Winning the mirrorball trophy on Dancing with the Stars in no easy feat. From the preparation to the live shows, this competition isn’t for the weak. But what happens after the celebrities leave the ballroom? Do they return to their everyday life or do they keep dancing? We look into all of that and more below. 

Originally published on 10/7/25

Kelly Monaco, Season 1

Kelly Monaco was the first-ever Dancing With The Stars winner way back in 2005. Following her win, she did return for Season 15 of the show, but placed third. She is still acting on soap operas, and recently hit 2,303 episodes of General Hospital. 

“I had only been known as this villain and was only called by my soap name in public,” Monaco told Entertainment Weekly of her time on the show  “This gave the audience a chance to see the real me in a circumstance where you can either fall flat or rise above.”

Drew Lachey, Season 2

Drew Lachey and his partner, Cheryl Burke, won Season 2 of Dancing with the Stars, and since then, the 98 Degrees member has returned to the ballroom quite a few times. He hosted some of the fifth season and was part of season 15, which was centered around all-stars, but he got eliminated pretty early on. 

“I have said this many times, but this show is a lot of fun to be a part of,” Lachey said in 2012 after his Season 15 elimination, per People. “I am going to miss the opportunity to perform every week and to learn something new, but mostly I am going to miss dancing with Anna  [Trebunskaya, his partner in Season 15] and seeing the other competitors, all of whom have become my friends.” 

Lachey is still performing and remains a part of 98 Degrees. 

Emmitt Smith, Season 3

Emmitt Smith is the National Football League’s (NFL) all-time leading rusher, thanks to his work with the Dallas Cowboys, but as a result of Season 3 of Dancing with the Stars, he’s also a Mirror Ball trophy winner. He did appear in Season 15 of the show as well, but didn’t win. 

“It’s very friendly. Everybody’s having a good time and enjoying each other’s company. I’ve never seen something adversarial,” Smith told Esquire of the show in 2012. “You’re all waiting to go on, so there are people practicing their routines, going over their steps, myself included. It’s just a part of dealing with the tension before a show.” 

Smith is now 56 years old and still a part of the Cowboys organization as a representative. He also routinely helps bring together the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad by serving as a guest judge during training camp, which you can see in Season 1 of the Netflix show America’s Sweethearts. 

Apolo Anton Ohno, Season 4

Apolo Anton Ohno was an Olympic short track speed skater who won Dancing with the Stars in 2007, making him the first ever Olympian to do so. Following that, he continued to work in the entertainment industry and even hosted the competition show Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge in 2016. 

Helio Castroneves, Season 5

Racecar driver Helio Castroneves won Season 5 of Dancing with the Stars, and then returned for Season 15, but lost. He remains a part of the racing industry, currently working for Meyer Shank Racing. 

Kristi Yamaguchi, Season 6

Not only did Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi win Season 6 of Dancing with the Stars, but she and partner Mark Ballas also set the record for highest premiere score back in 2008. Following her win, Yamaguchi continued to skate and perform both on and off the ice and dance floor. 

“My girlfriends and I watch it and we do our little DWtS pool and a couple of them are, like, ‘Oh my gosh, if you ever get asked, you have to do it!’ And I’m, like, ‘Yeah, right! That’s crazy. I have two small kids here in Raleigh. There’s no way I could ever do that show,’” Yamaguchi said in 2008, per People. “But when they did ask, it took me a couple weeks to say yes, because I do have two young children and it would be a huge undertaking…a lot of logistics had to be worked out.”

Brooke Burke, Season 7

Following her win in 2008, wellness activist and social media personality Brooke Burke returned to the ballroom to host the show from 2010 to 2013, which was when the all-star season aired. 

“You are intertwined with someone’s body when you’re not a dancer. There is no way that I have ever been so connected—besides with a lover or a husband—than I was with Derek [Hough, her dance partner]. And it’s every single day. So for three months, you are in someone’s arms. Why do you think people fall in love? You smell them, you feel them, you’re breathing with them. It can be more intimate than making love in a bedroom—you’re making love on a dance floor, you feel more connected,” Burke said in 2023, per People. 

“If you have energy, you’re doing this dance and you’re in the rhythm, and then there’s trust, then you’re sharing fear, you’re doing something you’ve never done. How many times do you go through an experience with someone where they’re all you’ve got?”

Shawn Johnson East, Season 8

In 2009, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East won Dancing with the Stars Season 8. She then appeared in Season 15, but lost. 

“Dancing is very difficult, it’s a lot of hours, a lot of time learning dancing and it’s very physically challenging, but this was like the opposite,”  East said per Yahoo! 

East is now married to Andrew East, and they both recently appeared on Season 4 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. 

Donny Osmond, Season 9

Teen idol Donny Osmond won Dancing with the Stars in 2009 and has kept performing ever since. He is currently doing a Las Vegas, Nevada residency and often posts on social media about his wife, children and grandchildren. 

“I am really proud of this. I am the oldest recipient of the Mirror Ball Trophy,” Osmond said, per ABC News. 

Nicole Scherzinger, Season 10

Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger won Season 10 of Dancing with the Stars and has remained a performer ever since. Most recently, she starred in the Broadway musical Sunset Boulevard, which earned her a Tony. 

“I was proud of every single one of our dances, good and bad, but I’ll tell you what: We did our knockout dance—we tried to end with a bang and knock ’em out, and I’m so proud of that one,” Scherzinger told Entertainment Weekly of her time on Dancing with the Stars in 2010. “I feel like people got to grow along with me on the show and they got to really know me and say, ‘She’s been fighting tooth and nail for this.’ They journeyed with me, and by the end, I felt so much love and support.” 

Jennifer Grey, Season 11 

Since Jennifer Grey was the star of the hit 1987 film Dirty Dancing, it only makes sense that she won Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars. Since then, the mom of one has continued acting and is believed to be single. 

“It was the most painful and joyful experience of my life. It was so painful physically, it was so difficult emotionally, and then I would succeed and work through my enormous fear. I had terrible stage fright when I started the show,” Grey said of her time on the show, per Digital Spy. “I was never going on stage without sheer terror, and then to get those tens and feel that elation of, ‘Oh my God, I did it,’ it’s beyond description how empowering it was. I worked really hard and it worked out. I had pain and it worked out.”

Hines Ward, Season 12

After winning Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars, Hines Ward returned to the NFL world as both a studio analyst for NBC and as a sports contributor for CNN. He has one child with his wife, Lindsey Georgalas-Ward. 

“It’s bragging rights,” Ward said of his win, per ABC 7. “I don’t have to dance or do an end zone dance or anything. I can just show my trophy and let everybody know that I can dance. All the naysayers out there that probably never thought I could dance, all I have to do is say, ‘Look at the trophy.’” 

J.R. Martinez, Season 13

J.R. Martinez is an army veteran turned soap opera actor who won Dancing with the Stars in 2011. He is now 41 and working as a motivational speaker.

“It’s not easy,” Martinez said of the show, per People. “I don’t think a lot of people—even myself—understand how difficult it is to prepare all week for one night to show America what you’ve been working on and then, if you’re safe, the following day you go right back into learning the next dance. Your mind and your body don’t have time to recover.”

Donald Driver, Season 14

NFL star Donald Driver won the show’s 14th season, and since then has gone on to write a memoir and several children’s books. He has three kids with his wife, Betina. 

“I’ve been watching the show for a long time, and now I know what (past winners) J.R. Martinez and Hines Ward felt. Right now, I’m on cloud nine,” Donald said of his win, per Today.com. 

Melissa Rycroft, Season 15

Former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and Bachelor winner Melissa Rycroft appeared on Season 8, but lost before winning Season 15. Currently working with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Rycroft was recently arrested for a DUI. She is 42. 

“You get strong bonds and friendships, but you also get really frustrated with each other, too,” Rycroft told US Weekly of her time on Dancing with the Stars. “When you are with a stranger and you’re both heightened and stressed and maxed out, that’s where sometimes you get some of the biggest fights ever because you’re, like, ‘I have nobody else to talk to but you.’” 

“But you have to trust the professional that they know what they’re doing and the professional has to trust you as well. And if you can have that respect… you’ve seen the friendships and there’s some relationships that have come out of it.”

Kellie Pickler, Season 16

Singer and actress Kellie Pickler won Season 16 and has since continued to sing and dance. She also had a reality show entitled I Love Kellie Pickler, but it ended after three seasons. 

“I’m kind of speechless,” Pickler said of her Dancing with the Stars win, per Today.com. “Usually, I can’t be quiet; I’m spitting out words left and right, but right now I don’t know what to say!”

Amber Riley, Season 17

Glee cast member Amber Riley won Dancing with the Stars and has remarried in the entertainment industry ever since. 

“Now that everything is quieting down, it’s starting to become real that I just won Dancing With the Stars. Still, I don’t think it’s going to sink in that I won until my muscles stop aching,” Riley wrote in a 2013 essay. “As soon as I finished my last dance, I looked over and my mother was boo-hooing! I ran over and gave her a big hug and after the win, my entire family just went bananas. They were so loud—they were cheering, jumping up and down and everybody was crying. I just went and gave everybody a hug and thanked them for their support through the entire journey.” 

Meryl Davis, Season 18 

Meryl Davis is an Olympic figure skater who won the dancing show in 2014. She has since stepped away from the ballroom.

“Whether it’s the Olympics and looking back and saying, ‘That was not easy,’ I’m proud of myself. And then the experience with Dancing With the Stars, I guess I’m loving new experiences and growing and embracing my own strength,” Davis told Glamour in 2015. 

Alfonso Ribeiro, Season 19

Alfonso Ribeiro won Season 19 and has since returned to the show to co-host with Julianne Hough. 

“I can’t wait to tackle that stage with Julianne. The both of us together—especially over the last year—we’ve gotten to be really close friends, and we enjoy working with each other,” Ribeiro told US Weekly in 2024. I love this job. Becoming a host has been, truly, what I was destined to do from the beginning. I think all the other jobs I’ve done in my life kind of led up to me becoming a host and allowing me to do that specific job.”

Ribeiro is now 54 and has one daughter. 

Rumer Willis, Season 20

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis’ daughter Rumer Willis won Dancing with the Stars in 2015. She remains in the spotlight and recently became a mother. 

“I honestly don’t know if I have words to describe what this past season or this tour, but most importantly our partnership, has meant to me,” Rumer said in 2015, per People. “ I know I have tried on many occasions while on tour to describe to the audience what I felt but I have always fallen short to put it in words.”

Bindi Irwin, Season 21

Steve Irwin’s daughter Bindi Irwin won in 2016 and is now hoping to see her brother Robert do the same thing this season. 

“[Robert is] one of the kindest, most wonderful human beings I’ve ever known,” she told US Weekly earlier this week. “All we have to be worried about is him breaking the internet every week.”

Bindi is 27 and has been married to her husband, Chandler Powel,l since 2020. They have one child together. 

Nyle DiMarco, Season 22

Actor, model and former Chippendales dancer Nyle DiMarco made history by becoming the first deaf winner in Season 23. He is now 36 and recently released a memoir entitled Deaf Utopia: A Memoir—and a Love Letter to a Way of Life. 

“When I signed up for Dancing with the Stars, I was nervous,” DiMarco told Time Magazine in 2016. “If I threw everything off, there are 10-15 million people watching and that would be a negative viewpoint of Deaf people and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to screw it up.” 

Laurie Hernandez, Season 23

In 2016 Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez became the youngest ever Dancing with the Stars winner. She is now a part of the Nike Athlete Think Tank. 

“I just want to thank everyone for their support and for riding along this crazy roller coaster of my life,” Hernandez said of her win, per People. “My goal is just to inspire others as I go on with my journey and thanks for being there for me.”

Rashad Jennings, Season 24

NFL star Rashad Jennings won in 2017, but that was really the only time he stepped foot on a dance floor. He is now working as a motivational speaker. 

“I’d never danced a day in my life [before Dancing with the Stars],” Jennings said on Season 4 of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. “I knew nothing about getting in frame. True story: My partner, Emma Slater, said, ‘Rashad, let’s get into frame’ and I went like this [gesturing putting his arm around her]. I thought she wanted to take a picture. I knew nothing about dance. But I had a blast.”

Jordan Fisher, Season 25

Disney and Broadway star Jordan Fisher won Season 25 and, to no one’s surprise, has continued dancing since then. 

“The whole thing was so great,” Fisher told Popsugar in 2020. “I loved my experience on that show so much, I really did, and I will recommend it to anybody that ever gets approached by the show to be a part of it.”

Adam Rippon, Season 26

Adam Rippon is an Olympic skater who won in 2018. He is now married to a man named Jussi-Pekka Kajaala and has left the performance world behind. 

“I think that we have two things that help us in the competition,” he said of his time on the show, per USA Today. “One is that we’ve worked with music and two is that we’ve worn a costume. Beyond that, I’ve felt no advantage whatsoever. I’ve never competed or danced with a partner before. I have no idea of the steps that I’m doing. You’re just being thrown into situations where you’re not elite. It’s something you don’t know and you have two weeks to learn it.”

Bobby Bones, Season 27

Bobby Bones, a musician and podcast host, won Season 27 of Dancing with the Stars. Now, he hosts a podcast and recently got married to a woman named Caitlin Parker. 

“I cheated, in the way of they give you a limited amount of time with your partner. Like, four hours a day, they say,” Bones revealed on Jason Tartick‘s podcast Trading Secrets earlier this year. “So we would do our four, I would record the session and then and rent a studio myself and train myself. Like, illegally, because I was so far behind everybody else.”

Hannah Brown, Season 28

Former Bachelorette Hannah Brown won Season 28 and has remained in the entertainment industry ever since. She is now working as an author and influencer. 

“I desperately needed a distraction because I wasn’t going to deal with, you know, how I was really feeling. I’ve gotten farther away from it now, [but] it also makes me sad [looking back],” Brown told US Weekly in November of 2021. “I’m, like, ‘Wow, that was a really incredible experience and I will always be thankful for it.’ And there were moments of really living in it. But I wish I could do it again and just have fun. I [put so much pressure on myself because I felt like I needed that win, because I felt like a loser.” 

Kaitlyn Bristowe, Season 29

Kaitlyn Bristowe is another former Bachelorette who won Dancing with the Stars. She is now a podcast host and influencer. 

“If you want a dream to come true, you have to be willing to work for it and go through all of the challenges and appreciate all the hard times to really feel the success,” Bristowe said of her win, per ABC News. 

Iman Shumpert, Season 30 

Iman Shumpert made history by becoming the first ever National Basketball Association (NBA)_ player to win back in 2021. He now hosts a podcast entitled Iman Amongst Men. 

“My mother has been coming to support me every week, her and my father. They weren’t able to be here tonight due to being exposed to the COVID virus,” Shumpert said, per US Weekly. “When they said our name, I couldn’t think about nothing but what they were doing right now, how they were feeling about it [and] being able to watch it. I just can’t wait for my mom to actually get her hands on this trophy because this is a show that means a lot to her.”

”It really makes her smile to see people be more than an athlete, more than an entertainer and more than whatever their respective field is. She loves when people grow and people have progress. … This mirrorball is definitely for her.”

Charli D’Amelio, Season 31

TikToker Charli D’Amelio won Season 31 and has continued dancing since then. She was even on Broadway in 2024. 

“You know, dance wasn’t something that I found fun anymore,” D’Amelio said in 2022, per People. “It was something that was more like I did to do it and, you know, it was over when it was over and I didn’t look forward to it anymore. And with Dancing With the Stars every week, I’m hearing from other people that I finally look like I’m having fun.”

Xochitl Gomez, Season 32

Marvel actress Xochitl Gomez (she played American Chavez) was the Season 32 Dancing with the Stars winner. Since then, she has continued to act and often shows up at the ballroom to support her former cast members. 

“I really enjoy the show and used to watch it with my grandma all the time,” Gomez said, per Collider. “And it’s funny to see certain people like Val [Chmerkovskiy] and Peta [Murgatroyd]; seeing all these people that I’ve watched on screen, [then] seeing them in real life, it’s almost like, in my own way, seeing a famous celebrity, but it’s not an actor. It’s a ballroom dancer, which I think is funny.”

Joey Graziadei, Season 33

Joey Graziadei is the most recent Dancing with the Stars winner, and he currently still works on the show thanks to his Dancing With the Stars Official Podcast. 

“When the Dancing With the Stars call came to do something on the podcast side, it just seemed like a great fit,” Graziadei told TV Insider. “I was honored that they thought of me, super excited, and eager to get started, to build that skill and have an opportunity to really be a part of this new season, which everyone’s so excited about. There were a lot of emotions. There was excitement, there was relief, there were a lot of things that came through, but most of all, I’m just grateful that I got the opportunity.” 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/every-dwts-winner-and-where-they-are-now