‘Dancing With The Stars’ Winners Through The Years: Where Are They Now?

‘Dancing With the Stars’ returns for season 29 on Sept. 14. Over the years, the show has had so many incredible winners since its premiere in 2005. HL is taking a look back at every winner to see where they are now.

A new season of Dancing With the Stars means a new mirrorball trophy is on the line. A new cast of celebrities will be competing in season 29, which premieres Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. on ABC. With new contestants, new host Tyra Banks, 46, and Derek Hough, 35, back as a new judge, it’s truly a season unlike any other.

Dancing With the Stars kicked off in 2005 and soap star Kelly Monaco, 44, was the show’s first-ever winner. Season 28 ended in Nov. 2019 with The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown, 25, walking away with the mirrorball trophy. HollywoodLife is looking back at every single DWTS winner.

Kelly Monaco (Season 1)

Kelly Monaco, 44, was the very first winner of Dancing With the Stars in 2005. She was paired with pro Alec Mazo. The actress is still playing Sam McCall on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, a role she’s played since 2003.

Drew Lachey (Season 2)

Drew Lachey, 44, won the second season with pro Cheryl Burke in 2006. Since his DWTS win, Drew and his band 98 Degrees released a new album titled 2.0 in 2013. Drew and his wife, Lea, have since welcomed two children, Isabella and Hudson.

Emmitt Smith (Season 3)

Emmitt Smith, 51, a 3-time Super Bowl Champion, won season 3 with Cheryl Burke, which marked back-to-back wins for her. Following Emmitt’s win, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Emmitt also worked as an analyst for ESPN in 2007 and 2008. Emmitt later returned to DWTS for the All-Stars edition of the show. He was paired with Cheryl again and came in fourth place. The NFL legend and his wife, Patricia, welcomed their third child together, Elijah, in 2010.

Apolo Anton Ohno (Season 4)

Olympian Apolo Anton Ohno, 38, took home the mirrorball trophy in season 4 with Julianne Hough. The short track speed skater went on to compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. He won a silver medal and two bronze medals. Apolo retired after the 2010 Olympic Games. He has a total of 8 Olympic medals. Apolo was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2019. Apolo returned for season 15 of Dancing With the Stars and came in fifth place. He served as a commentator for NBC’s coverage of the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games.

Hélio Castroneves (Season 5)

Brazilian race car driver Hélio Castroneves walked away the winner of Dancing With the Stars season 5 with Julianne Hough, her second win in a row. Hélio won his third Indianapolis 500 in 2009. He welcomed his first child, Mikaella, with longtime love Adriana Henao, in 2009. He is still racing today and a driver for Team Penske in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He recently finished 11th in the 2020 Indianapolis 500.

Kristi Yamaguchi (Season 6)

Olympic champion Kristi Yamaguchi, 49, won Dancing With the Stars season 6 with pro Mark Ballas in 2008. She received the 2008 Sonja Henie Award from the Professional Skaters Association just two days after winning the mirrorball trophy. For the 2010 Winter Olympics, Kristi served as NBC’s daily Olympics skating broadcast analyst for Universal Sports Network. She was also a special correspondent for TODAY. She has since created a woman’s activewear line and authored a children’s book, Dream Big, Little Pig!

Brooke Burke (Season 7)

Brooke Burke, 49, and pro Derek Hough won season 7 of Dancing With the Stars. Upon winning season 7, Brooke became a DWTS co-host from 2010 to 2013. She went on to co-host the Miss America pageants in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016. She competed on The New Celebrity Apprentice in 2017. Brooke published her first book, The Naked Mom: A Modern Mom’s Fearless Revelations, Savvy Advice, and Soulful Reflections, in 2011. The following year, Brooke underwent surgery for thyroid cancer. Brooke married David Charvet in 2011. They have two children together. Brooke and David split in 2018, and their divorce was finalized in 2020.

Shawn Johnson (Season 8)

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, 28, became the youngest person to win DWTS at 17 when she took home the mirrorball trophy with Mark Ballas during season 8. In 2011, Shawn became an official member of the USA Senior National team. At the 2011 Pan American Games Team, won a gold medal in the team competition and a silver medal for her performance on the uneven bars. Shawn retired from competitive gymnastics in 2012. She returned for DWTS season 15 and came in second place. Shawn married Andrew East in 2016. The couple welcomed their first child, Drew Hazel East, in 2019.

Donny Osmond (Season 9)

Donny Osmond, 62, won Dancing With the Stars season 9 with pro Kym Johnson. In the years since his win, Donny has performed on DWTS a number of times and served as a guest judge. He wrapped up his 11-year Las Vegas residency in 2019. Donny was also the runner-up of The Masked Singer season 1.

Nicole Scherzinger (Season 10)

Singer Nicole Scherzinger, 42, won the season 10 mirrorball trophy with Derek Hough. Following her win, she became a judge on The Sing-Off and on the U.S. and U.K. versions of The X Factor. She has released two albums since winning DWTS. Nicole starred in the West End revival of Cats and received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She co-hosted Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris in 2015 and starred in the TV film version of Dirty Dancing in 2017. Nicole is now a celebrity panelist on The Masked Singer. She is currently dating Thom Evans.

Jennifer Grey (Season 11)

Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey, 60, won season 11 with Derek Hough, his third DWTS win. She went on to star in the Amazon Prime Video series Red Oaks from 2014 to 2017. She had a 3-episode arc on Grey’s Anatomy in 2019 and appeared in two episodes of The Conners. In July 2020, Jennifer and husband Clark Gregg announced they were divorcing after 19 years of marriage. The couple has one daughter, Stella.

Hines Ward (Season 12)

Super Bowl champion Hines Ward, 44, won season 12 with pro Kym Johnson. He returned to the NFL for one season following his DWTS win. He announced his retirement in 2012. He made a cameo appearance in The Dark Knight Rises and appeared as a walker in The Walking Dead season 3. Hines is currently a CNN sports contributor and a full-time offensive assistant for the New York Jets.

J.R. Martinez (Season 13)

Army veteran and actor J.R. Martinez, 37, is the season 13 winner of DWTS, along with Karina Smirnoff. He served as the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Rose Parade. He published his first book, Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength and Spirit, in 2012. He starred in the action series SAF3 in 2013. He married his wife in 2018, and they have a daughter named Lauryn. J.R. currently hosts the podcast ReBIRTH.

Donald Driver (Season 14)

Donald Driver, 45, won season 14 with pro Peta Murgatroyd. The NFL star announced his retirement in 2013. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2017. Donald is happily married to Betina Driver. They have 3 kids together.

Melissa Rycroft (Season 15)

The Bachelor alum first competed in season 8 of the show and came in third place. Melissa Rycroft returned for season 15’s All-Stars edition and won with Tony Dovolani. Melissa and husband Tye Strickland starred in their own reality show Melissa & Tye on CMT for one season. She hosted the reality show Redneck Island in 2018. Since her DWTS win, Melissa and Tye welcomed two sons: Beckett in 2014 and Cayson in 2016. Their daughter, Ava, was born in 2011.

Kellie Pickler (Season 16)

Kellie Pickler, 34, won the season 16 mirrorball trophy with pro Derek Hough. The country singer released her fourth album, The Woman I Am, following her win. She was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2016. She had her own reality show, I Love Kellie Pickler, in 2015. She co-hosted the daytime talk show, Pickler & Ben, from 2017 to 2019.

Amber Riley (Season 17)

Amber Riley, 34, won season 17 with pro Derek Hough, his fifth win. After her win, she launched the plus-size online clothing boutique, Rileyland Fashions, with her sister Ashley. She starred as Addaperle in The Wiz Live! in 2015. Amber played the role of Effie White in the West End debut of Dreamgirls in 2016. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2017. Amber formed a supergroup called Leading Ladies, and they released their debut album, Songs from the Stage, in 2017. The actress/singer notably played the Emcee in The Little Mermaid Live! in 2019 and played Elle in the 2020 film Infamous.

Meryl Davis (Season 18)

Olympic figure skater Meryl Davis, 33, walked away with the mirrorball trophy with Maksim Chmerkovskiy in season 18. Meryl and her figure skating partner, Charlie White, did not compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics, but they continue to perform together. She married former figure skater Fedor Andreev in 2019.

Alfonso Ribeiro (Season 19)

Alfonso Ribeiro, 48, was the season 19 DWTS champion with pro Witney Carson. He is the current host of America’s Funniest Home Videos. He launched the podcast, The 90s with Alfonso Ribeiro, in 2019. Alfonso and his wife welcomed their second child together, Anders, in 2015, and a daughter, Ava, in 2019. Alfonso will appear alongside his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air castmates for a reunion special, which will air in Nov. 2020.

Rumer Willis (Season 20)

Rumer Willis, 32, won season 20 with pro Val Chmerkovskiy. She made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2015. Since DWTS, she has appeared in TV series like Empire and 9-1-1. Rumer played Joanna Pettet in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. She was revealed as the Lion in season 1 of The Masked Singer.

Bindi Irwin (Season 21)

Wildlife conservationist Bindi Irwin, 22, took home the mirrorball trophy in season 21 with Derek Hough. Following her win, she released her fourth album, Bindi and The Jungle Girls Bindi’s Island Dance Party, in 2016. Bindi married Chandler Powell in March 2020. Bindi and Chandler announced via Instagram in Aug. 2020 that they were expecting their first child together.

Nyle DiMarco (Season 22)

Nyle DiMarco, 31, was the season 22 champion with pro Peta Murgatroyd. He made history as the first deaf contestant to win DWTS. He founded The Nyle DiMarco Foundation, a non-profit organization providing access to resources for deaf children and their families, in 2016. The model has also appeared in the TV series Difficult People and Station 19. He starred in Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” music video in 2018.

Laurie Hernandez (Season 23)

Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez, 20, won season 23 with Val Chmerkovskiy. She became the show’s youngest winner at 16. After DWTS, she was the on-course reporter for American Ninja Warrior Junior season 1. She published the children’s book She’s Got This in 2018. She has not retired from gymnastics and announced in Jan. 2020 that she was training again.

Rashad Jennings (Season 24)

NFL player Rashad Jennings, 35, was the champion of DWTS season 24 with pro Lindsay Arnold. A few months after winning DWTS, Rashad announced he was retiring from the NFL. He released his first book in 2018, The If in Life: How to Get Off Life’s Sidelines And Become Your Best Self. He is also the author of The Coin Slot Chronicles. In Sept. 2020, it was announced that he had a development deal with Rock Hill Media.

Jordan Fisher (Season 25)

Actor and singer Jordan Fisher, 26, took home the season 25 mirrorball trophy with pro Lindsay Arnold, her second win in a row. He hosted DWTS: Juniors in 2018. Jordan took over the lead role in Dear Evan Hansen in Jan. 2020. He landed the coveted role of John Ambrose in Netflix’s To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, which was released in 2020. He also starred as Jake Taylor in the 2020 Netflix film Work It. Jordan and his childhood sweetheart, Ellie Woods, got engaged in 2019. They were supposed to get married in March 2020, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adam Rippon (Season 26)

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon, 30, won Dancing With the Stars season 26 with pro Jenna Johnson. Months after his DWTS win, Adam announced that he was retiring from competitive figure skating. He released his memoir, Beautiful on the Outside, in 2019. Adam also appeared in Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” video.

Bobby Bones (Season 27)

Bobby Bones, 40, took home the season 27 mirrorball trophy with pro Sharna Burgess. He remains the host of the radio show, The Bobby Bones Show. He served as a full-time mentor during American Idol season 17 and filled in for host Ryan Seacrest when he was sick.

Hannah Brown (Season 28)

The Bachelorette alum Hannah Brown, 25, won season 28 of Dancing With the Stars with pro Alan Bersten. Since winning DWTS, Hannah has moved to Los Angeles. She now has a Mentor Series with the program With Honors.