Mirrorball mania! Since 2005, celebrities have battled it out in the ballroom for a chance at glory on Dancing With the Stars.
Celebs including Kim Kardashian, Kelly Osbourne and Kirstie Alley have waltzed, tangoed and cha-cha-cha’d their hearts out, only to come up short against the competition.
With the help of professional dancers — including Derek Hough, Julianne Hough, Mark Ballas and brothers Maksim and Val Chmerkovskiy — some stars have earned the coveted title of America’s best dancer.
Derek, for his part, took home six trophies — with partners Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Grey, Kellie Pickler, Amber Riley and Bindi Irwin — before becoming a judge in 2020.
“When Tom Brady won a seventh Super Bowl, I was like, ‘Oh no, do I need to go for seven here?’” the TV personality, who is dating DWTS troupe dancer Hayley Erbert, exclusively joked to Us Weekly in May 2021. “No, I think — who knows? I never say never, but for right now, I’m looking forward to going back as a judge.”
His younger sister, Julianne, was a two-time champion — taking home the title in May 2007 with Apolo Anton Ohno and in November 2007 with Hélio Castroneves — before she stepped into the judging role on and off from 2014 to 2021.
Pro Artem Chigvintsev, on the other hand, didn’t earn his first mirrorball trophy until season 29 in November 2020 with Kaitlyn Bristowe.
“What’s next? Oh, gosh, I don’t know,” the “Off the Vine” podcast host told Us and other reporters after her win. “I joked that I was like, ‘I will want to have babies. If I accomplish [this], then I’m ready for the next step.’ And Artem gave me the baby fever [with his and Nikki Bella’s son, Matteo], and I’m not against it!”
The Bachelor Nation star announced her engagement to Jason Tartick six months later. “Our wedding plans are good,” the season 17 Bachelorette cohost exclusively told Us at the Men Tell All taping in August 2021. “We have created a guest list. We have created a website. We have a date set. So, we’re [doing] all the right things.”
Season 29 of DWTS also marked the first season of the reality series without Tom Bergeron as the host. The former America’s Funniest Home Videos personality had been at the helm of DWTS since its 2005 beginning. He and cohost Erin Andrews — who joined Bergeron in 2014 during season 18 — were replaced by Tyra Banks in July 2020.
Take a look back at the stars whose fancy footwork earned them a spot on the elite list of DWTS winners below: