they included Jonathan Roberts and Louis van Amstel, who returned from the previous season. This season's champions were singer Drew Lachey and dancer Cheryl Burke.
10 Season 6
Twelve couples participated in this season of Dancing with the Stars. It premiered on March 17 and concluded on May 20, 2008, and consisted of 21 episodes. Among some of the celebrity guests were Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Taylor, and Marissa Jaret Winokur. Some of the dancers were Karina Smirnoff, Edyta Sliwinska, and Fabian Sanchez. The winners of this edition were Kristi Yamaguchi, an Olympic figure skater, and her dance partner, Mark Ballas.
9 Season 1
This was the first season of Dancing with the Stars, and it was a success from the very first episode. It premiered on June 1 and ended on July 6, after six episodes. Only six couples participated in this season.
As for the celebrities, John O'Hurley, Joey McIntyre, and Evander Holyfield competed. Dancers Edyta Sliwinska and Charlotte Jorgensen were part of the professional dancer lineup. Kelly Monaco, an actress known for General Hospital, and dancer Alec Mazo were the winners of the inaugural season.
8 Season 9
This season premiered on September 21 and ended on November 24, 2009. It consisted of 23 episodes and a total of 16 couples participated. It was a very new season for the public since they introduced some new types of dances and also decided to include more couples, compared to other editions.
Some of the celebrities who participated were Kelly Osbourne, Aaron Carter, Mark Dacascos, and Louie Vito. Repeat professional dancers Alec Mazo, Mark Ballas, and Louis van Amstel returned. Donny Osmond, an actor and singer, and Kym Johnson were the champions of the edition.
7 Season 7
This season was the first to feature thirteen couples, instead of twelve as in previous seasons. It premiered on September 22 and ended on November 25, 2008, and consisted of 21 episodes. It also introduced new types of dances in its repertoire, such as the hustle and salsa.
As for the celebrities, it featured Cody Linley, Warren Sapp, and Susan Lucci. Dancers included Lacey Schwimmer, Cheryl Burke, and Tony Dovolani. Model Brooke Burke and dancer Derek Hough were the winners of this season.
6 Season 10
The tenth season of Dancing with the Stars featured eleven couples. It premiered on March 22 and ended on May 25, 2010, airing 19 episodes. Something that also pleased the public is that a new dancer was introduced, Damian Whitewood and Ashly DelGrosso-Costa returned after her farewell in the third season.
As for the professional dancers, this edition featured Mark Ballas, Cheryl Burke, Tony Dovolani, and Louis van Amstel. Among the celebrities were Niecy Nash, Chad Ochocinco, Aiden Turner, and Pamela Anderson. Nicole Scherzinger, singer of Pussycat Dolls, and Derek Hough were this season's champions.
5 Season 4
Eleven couples participated in this season, which premiered on March 19 and ended on May 22, 2007. It consisted of 20 episodes, and the competition had more of an emphasis on ballroom and Latin dances at the beginning.
Celebrity guests included Joey Fatone, Shandi Finnessey, Clyde Drexler, and Billy Ray Cyrus. As for the professional dancers, familiar faces such as Alec Mazo, Kym Johnson, and Cheryl Burke returned. Olympic speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and his dance partner, Julianne Hough, were the champions of this edition.
4 Season 3
This season consisted of 20 episodes, premiering on September 12 and concluding on November 15, 2006. In this edition, 11 couples participated, and the novelty, which amazed the audience, was the change in the voting system. Previously, it was presented in ordinal numbers. However, it was decided that everything would be expressed in percentages. In addition, the public could only influence 25% of the final score.
Among the celebrities of this edition, we can highlight Sara Evans, who withdrew from the contest, Jerry Springer, Vivica A. Fox, and Joey Lawrence. Louis van Amstel, Nick Kosovich, and Karina Smirnoff were among the professional dancers. Emmitt Smith, an NFL running back, and dancer Cheryl Burke were the champions of this edition.
3 Season 5
This season premiered on September 24 and concluded on November 27, 2007. It consisted of 21 episodes and had twelve couples in its competition. Among the celebrities in this edition were Mel B, a Spice Girls singer, and Jane Seymour, a television actress. We also enjoyed the presence of Sabrina Bryan, singer of The Cheetah Girls, and Cameron Mathison, an actor known for All My Children.
As for the dancers, we were reunited with old faces, including Mark Ballas, Edyta Sliwinska, Derek Hough, and Kym Johnson. Helio Castroneves, an Indy 500 champion, and dancer Julianne Hough were the winners of this season.
2 Season 11
Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars consisted of 20 episodes. It’s considered one of the best seasons of all due to the novelties they had in its organization. First, they introduced "Acoustic Week," and contestants from previous seasons participated as guest judges. There was also the "Instant Choreography," which marked a point of dynamism in the competition.
This season featured celebrities such as Rick Fox, an NBA small forward, Brandy, a singer and actress, and Kyle Massey, a Disney Channel actor. As for the dancers, we witnessed Anna Trebunskaya, Cheryl Burke, and Karina Smirnoff. The winners were Jennifer Grey, a television actress, and Derek Hough.
1 Season 12
This season consisted of 19 episodes. In total there were eleven couples, and a new feature of this season was the introduction of a corps of six dancers to accompany the contestants' presentations.
Among the celebrities this season were Kristie Alley, a television actress, Ralph Macchio, an actor, and Romeo, a rapper. Among the dancers were Dmitry Chaplin, Louis van Amstel, Karina Smirnoff, and Mark Ballas. Hines Ward, an NFL wide receiver, and Kym Johnson were the champions of this season.