It certainly seems like whoever is responsible for matching up celebrity contestants and dancing professionals on Dancing With the Stars knows what they’re doing. Since the reality TV dance competition first aired in 2005, several contestants and pros have taken their chemistry from the dance floor to the real world, turning their partnerships into romantic relationships.
Season 33, which saw The Bachelor’sJoey Graziadei and pro Jenna Johnson win the mirrorball trophy, also saw its fair share of showmances. There was the very intense and sometimes confusing romance between pro Gleb Savchenko and model Brooks Nader, as well as the ongoing rumored romance between pro Sasha Farber and The Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran.
With over 30 seasons of Dancing With the Stars, there are a few romances that stick out more than others.
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8 Karina Smirnoff and Mario Lopez
Season 3 Partners
As early as Season 3, sparks flew between professional dancer Karina Smirnoff and actor Mario Lopez. The couple were together for two years, with the dancer even moving into his L.A. home. Unfortunately, Karina learned of Mario’s infidelity and they split. She recalled telling People in 2008, “He pretty much confirmed everything. It felt like the world came to to an end for a second.”
“I hit the ground, and I couldn’t get up.”
She continued, “That was when all the little pieces came together in my head. You come to that realization that this is not what you want out of love and out of life, and this is not who you want to be with.”
7 Cheryl Burke And Chad Ochocinco
Season 10 Partners
DWTS alum Cheryl Burke and her Season 10 partner, former NFL player Chad Ochocinco, had amazing chemistry on the dance floor, which is why they placed 4th in the competition. Rumors suggested that the partners were dating, but Cheryl later clarified during a guest appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2011 that they had a “fling.”
“I mean, we had a fling. We worked so much together, and we had great chemistry, but it was the same pattern I had with my boyfriends in the past,” Cheryl shared.
In April, while appearing on The Amy & T.J. podcast, the pro admitted to having 3 showmances, with one being the former football player.
6 Kym Johnson And Robert Herjavec
Season 20 Partners
DWTS has seen many hook-ups and failed relationships, but pro dancer Kym Johnson and Shark Tank’s Robert Herjavec are the exception. The two met in Season 20 as partners and left the ballroom as a married couple. In 2018, they welcomed twins, Hudson and Haven.
Kym returned to DWTS for one more season, but left after the birth of the couple’s twins. Speaking of her decision to leave the show behind, she told People, “I’ve got so much to thank Dancing with the Stars for. I ended up meeting my husband on the show. So, thank you! But it felt like the right time to step away.”
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5 Artem Chigvintsev And Nikki Garcia
Season 25 Partners
Pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev was partnered with former professional wrestler Nikki Garcia aka Nikki Bella in Season 25, but they wouldn’t turn romantic until a year later, when Nikki and John Cena ended their engagement. The couple had a whirlwind romance, dating in 2018 and welcoming a son named Matteo in 2020. They later wed in Paris in 2022.
Artem and Nikki seemed to be another success story to come out of DWTS, but in August, Artem was arrested on alleged domestic violence charges that were later dropped. Nikki filed for divorce in September and the exes settled their divorce in November.
4 Alan Bersten And Alexis Ren
Season 27 Partners
Model Alexis Ren and pro Alan Bersten were amazing on the dancefloor and ultimately placed 4th in Season 27. They struck up a romance while competing, but it didn’t go any further, and they called it quits in December 2018.
According to People, a fan noticed that Alan was not around during her trip to Tokyo, after she had shared photos on Instagram, and asked Alexis for an update on their relationship. She replied to the fan with, “feelings aren’t black and white and neither is life. We’re focused on our careers and growing as individuals. He’s an amazing person and I’m grateful he came into my life. He’s on his own journey and I respect that.”
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3 Keo Motsepe And Chrishell Stause
Season 29
Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause was actually partnered with dancer Gleb Savchenko in Season 29 and made headlines for having an alleged affair while the pro was married to his wife, Elena Samodanova. Both Gleb and Chrishell denied having hooked up. The latter was actually interested in another pro during that season—Keo Motsepe.
The two dated for just two months after the show ended. According to Us Weekly, Keo lied about something that must have been a very big deal to the reality TV star because it caused them to break up. “Keo was caught in a web of lies,” a source shared.
In her memoir, Under Construction: Living My Best Life Took a Lot of Work (via Parade), Chrishell revealed that the relationship went downhill fast.
“This time, instead of making excuses for his behavior, I actually opened my eyes, pushed past the smoke and mirrors, and saw the truth. I’d gotten stronger, and as soon as I realized how deep his apparent lies went, I was the one who ended it.”
2 Britt Stewart And Daniel Durant
Season 31 Partners
Pro Britt Stewart faced a bigger challenge than the rest of her DWTS dancers in Season 31, as her partner, actor Daniel Durant, was deaf, and she had to teach him how to dance without hearing music. Throughout their time together, Britt learned American Sign Language, and they ultimately placed 5th. However, they also fell in love.
Speaking on the Lightweights podcast with Joe Vulpis, Britt shared how she and Daniel went from partners to dating. “We were in his trailer, it was after the last episode, and we were just like saying goodbye, and it was so strange ’cause, you know, it just didn’t feel right.”
DWTS Pros Who Are Together | Year Married |
|---|---|
Daniella Karagach and Pasha Pashkov | 2014 |
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd | 2017 |
Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson | 2019 |
She continued, “Daniel, he thinks a lot, so he was thinking, and he was looking at me, and I was like, ‘What are you thinking about? Why are you looking at me like that?’ And, all he said was, ‘I think you know, I think you know why I’m looking at you like that and what I’m thinking.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, me too.'”
Britt and Daniel confirmed their relationship in 2023 and are engaged to be married.
1 Gleb Savchenko And Brooks Nader
Season 33 Partners
Gleb Savchenko and Brooks Nader took fans on a rollercoaster ride when it came to their romance. They immediately sparked dating rumors when Season 33 aired thanks to their many flirty TikToks and took it a step further when they were caught kissing before a performance and getting matching tattoos.
After their elimination, the two went back and forth on social media after they had apparently called it quits and seemed to take digs at one another. Speaking to People, Brooks later shared that it was Gleb who called things off, but he then told her he missed her the very next day.
Before the DWTS finale, pro Emma Slater shared a TikTok that showed Brooks and Nader packing on the PDA during rehearsals. Again, the two were confusing fans about the status of their relationship. They seemed to be on good terms after performing in the finale, but their relationship has not been confirmed.
Dancing with the Stars is a popular dancing competition reality TV show airing on ABC and Disney+. The series features various celebrities who pair with professional dancers to compete in front of a panel of judges. The US version of the UK TV show Strictly Come Dancing premiered in 2005 and was originally hosted by Tom Bergeron for its first 28 seasons.
- Release Date
- June 1, 2005
- Main Genre
- Reality
- Cast
- Carrie Ann Inaba , Bruno Tonioli , Len Goodman , Tom Bergeron , Cheryl Burke , Tony Dovolani , Derek Hough , Mark Ballas , Karina Smirnoff , Maksim Chmerkovskiy , Kym Johnson , Sasha Farber , Val Chmerkovskiy , Emma Slater , Sharna Burgess
