Every Dancing With the Stars pro's history from shock romance to controversial win
Every Dancing With the Stars pro's history from shock romance to controversial win
Lauren DuBois Sun, October 11, 2026 at 4:46 PM UTC
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Dancing with the Stars pros (Image: ABC)Dancing With the Stars has seen a large number of pros over the years--with a significant number of dancers competing on the show.
Dancing with the Stars has seen a large number of pros over its 35 seasons.
The dance competition series has seen 54 total pro dancers over 35 seasons, with some living in infamy on the ABC show because of their Mirrorball wins and finale appearances, or their controversial exits, while others have long faded from the memories of even the longest fans of the show.
Dancing With the Stars has been airing on ABC for over 20 years and is currently airing its 35th season-and has seen a number of pro dancers over the years who have had crying levels of success on the show.
The dance competition series has seen 54 total pro dancers over 35 seasons, with some living in infamy on the ABC show because of their Mirrorball wins and finale appearances, or their controversial exits, while others have long faded from the memories of even the longest fans of the show.
While the show isn't without its controversies, especially after some recent eliminations which have "sickened" fans, the pro dancer roster has continued to help draw fans of the show back year after year.
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With some pros returning to the show in other capacities after they have left, and others still competing after a record-breaking number of seasons, the pros have even become arguably as famous as some of the celebrities competing on the show.
Here's a look at all the pros who have been a part of the show over the years.
Cheryl Burke holds the record for number of seasons as a pro (Image: Getty)
The celebrity who has competed in the most seasons on Dancing with the Stars is none other than two-time Mirrorball champ Cheryl Burke, who retired from the show after Season 31.
Cheryl competed in an impressive 26 seasons on the show, winning back-to-back Mirrorball trophies in seasons 2 and 3 with Drew Lachey and Emmet Smith.
She hung up her dancing shoes for good after season 31, where she competed with Sam Champion, taking 13th overall.
Mark Ballas and Val Chmerkovskiy are both in their 22nd seasons as pros (Image: Getty)
Two current pros, Mark Ballas and Val Chmerkovskiy, have eerily similar individual arcs on the show, with each man currently competing as a pro for the 22nd time.
The two are also both tied for the second-highest number of Mirrorball trophy wins over the years with three. Mark took the honor in seasons 6, 8, and 31 with Kristi Yamaguchi, Shawn Johnson, and Charli D'Amelio, while Val took trophies home in seasons 20, 23, and 32 with Rumer Willis, Laurie Hernandez, and Xochitl Gomez.
Tony Dovolani competed 21 times (Image: Getty)
Tony Dovolani is the only pro who competed for 21 seasons out of 35, joining the show in season two, before last performing in season 22.
He won a Mirrorball trophy during season 15's All-Stars competition with Melissa Rycroft, after the pair initially took third in season 8. He also had a third-place finish in his debut season with Stacy Keibler. His last season saw him partnered with Marla Maples, and he placed 10th.
Karina Smirnoff competed for 18 seasons (Image: Getty)
Karina Smirnoff, who won the Mirrorball in season 13 with J.R. Martinez, competed an impressive 18 times on the show, with a slew of partners from different worlds.
Her best finishes beyond her winning season included with Mario Lopez in her season 3 debut, taking 2nd; Jacoby Jones in season 16, taking 3rd; and Corbin Bleu in season 17, taking 2nd.
Her final season was in season 22, where she placed 9th with Doug Flutie.
Three fan-favorites have competed 17 times on the show-and won Mirrorballs (Image: Getty Images)
Three fan-favorite pros, one of whom is currently competing in season 35, are 17-time competitors.
Maks Chmerkovskiy and Kym Johnson-Herjavec both took mirrorball trophies home during their tenures on the show-with Maks winning one in season 18 with Meryl Davis, and Kym doing so twice, in season 9 with Donny Osmond and season 12 with Hines Ward.
Kym last competed on the show in season 24 with Mr. T, taking 10th, while Maks last appeared in season 25 with Vanessa Lachey, taking 7th.
Emma Slater, meanwhile, is currently in her 17th season, competing with Jackson Olson. She won season 24 with Rashad Jennings.
The show's pro with the most wins has also competed 17 times (Image: Getty)
Derek Hough, who new fans of the show only know as the head judge, competed 17 times as a pro before stepping back as a competitor after season 23, where he placed sixth with Marilu Henner.
Prior to that, he became a Dancing With the Stars legend-taking home the Mirrorball trophy six times total during his tenure. He won the show's seventh season with Brooke Burke, before taking back-to-back Mirrorballs in seasons 10 and 11 with Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Grey.
He did another back-to-back Mirrorball performance in seasons 16 and 17 with Kellie Pickler and Amber Riley, before finally taking his last Mirrorball in season 22 with Bindi Irwin.
Witney Carson is doing her 16th season while pregnant (Image: Getty)
Witney Carson, who has picked up two Mirrorball trophies over the years, is currently competing in her 16th season with Guillermo Rodriguez-while also pregnant with her third child.
She is one of the pros who has had some of the most memorable routines over the years, including with her two winning partners-current host Alfonso Ribeiro in Season 19, and Season 34's Robert Irwin.
She has also performed well with Frankie Muniz, Milo Manheim, Kel Mitchell, Wayne Brady, and Danny Amendola, making the finals with all of them.
Sharna Burgess and Peta Murgatroyd are both 15 seasons in (Image: Getty)
Peta Murgatroyd, who last competed in Season 32 with Barry Williams, put in 15 seasons as a pro dancer before calling it quits on the show-but not before she secured two Mirrorball wins.
After making her debut in Season 13, she clinched her first Mirrorball one year later, winning Season 14 with Donald Driver, before repeating her success in Season 22 with Nyle DeMarco.
As for Burgess, who is currently in her 15th season with Tyler Cameron, she won Season 27 with Bobby Bones-which proved to be a controversial moment in the show's history.
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Three male pros each competed 12 seasons-with only one mirrorball between them (Image: Getty Images)
Artem Chigvintsev, Sasha Farber and Gleb Savchenko all competed 12 seasons on the show-and all three were known for the romances they struck up with partners on the dance floor.
Chigvintsev, who took home the season 29 Mirrorball wth Kaitlyn Bristowe, married Nikki Bella, with the two striking up a romance years after she competed with him on the show. However, they later split following allegations of domestic abuse-and Chigvintsev wasn't asked back to the show afterward. His last appearance was in season 32 with Charity Lawson.
Farber, meanwhile, last appeared in Season 33 with Jenn Tran-and unfortunately, was unable to get a Mirrorball during his time with the show. However, he did briefly find love with Tran, with the pair dating after their time on the dance floor came to an end. Unfortunately, the romance came to an eventual end.
Savchenko, who also competed 12 seasons with no Mirrorball win, last competed on Season 34 with Hilaria Baldwin-but notably also had a romance during Season 33 with Brooks Nader, which didn't come to a happy end.
Four pros have done 11 seasons-again with one Mirrorball (Image: Getty Images)
Alan Bersten, who just finished his 11th season as a pro following his elimination alongside Giada De Laurentiis, is the only pro to have competed that many times and clinch a Mirrorball trophy, taking the prize in season 28 with Hannah Brown.
Three other vets from the show-Anna Trebunskaya, Edyta Sliwinska and Louis Van Amstel-all were unable to clinch a Mirrorball during their tenures. Trebunskaya, who last appeared in season 21, came close with both Jerry Rice and Evan Lysacek, while Sliwinska, who last competed in season 22 with Geraldo Rivera, also came close with Joey Lawrence and Jason Taylor.
Van Amstel, meanwhile, who last appeared in season 31 with Cheryl Ladd, managed to have his best performance with Kelly Osbourne, taking third.
Lindsay Arnold competed 10 seasons before hanging up her dance shoes (Image: Getty)
Lindsay Arnold is more focused on being a mom to her three children these days, but fans are still begging her to come back. However, she seems content, at least for now, with having been a pro 10 times on the show.
Her record included a Mirrorball win-taking the trophy in season 25 with Jordan Fisher. She last competed in Season 30 with Matt James.
Brandon Armstrong shares a nine-season record with another pro (Image: Getty)
Brandon Armstrong, who was just dealt a cruel blow following his season 35 elimination with Ciara Miller, has competed nine times on the show-and has yet to clinch a Mirrorball, with his best performance coming during season 33, where he and Chandler Kinney placed third.
Keo Motsepe also competed nine times as a pro on the show-with his only finals showing happening with Evanna Lynch in season 27, and taking third. He last appeared on Season 29, opposite Anne Heche.
Jenna Johnson is currently in her eighth season (Image: Getty)
Some fans of the show may think Jenna Johnson has been a pro for a long time, but surprisingly, the two-time champ is only in her 8th season, where she is competing alongside Harry Shum Jr.
Despite competing less than 10 times thus far, she's had one of the show's most impressive records. She won the Mirrorball in Seasons 26 and 33 with Adam Rippon and Joey Graziadei, and has also been a fairly consistent presence in the finals, taking second place two seasons in a row with Nev Schulman and Jojo Siwa.
Four pros competed seven seasons (Image: Getty Images)
Two former pros-Chelsioe Hightower and Jonathan Roberts-each competed seven times on the show before leaving for good, with Hightower last appearing in Season 15's All-Stars, where she competed with former champ Helio Castroneves, while Roberts last appeared in Season 9.
Britt Stewart, who has already been eliminated from season 35, has also appeared seven times on the show as a pro thus far, as has Pasha Pashkov, who is currently still in the competition with Amber Glenn-and seems poised to potentially have a shot at his first Mirrorball trophy.
Two female pros each have six seasons under their belts (Image: Getty Images)
While Lacey Schwimmer departed the show after season 13, she did take a stab at winning the Mirrorball six times total-even making it to the finals in her debut season with Lance Bass. However, a Mirrorball wasn't in the cards for her.
Daniella Karagach however, who is in her sixth season currently with Ezra Frech, has quickly earned herself the nickname as the Ferrari of pro partners. Despite having so few seasons to her name, she has won one Mirrorball already, taking season 30 with Iman Shumpert, and been in the finale an additional three times-taking fourth with Dylan Efron, third with Nelly, and second with Jason Mraz.
Three pros have done five seasons-with three legendary mirrorball wins (Image: Getty Images)
Surprisingly to some fans, Julianne Hough, the show's current co-host and a former judge, only competed as a pro for five seasons, last doing so in season 8-but she made an early splash when she debuted in season 4, winning her first Mirrorball with Apollo Anton Ohno, and then a repeat win in season 5 with Helio Castroneves.
Alec Mazo, meanwhile, also competed five times, and took home the inaugural Mirrorball, becoming the show's first-ever champion by winning season one with Kelly Monaco.
Tristan MacManus has also completed five seasons-but did not win a Mirrorball during those competitions.
Three female pros did four seasons (Image: Getty Images)
Ashly DelGrosso-Costa and Allison Holker both competed on the show four times, with neither taking home a Mirrorball trophy.
Rylee Arnold, Lindsay Arnold's little sister, is currently in her fourth season as a pro, where she is competing with Connor Wood. She made it to the finals in season 33 with Stephen Nederoscik, and also performed well in her debut season with Harry Jowsey.
Ezra Sosa and Dmitry Chaplin each have three seasons to their name (Image: Getty Images)
Dmitry Chaplin competed on the show three times, and while he came close, didn't quite manage to clinch a Mirrorball trophy during his time on the show.
As for Ezra Sosa, who is currently in the season 35 competition with Julia Stiles, he also has yet to get a Mirrorball, but he managed to have two iconic seasons, with a season 33 debut with Anna Delvey, followed up with a season 34 finale finish with Jordan Chiles, taking third.
A large number of dancers are at two seasons total (Image: Getty Images)
While fans now wouldn't recognize former competitors Corky Ballas, Elena Grinenko, or Nick Kosovich, who all competed twice in earlier seasons, they may recognize two other pros who have been on the show twice thus far.
Koko Iwasaki was a new addition for seasons 32 and 33, where she competed with Vinna Guadagnino and Matt Walsh, before not returning.
Meanwhile, Jan Ravnik, a Taylor Swift Eras Tour dancer, joined the show in season 34, where he competed with Jen Affleck. He is still in the season 35 competition, performing with Tatyana Ali.
Several pros have competed only once (Image: Getty)
Fans might have blinked and missed some pros who have competed on the show over the years, as they are the ones who appeared on a single season-and never returned.
They included Henry Byalikov (Season 18), Anna Demidova (Season 9), Jesse DeSoto (Season 3), Brian Fortuna (Season 4), Andrea Hale (Season 2), Charlotte Jorgensen (Season 1), Tyne Stecklein (Season 17), and Damian Whitewood (Season 10).
While they're sure to be around for seasons in the future, there are two new pros who have also only appeared for one season-Season 35's newest pros, Adele Zaikman and Hailey Bills.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
