It might seem strange that a reality show about teaching celebrities to dance has any dramatic moments at all, but Dancing With the Stars has plenty of that and then some. Premiering in 2005, the ABC reality series has produced a number of memorable moments over its 33 seasons on the air.
From winners that fans, and even the judges themselves have disagreed with, to dramatic exits, and cast affairs, the long-running dance series has had its fair share of wild moments. So, we combed throgh all 33 seasons to rank the 10 wildest moments ever.
10 Swine Flu Goes Around the Cast
Season 9
In Season 9 of Dancing With the Stars, the unthinkable happened and nearly the entire cast was struck with Swine Flu. It started first with Derek Hough, and presented as minor symptoms such as sweating and fatigue, but soon left him in such a debilitating condition that he was unable to perform with his partner Joanna Krupa.
Other pros, Lacey Schwimmer and Karina Smirnoff, caught the contagious illness, and it even passed on to Aaron Carter, who was one of the celebrities vying for the mirrorball that season. Swine Flu aside, Season 9 was a rough season in general as many of the contestants sustained injuries. Mýa had to get stitches, Lacey Schwimmer strained her hip flexors and abductors, and Kelly Osbourne suffered a foot injury.
9 Chrishell Stause and Gleb Savchenko Spark Affair Rumors
Season 29
In Season 29, Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause was paired with Gleb Savchenko and placed 7th. The pair had great chemistry and danced beautifully, but soon after their elimination, Gleb and his wife Elena Samodanova announced they were divorcing after 14 years of marriage. The news was sad, but it quickly turned ugly when Elena accused Gleb and Chrishell of having an affair during their time as partners on the show. “Gleb’s ongoing infidelity and a recent inappropriate relationship has created turmoil in our marriage and absolutely torn our family apart. No wife should ever stand by and watch while another woman gifts her husband expensive presents, lures him out to dinners, and seduces him at every turn. Last night was the final straw, and I can no longer turn my head the other way. My trust in Gleb is irrevocably broken, and it is time that I walk away and begin to heal, so I can be the best version of myself for my girls.”
Both Gleb and Chrishell vehemently denied the accusations, with Chrishell’s rep even releasing a statement to back her as the accusations continued to fly. “Any insinuation or accusation that Chrishell is in any way involved in the dissolution of Gleb and Elena’s marriage is 100% categorically false. To be clear: Chrishell and Gleb are in no way, and have never been, in any way, romantically involved.”
8 Chynna Phillips Forgets Her Routine
Season 13
Chynna Phillips, member of the band Wilson Phillips, was a contestant on Season 13 of Dancing With the Stars and was paired with Tony Dovolani. The pair were doing great, that is, until week 4. The theme of the week was famous movie scores and Chynna and Tony were tasked with dancing a tango to the Mission: Impossible theme, a feat that should have been easy given how well she had been doing.
But partway through the dance she forgot her routine, opting instead for choppy steps and commands from Tony mid-routine to try and salvage what was left of the time they had. Ultimately, this would prove to be their undoing and they were eliminated that night, with no second chance to be granted for the fumble.
7 Protesters Rush the Dance Floor
Season 23
After the controversy he sparked during his time at the Olympics in Brazil, Ryan Lochte was already a pretty hot topic when he joined the cast of Season 23 of Dancing With the Stars. Despite this, he and partner Cheryl Burke proved to be excellent competitors on the season and placed a respectable 7th place.
But one of the most disturbing moments in the show’s run came after he and Cheryl performed their first dance and were receiving feedback from the judges. As Carrie Ann Inaba was sharing her thoughts on the dance, a man wearing an anti-Lochte shirt rushed onto the dance floor to heckle Ryan. He was quickly tackled by security while being berated by Inaba. Luckily, no one was harmed, but it was still a deeply disturbing moment for those in the ballroom and viewers at home.
6 Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews Are Fired
Season 29
For 15 years, Tom Bergeron had been hosting Dancing With the Stars. He was the one who kicked off the show every week and welcomed us into the ballroom, he was the one who brought the contestants over to the judges and was the first to congratulate them on their dance. He was truly the heart and soul of the show. Similarly, Erin Andrews, who joined in 2014, was a pivotal part of the show as she was the one who met the couples in the skybox and caught up with them after their dance before getting their scores. So it was a major bombshell when it was announced ahead of Season 29 that neither Tom nor Erin would be returning for the season and would instead be replaced by Tyra Banks.
It’s never been explicitly stated why Tom and Erin were fired from the series, but fans still haven’t gotten over it. Tyra remained the host until Season 32, at which point the show was taken over by past winner Alfonso Ribeiro and pro Julianne Hough. They’re no Tom and Erin, but they have helped to fill the void left behind by them.
5 Sara Evans Leaves the Competition
Season 3
In Season 3, country music superstar Sara Evans joined the competition and quickly became a frontrunner. She had a solid fan base and had captured the hearts of the judges as well, she was also a great dancer, which made it easy to root for her.
But her personal life was in shambles, and her marriage was crumbling. In week 6, she announced that she would be leaving the competition to be with her family as her divorce took an ugly turn. It was tough to watch her leave since she had so much promise, but her decision was admirable.
4 Tony Dovolani Nearly Quits Because of Kate Gosselin
Season 10
It’s not uncommon for a pro to get into an argument with their partner. After all, these celebrities often have little to no dance experience, and they are under intense pressure to learn these dances in a very short amount of time. That kind of pressure would weigh on anyone. We often see arguments play out in the packages played before the couple’s weekly dance, but none have been quite as ugly as Tony Dovolani and his partner Kate Gosselin.
In one particularly explosive argument, Kate was nagging at Tony and criticizing his teaching skills, which led to him storming out and announcing that he had quit. They did eventually make up and Tony didn’t end up quitting, but it was a partnership that will always be remembered in Dancing With the Stars history for how truly awful they were together.
3 Marie Osmond Faints
Season 5
Whenever the dancers come off the floor after their routine it’s expected that they’re going to be out of breath and red in the face, so no one thought twice when Marie Osmond was still struggling to catch her breath as she approached the judge’s table. But just as head judge Len Goodman was delivering his critique and thoughts on the dance, Marie suddenly fainted and collapsed to the ground, sending her partner Jonathan Roberts and host Tom Bergeron into a frenzy as they tried to help her.
The show quickly cut to a commercial break, leaving audiences at home frightened for the star. Later in the skybox, she said that, while scary, it isn’t all that uncommon for her to faint when she’s winded, she’s just sorry that it happened during the show and while she was receiving judge comments.
2 Master P’s Lack of Dancing Skills
Season 2
Famously the worst dancer in Dancing With the Stars history, Master P stepped into the ballroom in Season 2. Initially, his son Romeo Miller was supposed to be on the show, but he had to pull out due to injury, so Master P stepped in. He quickly proved that he was not a dancer whatsoever, and despite America keeping him in the competition until Week 4, he barely managed to improve. He even holds the record for the lowest score ever given on the show with 8 points, and his highest score was only 16 points, which isn’t much better.
He also refused to wear ballroom shoes, and insisted on wearing sneakers when he danced because they were his “lucky shoes”. Not that wearing ballroom shoes would have improved his performance, it seems, but it’s still a memorable debate. Much like how Master P was a very memorable contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
1 Bobby Bones Surprise Win
Season 27
Ask any Dancing With the Stars fan who they think is the least deserving Mirrorball winner, and they will likely tell you Bobby Bones. The radio personality was paired with pro Sharna Burgess in Season 27, where he consistently scored relatively low scores. He wasn’t an awful dancer by any means, but in comparison to his competition, he was very much the weakest link, something even he admits. Bones was up against Evanna Lynch, Alexis Ren, and Milo Manheim, all of whom had been consistently scoring at the top of the leaderboard for weeks. So, when his name was called, everyone was shocked, including those in the final four with him, as you can see on their faces.
But Bobby Bones had a huge fan base and was consistently posting on social media asking for his fans to vote for him as the underdog of the season. And underdog he was. He took home the Mirrorball in what many have dubbed the “Mirrorball Miracle”, and became the most debated winner in the show’s run. The bright side, however, is that his win finally earned longtime pro Sharna her first Mirrorball.
Dancing with the Stars is available to stream on ABC in the US.
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