Dancing With The Stars Winners Ranked

The coveted “Dancing With the Stars” Mirrorball trophy will be in wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin’s custody for the next year. And now that Season 34 is over, Irwin joins a long list of deserving champions — well, mostly deserving.

During its 20-year run, “Dancing With the Stars” has crowned plenty of worthy winners, from those who had previous dance experience to those who hadn’t even executed a box step before setting foot in the ballroom. Many an athlete, singer and TV personality has taken home that trophy after months of impressive performances… but in other cases, we would have picked someone else to stand in that season finale confetti shower.

In the list below, we’ve ranked all 34 winners to date, a list that includes memorable victors like Olympian Meryl Davis, “Fresh Prince” alum (and current “DWTS” co-host) Alfonso Ribeiro, model Nyle DiMarco, and more. It also features champions whose wins ranged from forgettable to downright unjust, including a finale result that was so controversial, it prompted a rule change for the following year. The drama!

Scroll through the photos below to see our pick for the show’s all-around best winner, then drop a comment with your own rankings!

Despite his career as a country radio DJ (and side hustle as “American Idol” mentor at the time), Bones’ proximity to the music world didn’t quite give him the rhythm or flow that he needed to dance well — not that it mattered much to his considerable fanbase, which ultimately scored him the win. And though Bones’ upbeat attitude in the face of season-long criticism was admirable, his lack of real dance skill made the victory feel very questionable. It was so controversial, in fact, that “DWTS” went on to create the judges’ save for Season 28, intended to weed out the weak contestants (…but that didn’t do the trick, either).

We mean no disrespect to the first-ever “Dancing” champion, but Monaco’s win came with a few asterisks. First, she was one of only six celebrities competing in Season 1, which is considerably less competition than dancers faced in future years. But the real fuss over Monaco’s victory came when she beat out “Seinfeld” alum John O’Hurley, widely considered the frontrunner of the inaugural season. Viewers were so frustrated with the outcome (and puzzled by the show’s voting structure) that “DWTS” ultimately staged a rematch between the two finalists, which O’Hurley won by a very narrow margin.

Given his career as a race car driver — that is, a career spent sitting down — Castroneves’ showing in the ballroom was quite impressive. But we’re still not convinced he and Julianne Hough deserved the title over Spice Girls alum Melanie Brown… and 18 years down the road, we aren’t rushing to binge his routines on YouTube.

“DWTS” has seen its fair share of upsets, including Driver’s unexpected win over singer Katherine Jenkins. Driver and his partner, Peta Murgatroyd, did earn consistently solid scores throughout the season — but his victory against Jenkins, who was arguably one of the show’s best-ever female contestants, remains puzzling.

Much like Monaco’s win, Rippon’s is hard to assess, seeing as he competed on the “DWTS” all-athletes edition (which only ran for four weeks). His technical skill and chemistry with partner Jenna Johnson were obvious from the start, but we have to knock him down a few places for this truly bizarre freestyle.

Burke’s victory tends to get lost in the shuffle of this show’s many, many seasons, but we’ll give her this: After winning Season 7, she then went on to replace Samantha Harris as the show’s co-host for eight years. We respect the hustle.

Whereas some “Dancing” champions start at the top of the leaderboard and sustain that momentum for three months of competition, Martinez’s journey to the Mirrorball was slightly more rocky: He and partner Karina Smirnoff earned scores all over the map, including the week of the finale. But scores are often less important than the impact a contestant has on others, and Martinez — who overcame significant adversity from his time in the Army — was indeed an inspiration to all.

Brown spent much of Season 28 seeking the approval of judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who was oddly and conspicuously critical of Brown despite her obvious talent on the dance floor. In the end, Brown pulled out a win, but her focus on the judges’ remarks kept her from delivering any true Hall of Fame performances.

It’s time for us to repeat three words we said a lot in 2013: Zendaya was robbed.

Much like other pro football players who’ve competed on this show, Ward got off to a promising start — he and partner Kym Johnson scored a respectable 21 out of 30 with their first routine — then continued to steadily improve. In fact, for all but one week during that season, Ward consistently earned a higher score than he’d gotten the previous week. As fun as it can be to watch ringers steamroll over their competition, it’s even more enjoyable to watch a rough-around-the-edges amateur get better each week, and that’s exactly how Ward snagged the Season 12 win.

Yamaguchi’s win can be filed under the Perfectly Pleasant, But Predictable category. With a background in figure skating and a fabulous partner in Mark Ballas, her trajectory on the show wasn’t much of a surprise — but we sure enjoyed watching it anyway.

“Dancing With the Stars” has historically proven challenging for older celebrities, and Grey — who was 50 at the time — faced off against numerous younger contestants in Season 11, including runner-up Kyle Massey. But just as nobody puts Baby in a corner, nobody counts out the “Dirty Dancing” actress who’s known for the toughest lift in dance movie history. Frankly, the Mirrorball should feel honored to have ever been in Grey’s possession.

Much like fellow Bachelorette Hannah Brown, Bristowe had an altogether solid run on “DWTS”; she’d dreamed of participating on the show for years, and, having arrived in the competition with prior dance experience, was a natural at picking up choreography. But even though she had a strong start and strong finish in the ballroom, about one-third of Season 29 flew by without Bristowe really pushing her own boundaries or delivering standout performances. She was no doubt deserving of that Mirrorball trophy in the end, but in our estimation, runner-up Nev Schulman showcased a wider range and willingness to challenge himself creatively.

Winning “Dancing With the Stars” at all? Impressive. Winning “Dancing With the Stars” at age 52, while in a finale face-off with Mya and Kelly Osbourne? Very, very impressive.

You might see Scherzinger’s name and assume she was a shoo-in for the win, given her performing career. But the Season 10 roster was a strong one, and at least three other celebrities — figure skater Evan Lysacek, ESPN reporter-turned-“DWTS” cohost Erin Andrews and football player Chad Ochocinco — all made excellent cases for the Mirrorball. Scherzinger had her work cut out for her, and her triumph was well-deserved.

Jennings was the exact kind of “DWTS” contestant that makes the show fun to watch: He started the season with massive potential (and some room for improvement, of course), then continued to build on that potential with each passing week. The only drawback to his triumph was that he beat out pop singer Normani Kordei, who was arguably the stronger dancer.

Judge Shumpert solely on his ballroom dance technique, and yeah, he might need a slightly lower ranking on this list; frustratingly, the NBA player seemed to have real potential on the technique front, but partner Daniella Karagach often packed their routines with swaggy filler instead of traditional content, squashing opportunities for Shumpert to improve. But! Despite struggling a bit with more classic choreography, Shumpert brought endless charisma to every performance, and he held his own against some of his more experienced competitors. Plus, the height difference between amateur and pro was enormous here, and Karagach found creative ways to showcase her partner’s tall frame and physical strength — like that jaw-dropping Horror Night number — that still challenged Shumpert as a performer.

All eyes were on “Pretty Little Liars” actress Janel Parrish in Season 19, as she and partner Val Chmerkovskiy seemed destined for a win. But even though Parrish often outscored Ribeiro on the dance floor, the “Fresh Prince” alum’s personality was so infectious, we just couldn’t be mad that he ultimately pulled off the victory.

Aside from being a gifted dancer, Irwin was one of the most delightful humans to ever grace the ballroom, imbuing all of her performances with sunny optimism. But Irwin was so clearly the frontrunner from the beginning — she scored a 24 out of 30 in Week 1, people! — that the season lacked any real tension or unpredictability; she probably could have just swiped that Mirrorball off its pedestal after her very first performance.

We can essentially say the same thing about Robert Irwin as we did about his sister. Gifted dancer, despite zero prior experience? Yep. One of the most delightful humans to ever grace the ballroom? Yep. But even though Robert, like Bindi, was a clear frontrunner from his very first week, we’re placing him one spot higher on this ranking because his season was unpredictable and quite competitive. Robert had to maintain his high scores and popularity with the viewers even as contestants like Alix Earle and Jordan Chiles surged ahead later in the competition; his consistency and adaptability, in the face of multiple threats to that Mirrorball, made his victory all the more impressive.

A whopping 32 seasons have aired since Lachey was first on “DWTS,” making it hard to compare his and Cheryl Burke’s performances with more modern ones; looking back on 2006 television, everything feels a bit cringey. But there’s no denying that Lachey and Burke’s fun freestyle was a bit of a game-changer on the show, paving the way for more daring routines in future seasons.

Our expectations for Joey were admittedly low before Season 33 got underway: Although former “Bachelorette” leads tend to excel on “Dancing With the Stars,” the men of “The Bachelor” historically fare poorly, and we assumed Joey would go the way of Chris Soules or Matt James before him. And we’ve never been more delighted to be wrong! Joey made his debut with a cha-cha that was not just competent, but hinted at a reservoir of yet-to-be-tapped potential. He only got more impressive in subsequent weeks, displaying a level of technical aptitude and charming showmanship rarely seen from this show’s male contestants.

Rycroft didn’t just win any old season of “Dancing With the Stars”; she emerged victorious from the show’s first and only all-stars edition, facing stiff competition from the likes of Drew Lachey, Emmitt Smith and Shawn Johnson — all previous winners, mind you. But the “Bachelor” alumna worked hard to get redemption for her Season 8 run, where she’d finished in third place, and it was a joy to watch her clinch the win this time around.

Riley was a force of nature on “Glee” (and just about every other project she’s done), so it came as no surprise that her time on “DWTS” ended with a win. Making her victory more impressive, though, was her willingness to push through relentless knee pain all season, ultimately delivering nothing but positivity and high-energy performances like this one.

Light-footed athletes have become such a “Dancing” staple that the show once filled an entire cast exclusively with sports stars. Though Smith wasn’t the first footballer to make it to finale night — that was Jerry Rice in Season 2 — his success certainly set a high bar for future NFL pros attempting ballroom dance, and his willingness to embrace the spirit of the show was quite refreshing. (That said, with scores ranging from a perfect 30 all the way down to 19, he wasn’t the most consistent of the bunch. But we’re still big fans!)

A few other gymnasts, including Nastia Liukin and Simone Biles, have tried their hand at “Dancing” and come up short of the Mirrorball, often due to their lack of emotional connection to the dances. (There’s no crying in gymnastics, after all.) But with the help of partner Val Chmerkovskiy, Hernandez overcame that obstacle and delivered routines with real depth and maturity. Still, we’ll admit: We kinda wanted to see runner-up James Hinchcliffe take the top prize that year.

Johnson, who was the show’s youngest champion at the time of her win (at age 17), was a tremendous competitor in her own right. But her place in our ranking isn’t only due to strong dancing; it’s also thanks to the deliciously tense showdown that took place between her and actor Gilles Marini, who was considered by many to be a frontrunner for the Mirrorball. In the end, less than 1% of the votes separated Johnson and Marini on finale night — and who doesn’t love a little drama?

Not only did Ohno claim the Mirrorball in the fourth season of “Dancing With the Stars,” but he managed to crack the Top 5 when he returned for the all-stars season in 2012. In short, he’s good. Like, getting-a-perfect-score-in-Week-5 good.

Gomez’s season-winning success with partner Val Chmerkovskiy had pockets of predictability, sure. They were already scoring 24 out of 30 in Week 2, and Gomez’s youthful energy was the exact kind of secret weapon that allowed Chmerkovskiy to soar with partners like Zendaya and Laurie Hernandez in the past. But in a season full of potential winners like Ariana Madix and Jason Mraz, Gomez refused to rest on her laurels, packing every routine with increased charisma, passion and technical greatness until she could no longer be denied that Mirrorball.

Fisher’s partnership with Lindsay Arnold was a match made in “Dancing” heaven. Sure, he might belong in the “ringer” category, given his past experience with dance and live theater — but when Fisher delivered this jive, while nursing an eye injury, all we could do was watch in absolute awe. (Those cartwheels!)

To the surprise of approximately no one, Charli drew a fair amount of online criticism for her previous dance training, which made her a clear frontrunner from Week 1. But if we set aside the eternal debate about how much dance experience is too much dance experience for this particular show, all that remains is the simple truth that Charli was an astounding, exquisite performer all season long. Though she was quite shy in rehearsals, Charli always unleashed a compelling charisma in the ballroom, while her technical excellence (and chameleon-like versatility) made her the perfect vessel for Mark Ballas’ intricate, creative choreography.

The neck-and-neck showdown between Willis and musician Riker Lynch remains one of this series’ most exciting finales, with perfect scores cropping up countless times for both couples that season. But in the end, it kinda had to be Willis: There seemed to be no style she couldn’t navigate with ease — including a ballet-inspired contemporary! — and her chemistry with partner Val Chmerkovskiy was off the charts.

We could have guessed that Davis would walk away with the Mirrorball as soon as she was cast; after all, she was an Olympic ice dancer with the grace, strength and choreography know-how that practically ensured her win. But Davis went on to exceed our expectations, delivering dances that were so smooth and light, we thought perhaps she was gliding on ice. Plus, her chemistry with Maks Chmerkovskiy was undeniable, allowing them to deliver one of the show’s best-ever freestyle routines.

Competing on “Dancing With the Stars’ is difficult enough on its own; to participate as a deaf contestant is an entirely different beast. But DiMarco was such a stellar performer that you’d never know he was facing countless challenges, including a reliance on the vibrations of the music and a higher dependence on counting the choreography beats in his head. Despite it all, DiMarco delivered knockout after knockout — and even if he hadn’t proven to be a marvelous dancer (Exhibit A: this routine), his endless positivity and adaptability would keep him at the top of our list anyway.