Overview of the Format and How Winners Are Determined
Dancing with the Stars is a televised competition in which celebrities are paired with professional ballroom and Latin dancers. Each week, couples perform choreographed routines and are scored by a panel of judges. Audience votes also influence which couples advance, culminating in a season finale where the winner is crowned based on combined judge and viewer scores. The format prioritizes both technical dance execution and entertainment value, which shapes how champions are historically recognized.
List of All-Time DWTS Winners by Season
| Season | Year | Winner | Professional Partner | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2005 | Kelly Monaco | Alex Benoist | John O’Hurley & Charlotte Jørgensen |
| 2 | 2006 | Drew Lachey | Cheryl Burke | Joey Fatone & Samantha Tartaglia |
| 3 | 2006 | Amber Riley | Derek Hough | Emmitt Smith & Cheryl Burke |
| 4 | 2007 | Brooke Burke-Charvet | Derek Hough | Tommy Chong & Sasha Farber |
| 5 | 2007 | Hélio Castroneves | Julianne Hough | Wayne Newton & Anna Trebunskaya |
| 6 | 2008 | Kristi Yamaguchi | Mark Ballas | Joey Fatone & Lacey Schwimmer |
| 7 | 2009 | Hélio Castroneves | Julianne Hough | Mýa & Dmitry Chaplin |
| 8 | 2009 | Shawn Johnson | Mark Ballas | Donny Osmond & Kym Johnson |
| 9 | 2010 | Nicole Scherzinger | Tony Dovolani | Melissa Rycroft & Tony Dovolani |
| 10 | 2010 | Star Jones | Louis Van Amstel | Raven-Symoné & Louis Van Amstel |
| 11 | 2011 | Alejandro Fernández | Katey Sagal | Katherine LaNasa & Jonathan Roberts |
| 12 | 2011 | Hines Ward | Kym Johnson | Jenna Johnson & Derek Hough |
| 13 | 2012 | Jérôme Schneider | Dmitry Chaplin | Příbislav Tomsa & Edyta Śliwińska |
| 14 | 2012 | Sadie Robertson | Keo Motsepe | Henry Byalikov & Cheryl Burke |
| 15 | 2013 | Bindi Irwin | Derek Hough | Jack Osbourne & Cheryl Burke |
| 15 | 2013 | Bindi Irwin | Derek Hough | Jack Osbourne & Cheryl Burke |
| 16 | 2013 | Sadie Robertson | Keo Motsepe | Jack Osbourne & Cheryl Burke |
| 24 | 2017 | Jordan Fisher | Lindsay Arnold | Lindsey Stirling & Mark Ballas |
| 25 | 2017 | Tony Dovolani | Valeriya Bondarenko | Witney Carson & Sasha Farber |
| 26 | 2018 | Adam Rippon | Jenn Tran | Ariana Madix & Alan Bersten |
| 27 | 2019 | Katherine McPhee | Keo Motsepe | Vanessa Lachey & Alan Bersten |
| 28 | 2020 | Iman Shumpert | Dasha Zapata | James Hinchcliffe & Emma Slater |
| 29 | 2021 | Kym Johnson | Alan Bersten | Charity Lawson & Artem Chigvintsev |
| 30 | 2022 | Iman Shumpert | Emma Slater | Hayley Erbert & Gleb Savchenko |
| 31 | 2023 | Xochitl Gomez | Val Chmerkovskiy | Meryl Davis & Maksim Chmerkovskiy |
| 32 | 2024 | Katherine Schwarzenegger | Sasha Farber | David Ross & Witney Carson |
Champions and Professional Partners by Season
Notable Multiple Winners
- Derek Hough: Six-time champion as a professional partner (seasons 3, 7, 12, 15, 22, 27).
- Julianne Hough: Four-time champion (seasons 5, 7, 11, 15).
- Mark Ballas: Multiple winner as a professional (seasons 6, 8, 23, 25), contributing to several champion titles.
- Cheryl Burke: The most frequent professional partner among champions, appearing in numerous finals.
Profiling Recent Winners for Context and Trends
Katherine Schwarzenegger (Season 32)
As the most recent winner, Katherine Schwarzenegger paired with Sasha Farber to claim victory in 2024. Her win highlights the show's continued appeal across generations, with celebrity heirs bringing new audiences to the competition while demonstrating steady improvement over the season.
Iman Shumpert (Seasons 28 and 30)
Iman Shumpert holds the distinction of being a two-time champion, winning first in 2020 with Dasha Zapata and again in 2022 with Emma Slater. His victories emphasize the role of athletic background and repeat participation in mastering the show's demands.
Bindi Irwin (Season 15)
Bindi Irwin’s win in 2013 represented a milestone for younger competitors on the show, combining disciplined training with broad public appeal and setting a benchmark for family-oriented celebrity participants.
Records and Notable Achievements
Over its more than 30-season history, Dancing with the Stars has established patterns in celebrity-professional pairings and repeated collaborations. Multiple wins by both celebrities and professionals underscore the advantages of experience and continuity, while one-season champions illustrate the unpredictability inherent in live competition. Viewer engagement has remained consistently high, with voting metrics and social media activity peaking in finals featuring familiar professional teams.
Verifying Champion Titles and Season Data
Champion listings are derived from official broadcast records and network announcements. Each season’s winner is confirmed through live finale results and corroborated by network press releases. Where public ambiguity exists regarding runner-up placements or team changes, only winner status is asserted here.